Carrot Badam Pista Kulfi

Being fond of ice-creams is something almost every girl nods her head to. So has been my case for as long as I can remember.

However, what I cannot come to understand is, why do ice-creams need eggs or egg yolks?

Ever since I shed my ignorance and started to really read the ingredients at the back of the carton, my chief complaint about ice-creams here in the US is that majority of them contain eggs. And those that do without them are dosed with plenty of corn starch and High Fructose corn syrup to make me queasy about buying them. For an ice cream lover, it is a difficult dilemma to be in. Since then, I have wanted to make my own ice-cream.

As the mercury began to rise this summer, my little girl and I started making all kinds of plans for some home made ice-cream, something with strawberries and raspberries and such. The plan remained a plan.

Until one day in late June, when I was suddenly struck with the idea of making Kulfi with this ridiculously simple and amazing Carrot Kheer that my blogger friend Deesha got me hooked on to a while back. I fell in love with it and had made it several times over and over again for ourselves, for friends and at any chance I had got to make something sweet.

I knew it would be great.

And the thought of Kulfis fit in just right. As it turns out, Kulfi – our very own Indian ice-cream which I did not realize for a long time (!) are super easy to make. No fancy ice-cream maker, no churning, no nothing. Just what my lazy bones were looking for.

I will warn you that this Kulfi is rich. Rich, creamy, dense, nutty and full of flavor. What’s a Kulfi if it is not rich, right?

And I bet, no one can tell there’s carrots in it!

Carrot Badam Pista Kulfi Recipe

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makes 6 – 8 small size (4 oz) kulfis

Things you’ll need:

2 – 1/2  medium – large carrots
1/4 cup almonds
2 -1/2 cups whole milk
a pinch of good quality saffron
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
10 pistachios, grated or coarsely crushed

Others

2-3 bamboo skewers / sticks
6-8 steel lotas / cups for molds
aluminium foil to seal the molds, cut into squares to fit the cups
muffin pan ~ optional

How it’s done:

Wash, peel and slice the carrots into 1/4 inch rounds. Pressure cook carrots and almonds in just enough water to cover them or cook on stove top until soft. When cooled, puree cooked carrots and almonds in a blender.

Bring milk to a boil in a heavy bottom saucepan. Squish saffron between your fingertips, sprinkle it into the boiling milk. Stir in the carrot-almond puree and simmer stirring intermittently (to avoid scorching at the bottom) until it reduces to about half, about 25 mins.

Empty the condensed milk into the saucepan, stir to mix well and simmer for another 5 mins. Switch off the stove and keep the saucepan aside. Garnish with grated or crushed pistachios, stir and let cool to room temperature.

To assemble

Wash and dry the steel lotas or cups and arrange them in a muffin pan (comes in handy to keep them arranged neatly in the freezer)

Cut the bamboo skewers into 3 parts. Repeat with the rest.

Pour the kulfi mix into each of the lotas. Wrap with aluminium foil. Stick the cut skewers in the middle of the foil and wrap the foil in the lota / cup with the stick dipping into kulfi. Place in the freezer for at least 4-6 hours or overnight.

To unmold, dunk the lota in a cup of room temperature water for a couple of mins.

Twist the stick to unmold. Enjoy!

Notes

This Kulfi is super delicious and rich. If you would prefer to have it lighter, here are a few things you could try:

Substitute whole milk with 2% or 1%

Just use half the can of sweetened condensed milk. You might have to adjust the sugar.

Instead of the regular sweetened condensed milk, use fat-free

Keep the whole milk but skip the sweetened condensed milk and add sugar instead.

Use fat-free sweetened condensed milk in place of the regular version

Always wash the top of the can and towel dry it before using.

You could use any popsicle mold of your choice. I prefer steel cups to plastic moulds.

California Farms makes organic sweetened condensed milk if you are particular about using organic products

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