Thandai Gulkand Ice cream

5 from 3 votes

Thandai Gulkand Ice cream

Let's celebrate the season with a sweet that embodies the essence of Holi in the form of a decadent frozen treat, and that's Thandai Gulkand Ice Cream that captures the real spirit of Holi all wrapped up into a scoop!

Prep: 15

Cook: 10

SET TIME8

Total: 8 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 923kcal

Author: Ruchi

Ingredients

WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups Heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Cream of tartar
- - A pinch of Salt

ICE CREAM BASE

1 cup Half and Half
⅓ cup + 3 tablespoons Milk powder (87 gms.)
1 tablespoon Thandai Powder
1 teaspoon Cardamom Essence
2 teaspoons Gulkand (Rose Petal Jam)
14 Oz Condensed milk
1 teaspoon Saffron strands mixed in 3 tablespoons of milk

GARNISHES

3 tablespoons Thandai Powder
- - Edible dried rose petals

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FORM THE THANDAI CONCENTRATE

Combine milk powder and half-and-half to a heavy-bottomed pan. Stir until combined.
Keep the heat on medium-low so that the half-and-half in the pan continues to simmer.
Add Thandai powder and mix it well. Keep stirring the mixture to prevent burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
As the mixture begins to bubble, add gulkand. Mix it well. As soon as the half-and-half mixture boils, remove it from the heat, but keep stirring.
Set it aside to cool to room temperature. Keep stirring occasionally as it cools to prevent the layer of cream from forming on the top.
Strain the thandai concentrate through a fine-mesh wire strainer to remove the chunky pieces of the Thandai mix.
Press the remaining liquid with a spoon or spatula, allowing the liquid to strain through. Discard the thandai mix.
Once the thandai concentrate cools down, pour in condensed milk. Stir it well to combine. Pour in cardamom essence and mix again.

PREPARE THE SAFFRON MILK

Come lukewarm milk and toasted saffron strands together in a bowl.
Set it aside for 4-5 minutes. Toasted saffron strands will release their beautiful yellow color and flavor into the milk. Mix it well and set it aside.

FORM THE ICE CREAM BASE

Add the whipping cream to your stand mixer bowl, add cream of tartar, sugar, and salt. Beat the cream until stiff peaks form.
Take 3-4 tablespoons of whipped cream in a mixing bowl. Store the remaining whipped cream in the refrigerator to chill.
Add the thandai concentrate to the mixing bowl. Gently fold the two together until smooth and lump-free.
Pour in the saffron milk.
Mix until the saffron is fully incorporated in the thandai-cream mixture.
Add this mixture to the chilled whipped cream.
Add thandai powder and edible dried rose petals to the whipped cream.
Fold it gently until all the ingredients are well blended into the cream.

FREEZE THE ICE CREAM

Pour the ice cream into the pan, garnish with a generous sprinkle of thandai powder and edible dried rose petals. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze away. Freeze the ice cream for at least 6 – 8 hours.
When ready to serve, remove the plastic covering and let the ice cream sit over the counter for at least 5 minutes before scooping it into bowls.
Now, add a scoop, actually make it two scoops, and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe tips to make the best Thandai Gulkand Ice cream

» The combo — The two main ingredients of no-churn Thandai ice cream are whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk. If you try to swap cream with milk or any other substitute, the ice cream will be more icy than soft.

» Keep stirring the thandai concentrate at all times to prevent burning.

» Fat content — Ensure that you use the cream that has a fat content of 35% or higher. The higher the cream content, the creamier the ice cream.

» Thicken cream — I have used cream of tartar to thicken my whipping cream. However, you can add cornstarch to thicken the cream. Read here for more options.

» You can always use store-bought thandai powder to speed up the process. Please do not substitute thandai powder with thandai syrup.

» Nuts — I prefer crunchy nuts in my ice cream, and that's the reason the thandai mix was strained after boiling. But if you like softer bites in your ice cream, feel free to omit this step and proceed with the recipe.

» What I love about this ice cream is really how easy it is to make and how many variations of it you can make. Add any other mix-ins that you love. Some tested additions are:

Slivered nuts
Candied fruit ( tutti-frutti)
White chocolate morsels. The sky is the limit; get creative if you like!

» Solid scoop — If you favor a more solid scoop of Thandai ice cream, freeze it for a few more hours.

Nutrition