Thandai Kulfi

It will be an understatement if you call Thandai as only a drink. It’s much more than that. Thandai is a celebration itself and that too the most vibrant one. While everyone enjoys splashing colour to their friends and families, a little bit of chilled thandai just makes that happiness twice as big and gives the tired, rainbow coloured body a little something to realax.

The aroma and taste of thandai is so cooling and refreshing that everyone takes their moment alone with his / her glass in a corner. So, this time, I did something what I do best. I made Kulfi with the thandai masala. Only if you were there to take a bite of it. But you can make your own and enjoy your little bites of Thandai Kulfi.

Thandai Kulfi

Serves 10

Ingredients:

1 and ½ litres of full fat cow milk (you can also use buffalo milk if that is available, which creamier and fattier than the cow milk)

1 cup of sugar

2-3 tbsp of the thandai masala

Ingredients for the thandai masala:

4 tbsp almonds

2 tbsp cashew nuts

2 tbsp pistachio

1 tbsp poppy seeds

4 green cardamoms

1 and ½ tsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp black peppercorns

2 and ½ tsp dried rose petals / gulkand

1 big pinch of saffron (optional)

Method:

Take the nuts and poppy seeds in separate small bowls.

Soak them overnight in water.

Next morning, drain the water and peel the skins off the almonds.

In a grinder put together the almonds, pistachio, cashew nuts and poppy seeds.

 Add 2-3 tbsp of water and grind until smooth.

Scrape this paste to a separate bowl and keep aside.

In a mortar and pestle grind the green cardamoms, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and dried rose petals. Grind these spices to a smooth non-grainy powder.

Collect this powder to an airtight container and keep aside.

Pour the milk in a heavy bottomed dutch oven and let it come to a boil.

Switch the flame to low to medium.

Add the sugar.

Stir and simmer the milk for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the milk has reduced to the half of its original quantity.

Now add the prepared nuts and poppy seeds paste and stir to mix everything.

Add the saffron.

Add 2 tsp of the spice mix.

Simmer for 5 minutes more.

Pour this mixture into the desired kulfi or popsickle moulds and freeze overnight or 6-8 hours.

You can also pour this mixture in a container and freeze.

To unmould hold the mould under room temperature water for 10 seconds and loosen the inner edges with a butter knife.

Slice the kulfi with a knife and serve with some chopped nuts and dried rose petals on top of it.

If you have freezed the kulfi in a container, use an ice cream scoop to serve the kulfi.