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Showing posts with label ICE-CREAM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ICE-CREAM. Show all posts

Friday, May 20, 2011

ROYAL FALOODA & KULFI FALOODA - The Dessert of the Royals

ROYAL FALOODA & KULFI FALOODA - The Dessert of the Royals
Falooda was the dessert of the Royals, so it definitely is a special dessert and looks so beautiful with layers of different ingredients and topped with ice cream.
Falooda has been one of the expensive desserts on the menu in restaurants up until now.
Falooda is not only delicious but also healthy, it's cooling for the body and hence a summer special dessert.

History of Falooda
India was always a subject of interest for invaders due to its vast abundant lands endowed with riches, Indian food has various culinary influences as well. Falooda is a dessert which was brought in by the Mughals.
There's a story that the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir was a food connoisseur and would frequently challenge the royal chefs to come up with something different and thus was born the Falooda, a rich and royal dessert with Milk, cream, Vermicelli, nuts, jelly, fruit syrups. I believe this could be true because the Mughal's were very fond of the Rose flavour and also the falooda looks a lot like Phirni (Kheer) with a twist and certain infusions. I'm sure this is a dessert of the Royals hands down.

The popularity of the Falooda
Falooda is very popular in India and its neighbouring countries and in the middle eastern countries. 
Different countries have different variations like in some countries the Vermicelli is slightly thicker and in some they are fine. 
The most common flavor added to falooda is rose and this is done by adding the rose syrup. 
But newer permutations have evolved over the years with the rising popularity of the dessert.
A variant is the falooda kulfi, where falooda and kulfi are served together with syrup. 

Falooda Innovations
As the Falooda gained its popularity, Newer flavours came in, the most popular flavours of falooda include rose, kesar (saffron), Pistachio, mango, chocolate, and fig.
The vermicelli used in Falooda is often made from Arrowroot giving it a silkier and translucent texture than the vermicelli made from wheat. The colour is also whiter and blends easily with the flavours. Since it's not easy to get the Arrowroot vermicelli, I sometimes buy the Instant Falooda mix pack so I can stick to the original ingredients and taste. In my recipe here I have used the standard vermicelli available in the market.

Falooda in Mumbai
Falooda is one of the famous drinks cum dessert of India, and available in almost all restaurants in Bombay. 
During the fasting month of the Muslims, the Falooda is sold on streets outside mosques and areas populated by Muslims. 
It is believed that after breaking the fast with dates or salt, it is good to have something cool, that will cool the system before you eat. 
Eating heavily after observing a fast may cause acidity so usually drinks which are cooling to the system are had first. 
Falooda has rose and basil seeds both of which are very cooling to the system, hence it is a very popular drink.


Ingredients
Milk – 1 litre
Sugar – 5-6 tbsps
Dehydrated Vermicelli (Arrowroot or Wheat whichever is available) – 100 gms
Green cardamoms – 2-3
Basil seeds Takmalunga seeds (also called Tukmaria / Takmarya) – 2-3 tbsps
Pistachio – 1-2 tbsps
Almonds – 1-2 tbsps
Rose syrup – 3-4 tbsps
Jelly – 1 small packet
Ice cream – Any flavour of your choice. (Vanilla/strawberry flavors goes best with Royal Falooda)

Method
Falooda being a mix of various ingredients needs some preparation. 

Soak the basil seeds in water for half an hour.

Preparation of the Jelly 


First of all, Make the jelly using the instructions on the packet. Strawberry or Rasberry is my preferred flavor simply because the color is attractive, but I didn't get it so I used a Pineapple flavor here. You can use any flavor you like. 
You can use any brand of Jelly available in the market. Do check the ingredients, you get vegetarian Jellies and even Halal jellies in the market. 
Most jellies have Gelatin as the main ingredient which is from an animal source, so Vegetarians/Vegans and Halal Sensitive people must watch for the ingredients/contents on the pack.
Follow the instructions on the pack, it's usually very simple, Boil the water, add the packet of jelly and stir and then transfer to a jelly mold. Cool the jelly in a refrigerator. After a few hours, the jelly is ready.
Once set, cut them into neat cubes, as shown in the picture.


Take Milk in a pan, add sugar, Crush the Green cardamoms into a powder and add to the milk. Allow the milk to boil. Now add the dehydrated vermicelli and the basil seeds and allow it to cook in the milk. Once the vermicelli and the basil seeds are soft. Add the rose syrup and mix well and allow to boil for another minute or two. Remove the pan from the flame and allow it to come to room temperature. Then refrigerate this mixture.

Meanwhile, Cut the blanched almonds and Pistachio nuts into slivers for garnish. Keep aside.

Serving Instructions
In a tall glass, Add the refrigerated Rose Milk mixture, while pouring, scoop the vermicelli and basil seeds that must have settled down and pour into the glass first, then top it with the milk settled above. Remove the refrigerated jelly and cut it into slices Add a layer of this sliced jelly.
Place a scoop of your favourite ice cream on top. Vanilla, Strawberry, and Tuti Fruity flavored ice creams go best with the Royal Falooda. For other Flavors like Pistachio, you can use the pistachio ice cream topping. Garnish with nuts.
Add a straw to drink the milk and a long dessert spoon to enjoy the other ingredients. 
Indulge in this cool and royal treat.

Note: If you like it sweeter you can add more sugar.



KESAR KULFI FALOODA
Kesar Kulfi Falooda is a variation of the Falooda with a topping of Kulfi. As the times went by more and more innovations kept happening with the Falooda with some topping the Falooda with Ice cream and yet other’s with Kulfi (the Indian traditional Icecream). I personally prefer Kulfi more than Ice cream because it’s creamy and has a lot of nuts, cardamom etc and goes well with the flavours of the falooda.

KESAR KULFI 
Kulfi is an Indian ice cream. Kulfi is made from thickened and reduced milk flavoured with nuts or saffron and cardamom. It is very rich and creamy. It has lots of dry fruits in it and enhances the flavour of your falooda when used as a topping instead of ice cream. If your Falooda is topped with Kulfi instead of ice cream it becomes Kulfi Falooda, which is yet another beverage cum dessert delicacy for us to enjoy. Enjoy a desi drink topped with a desi ice cream.

Here is a recipe for Kesar Kulfi

Ingredients
Full Cream Milk – 2 litres
Sugar – 1 cup Sugar
Cardamom (elaichi) powder – 1 tsp
Saffron - a few strands
Arrowroot or Cornflour powder – 1 tbsp

Making the Kesar kulfi
Dissolve the saffron in 2 tbsp of warm milk and allow to soak for half an hour.
Take Milk in a pan, add sugar, cardamom powder and the soaked saffron along with the milk in which it is soaked. Allow the milk to boil.
Simmer on a low heat until the quantity reduces to about 1 litre.

Now mix the arrowroot or cornflour in a small bowl along with some milk, ensure there are no lumps, it should be a smooth mixture. Add this mixture to the boiling milk. Stir continuously and boil for a further 5-10 minutes, until the mix thickens like custard.

If it is too thin, add a little more cornflour dissolved in cold milk and cook for a further 5 minutes. Allow the mixture to come to room temperature.

Pour the mixture into Kulfi mould and keep in the deep freezer. Once the kulfi is set, it is ready for you to eat it just like that or you can top up your falooda with this Kulfi instead of ice-cream.

Making the kulfi takes time, so you can make it in advance and then store it for whenever you need it.


Tips

· In case you don't get the Sabja seeds, you can add chia seeds instead, the taste is not compromised.

· If you do not get the arrowroot vermicelli or the instant falooda packet, you can use the wheat vermicelli instead.


Variations

· You can make different flavours of the Falooda by adding the different syrups, example - for mango you can add mango pulp

· If you want you can skip jelly in the recipe as well.

· Similarly, for Kulfi, instead of kesar, if you add Pistachio, it becomes Pistachio kulfi. You can make a dry fruits kulfi, by adding different nuts etc.



This post was initially posted on 17th September 2007 and then revisited again with an additional recipe of the Kulfi Falooda on 20th May 2011



Wednesday, July 1, 2009

COCONUT ICE-CREAM


COCONUT ICE-CREAM
I saw the recipe of Coconut Ice-cream on Priyanka’s blog and a wave of nostalgia engulfed me as I reminisced about my college days when I use to patronize the Naturals Ice-cream parlor which was a rage then(mid-90’s), the reason was I think people were tired of the Vanilla, strawberry, pista and tuti-fruity flavors and the other thing was the ice-cream at the Naturals parlor were so fresh, creamy, delicious and completely organic with no additives or preservatives and the best part was it was eggless(no eggs), so it was suitable to vegetarians. I am a vegetarian since time immemorial, but sadly I am not a complete vegan, I am a lacto vegetarian. Lacto-vegetarianism includes dairy products but excludes eggs.
Coming back to the Naturals Parlor they used to have some exotic flavors like
watermelon, sitaphal(custard-apple), guava, mulberry, kala-jamun, tender coconut etc.
I used to try out the new flavors and one such flavor that had left its memory etched on my tongue was the tender coconut flavor, so light, smooth and refreshing, almost like a sorbet and it got over so soon. I got the opportunity to have this again in some 5 star hotel at Thailand, after marriage the name of which I can’t remember and I almost forgot about it until I saw Priyanka’s recipe, but her recipe had eggs and I wanted to make it without eggs, so here is my original recipe for Coconut Ice-cream with coconut milk and tender coconut and some healthy agar-agar.
Ingredients
Tender coconut – 1
Coconut milk – 500ml
Milk cream – 170gms
Full cream boiled milk – 2 cups
Condensed milk – 4 tbsps
Sugar – 2-3 tbsps
Agar – Agar powder – 2 tbsps
Method
Take 1 cup water, put in 2 tbsps of the Agar-Agar powder and keep it on the gas on a low flame. It will become viscous. Turn off the flame. Let it cool.
Agar agar is a seaweed derivative and because it is gelatinous in nature, it is used as a quick setting base for many desserts. It is flavorless in nature and will set even in room temperature. I have used Agar–Agar powder in this recipe as it gives the ice-cream a softness that can’t be achieved using an agar-agar stick. You can use either of the two.
Break the tender coconut and use ¼ cup of the coconut water, mix it with the agar agar solution. The coconut inside I cut into small pieces and kept aside.
Boil 2 cups of milk and let it cool down.
Beat the cream until it thickens a bit, put in a vessel. Keep aside.
I used coconut milk straight from the packet, which saved a lot of time & energy involved in grating the coconut, grinding and straining it.
Take the full cream boiled milk, the coconut milk, the condensed milk & sugar and blend in a food processor.
Mix this with the thickened cream in the vessel and blend with a whisk, then add the agar-agar and coconut water solution and whisk some more. You will see that the mixture is becoming frothy. Whisk it well and put this into the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. After it sets, blend it again in the food processor and keep it for setting, check the texture of the ice-cream, if you feel it is icy-crisp, blend once more, until it becomes smooth and uniform, add in the pieces of the tender coconut, into it and whisk and let it set. You can even add coconut flakes instead of tender coconut pieces. So when you dunk into your exotic coconut ice cream, you get some chunky soft coconut pieces in your mouth.
Make this simple & exotic ice-cream and chill yourself during the hot summers.

I would like to send my coconut Ice-cream to PJ's Let's Go Nuts Event featuring coconut

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