Malai Kulfi is a rich and decadent melt in the mouth dessert made with evaporated milk and dry fruits. Milk is reduced and then mixed with ground cashew to give thickness and frozen in molds.
Some more amazing ice cream recipes are here – basil ice cream, chocolate ice cream.
Summers are no time soon getting over and in this hot & humid weather, a nicely set kulfi would do wonders. With this thought in mind I dialed my aunt (mom’s sis) in Mumbai. Now you would wonder, why I would dial my aunt? The thing is that in Oct 2009, we visited her for a long weekend (i think due to 2nd Oct) and she treated us to yumm home-made kulfis. Mind you I’m not a big fan of home-made ice-creams because I’ve felt that they don’t set well enough with lot of ice-crystals. May be world has changed but I’m yet to try a home-made ice-cream which is perfectly set.
To go back to the kulfi – she served us kulfis and I bit into it with all apprehension waiting for ice-crystals to hit me. But there came none! WOW!!! And V being V, ate them like a glutton, aaarrgghhhhhhhh! And started pestering me to take recipe from her and make more at home. Well to tell the truth, I wanted to do the same :D. So the phone call to her. The recipe she gave me was simple and very-very easy to make, except for borrowing a deep wok from neighbor I was set to roll or freeze or chill or whatever!
This is the simplest recipe ever. With no GMS etc been added – just perfect kulfi! I’m planning to visit her again next month for a long weekend (15th Aug) and am already anticipating what goodies she will serve us. She is a good cook and I love food served and made by others – I get a holiday. Unpaid cooks like me, enjoy this break I guess!
Malai Kulfi
Ingredients
- 2 liter milk full cream
- 1 can condensed milk 400 gram
- 4 tbsp cashew kaju, coarsely ground
- 1 tsp cardamom powder elaichi powder
- pistachios & almonds pista, badam slivers for topping
Instructions
- In a thick bottom vessel, reduce the milk to half the quantity on a slow flame.
- When it is reduced, add condensed milk & heat for another minute or so. Allow it to cool.
- When cool, add cashew & cardamom powder. Blend well with a whisk.
- Pour into moulds or icecream tins for setting.
- Set in freezer overnight.
- Demould & serve chilled. Garnish using slivered pistachios & almonds.
Hi Deepali,
What is the secret to avoid ice-crystals?
Thanks!
Rahul
Hi Rahul, This recipe doesn’t form ice crystals. However, if one is not using an ice-cream maker, then I have read the trick lies in churning the ice-cream again and again atleast 3 times. Which means that you let the ice-cream set and then re-churn it in a mixer and then again allow it to set. Then you again churn it and re-set it. And repeat one more time. I am yet to make ice-cream this way but I know this is a tried and tested method.
Thanks Deepali!
Can you please suggest me a good ice-cream maker product brand?
Probably the one you used for making this kulfi. It looks yummy and creamy
I tried to make it but there were ice crystals in kulfi :(
I heard that things like agar agar, arrarote, bread etc can help in avoiding the ice crystals.(havn’t tried yet).
Mixing 3 times as you explained will take a lot of effort.
I would prefer to do it your way. Seems you have used a good ice-cream maker machine. Could you please suggest a good brand so that I can also buy and enjoy your awesome recipe.
Thanks and Regards,
Rahul
Rahul, I am clueless to ice-cream maker details as I don’t own one. There was some misunderstanding. I did not churn this kulfi 3-4 times. I have made this kulfi thrice and eaten several times at my aunt’s place and neither she nor I churn it so many times and we have never got ice-crystals. May be you can try reducing the milk a little longer (say by another 10 minutes) before adding condensed milk. I guess the water content may be higher in your trial.
Do let me know how it works for you.