Mango Kulfi ~ Hot Summer Treat

Summer ….the season of Mangoes, sorbets, ice-creams, kulfis and more…. The indian version of “kulfi “ sums up taste of home for me. The exotic flavors of rose water and the luscious taste of mango combined with hints of cardamom powder takes me straight to those hot, childhood days in Kolkata when waiting for the kulfiwala [vendor] was our favorite way to kill summer vacations. They have unbeatable number of flavors and a price to suit every pocket.

 Kulfi is nothing but a frozen, unchurned milk based dessert in numerous flavors like cream [malai] nuts ,rose, cardamom and saffron.Frankly,I have personally not seen any kulfiwala selling mango kulfi during childhood days. .If you do not have access to fresh mango, buy frozen mango slices,thaw them & puree at home.You can skip the mango and still make the malai [cream] kulfi version.

Ingredients :- For the Mango Kulfi:- [Serves 4]

1 litre half and half [or use whole milk/evaporated milk]
4-5 mangoes [ yield about 2 cups of mango pulp]
3/4 cup white sugar [ adjust to taste,depends on how sweet your mangoes are]
1 cup heavy cream
1.5 tsp green cardamom powder
1 tbsp Cashew powder
1 tbsp rose water

Method :-

In a heavy bottomed,wide-mouthed & large pot, pour the half and half and transfer to stove top on medium and let come to a boil.

While the milk is boiling, peel the mangoes, slice the flesh roughly into a bowl & discard the seed.Tip the slices into the blender and churn to make a smooth puree. Sieve the puree once to remove all the lumps and fibre.Keep a watch on the milk.

Once the milk is boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the milk simmer with periodic stirring till it reduces by 1/3 of its original volume then add cashew powder and mix well.

Once the milk has reduced,remove from heat add the sugar and let cool to a room temperature.

Once the milk has cooled,mix in the cream,mango puree,salt, rose water and green cardamom powder.Whisk gently to combine well to make kulfi mix.

Pour the kulfi mix into moulds/plastic containers, cover and freeze for at least 10-12 hours until set.

Mango Kulfi is ready to serve………



Sending this to Indrani's "Spotlight : Summer Cooler" event, Srav's "Splash into Summer" The Pumpkin Firm's "Mango Mania 99" event, Akila's "Dish Name Starts with M", Divya's "SHOWCASE- Fun in the Sun", Anu's "ONLY Mango" event, Jyoti's "Cool Summer Sips" event and Preeti's "Jump' N Jive @ Icypritz"