Pistachio Kulfi ice cream

Kulfi can be called the king of 'Indian ice creams'. There are many variations like mango kulfi, pista kulfi, almond kulfi, semiya kulfi etc. In India , Kulfi ice creams are mostly made in molds resembling Popsicle and sold in a hand pulled truck. The kulfi makers use special equipments to make it from scratch (whole milk). But it is very difficult to try that procedure at home (for my skill level...hi..hi). So I made a kulfi using my simple recipe and still I got the perfect pista kulfi taste:)
I made this for '2011 Thanks giving day' and I was excited to see my friends loving it:)

Serve a cup of Pistachio kulfi ice cream after that special weekend lunch for your loved ones:)

Ice cream before freezing.

 Pistachio kulfi ice cream studded with a cherry .

To soak and grind:

Cashew nut - 10
pista (pistachio) - 10
cardamom seeds - 1.5 tsp
saffron - 3 strands

Other ingredients:

Pistachio nuts - 1 cup
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 14 oz can (400 gm)
fat free Whipped Topping 8 oz (225 gm) - 2 packs
green food color - 1 drop (optional)

Method:

Soak the above mentioned nuts overnight or for 8 hours and grind to a fine paste.
In a wok dry roast the pistachio nuts and chop it to small pieces. (Using a chopper for 1 pulse or very coarsely). Let it cool completely.
The whipped topping should be kept in refrigerator till we start using.
In a mixing bowl add the nuts paste, food color and Condensed milk . Mix well.
(Though the food color is optional, I got this color after adding a drop of green food color only. Till then it was pale beige in color).
Then blend in the coarsely chopped pista.
Now add the whipped topping and mix gently (too much mixing will make the ice cream hard).
Immediately transfer them to a freezer-safe lidded container.
Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours.

Creamy rich pista kulfi ice cream is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve as dessert.
Makes nearly 15 - 20 generous servings.
Before scooping, keep the ice cream in room temperature for 2 minutes to facilitate smooth handling.

Very simple version:

Also check out my short cut for kulfi flavored ice cream.

Alternate method:

(without whipped cream and condensed milk):
We can make this kulfi by altering my vanilla ice cream recipe too.

Vengaya vadai

Vadai - Deep fried Indian spicy doughnut; vengayam (Tamil) - onion.

This is another version of masal vadai with more onion. It is a popular snack in the tea stalls of Tamilnadu and Kerala.

Click to read and enjoy the old Tamil song behind:)

Ingredients:

Channa dhal / Bengal gram lentil - 3/4 cup
Red onion - 3 (medium size)
salt - to taste
green chilies - 3 (chopped)
fresh ginger - 1 inch
curry leaves- 1 sprig
fennel seeds (peruncheeragam/ sombu)- 1/2 tbsp
dry red chillies - 3
cooking oil-250 ml. (for deep frying)

Method:

Soak the dhal for 1 hour in cold water.
Grind dhal with red chillies, salt, ginger,fennel seeds to a coarse mixture without any water.
Chop the onion finely by hand (not in chopper, as it will yield more water to batter and a dark vadai).
In a mixing bowl add the dhal mixture, chopped onions, finely chopped green chilly and curry leaves. Mix well .
Heat oil in a frying pan. Wait till it is hot.
Take a lemon size ball of the mixture, slightly flatten in the palm of your hand and then carefully put the vadai in hot oil . Keep flame in medium heat.
Deep fry on both sides to a golden brown color to mild red color.
Remove the onion vadai , drain oil by placing over a  paper towel .

Serving suggestions:

Makes 12 big size vengaya vadai.
Serve hot with Coconut chutney.
Serve with tea or coffee.

Healthy version:
Add 2 tbsp oil to the batter and shape them into thin vadai.
Bake them at 350 deg C for 15 minutes , flip and bake for 5 minutes or till done.

Note:

This batter cannot be refrigerated after adding onion (otherwise the vadai will get dark while frying).