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1
Pour the 2 litres of whole milk into a wide, heavy-bottomed pan — wide so evaporation is rapid and even, heavy-bottomed so the milk never scorches before you can scrape it clear. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce to a steady simmer, stirring frequently and scraping the base and sides of the pan, until the milk has reduced to 40–50% of its original volume, approximately 900 ml to 1 litre. The surface will appear viscous and the colour will deepen to a milky brown; a spoonful lifted and dropped should fall in a thick, slow ribbon.
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2
Remove the pan from the heat, add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved, then add the malai and stir to combine. Allow the base to cool until it is warm but no longer steaming — approximately 50°C to the touch — so that the volatile pistachio oils and kewra water are not driven off the moment they meet the milk, which would leave the finished kulfi flat and one-dimensional. Only now add the chopped pistachios, ground cardamom, saffron-steeped milk, and kewra water, and stir to distribute evenly. The mixture should smell fragrant and complex.
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3
Ladle the mixture into conical kulfi moulds, filling each to within 5 mm of the top, then seal completely with their lids or with cling film pressed directly onto the surface before sealing, so that no air pocket remains inside the mould to form a hollow cavity in the finished kulfi. Any void will leave a dead space that freezes into an empty shell rather than dense, creamy ice. Work methodically and check each seal before moving on.
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4
Stand the sealed moulds upright in the freezer set at -18°C and freeze undisturbed for a minimum of eight hours, preferably overnight. The kulfi must not be moved, shaken, or agitated at any point during freezing, because agitation encourages the formation of small ice crystals and a churned, aerated texture — which is ice cream, not kulfi. The finished kulfi is ready when it is completely rigid throughout; press the base of the mould firmly and there must be no give at all.
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5
To unmould, run the outside of each tin mould under hot water for ten seconds, so the thin layer of kulfi against the metal loosens just enough for a clean release without melting the centre. Invert onto a small plate; the kulfi should drop free in its conical form. Slice across the cone into discs at service and serve immediately, allowing it a slow melt — kulfi is eaten slowly, not spooned rapidly.