Mango Cardamom Saffron Kulfi (Indian Ice Cream)
So my friend Shruti from shrutiskitchen.com, conducted an Indian Cooking class at my house for about a dozen of my friends and neighbors a week ago. It was super fun and the food was yummy!
Most known I like making my own ice cream, so I asked Shruti if there were any traditional Indian ice cream recipes she would like me to explore to accompany her meal. And she had some great suggestions but first she had to explain to me that they don’t make ice cream the way we know it. They make Kulfi or Qulfi.
Kulfi is the Hindi word for frozen dairy dessert. Unlike ice cream which is made from cream or eggs, Kulfi is made from only whole milk and it is cooked for hours until the milk is reduced and caramelized (evaporated). It can take upwards to four hours to achieve the proper consistency, but for todays recipe we will take a shortcut by using canned evaporated whole milk which only took about an hour.
Traditionally, you place the prepared recipe in special Kulfi molds made of aluminum. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any in my area, not even at the Indian Supermarket, but you can find them online. I used popsicle molds instead and it worked fine. I also made some to scoop.
Now, Kulfi flavors are not super sweet like we are accustomed ice cream to be. The flavors tend to be more savory, like the recipe I made. It has the same creamy consistency of ice cream but with an icy bite.
Mango Cardamom Saffron Kulfi (Indian Ice Cream)
12 oz can of evaporated milk
14 oz can of sweeten condensed milk
3 large mangos made into pulp (use 1 1/2 cups of canned)
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
Pinch of saffron strings (optional)
1/4 tsp of ground cardamom (optional)
Instructions
Whip heavy cream for about four minutes or until it forms peaks and put in the refrigerator. Combine the rest of the ingredients except the mango pulp in a non-stick pan and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil, mixing constantly, and then simmer for 10 minutes till it thickens. Add the mango pulp and mix well. Make sure to let it cool completely before folding in the whipped cream. Pour into individual molds and freeze till set. Makes over Two dozen popsicles. Unmold and serve.
