How to make firni, an Indian creamy smooth pudding made with rice flour and slow cooked milk flavoured with saffron and cardamom, garnished with crushed nuts.
In a small bowl crush 20 medium to large saffron strands with your fingers, add 2 tablespoons water and set aside for 20 minutes.
Firni
Meanwhile, pour 1200 mls whole milk into a medium saucepan add 2 whole cardamoms and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to minimum and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
Remove the cardamom pods and whisk in 75 g rice flour and 100 g sugar till there are no lumps of rice flour left (use a stick/immersion blender or spoon to crush any large lumps). Stir in the saffron strands and their water. Then stir occasionally using a wooden spoon till the mixture has thickened.
Remove from the heat and pour into a serving dish or individual bowls. Leave to cool on the counter then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge. Before serving roughly crush 10 pistachios with a pestle and mortar or use a plastic bag and a rolling pin and sprinkle over the firni.
Notes
Make ahead - firni can be made ahead and kept covered in the fridge till ready to serve.It is important to bloom the saffron before using to extract the flavour.If you don't have rice flour you can make your own - use a spice or coffee grinder to grind raw rice into a fine powder.Whole milk gives best results because of its high fat content.To prevent milk sticking to the bottom of the pan - bring to a boil on medium heat, then reduce to low and simmer stirring frequently using a wooden spoon.You can use any type of crushed nuts to garnish the firni.Storing leftovers - cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge before serving.