Part 2 : Malai Kulfi

After that delicious dinner of the Malai Paneer, here comes a much-loved Indian dessert, Malai Kulfi. It is the Indian version of ice-cream,although it differs from the former in that it is never churned and frozen in small moulds,much like popsicle.

a kulfi mould

It is sold through out the subcontinent as a street-food where it is frozen in small earthen pots called matkas or kulhads.It is essentially much more dense than icecream and takes longer to melt as well. Traditional Kulfi-making involved hours and hours of stirring milk with sugar,cream,nuts and flavouring spices so I prefer to use the easier way that I learnt from Nupur di who blogs at onehotstove.blogspot.com. The first few times I made it,I followed her instructions to the tee, but nowadays I make a few changes here and there,and am more relaxed about it on the whole. What I had very nervously approached once as a complex and daunting task has now become a much-loved keeper that I can make any given day and that too without referring to any recipe guidance. The Kulfi is one of the recipes that I will be making time and again, and keep on experimenting with it every time, because it has now really become my own.

MALAI KULFI

(Frozen Kulfi flavoured with fresh cream)

Serves:6

Ingredients:

Milk: 500 ml/2 cups

Sweetened condensed milk: half cup/8 tbsp

Fresh Cream: 3 tbsp

Green Cardamoms: 6

Cornflour: 2 tsp dissolved in 2 tbsp of milk,from the 2 cups of milk

A handful of raisins/chooped almonds/pistachios: optional

Sugar to taste. I used a bar of dairy milk instead ( Yes,that's my twist!)

How I made it:

Pour the milk in a heavy bottomed pan and add the condensed milk to it and mix well.

Add the cardamom seeds .

Bring the mixture to a boil.

For the next 20 minutes, constantly stir the mixture,on a medium flame,

taking care to scrape all the milk solids back into the pan.

Add the cream and stir very well at this point with a beater.

There should be no lumps,hence the beating is essential.

Cook for a few minutes and now add the dissolved cornflour into the milk.

Cook for 3-4 minutes to cook the cornflour.At this point the mixture should have become quite thick.Sprinkle the dry fruits if using.Take the vessel off the flame.

Pour carefully in a plastic container and chill for a couple of hours.Don't freeze now.

After the mixture cools down substantially, pour in Kulfi moulds,screw the lids tight and freeze them overnight or for 6-8 hrs.Serve Cold.

The Kulfi is served at weddings and dinner parties with Falooda ( vermicelli noodles) and rose syrup.I haven't yet learnt to make Falooda,but plan to learn sometime soon.Till then, we'll just make do with the Kulfi. It tastes unbelievably good on it's own,especially after a spicy,hot dish.It is as much a palate-cleanser as it's a melt-in-the-mouth gorgeous dessert, a perfect end to a sumptuous weekend meal.