Kulfi

Ice Cream

VegetarianOrigin Delhi/Punjab/AwadhPrep 50 minutes, plus cooling and freezing time

A dense, traditional frozen dairy dessert made by slowly reducing milk until thick and rich, subtly perfumed with floral water and ground nuts.

Ingredients

2069 g2 l

dairy

150 g

sweetener

50 g

nut/seed

~0.1 gdrop

liquid

Pour 2000 g milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
Lower the heat and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking, until the liquid reduces to less than half its original volume.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in 150 g granulated sugar until thoroughly dissolved.
Fold in 50 g ground almonds and 0.1 g kewra water, then leave the mixture to cool completely.
Divide the cooled liquid among kulfi moulds, leaving about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of headspace at the top to allow for expansion.
Secure the lids tightly and freeze for 8 to 10 hours until firmly set.
Briefly dip the outside of each mould in lukewarm water, remove the cap, loosen the edges by running a knife around the inside rim, and unmould onto plates to serve semi-frozen.

Full cream milk

Whole milk
Use the same weight; it is the closest match in richness.
Milk
Use the same weight; the dish will be slightly less creamy, so reduce any added water.
Milk powder
For 100 g milk, use 12 g milk powder with 88 g water and whisk until smooth.

Granulated sugar

Jaggery
Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Almond

Cashew nut
Use equal weight. Soak in warm water and grind to a paste or fry identically; yields a slightly creamier and sweeter sauce.
Shelled peanut
Use equal weight. Lightly roast, skin, and grind; introduces a heavier body and a pronounced roasted-nut aroma.

Kewra water

Rosewater
Use 75-100% of the weight, added off the heat. Floral but rose-scented, not screwpine.
Rose syrup
Use 50-60% of the weight and reduce sugar by about the same amount. Sweet and pink-rose flavoured.
Saffron thread
Steep 2-3 threads in 10 ml warm milk for every 10 g kewra water. Different, richer aroma.

Same: Rabri shares with this dish a base of full-cream milk reduced with sugar, ground or slivered almonds, and a floral water.
Different: Rabri uses about twice as much milk and sugar, adds green cardamom and pistachios, swaps kewra water for rosewater, and is served as thickened milk rather than frozen.

Same: Kalakand shares a base of heavily concentrated dairy sweetened with granulated sugar with this dish.
Different: Instead of being slowly reduced from liquid milk and frozen, Kalakand is made from pre-cooked khoya milk solids set into a soft, room-temperature fudge.

Same: Nimish shares a dairy base perfumed with floral water and garnished with nuts with this dish.
Different: Rather than slowly simmering milk to freeze it solid like this dish, Nimish is made by churning chilled milk into a delicate, unfrozen foam.

Same: Homemade Ghee and this dish both use dairy as their base and rely on slow heating to change its texture and flavor.
Different: Homemade Ghee uses only unsalted butter, while this dish uses full cream milk, sugar, almonds, and kewra water; Homemade Ghee is clarified and strained, while this dish is reduced, flavored, and frozen.