Category: EGGLESS

Saffron Pistachio Kulfi … craving kulfi

“Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.”
Voltaire
Here’s an ice-cream with a difference…an Indian dairy-based frozen dessert. Guess what? You don’t need an ice-cream machine for this!! This is a popular end to Indian meals, a rich & creamy ice-cream, which can be made in many ways, & many flavours. Mango is fast becoming a flavour of choice as far as the kulfi goes, but traditional flavours remain cardamom, saffron & pistachio. This particular recipe works with reducing the quantity of milk to a third by cooking. Another recipe I often use has condensed milk…faster & as delicious. I tried this method since I had run out of condensed milk .
Crushing cardamom is therapeutic & releases the most wonderful aroma…makes me think of Jasmine, the Cardamom Addict.

Both my hub & son are quite addicted to cardamom…my daughter, on the other hand, will willingly have anything sweet…anything!! The kids have just finished the last of my frozen kulfis & are now in lala land. The daughter is off for a school trip at 4 tomorrow morning. The 7th graders are going for an adventure camp tucked away in the foothills of the Himalayas…‘The Himalayan Bear Stream Camp’ . She’s driven me up the beanpole with the lists of stuff she has to carry, & I have to bake or get together. I gave her some kulfi…& told her to CHILL!!

Kulfi is a popular flavoured frozen dessert found in the Indian subcontinent made with milk. It is a kind of ice cream. It is a distinct category of frozen dairy-based dessert. Unlike other ice-cream, kulfi takes a very long time to melt. It comes in various flavours, including pistachio, malai, mango, cardamom (elaichi), saffron (kesar), the more traditional flavours. Unlike Western ice cream, which are whipped and filled with air, kulfi is not whipped, which results in a solid, dense frozen dessert. Traditionally in the South Asia, kulfi is sold by street vendors called kulfiwallahs who keep the kulfi frozen by placing the moulds inside a large earthenware pot called a “matka”, filled with ice and salt. It is garnished with ground cardamom, saffron, or pistachio nuts. Kulfi is also served with faloodeh (vermicelli noodles).

Saffron Kulfi
Home made ice-cream, rich & distinctive
As adapted from the ‘Indian Menu Planner’
Ingredients:
Whole milk – 1 litre / 4 1/2 cups
Cardamom seeds – of 8-10 cardamom pods / crushed
Saffron – 1/2 tsp
Flaked pistachios – 1/4 cup
Sugar – 3/4 cup
Beaten silver leaf/paper, flaked pistachios, flaked almonds for garnishing

Method:
  • Crush the cardamom & soak the saffron strands in a tbsp of warm milk.
  • In the meantime, put milk & sugar into a large, heavy bottom saucepan & boil until reduced to a third, & the mixture is thick & creamy. Stir often.
  • Add the cardamom, flaked pistachio & saffron. Simmer for 5 minutes, take off heat & allow to cool to room temperature.
  • Spoon the mixture into moulds, cover tightly with foil & freeze overnight. (If you don’t have kulfi moulds, any ice-cream moulds work fine. I made some in the ice-cream lollie moulds too.)
  • To release from moulds, warm the outside by rubbing between the palms for a few seconds & ease out. Alternatively hold under warm water for 2-3 seconds, or wrap in a warm towel for a minute. Invert onto individual serving plates.
  • Garnish with silver leaf, flaked almonds & pistachios; some cardamom powder if you desire.

Just back from dropping our daughter to school…YAWN!!

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

ANOTHER INDIAN FLATBREAD…KHAMEERI ROTI

“Without bread all is misery.”
William Cobbett

Carrying on from my last post, time to blog eloquently about the third Indian flatbread I had a go at making. You can find the earlier two, Naan & Tandoori Roti, in this post here. While the naan I made is a leavened bread but not with yeast, the tandoori roti is unleavened. This current flatbread, ‘Khameeri Roti‘, is also leavened, & yeast is the rising agent in this case. (‘Khameeri‘ means fermented.)

This is a rustic, moreish flatbread, made entirely with wholewheat flour (aata) & has delicious crust. Like most baked flatbreads, it tastes best eaten hot out of the oven. The dough is kneaded twice; the second kneading is a little involved as you try & incorporate extra liquid into the dough. This results in a smooth silky dough, which is then left to rise. It’s a nice bread to serve with curries, vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Khameeri Roti (Leavened Bread)
from ‘The Indian Menu Planner’
Ingredients:
Wholewheat flour – 2 cups
Clarified butter (ghee) to grease baking tray. (I line the tray with foil instead)
Salt to taste
Active Dried Yeast – 1 1/2 tsp
Flour to dust Method:

  • Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 a cup of warm water, & leave to proof.
  • Sieve the flour with salt onto a platter.
  • Make a well & pour in about 3/4 cup of water, mix gradually & knead to a tough dough. Add a little more water if required. Cover with a damp cloth & keep for 15 minutes.
  • Slowly sprinkle the dissolved yeast mixture, & keep kneading till the dough is smooth & pliable & not sticky. Cover with a damp cloth & leave for 30 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 8-10 equal balls & dust with dry flour.
  • Press & flatten into 8″ wide discs. Place on a greased tray & bake for 4-5 minutes in an oven pre-heated at 180 degrees C.
  • Drizzle with melted ghee or butter(very optional, yet most delicious).
  • Serve hot with curry.

This rustic flatbread is off for Yeastspotting at Susan’s @ Wild Yeast Blog, for her weekly wrap on yeast baking.

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

Strawberries in a Trifle … Quite Literally So!!

“That most wonderful object of domestic art called trifle…with its charming confusion of cream and cake and almonds and jam and jelly and wine and cinnamon and froth.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Dressed up with grated chocolate, melted chocolate, sliced strawberries & fresh mint leaves!

I made these in dessert cups with the leftover sponge that I had frozen. Simple & effective, a rocking good dessert in one of our favourite combinations this season…‘Chocolate & Strawberry’!! Ready in minutes, with nothing very involved, this is indeed a whimsical way of using left-overs!!

A hearty trifle for Valentines…
The word “trifle” comes from the old French term “trufle,” and literally means something whimsical or of little consequence. Many puddings evolved as a way of using up leftovers and trifle originated as a way to use stale cake. A proper English trifle is make with real egg custard poured over sponge cake soaked in fruit and sherry and topped with whipped cream.

A pudding/dessert I made with a layer of strawberry sponge that I reserved while making the Chocolate Strawberry Cake(pictured right). I saved a layer of the sponge because I thought the cake looked a trifle higher than I wanted it to be.

Ingredients:(Makes 4-6 strawberry trifles)
Strawberry Sponge:
Eggs – 2
Sugar – 50 gms
Cornflour – 1 tbsp
Flour – 50gms
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Pinch of salt
Strawberry essence – 1 tsp

Strawberry cream:
Whipping cream – 300ml
Strawberries – 100gms / reserve 1-2 for topping
Castor sugar – 1-2 tbsps
Grated chocolate,dark melted chocolate,sliced strawberries,sprinkles,mint leaves etc for topping.

Method:

  • For the sponge:
  • Line & grease a swiss roll pan or an 8″ square tin.
  • Sift the cornflour + flour + baking powder + salt 3 times. Keep aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  • Beat the eggs & sugar well till it holds thick ribbons; about 10 minutes.
  • Beat in the strawberry essence.
  • Gently fold in the flour mix, a tbsp at a time, in figure 8 hand movements so that the beaten air doesn’t escape.
  • Turn into the prepared tin & bake for about 15-20minutes/ until done.
  • Remove from tin after 5 minutes; take off the lining & cool completely on rack.
  • For the strawberry cream:
  • Chop the strawberries into small pieces.
  • Whip the cream with castor sugar till firm. Fold in the chopped strawberries.
  • To assemble:
  • Take a round cookie cutter & cut circles to fit dessert cup. Alternatively, crumble cake roughly & line the bottoms of the cups with half the cake.

  • Put a layer of strawberry cream, followed by another layer of cake.
  • Top finally with the remaining strawberry cream.

  • Border the cream with grated chocolate, drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top & place sliced strawberries & mint leaves. Use sprinkles if you like.
  • Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

In the shadow of the setting sun!

This month for Leftover Tuesdays #12, the challenge foodie Pam presents is ‘to create something for your sweetheart and if you can use up some leftover Chocolate in the process your creation with be extra sweet!’ This trifle has got to be it from me. Even the chocolate I used to border the rifle is from a left-over bar of toblerone!! Sending this off to Pam…

This one is off to Zorra‘s as well for her hearty event…‘A heart for your valentine’. Do drop by her place and check out all the beautiful entries…

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

KHEER / INDIAN RICE PUDDING…Special Occasion Food

“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.”
Erma Bombeck
Traditional Indian Desserts…KHEER / RICE PUDDING

Here’s one of our great Indian desserts, quite similar to the English rice pudding, & much loved in our part of the world. The earlier recipe for rice pudding that I posted a while ago doesn’t use condensed milk; this one does, and tastes very rich & creamy too. It is a popular egg less dessert, & a great way to finish off a meal. I find the freshly grated nutmeg gives this a warm and comforting flavour. The raisins & almonds are quite optional, & one, or both, can be given the miss if need be.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup (washed & dried)
Milk – 1 ½ ltrs (whole milk)
Condensed Milk – 1 can / 400ml
Saffron strand – 1 pinch
Green Cardamom – 5-6/ seeds crushed in pestle & mortar
Nutmeg – 1/4 tsp / freshly grated
Raisins – 1 handful
Almonds – 1 handful / without skin
Sugar if required

Method:

  • Grind the rice in a coffee grinder.
  • Bring the milk to a boil, and then simmer it for 30 minutes.
  • Add the condensed milk, stirring it constantly while pouring it in.
  • Soak the saffron strands & cardamom seeds in a tbsp of warm milk.
  • Mix the rice powder in ¼ cup of cold milk.
  • Stir the rice into the simmering milk, stir continuously to avoid lumps getting formed, & bring to a boil.
  • Now once again leave to simmer until rice is cooked, and the kheer/pudding has thickened, like a thick batter consistency. Stir occasionally.
  • Add the freshly grated nutmeg + raisins + almonds and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add sugar if required. I find that the condensed milk adds enough sweetness of its own.
  • Cool till lukewarm, and then set in a big serving bowl, or individual bowls.
  • Chill well, for at least 4-5 hours, or overnight, before serving.
  • Note: Amount of rice required may differ due to starch content in different varieties. If it becomes too thick, thin it down with extra milk. If it is still too thin ( will thicken a bit & set as it cools down), add a tsp on cornflour in a tbsp of cold milk, and give it a boil. Should do the trick!
    Serves 8-10

This dessert can be made a day in advance, and the work can be further reduced if you grind the rice a couple of days before.I’m late & not feeling good at all. Anna at Morsels & Musings had a blog event for “special occasion food”. I did so want to send this one in because its a nice pudding, which has easily available ingredients, & is a hit with family and friends. Sadly, I missed the bus ‘ coz I muddled up the dates. :0(….will send it in anyway, just so Anna knows I tried!

‘Special Occasion Indian Food’…the Kheer or Rice Pudding!

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

Phirini / Saffron Indian Rice Pudding … think spice, think SAFFRON!

“Life is unsure; always eat your dessert first.”
Anonymous

PHIRINI/RICE PUDDING

Looks like it’s time again for ‘beyond baking’, and this time I’m hitting the saffron trail! This recipe has finally been typed and blogged thanks to Sunita’s World, who runs a really interesting spice event every month. I think it’s a pretty neat idea, and also a great learning experience. I missed the last few spices due to the ‘tension’ of trying to blog. I feel a little more confident now, and a bit more organised of course! Got a loooooooooooooong way to go, but am getting there.

Strands of Saffron…with the flowers of the Indian ‘Haar-Singaar’ tree

This months’ spice is ‘SAFFRON‘…the world’s most expensive spice by weight. I’ve just used a few strands, and they seem to work the magic. The recipe is for a creamy, delicious pudding/phirini made out of ground rice. A great vegetarian dessert option which can be set it in individual bowls too!! This is a recipe I have made over and over again, and is a firm favourite after dinner. A bowl of this was always reserved for a dear friend who LOVED it…but sans raisins. She is now in Babushka land for a while, and gets her bowl over the net!! The flavour of saffron is gentle and complements this dish beautifully. I make this with condensed milk too…another of my own recipes, which I will post another day.

Ingredients:

Rice – 3/4 cup (I use Basmati)
Milk – 1 1/2 litres (full cream/whole fat)
Cardamom – 5-6 (seeds ground in pestle & mortar)
Saffron strands – 1 pinch (soaked for 10 mins in 1 tbsp warm milk)
Raisins – ¼ cup (optional)
Almonds – ¼ cup
Sugar – ¾ cup (Start with ½ cup and increase if required)
Cream – ½ cup (optional for a GREATER tasting phirini /pudding)

Method:

  • Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and peel them. Reserve for later.
  • Wash the rice well, drain, and run in a blender with about 1 cup of cold milk.
  • Mix this into the rest of the cold milk, and put to boil. Stir constantly, to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
  • Once it comes to a boil, add the cream if using, reduce to low heat, and cook for about 30-45 mins till the rice is cooked, and the pudding starts to thicken. Stir now and then…
  • Meanwhile, crush the cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar to release their fragrance. Once done, add a few strands of saffron, and about 1 tbsp of warm milk (I took it out of the pan while cooking); grind gently, and then leave to soak. This enhances the flavour of the saffron.
  • Once the rice is cooked, take off the heat. When this isn’t very hot, run the hand-blender through it. This will grind the rice completely, and thicken the pudding too.
  • Put back on low heat. Add the saffron mixture, raisins and almonds, reserving some raisins and almonds for garnishing. Also add the sugar and adjust taste as required. At this point if you think the pudding is too thick, you can add some more milk.
  • Take off heat, and allow to cool for 15-20mins. Turn either into 1 big serving bowl, or individual bowls. Garnish with almonds, raisins, saffron strands, beaten silver parchment (chaandi ka vark) etc.
  • Chill well for 4-6 hours (or overnight) before serving.. (Keep covered with wrap/foil in fridge).

Note: Varieties of rice differ…one kind may have more starch than the other. If you want the pudding thicker (or if it doesn’t thicken enough), add a tsp of cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp of cold milk once the rice is cooked. Give it a rolling boil. Do remember though that the phirini/pudding will continue to thicken as it cools once done.

And yes, you guessed it! Am on the THINK PINK trail still…

Posted by Deeba @ PAB
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