The summer is approaching and it is getting hotter and hotter in Hong Kong. On a hot and humid day like this, ice cream can be a great savior. Kulfi is by far the simplest and the easiest ice cream I’ve ever made at home. I don’t need an ice cream maker nor an egg, not even a whisk. Just heat, mix and freeze, and it’s ready. The cardamom spice added into this ice cream makes it heavenly aromatic once it melts in your mouth. Today, I’m happy to share the delicious ice cream recipe born in India.
Recipe: Kulfi ice cream
Servings: 3-4
Ingredients
- 5 threads saffron (it’s alright if you don’t have this)
- 1 tablespoon potato starch or corn starch (or even rice flour)
- 3 cardamoms (green)
- 4 pistachios and 4 almonds (or any nuts you fancy adding)
- 500ml whole milk
- 150ml sweetened condensed milk
- Mortar and pestle to grind cardamom seeds
Cooking instructions
- (If you don’t have saffron, skip this step) Crush saffron using your fingers and soak in 2 tablespoons of warm milk or warm water. Let it soak for at least 15 minutes. This is to ensure that its beautiful color gets distributed evenly when added to the milk mixture later.
- Mix potato starch or corn starch (or even rice flour) with 2 tablespoons of water. Set it aside.
- Remove shells from cardamom. Grind its seeds using mortar and pestle to fine powder. Set it aside.
- Crush pistachios and almonds (or any nuts you like to add) using mortar and pestle. I usually just crunch gently so that I can feel its crunchiness when I eat. Set this aside as well.
- In a cooking pot, add milk and condensed milk. Give it a stir and heat over low heat for no more than 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the mixture sticking at the bottom. The milk will reduce down to 450ml or so.
- Add the cardamon powder, the crushed nuts and the saffron along with its liquid to the milk mixture. Give it a good stir.
- Add the potato starch or corn starch paste you have made in Step 2. Give it a good stir.
- Keep stirring so it will be lump free. You don’t want to be eating a big lump of starch.
- Once the mixture has thickened, turn off the heat. Let it cool down to room temperature.
- Then pour the mixture into glass containers or kulfi moulds if you have. I wouldn’t recommend using ice cube trays. It might end up stuck in the tray.
- Freeze the kulfi for 5 hours or more.
- Remove it on a plate. Garnish with nuts, condensed milk or cream and enjoy
This article was written by Chia.
I’m a freelance translator with background in biology. Upon meeting my future husband in Spain, I moved to Hong Kong to start our lives together. I’m still exploring what Hong Kong has got to offer