Kulfi Recipe
It doesn’t have the romance of gelato or the homey familiarity of old-fashioned ice cream, and quite often when you order it the server misunderstands and brings coffee. Yet kulfi, or Indian ice cream, has its own charms, including a slightly chewy texture and a sweet, creamy taste. We found an Indian-style recipe that can be assembled in less than five minutes. For a more traditional style, substitute ground toasted saffron threads and rose water for pistachios. You can add mango or passion-fruit pulp. –Ya-Roo Yang
- 1 (14-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup ground pistachio nuts
- In a large bowl, stir together evaporated milk, cream, condensed milk, cardamom, and pistachios. Pour into Popsicle molds, stainless-steel kulfi molds, or even mini brioche molds. Freeze overnight.
- Before serving, dip the molds in warm water to make the frozen desserts easier to remove. Garnish with more crushed pistachios.
Beverage pairing: Fèlsina Berardenga Vin Santo Chianti Classico, Italy. Vin Santo, a classic style from Italy in which grapes are dried out to concentrate the sugars, is wonderful with dairy products as it can physically handle the intensity of the creaminess yet also preserves amazing acidity to cut through it. This Vin Santo will bring flavors of apricot, pineapple, and spice to the simple lushness of the Kulfi.
I kind of remember writing an article like this for chow many years ago. Can you guys fix the by line?
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Made this and it was easy and delicious! Did have the issue with separation; removed just before it was fully set and stirred well, which helped. The cardamom powder likes to settle right on the bottom of the molds.
I have always relished kulfis more than any other ice creams.
Absopositivelutely, I will try your technique!
Thanx
Hi Jeff.
Yes, the internet does give topics a life of their own! A good reason to always mind one's manners online as some posts never go away!
;)
Yup, steep whole pods then remove them. They infuse a fabulous flavor. Hope you try it.
Happy New Year, Axalady
That was so nice of you to respond. And a surprise to boot, considering that it's been a year and a half since I posted my question regarding this recipe. I guess some things take on a life of their own! Your suggestion is a good one. So steep the unopened pods versus steeping the little seeds from the pods? Looks like a Penzey's order needs to be placed :)
Cheers,
Jeff
Jeff, I find cardamom pods overwhelming when I cook with them and I never NEVER want to bite into one in a dish. I made a lovely kheer last week . It called for steeping cardamom pods in the milk and rice and then removing them. The flavor was wonderful. Perhaps the sweetness and milk toned down the flavor. Try it.
speak for yourself, Kulfi has far more "homely familiarity" for me than ice cream!
This stuff's great! I like it much more than my husband, but then I LOVE cardamum. I'm always looking for things to use it in.
Anyway -- this is a super easy & super good recipe. I had cardamum seeds, so I ground them in my (dedicated) coffee mill first, then mixed everything together & then put it in my ice cream maker for about 40 minutes, so didn't end up with the separation problem. I didn't...+READ
This stuff's great! I like it much more than my husband, but then I LOVE cardamum. I'm always looking for things to use it in.
Anyway -- this is a super easy & super good recipe. I had cardamum seeds, so I ground them in my (dedicated) coffee mill first, then mixed everything together & then put it in my ice cream maker for about 40 minutes, so didn't end up with the separation problem. I didn't put the sticks in it, just froze it in the little Pyrex bowls that I have. It filled 8 of them -- lots of calories, I'm sure, but wonderful to to eat with a spoon for a special snack. I found it less sweet than the Mexican vanilla ice cream that I make. Good One!
BTW, Penzey's is a great source any (wonderfully fresh) spices you might need.-COLLAPSE
oooh...nice. can't wait to try it. totally worth the calories!
It is the condensed sweetened milk that makes it so sweet and probably is important to the texture and thickness. You might try using less of the CSM and adding a bit more evaporated milk. Smaller portions, perhaps. Or use a sauce that is a bit tart to cut the sweetness --- a blueberry/blackberry/raspberry-type thing. Just a thought.
What a great additional Kulfi recipe to try. It's on my list for this week. One of my earlier questions pertaining to this thread, regarded the Cardamom flavor. I can't wait to try this version with Saffron. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jeff
Watch this video for a variation of this easy to make recipe: http://www.showmethecurry.com/2007/07/16/kulfi-indian-dessert/
I made this and it was great, but does anyone know how to make these less sweet?
Thank you so much ag17 for responding to my question.
Best wishes,
Jeff
I have used the same recipe from a friend and it is indeed the easiest AND the best.
Re. JeffW's comments on the Kulfi above, you can leave out the cardamom but this will remove the superb flavor that it imparts to the kulfi. The saffron will not give the same flavor as the cardamom at all. Buy the pods at any Indian grocery store. Remove the cardamom seeds from their pods and grind them into...+READ
I have used the same recipe from a friend and it is indeed the easiest AND the best.
Re. JeffW's comments on the Kulfi above, you can leave out the cardamom but this will remove the superb flavor that it imparts to the kulfi. The saffron will not give the same flavor as the cardamom at all. Buy the pods at any Indian grocery store. Remove the cardamom seeds from their pods and grind them into a powder with a pestle and mortar. I use a small coffee grinder reserved just for spices.
Re. Dreamstar's question, the kulfi can be made in any container. I have even used ice trays although it is difficult to keep the liquid from spilling. Or use those foil containers that you can buy in a grocery store. I have found the best way to remove the kulfi is indeed to dip the container in warm water.-COLLAPSE
Is it wrong that I am licking my computer screen... at work??
im curious instead of melting the kulfi inside the warm water for easy take out COULD you line the inside of the container with wax paper? and then just pull the wax paper? or will it result badly? also is the kulfi container or popsicle mold just for effect? could you use a basic rice bowl or a souffle cup? no offense the form of the kulfi looks magnificent in the picture but isnt it a hassle to...+READ
im curious instead of melting the kulfi inside the warm water for easy take out COULD you line the inside of the container with wax paper? and then just pull the wax paper? or will it result badly? also is the kulfi container or popsicle mold just for effect? could you use a basic rice bowl or a souffle cup? no offense the form of the kulfi looks magnificent in the picture but isnt it a hassle to eat?-COLLAPSE
I made it without the pistachios.
Even I - of the mondo sweet tooth - found this recipe too sweet. I cut the sweetness by serving it with a blackberry sorbet I made last summer. The combination is good and the cardamom compliments the semi-bitter berries.
wow that, it was perfect kulfi from my dreams of kulfi in india except that i made it !! i found cardamom seeds from our indian store in a packet. i used those. easier than peeling all the little pods. next time i plan to use almonds and pistachios, saffron as well or even try a fruit puree mango kulfi would be awesome.
WOW oh wow, does this sound like easy or what? Not that making traditional ice cream is rocket science---but I love the concept of mixing a few ingredients and then simply freezing. Guessing that one could place the ingredients into a bowl for freezing and then simply scoop out portions.
I'm inexperienced regarding Indian desserts, and I would happily listen to any Hounds, regarding the...+READ
WOW oh wow, does this sound like easy or what? Not that making traditional ice cream is rocket science---but I love the concept of mixing a few ingredients and then simply freezing. Guessing that one could place the ingredients into a bowl for freezing and then simply scoop out portions.
I'm inexperienced regarding Indian desserts, and I would happily listen to any Hounds, regarding the following questions:
1) Cardamom (from the jar) has always been a spice that is unpleasant to my taste. Would mortar and pestling the seeds of cardamom pods be the way to go?
2) As this concept of ice cream is so simple, could I leave out the Cardamom altogether, and try another flavoring? One of the above posts mentioned Saffron.-COLLAPSE
This is fantastic, but the next time I make it, I will probably freeze the cream and milk until it is semi-solid, and then mix in the nuts and cardamom. The nuts float to the top and the cardamom sinks to the bottom--it's hard to get a bite with all three flavors. But it's delicious nonetheless, and I'll be making it again!
I steeped a pinchful of saffron in the heavy cream for a while first, and then dumped everything on the list into an ice cream maker.
Also, I didn't grind the pistachios finely, to me it makes more interesting texture if they are finely chopped.
Easy and FABULOUS. Thanks.
big fan. huge. I know bogachuka saw me eating my way through it when I first made it over the summer.
so yummers