It has been ages that i made any kulfi or ice cream , that seems like a sin considering both of us are such kulfi lovers and the kulfi should always be topped with falooda for us........we get decently good kulfi falooda at Roshan di Kulfi at karol bagh here in delhi and we always find ourselves huddled up there to have a plate......whenever we are around that area.
Many a times in the last few years i thought of making the falooda to treat both of us , but somehow i could not ....time was not the only factor , there are some things which need a certain level of 'thrill' to start with........Aam Malai was an easier option and the husband was happy with it too......even baking a brownie and having it with store bought vanilla ice cream was an easier option in that time..........and i told you , it was not all because of time management......the 'thrill' of cooking something this special was missing........
As i am trying very very hard to revive that 'thrill' lately , i thought of this kulfi n falooda..........falooda with pure saffron to take me to the lanes of my sweet memories....the lanes of Banaras where the kulfi falooda is divine with a light scent of cardamom and lots of slivered pistachio and saffron falooda ( though the falooda is artificially colored )....there are a few small street side shops around the bansphatak and godolia area who keep huge matkas ( round earthen pots) covered with wet red cloth to keep it cold ....the kulfi wala would fish out kulfi molds made of tin and sealed with white flour , roll them between his palms to ease out the kulfi from the mold , slip the kulfi in a plate chop it in three pieces and then he would dip his hands in another pot to scoop out a handful of noodly doodly falooda......the falooda would land over the kulfi ...a spoon would be quickly slid into the mess and would be handed over to you to devour.......oh my God i so want to got here right now..............
For those who do not want to go to the old parts of Banaras , there is always Anamika ( a small multicuisine restaurant ) at sigra crossing ..........this one was closer to our home and that kulfi falooda was a close second to the one i mentioned ............it has been about 12 years that i chomped on those wonders .........i have to go there soon.......
Making the falooda and the kulfi took to the days of my early childhood too , when we would make mango shake or aam malai in the afternoons of summer vacations and pour it into ice trays to make cubes of kulfi within 2-3 hours and before evening we would be finished with our produce........:)
I made mango kulfi to start making kulfi falooda after so many years just because mangoes are now in season and juicy ripe alfonso mangoes are luring me to take them home each time i go grocery shopping at my neighborhood store .........aam malai and mango shake were done with many times and then i decided............
This time too it was an afternoon affair with me as i started after lunch .....all i needed apart from mangoes is milk powder , sugar ( which was not needed this time ) and corn flour for the falooda......just that.....and saffron to flavor...
For two servings you need......
alfonso mangoes ( any fully ripe sweet mangoes ) 2 nos.
or mango puree 200 ml
milk powder 200 ml
sugar 1 tbsp or to taste ( not needed if the mangoes are sweet enough)
corn flour 3 heaped tbsp
water 250 ml
saffron 10-12 strands
a tbsp of milk to soak the saffron
a semiyan or murukku maker is needed to make the falooda
procedure ...
This is a fun recipe..........actually.....you just need to have lots of ice cubes in the freezer as you need chilled water to make the falooda........
Firstly , scoop out the mango pulp and puree it .
Now measure the puree ( in my case 200 ml from 2 mangoes) and add equal amount of milk powder , ( and sugar if needed ) whip again to make a fluffy n medium stiff mix....i use a stand mixer for this......
Pour into molds or in serving bowls or glasses ........
Tap the glasses against the platform to release any bubbles , cover with a cling film and freeze for 3 hours ......no need to take out after an hour and whip again to avoid ice crystals , the use of milk powder liberates you of this task.........the end product is so creamy and rich ...and setting them in individual serving bowls hastens the setting or freezing time...........
Once the kulfi is in the freezer , head to make the falooda...though both of these things can be made in advance and falooda keeps very well in the refrigerator for a couple of days......keep the semiyan maker ready in the side before heading to cook the cornflour mix.................
and soak the saffron in milk in advance.....
not to forget ..lots of ice cubes to make chilled water.........
Dissolve the corn flour in water ......it has a tendency to settle in the bottom so keep stirring for a while and cook to make a paste........i cooked it in the microwave , cooking for a minute and stirring till it reaches a molten wax like texture......it took me 4 times of stirring and microwaving........it needs a vigorous strring as it gets thicker after every microwaving session..........
Alternatively cook it over flame in a thick base wide pan , stirring vigorously all the while till it reaches this texture n thickness........it is very thick and needs to be passed through the nozzle quickly......otherwise it will harden n would result in smaller length of falooda..........( trying to take pictures at every step resulted in such a situation here too and the falooda was not as long as i wished )....no regrets...
Now spoon in the cooked corn flour slush into the semiya maker cylinder , fit in the thin semiya nozzle and fix the lid .
Fill a large bowl with chilled water with some ice cubes in it , position the semiyan maker over this and rotate the handle of the machine to drop falooda in to the cold water.......the corn flour jelly will harden as it reaches the chilled water .
Make a small batch and pass through a colander , keep dipped in another wide bowl of chilled water...
Mix the saffron soaked in milk with the falooda and keep covered in the fridge till needed ....
The reason i choose to set the kulfi in large glasses is that we can have more falooda on top........
Clicking pictures while making the falooda was tough ....after serving the kulfi it was more so.........
Yummy creamy silky smooth kulfi .......a regular kulfi has a grainy texture due to nuts and khoya used but this is more like an ice cream due to powdered milk used.........the regular kulfi will be posted soon hopefully.......i am 'thrilled'.......
We had three helpings of falooda each ...........no kulfi wala will be willing to satisfy someone like me ...or my husband.....a true soul mate........falooda is the soul of kulfi..........
wow this sounds wonderful and delicious.I am surely going to book mark this recipe and try it.One small question is the falooda sev sweetened in any way ?
ReplyDeleteThanks simply food....
ReplyDeleteThe falooda need not to be sweetened in any way if it is to be topped over the sweet kulfi , sometimes it is enjoyed with a dash of khus syrup or rooh afja though when the kulfi is plain.
Sangeeta, this really does sound like fun, home made falooda. Is the semiya maker same as murku maker or different?
ReplyDeleteAlso the unsweetened falooda lets the mango and saffron flavors take over , if you are making it for the first time , make it this way...that is , without sugar , it can always be sweetened afterwords ....we like it lightly sweet so i did not even use sugar for the kulfi , mango is sweet enough and the powder milk has some sweetness too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Priya...
ReplyDeletethe semiya maker is the same as murukku maker...i have posted a picture too....there is another type of murukku semiya or chkli maker which has to be pressed to release the vermicelli..
sounds so yummy and fun to make! perfect for the summer weather too :)
ReplyDeleteLove the kulfi recipe...never tried it with milk powder.
ReplyDeleteThe falooda will have to wait though...i do not have the semiyan maker :(
Oh! very tempting & yummy Sangeeta..... Throughout I just went on with my groaning & moaning..... here..... All Slurps!!!! I just felt like a doggy, who was just swallowing the saliva release.... ;-) LOL!!!! But very convincingly luscious!!!!
ReplyDeleteAsh....
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)
Hi Sangeeta, I have seen my granny making the falooda, she used to add a pinch of salt to it. I have all the dreams of making falooda this summer, let's see when I actually attempt it. I remember my granny storing lots of ice before she made this, we as kids enjoyed watching her make. A very informative post dear and I am so happy that you and Arvindji are enjoying such sweet moments and I truly appreciate ur efforts of bringing back that Thrill in ur lives.
ReplyDeleteHa .. ha Pari...
ReplyDeleteI am a granny anyways.......be it amchoor or falooda....:)
Lovely!
ReplyDeleteHome made falooda! I normally used boiled vermicilli if I am trying to make kulfi falooda at home. Maybe I should try this next time :)
completely understand about the taking photos part. My dinner is often cold before I eat it, because I've been trying to take the right pictures :)
Sangeetha homemade falooda sounds awesome is such a great idea of having fun...looks decadent! I'll try this soon :)
ReplyDeletehi sangeeta,
ReplyDeletehome made falooda kulfi from the scratch :0 good one again!!
enjoyed reading the banaras memories...
Keep sharing the wonderful tasty recipes from ur tresure :)
Wishing u the best always
God bless
TC
omg i wnat one now,.
ReplyDeleteOMG Sangeetha..I'm just wowed by the entire preparation itself. It looks divine...Falooda looks just Perfect . I love it as well especially on hot summer days...
ReplyDeleteI made this kulfi today and I just had it!!!...its DEFINITELY creamy and silky smooth!!...I loved it!!..and the way my daughter is gorging it I don't think she has any plans to let her father have a share in this...lol....
ReplyDeleteBTW, congrats to Kulfi for having found her Faluda
:)
Wow home made falooda, another mindblowing recipe by u...i m missing indian mangoes soooooooooooo badly here.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful, looks tempting and yummy.
ReplyDeleteScrumptious... I am salivating ...honestly I can't help it ...
ReplyDeleteHi Sangeeta, how have you been ? home made falooda is something I must try..
ReplyDeleteDelicious recipe of an ice cream! I need to try the falooda, for sure will be a success in my family!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Gera
OMG..Sangeetha, kudos to you..falooda made at home..something..Love to make this one..bookmarking it..will let you know how well I do..my family will be thrilled...
ReplyDeleteMango kulfi falooda looks tempting and fantastic. Perfect for summer time. You ahve presented very nicely with step by step gorgeous pictures.
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy, yummy yummy!
ReplyDeleteSangeetha,
ReplyDeleteMukuru maker is not same as semiya maker (or idiappam maker or vermicelli press). They are different or atleast the hole plates differ. In mukuru maker the hole is single and is used to prepare chakkulis or muruku. whereas semiya maker or vermicelli press or idiappam maker has many tiny holes in it.
I have tried thai noodles(bean thread) along with kulfi, it does not break easily and tastes equally good.
Thanks Rach ..
ReplyDeleteIt seems i have not seens a proper murukku maker but this one has hole plates or nozzles for murukku , ribbon type savories n semiya or vermicelli all ...it has about six types of plates n many things can be made with this.
Sorry for misspelling your name sangeeta. Muruku is a savoury snack, quite famous in south India. In reminds me of my good old childhood memories when my grandma used to prepare muruku( or chakkuli) for us( grandchildren). Muruku maker is very similar to vermicelli press in appearance, just that the plates differ. I have a vermicelli press here which I brought from India, I use that to make string hoppers , sev etc. But Muruku was just not possible :( Happy cooking!
ReplyDeleteThis one has that plate with a star shaped hole for murukku too n i have made murukku n chakli with it too.
ReplyDeleteYes sangeeta, with different plates its possible to make muruku and sev( the holes differ for both). Happy cooking!
ReplyDeletesuperb one... well what's the last photo.. is that u had taken half you after you had done with the falooda
ReplyDeleteThanks devasena....
ReplyDeleten sorry for the late reply, have not been checking my mails lately...
The last pic is of half eaten bowl of kulfi n falooda.....i found it really tempting while i was finishing it n then i decided to click ...that's it ....
i am huge fan of falooda and this is the first time i am actually seeing someone make the sev!!wish i could just eat the cup off the screen.
ReplyDeletefalooda kese banate ho?
ReplyDeletethats incredible.. home made falooda !! thanx 4 leading me here .. i had lots of trouble in finding it in the local grocery stores here but now i can make it at home.. totally loving your recipes
ReplyDeletedo keep in touch :)