Kulfi ala Monica

[Monica Bhide]

"This recipe was an open secret among our friends in Bahrain. I heard an advertisement on TV the other night that described this dish perfectly: 'Sunday taste, Tuesday effort!' ".

Ingredients

1 can (14 oz.) evaporated milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons ground cardamom (optional)

Garnish:

A few drops of rose water (available at most Indian speciality shops)

Method

In a large bowl, stir together well the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream, and cardamom.

Pour into popsicle molds, Indian stainless steel kulfi moulds, or even a small bowl.

Freeze overnight.

Remove from the moulds.

Serve sprinkled with rose water.

Tip:

Before serving, dip the ice-cream mold in warm water to make it easier to remove the ice cream.

This recipe is adapted from my first book. Copyright- "The Spice Is right: Easy Indian cooking for today" Callawind Publications

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How do you make Kulfi? Do you use the "real" method and prepare it from scratch? What are some of the innovations you have made to the kulfi recipe? Do you flavor it ... what with?

Do tell. inquiring minds want to know

[Jason Perlow]

I suppose this can be modified by adding ground pistachios, etc?

[Monica Bhide]

for sure

[Susan G]

And for even less effort with the above receipe, I suppose one could add the rosewater to the liquid before freezing it - just to cut out that final, exhausting step!

I've made the cardamom, almond and pistachio kulfi in Madhur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking". It seemed a lot of effort for so small a yield........but it was tasty!

[scott123]

My kulfi recipe is almost exactly the same, except I'm not a big fan of evaporated milk so I omit it and use more cream. I also stir it a couple times during the freezing process in hopes of getting a slightly better texture.

I'd love to find a way to make a low carb kulfi.

[Edward]

I like experimenting with my cuisinart ice cream maker making kulfi inspired things. You don get the same texture as kulfi, but its so easy. Mango is good, kesar-pista, kaju-kishmish. These are good.

I have had this idea in my mind for few years to make a Ben and Jerry's mish-mash sort of thing with chunks of sandesh, pistacios or other nuts and keora essence. Perhaps I could call it "Bangla Blast"

I suppose chunks of some sort of burfi might be good also. You probably couldn't serve this too ice cold though. You wouldn't want the sandesh or burfi to be hard as rocks......

[RupenRao]

My mango pistachio kulfi recipe:

I got this one from one of my friends incidently from Bahrain too...seems like they have a monthly mag which features cuisine n stuff, it was cool.

Sweetened mango pulp.................................800 ml

Sweetened condensed milk.............................1 can

Natural whipped cream................................8 oz

Sliced pistachios....................................1/2 cup

Using a hand blender, mix mango pulp with condensed milk and whipped cream until the batter is smooth and uniform.

Add sliced pistachios and mix well.

Pour it in a kulfi mould and freeze.

Rupen

[Episure]

Make Rabri, add roasted almonds, gur and freeze.

Variations candied ginger, apple, sitaphal, litchi.......

[gingerly]

i do a condensed milk and cream version too but i like to stir in some malai.orange flower water and almond was very good.

[jw46]

Sounds good, monica...but seems it would be like a block of frozen cream...(Not that that is a bad thing )

Perhaps using an ice cream machine to entrain some air into the mixture before it is placed into the molds would make it a bit less dense...And also give you more product for the materials involved...

From the dietary standpoint, you would still have the flavor, but since there was all that air frozen in the Kulfi, You wouldn't be slurping down quite as much stuff that probably isn't very good for you...Not that that has ever stopped me

[Monica Bhide]

Sounds good, monica...but seems it would be like a block of frozen cream...(Not that that is a bad thing )

Perhaps using an ice cream machine to entrain some air into the mixture before it is placed into the molds would make it a bit less dense...And also give you more product for the materials involved...

From the dietary standpoint, you would still have the flavor, but since there was all that air frozen in the Kulfi, You wouldn't be slurping down quite as much stuff that probably isn't very good for you...Not that that has ever stopped me

Try it .. its really quite delightful

[Bond Girl]

Made this with ground pistaschio and a few drops of orange flower water. Dumped it in the ice cream machine and the result was sooo good that I forgot all about my diet which was suppose to start today.

[scott123]

Sounds good, monica...but seems it would be like a block of frozen cream...(Not that that is a bad thing )

Perhaps using an ice cream machine to entrain some air into the mixture before it is placed into the molds would make it a bit less dense...And also give you more product for the materials involved...

From the dietary standpoint, you would still have the flavor, but since there was all that air frozen in the Kulfi, You wouldn't be slurping down quite as much stuff that probably isn't very good for you...Not that that has ever stopped me

Try it .. its really quite delightful

I'll second that :)

Kulfi and ice cream are two very different animals. Because there is no mixing involved, it's dense, crystally and kinda chewy. It's a huge part of it's appeal.

[Big Bunny]

Over the weekend I used an adaptation of this recipe with a simple Chinese meal:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...74entry706774

I substituted chopped crystallized ginger for the cardamom, an garnished the kulfi with orange blossom water. It worked beautifully, and paired nicely with the Chinese dishes.

BB

[Monica Bhide]

Over the weekend I used an adaptation of this recipe with a simple Chinese meal:

  http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...74entry706774

I substituted chopped crystallized ginger for the cardamom, an garnished the kulfi with orange blossom water. It worked beautifully, and paired nicely with the Chinese dishes.

BB

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Sounds really nice, BB. WHere do you get the ginger from? Can you talk a bit more about the orange blossom water

[Big Bunny]

Sounds really nice, BB. WHere do you get the ginger from? Can you talk a bit more about the orange blossom water

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Crystallized (candied) ginger is a staple at Chinese groceries. As you know, orange-blossom water is a Middle-Eastern staple, like rose water. Whenever I see one, I imagine substituting the other.

In her Sichuan cookbook, "Land of Plenty", Fuchsia Dunlop gives a recipe in which sweet-potato puffs are garnished with rose water, so it seemed reasonable to add orange blossom to the kulfi.

Besides, I think of ginger and citrus as one of the great natural combinations.

BB

[Milagai]

hi monica:

your lazy kulfi sounds great.

i read about another yummy sounding version;

very similar to yours, but they boiled the cans of

condensed milk in a water bath for ~ 20 mins.

supposed to caramelize the milk (i guess it becomes khoa like).

have you tried that? any thoughts on that process?

also: any ideas on how to concoct a kulfi cheesecake?

related query: i had a failed attempt at making ricotta

rasmalai. it tastes great, but is basically mush.

i have frozen it, any idea how to turn THAT into cheesecake?

milagai

(off to buy new pants for fatter self)

[bong]

i read about another yummy sounding version;

very similar to yours, but they boiled the cans of

condensed milk in a water bath for ~ 20 mins.

supposed to caramelize the milk (i guess it becomes khoa like).

have you tried that?  any thoughts on that process?

←

Isn't this the standard way to make "dulce de leche", which is a Mexican dessert?

I have also heard that this (i.e. boiling a can of condensed milk in water bath) is a dangerous thing to do, and you should only do it if you know what you are doing.

[Milagai]

[

I have also heard that this (i.e. boiling a can of condensed milk in water bath) is a dangerous thing to do, and you should only do it if you know what you are doing.

←

[rajsuman]

Isn't this the standard way to make "dulce de leche", which is a Mexican dessert?

I have also heard that this (i.e. boiling a can of condensed milk in water bath) is a dangerous thing to do, and you should only do it if you know what you are doing.

←

I've heard it mentioned that you shouldn't do it, but the end results are so delicious that I can't help myself. I use the toffee to make banoffee pie. Mmmmmm....now there's something I haven't made in donkey's years!

Suman

[Yajna Patni]

Boiled cans of condensed milk are yummy. But it takes more like two hours, and it certainly can explode.

You have to make sure that the water covers the can at all times, otherwise the pressure of hot stuff inside it will make it explode. Put it in a big pot with a lot of water on top. I have never made kulfi from it, but i have eaten a whole can with a spoon . . . .

other important issue... dont try opening the can until it is quite cold. the milk inside is under a lot of pressure when it is hot, and will all squirt out of a tiny hole, and quite possible a. burn you, and b. waste your whole can by squirting all voer the place.

Probably only for those people who dont mind risking personal injury for food.

the can says not to do it.

[Yajna Patni]

yuuum... banoffe...

[foodietraveler]

boiled condensed milk is more like dulce de leche... is that correct?

Monica? Suvir?

Monica did you grow up outside of India? My mom makes similar kulfi. It is immigrant kulfi as mom says. Not as special, but does the trick if you want to be lazy, which I often want to be.

We add toasted nuts and saffron into our home version. Makes it seem special without much effort.

[Monica Bhide]

Its very special.

[Dave the Cook]

boiled condensed milk is more like dulce de leche... is that correct?

Monica? Suvir?

Monica did you grow up outside of India? My mom makes similar kulfi. It is immigrant kulfi as mom says. Not as special, but does the trick if you want to be lazy, which I often want to be.

We add toasted nuts and saffron into our home version. Makes it seem special without much effort.

←

I hadn't thought about that, but you're right, foodietraveler. Actually, it's a shortcut in the Mexican kitchen, too.

I don't understand the reference to "immigrant kulfi," though. I'm almost totally unfamiliar with Indian cuisine. Maybe you could explain?