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Afghan

Firni

Vegetarian

فرنی · firni

A silky Afghan milk pudding thickened with cornflour and scented with cardamom and rose water, set in shallow dishes and covered with chopped pistachios.

Firni is an Afghan dessert, ready in about 3 hours 20 minutes and made with milk, cornstarch and rose water. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
3 h
Total
3 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
225

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the cornstarch (opens in a new tab) with about 150 ml of the cold milk (opens in a new tab) until smooth.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the remaining milk (opens in a new tab) with the sugar (opens in a new tab) and cardamom (opens in a new tab) until steaming. Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the cornstarch (opens in a new tab) mixture and keep whisking over medium-low heat until it thickens and bubbles.

  3. Step 3

    Cook for 2 minutes more, then take off the heat and stir in the rose water (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Pour into a shallow dish or small bowls, cool, then chill until set. Sprinkle thickly with pistachios (opens in a new tab) before serving.

    About this dish

    Origin
    Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainMilk puddings of this name are made in Afghanistan, Iran and across South Asia (where phirni is usually rice-based); the cornflour version is typical in Afghanistan.Also popular in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan
    Dish
    Dessert · Desserts
    Cooking method
    Simmered
    Taste
    sweet, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
    Cook more with
    Milk · Cornstarch · Rose water · Sugar · Cardamom · Pistachios
    Techniques
    Simmering

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom milk
    • Contains: Tree nutsfrom pistachios

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    225 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 203 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 11%
    • Carbohydrate 59%
    • Fat 30%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy225 kcal111 kcal
    Protein6.3 g3.1 g
    Carbohydrate33.8 g16.6 g
    Net carbohydrate33.2 g16.3 g
    Sugars25.6 g12.6 g
    Added sugars16.7 g8.2 g
    Fibre0.6 g0.3 g
    Fat7.5 g3.7 g
    Saturated fat3.4 g1.7 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol17 mg8 mg
    Sodium75 mg37 mg
    Salt equivalent0.2 g0.1 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    272 mg
    Calcium
    200 mg
    Iron
    0.3 mg
    Magnesium
    23 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    80 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    2.2 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.8 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    11 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Rose water: Water (FDC 174158); rose water is a distillate with negligible nutrients.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Keep whisking once the cornstarch goes in, or lumps form on the bottom of the pan.

    Common mistakes

    • Pouring the cornstarch mixture into boiling milk without whisking — it sets in lumps.

    Serve with

    • Serve chilled after a meal of qabuli palaw or with green tea.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Milk1000 ml · 1030 g
    Used in step 1

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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