Keskul is a creamy pudding made with rice flour and corn starch. It is flavored with almonds and garnished with ground pistachio. Perfect light dessert!
Turkish desserts are always irresistible! Milk based desserts have an importance role in the cuisine. Although sutlac is more famous around the world, this almond pudding is equally tasty and deserves more value.
Mom tells us that there weren’t big patisserie shops in Turkey in the past, there were just small pudding shops (muhallebici), which weren’t very big in number. Because these pudding shops were not very common, they were considered as special places for special events.
When people had an important meeting with friends, these pudding shops were their only choice. However, these pudding shops had a more important role in Turkish culture those times.
When a young man wanted to declare his love to a young woman, he would invite her to a pudding shop and the woman would understand that there would be some very exciting conversation when they met there. So these pudding shops were meeting point of lovers.
Pudding shops were known as small, cute and friendly places. People would enjoy their pudding in peace. Pudding (muhallebi), Turkish rice pudding (sütlaç) and keşkül were some of the dairy desserts they would serve. You can also find Ramadan güllaç at those shops. They wouldn’t serve other types of desserts, just the desserts made of milk.
Although we have numerous patisserie shops today, I’m not sure if they have the same friendly atmosphere. Today’s luxury patisserie shops serve various desserts, but they are not as important as the small pudding shops were for lovers.
The English pronounciation of keşkül may be something like this: kashkul
How to Make The Recipe
Put sugar and egg yolks in a pot and beat with an egg beater. Take about ¼ cup milk into a bowl and mix it with rice flour and corn starch. Put it aside.
Add the rest of the milk into the pot and go on beating. Put the pot it over the heat and boil it over medium heat and stir occasionally.
When it starts to boil, add the rice flour and starch mixture and beat it. Add peeled and crumbled almonds after 3 minutes.
Add vanilla and cream after a few minutes. Never stop stirring until it’s done.
When it gets thick enough, it’s time to take it from the heat. But how do we understand it’s thick ‘enough’? You can understand it with the help of the egg beater or a spoon. When you dip the spoon in it and take it out, if the pudding is not runny, if it drops little by little, it’s done.
Take it from heat and pour it in a jug so that it’s easier to pour them into small bowls or cups. Then pour the pudding into small cups one by one. If you see bubbles on their top, you are on the right path. Do not move these cups until keşkül gets cold.
When it’s cold enough, decorate the tops of keşkül with pistachio and whole almonds.
More Turkish Desserts
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📖 Recipe
Keskul - Turkish Almond Pudding Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 liter milk
- 1½ tablespoons rice flour
- 1½ tablespoons corn starch
- 3 medium egg yolks
- 100 g heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup almonds peeled and crumbled
- 1 tablespoon pistachios for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put sugar and egg yolks in a pot and beat with an egg beater. Take about ¼ cup milk into a bowl and mix it with rice flour and corn starch. Put it aside.
- Add the rest of the milk into the pot and go on beating. Put the pot on heat and bring it to boil, stirring occasionally. When it starts to boil, add the rice flour and starch mixture and whisk.
- Add peeled and crumbled almonds after 3 minutes. Add vanilla and cream after a few minutes. Never stop stirring until it’s done. When it gets thick enough, it’s time to take it from heat. You can understand it with the help of the egg beater or a spoon. When you dip the spoon in it and take it out, if the pudding is not runny, if it drops little by little, it’s done.
- Take it from the heat and pour it in a jug so that it’s easier to pour them into small bowls or cups. Then pour the pudding into small cups one by one. If you see bubbles on their top, you are on the right path.
- Do not move these cups until the pudding gets cold.
- When it’s cold enough, decorate the tops of keskul with pistachio, whole almonds and raisins.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Malina says
This is my favorite thing to make when I have leftover cream. I prefer to use vanilla almond milk instead of regular milk, but because almond milk is usually sweetened, I also use just 3/4 c of sugar in order to keep it from being too sweet.
Zerrin, do you happen to know the volume of 1 kg of milk and 500 g of cream? I want a kitchen scale, but my kitchen is tiny, so I don't have anywhere to put one! I use 4 c of milk and about 1/2 c of cream, and it's been great every time, but I'm still not sure if those are the proper measurements.
Ilke says
Zerrin, what a lovely introduction and presentation of Keskul! My favorite was tavukgogsu with icecream when we went to the pudding shops with my mom, and she always, always ordered keskul!
I am glad I found a fellow Turkish foodie! 🙂 Will follow your blog regularly now!
Zeinab says
I tasted before in Turkey.
Really it was so delicious.
Thanks alot honey
Emily Martin says
I've never heard of Keşkül, but judjing by the ingredients and method, it looks delicious and like a lovely alternative to the heavy cakes and pies we eat so much of here in the UK.
I'll definitely have to try this.
Sophie says
Welcome back, zerrin!! we missed your tasty recipes!!
This one looks so special & is beautiful presented too!
What a lovely dessert!
touria says
Merhaba Zerrin
you're tagged please see the following page
Kisses
dokuzuncubulut says
Merhaba Zerrin, yine mükemmel bir tatlı yapmışsın. Sunum da harika olmuş. Her türlü sütlü tatlıya bayılırım ama, keşkülün yeri bir başkadır. Sevgiler...