Keşkül (Turkish Almond Milk Pudding)
کشکول (ترکی بادام والی دودھ کی کھیر)
Keşkül takes its name from the *keşkül*, the bowl carried by wandering dervishes to collect food, which was said to hold whatever people offered, including this pudding. It's a creamy, pale milk pudding enriched with ground almonds, which give it a delicate nutty flavour and a slightly textured body. Topped with crushed pistachios and a little coconut, it's elegant, quick and naturally rich. The word is familiar in Urdu too, as *kashkol*.
- ⏱ Total: 25 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 15 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Whisk the rice flour, cornflour and egg yolk into 1 cup of the cold milk.
Heat the rest of the milk with the sugar and ground almonds until steaming. Whisk in the starch mixture and cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 8–10 minutes until thick and creamy.
Stir in the vanilla, pour into bowls and cool. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Serve cold, topped with pistachios and coconut.
Kitchen notes
Grind the almonds as finely as possible, or use ready almond flour, for a smooth pudding.
For an extra-smooth version, blend the almonds with 1 cup milk and strain before cooking.
It keeps for 2 days in the fridge.
A dervish’s bowl
Keşkül is one of the Ottoman palace puddings that became everyday Turkish food. Its name links it to the Sufi dervishes, whose keşkül bowls, often carved from a coconut shell, were used to collect food and alms. Fittingly, the classic topping includes coconut.
Almond richness
Ground almonds are cooked into the milk, adding flavour and a little body. Traditional cooks pounded blanched almonds by hand; today, ready-made almond flour, sold in supermarkets worldwide, makes it much quicker.
Getting a smooth texture
Keşkül should be creamy with only a faint graininess from the almonds. Very finely ground almonds, or blending them first with some of the milk and straining, give the smoothest result. Cook over moderate heat and keep stirring, especially once the starch goes in, so the pudding doesn’t catch on the bottom. An egg yolk adds richness and a soft ivory colour, though many cooks leave it out. The pudding thickens further as it chills, so take it off the heat when it still flows slowly from the spoon.
Serving
Serve chilled with pistachios and coconut, perhaps with a few pomegranate seeds for colour. South Asian readers who love badam doodh and kheer will enjoy it. For a plainer pudding, try muhallebi.
Questions people ask
What does keşkül mean?
It's the name of the bowl wandering dervishes carried; the same word as Urdu kashkol.
Can I skip the egg yolk?
Yes. It adds richness and a pale yellow tint, but the pudding sets well without it.
Is it like badam kheer?
Close in flavour. Keşkül is smoother and set like a pudding, while badam kheer is thinner and often contains cardamom and saffron.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 320
- Protein
- 10 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
