Often described as traditional Indian ice-cream, the frozen dairy dessert kulfi is delicately flavoured with spices such as cardamom and saffron, says Mervin Joshua, owner of new Adelaide bistro The Logical Indian.
This recipe, which also includes chopped pistachios, was provided by The Logical Indian, which started out in the food court at David Jones and this month opened a restaurant in Rundle Mall Plaza.
“Kulfi has a dense, rich texture that will have you coming back for more,” Joshua says.
3 litres full-cream milk
½ cup thickened cream – optional
½ cup sugar (adjust to your sweetness preference)
30 pistachios, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons saffron milk (instructions below)
1 tablespoon cardamom powder
Boil the milk in a thick-bottom pan. Once it reaches the boiling point, reduce to simmer and add thickened cream (if using). Allow the milk to simmer for about 35 mins on low flame, stirring continuously (it burns very quickly if not stirred properly).
Once the milk reduces to half the quantity, add the chopped pistachios, saffron milk and cardamom. Mix thoroughly and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Allow the thickened milk and the contents to cool completely. After it is cooled, pour into kulfi molds or ice block molds and freeze for 5 hours or overnight.
De-mold the kulfi the same way you would ice blocks (immerse the mold into lukewarm water and pull out). Serve topped with pistachios and enjoy.
To make saffron milk: Steep 5-6 threads of saffron in 4 tablespoons of milk for 1 hour.