strawberry-ginger kulfi

After a few magical weeks of travel, my summer has settled into a lazy routine.  And much as I love the excitement of wandering through old towns and sitting in outdoor cafes with a cappucino, I also look forward to the comfort of walking into my kitchen in the morning and sitting down with that first cup of tea.

Being away also resulted in my tiny kitchen garden suffering from neglect this year.  The squirrels took it upon themselves to harvest my fruit-filled peach tree and the rabbits had a field day with the strawberries!!  Thankfully the markets have been overflowing with wonderfully sweet fruit and we have been taking full advantage of them as dessert and in milkshakes.  And since its summer with soaring temperatures, an ocassional frozen treat 🙂

And after my fair share of of indulging in gelatos and ice-creams, it was time for some kulfi.  I have very special memories of kulfi on Chowpatty beach and even as I type this, a vision of that beautiful chaos at the beach after sunset flashes in front of my eyes.

A very traditional frozen dessert of the Indian sub-continent, kulfi is believed to have made its way to India through the Mughals, possibily from Iran.  And like the gelatos of  Italy, dondurmas of Turkey, paletas of Mexico and mochi ice-cream of Japan, kulfi has a very distinct association with India.  Made by boiling milk along with sugar until it reduces to about half its volume, it gets a wonderful and distinct caramelized flavor during that process.  And any addition of fruit to this mixture results in a transformation into dusty tones compared to the vibrant colors of an ice-cream.  Also, since it is not whipped or churned, it has quite a dense texture and is slower to melt.

As kids, we used to also look forward to the kulfi- seller coming around our neighborhood with his push-cart carrying slim, conical-shaped kulfi with a stick pierced in…very much like a popsicle.  Brightly colored, thanks to the artificial colors, they held an iresisitable attraction.  And much like the pull of a jingle of an ice-cream truck, the cries of the kulfi man led to an unrelenting pestering of the parents for a few coins to buy some.  And any explanation by them of questionable hygiene and artificial colors often fell on deaf ears 🙂

This is a simpler version of a kulfi, with the microwave making a quick process of the milk reduction. A blessing in this season when standing in front of the stove is not an appealing prospect.  There are popular versions that use a combination of evaporated milk, condensed milk and whipping cream but I have used just the evaporated milk and whipping cream and added the sugar separately.  Since strawberries have a very delicate flavor, I added a little bit of ginger to push the strawberry flavor to the front.  I added the ginger with a light hand since I didn’t want anything to be overpowering.  You could experiment with other flavors like black pepper, cardamom or even lemongrass.

Although not traditional, I also mix in a very small amount of whipped cream into the kulfi mixture especially when I am freezing them in cups or ramekins.  It helps to soften the texture just enough to make it easier to scoop out with a spoon.  I find this particuarly helpful when serving to company who might be unfamiliar with the texture and the kulfi frozen solid might have them wishing for a trowel instead of a spoon 🙂

The terracotta pots are a nod to the traditional clay pots (matka) sometimes used for kulfi but you can use the conical molds or containers or even popsicle molds.  Portion sizes are typically quite modest since it is quite rich and a little is enough to satisfy that sweet tooth.   It is also a great make-ahead dessert for entertaining and always makes a dramatic entrance to the table.  So you have an abundance of summer fruit, do consider going the kulfi route.  Happy Summer!!!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups ( 1 can) evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 3 tbsp of whipped cream (optional)*
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup) plus an additional 2 tbsp sugar**
• 2 cups chopped strawberries
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1

Add 2 tbsp of sugar and lemon juice to the chopped strawberries and keep aside for ten minutes so that the strawberries release their juice and make it easier to blend.

2

Grate about a tsp of ginger and squeeze out the juice.

3

Pour the 1 3/4 evoparated milk, 1/2 cup of whipping cream and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and boil until it reduces to a little over one cup. This took about five minutes in my microwave but the time will vary based on your microwave. Cool completely.

4

Blend the strawberry-sugar-lemon mixture to a fine puree (I did not strain it and added it seeds and all but you can strain it if you like). Also, its fine to have a few small chunks of strawberries since it adds a nice texture..

5

Add to the completely cooled milk mixture. along with the ginger juice. Its important that the milk mixture is completely cooled so that it doesn't break when the strawberry is added. The mixture will thicken slightly. Add the whipped cream if using.

6

Pour into cups or molds or in a container and freeze overnight.

Notes

* Adding a small amount of whipped cream makes the kulfi a bit softer and easier to scoop out with a spoon. ** The amount of sugar I used ( 1/2 cup) was just perfect for us but my taste runs on the less sweet side. It also depends on how sweet the strawberries are. So do taste the strawberry mixture when blending and add more sugar if needed.