"Ice cream solves everything!!!"

How many of you believe that??? Well, just as there are chocolate fanatics, there are ice-cream fanatics too and i am one of them ! An ice-cream i believe can lift your mood any day and it's not just a hot-summer day treat now ! India is booming with ice-cream parlours and the culture of having a chit-chat over ice cream with friends is increasing. In earlier days, we used to be treated ice-creams or kulfi ( Indian version of ice-cream ) only at special occasions. But with so many take-home products coming up, the perception is changing and an ice-cream has become an everyday treat!

Have you ever wondered how ice-cream was invented? I did some R n D and thought would share this with you all. Though there are many versions and many people/regions claim to have invented it first, this widely told tale ( maybe a myth ) is what everyone believes in. In A.D 54-68 Roman emperor Nero sent his slaves to the mountains to bring ice to combine it with nectar, fruit toppings and honey. And look at technology... today we have 3 genius students from MIT who together hacked a soft-serve ice cream maker, a freezer and a 3-d printer - a machine that extrudes soft serve ice cream into any given shape, then quickly freezes it with a blast of liquid nitrogen !!! Gosh!!! Molecular Gastronomy is at it's peak these days ! Check the video !

At home, we all are ice-cream lovers ! In fact, so much so that my father took my mother for a date ( during their courtship days in 1970's ) the first time at K. Rustom Ice-cream parlour in Churchgate, Mumbai. As the tradition goes, love means food and so i definitely wanted to go here with my foodie hubby, and on a Sunday afternoon we visited Rustomjee with our Mom reliving her old-times! You wouldn't like this place if you are that uptown person who is used to eating at Baskin Robbins or Naturals. This place is a little gloomy, has plastic chairs, can't-be-easily-seen board, humid as the fans really don't seem to throw cool air, and non - AC. But the place has it's own charm, and you will always see people crowding outside it. There is no spoon, no cone, no cup... you get ice cream slab in wafer-thin biscuits!!! Yes, the ice cream might drip down from the biscuit slivers but 1-2 ice-creams here and you will be a master at eating it !

In all we had 5 ice-creams amongst 3 people and we loved it ! There are some unusual flavours like candied cream, mint, toffee crunch, coffee crunch, rum and raisin and so on...The pista, kesar pista and rum n raisin remain our favourites :) And you wouldn't believe the prices... One ice-cream slab costs you between INR 50-70. So, this place is not-to-miss and the old Parsi lady sitting at the cashier desk who seemed unbothered by all the business chaos happening around truly seemed relaxed and chilled. Guess that's what happens to you when you believe in your product and your staff !

Another ice-cream which i am a big fan of, is near our home in Thane called Creamchills. The mother company being Cool Camp started in 1998, Cream chills has over 5 ice-cream parlours running successfully in Thane, kalwa and Mulund. They offer almost 31 flavours and combine them to create some terrific Milkshakes, Ice cream shakes, sundaes and kulfis. My favourite with them remains the Gulkand ice cream and hubby's is the Anjeer ( Fig ). The best part about both of them is the ice cream is soft, rich and creamy, and every bite has immense amounts of real fruits and nut bits. Aren't they tempting?? I can dig in a whole family pack right now!!! :)

Kulfi is a type of Indian ice-cream, traditionally served in the shape of cones but now-a-days served also in the form of cubes or various other shapes and sizes. This frozen dairy dessert is famous at Mumbai Chowpati and the one i tasted was the Mawa-Malai Rabdi Kulfi. "Ooh-la-la"...It just melts in your mouth! 

Another famous joint for Kulfi is the "Devang Kulfi Nasikwale" on Gokhale Road, Thane. Priced just at Rs. 20 for the Malai kulfi candy and Rs. 25 for the Kesar Pista candy, you will know it is made of pure milk when you take in just one bite! I never miss going to this place when i go home! Having run for over 8 years in Nasik ( Maharashtra ), they have 4 outlets all over Mumbai. Their Rabdi-bowl is also outstanding if you don't want to have something cold.

And last, but the best is Vijay Ice-cream and Kulfi. Located right in the heart of thane near Talao-pali ( Lake-side ), this one is as old as 25 years ! I have had kulfi here ( specially malai - yes, by now you must have guessed that my favourite kulfi flavour is malai :)) in childhood days and when i had it now, the flavour and texture was just the same. I think what has brought him so long and successful is the consistency and purity that he has maintained and stuck to his original traditional flavours and recipes than trying to change with the growing competition. His only publicity is the walk-in customers who come there for a stroll at talao-pali and word-by-mouth publicity.

A very small shop, people usually take-away kulfi from him which he gives on per-kilo basis and packs them in round slabs. We parceled the Special Rose and Kesar Pista and both the flavours were outstanding. I actually licked my plate till the last drop of the melted ice cream and wished i had got in some more... It is so irresistible !!

So, which is your favourite ice-cream flavour? And Where do you normally buy your ice-cream from?

Gajar ka Halwa : Bollywood special

I'm sure every Bollywood movie fan would know this dish!!!! For those, not aware, "Gajar ka Halwa" was a popular dish made by all Bollywood mothers for their sons and apparently, all the Heroes' favourite dish was the same :)))) "Maa ke haath ka Gajar halwa" ( the carrot pudding made by mother ) or "Beta, maine gajar ka halwa banaya hai.. tujhe pasand hai na?" ( Son, i have made your favourite dish of carrot pudding ) were some of the very common dialogues in Bollywood Films in 70's or 80's. 

Gradually , with time, "Maa" became "Mom" and there is no more "Gajar ka halwa" that i remember seeing in any film recently. Nevertheless, Gajar ka halwa is a dessert relished by us all at any given point of time !

Gajar Halwa basically got introduced during the Mughal period and is associated with state of Punjab in India and Pakistan and is also known as "Punjabi Gajrela" or "Gajar ka Gajrela" in the northern parts of India. In earlier days, it was made by using carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, zucchini and snake squash. This halwa is especially cooked and served hot in winter days, as carrots are cheaper during that time and of good quality too. Cooked on festivals like Diwali, Holi or any special occassion, this dish tastes good even when served chilled. It usually lasts for a long period when kept in refrigerator or at room temperature in winters.

Recently a friend asked me to post recipe of homemade Gajar Halwa with some twist. Normally, this halwa is made with milk, sugar, carrots, nuts and dry fruits. I really scratched my brains, to make this recipe into something exciting and new. Did some R n D, cooked with a few changes here and there and here is the result :

I love replacing sugar with jaggery. Not many would like the taste and would prefer the traditional taste of adding sugar to the halwa but trying this in small quantity is no harm. Also, i used rich whole milk instead of skimmed milk. I used the traditional khoya, but you can also use condensed milk. The twist was : a few saffron strands dipped in rose water!!!! Not only does it add taste to the recipe, but also the aroma is breathtaking :)) And yes, don't think of calories while making or eating this recipe. Use Ghee as much is needed. There is no "short-cut" or " fat-cutting" there ! The halwa tastes yummy only when the carrots are saute'd well in ghee. 

Another twist was to add " Rabdi ice cream" on top!!! It just couldn't get better. We get ready  made Rabdi ice cream here. You can make Rabdi at home or buy ready made and top it on halwa. Or you can even freeze the Rabdi in kulfi or ice cream moulds and use it for topping.

Ingredients :

Carrots : 2 cups (Wash, peel and grate them )

Jaggery - 3/4 cup ( if using powdered sugar, use the same amount or according to taste)

Desi ghee - 4-5 tsp

Full cream milk - 3 cups

Khoya - 3/4 cup ( Use 1/2 cup or even less if using condensed milk or 3 tbsp of powdered milk. Some even add paneer instead of khoya for a different taste)

Saffron strands - a few

Rose water - just to dip the saffron strands in

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Raisins - a few ( You can even add cashews or any other mixed nuts of your choice. You can even add dates)

Recipe :

Always use a wide flat pan or kadhai to make carrot halwa as it promises even cooking. 

You can also make this in a pressure cooker vessel. 

Dip the saffron strands in rose water and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a pan and add grated carrots and saute for 8-10 mins. Keep stirring it in between. This prevents burning of the carrots.

Add the milk, raisins and cardamom powder and cook till all the milk is absorbed by the carrots and the mixture turns into thick consistency. This is when the carrots are cooked. It will take about 20-25 minutes. Cook on low flame and let it take its own time.

Add the jaggery or powdered sugar and cook for another 5 mins.

Remove from heat.

Lastly, add the khoya and saffron with rose water and mix well.

If the mixture is watery, cook for another 5-10 minutes till it becomes dry.

Serve with a scoop of Rabdi ice cream or Rabdi.

Happy Cooking :)