Easy Vegan Kulfi (indian Ice Cream)

Here’s your chance to savour the last few weeks of summer with this easy vegan Kulfi. Kulfi is an Indian and Pakistani summer treat that has been helping people get through the sultry days of the south Asian countries. It’s sweet, creamy, rich in flavor, and, of course, DELICIOUS! What more do you need?

What is Kulfi?

Kulfi is commonly referred to as the Indian ice-cream. It is a traditional frozen dessert served in the south Asian region especially in India as a summer dish. You can often find these in many street shops or Indian restaurants with a variety of flavours to choose from, like Kesar (saffron), Pistachio, Mango, and the classic flavour Malai (cream) Kulfi.

History of Kulfi or Qulfi

The Kulfi, or ‘Qulfi’ in Persian, was a 16th-century recipe gifted from the Mughal Empire to the rest of the sub-continent and is now famously known as Kulfi. It was traditionally made with heavy cow’s milk, sugar, nuts, and cardamom, and was stored in metal molds or cones. These cones were then immersed in an insulated container of ice and salt, and then served fresh. But nowadays, you can find them in a variety of flavours ranging from Kesar (saffron), Pistachio, Mango, to even trendy ones like chocolate.

Kulfi is often called the healthier version of ice cream, but here’s your chance to make a better and even healthier version of Kulfi – vegan, of course. This Easy Vegan Kulfi is the perfect way to get those ice-cream cravings satiated without any guilt.

Inspiration for vegan kulfi

Kulfi holds a very special place in my heart. I come from a hot tropical country and summers get real sultry over there. After school, one could find many street vendors with their kulfi carts, selling chilled kulfi to the students for as cheap as it can get. In my opinion, that’s the best way to beat the heat and get some cool on. Although I love the weather in France, I sometimes miss the weather back home and wished I could savor a kulfi or two. So, to bring back a little bit of home into my cooking I thought why not make some yummy, creamy, easy vegan Kulfi.

How to make Vegan Kulfi (Tips and tricks)

As mentioned before, kulfi is made with heavy milk, sugar, and flavorings. The idea is to evaporate the milk to make it into a thick, cream-like consistency before adding in the nuts and freezing it. The traditional way of making kulfi requires a lot of time to simmer the milk, and to reduce it until thickened. In our Easy Vegan Kulfi, we are aiming to save a lot of time and use plant-based ingredients that won’t change the traditional taste or flavor of the kulfi.

Spices

After bringing the coconut and soy milk to a boil, add the crushed cardamom to give it a spicy, and herbal flavor. Try and stick to the measurements, for now, once you get a hang of it, you can eyeball the ingredients.

Other spices you can add: Saffron

Nuts

While adding the almonds, keep in mind how coarse you would like the powder to be. Some like their kulfis crunchy, so they prefer keeping bigger bits of crushed almonds. It is totally up to you.

Note: For nut allergies, you can skip out the nuts altogether. Make sure to add more fatty coconut milk in that case.

Binder

The next important step is to form the slurry with corn starch and soy milk. Alternatively, if you don’t have corn starch , you could also add arrowroot powder to thicken the mixture quickly. Here I have used corn starch although both work perfectly fine. Once the slurry is prepared, add it to the base mix and stir continuously till it thickens to a lovely cream-like consistency.

Setting the vegan kulfi

Now all you have to do is cool it in molds. It’s advised to keep the molds in the freezer for approximately 4-5 hours, depending on the cool setting on your refrigerator. If you are unsure, do a taste test on one of the molds and take a call.

And voilà! Your Easy Vegan Kulfi is now ready to be demolished.

Check out other desserts from my page:

• Healthy Vegan Laddoos
• Vegan Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Best Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)

Vegan Almond Cardamom Kulfi (Indian Ice cream)

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 cups soy or any other plant milk
• 5-6 cardamom pods (shelled and crushed)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 25 almonds
• 2 tsp corn starch

Instructions

• Mix 1 cup full-fat coconut milk with 1 cup soy milk. Bring these two to boil.
• Add crushed cardamom and continue to stir over high heat.
• Simmer for 10 – 12 minutes then add the sugar.
• Simmer for another 10 minutes until thick and creamy.
• Blitz the almonds into a coarse powder. (You can make it into a fine powder if you wish) and add it to the base mix.
• While the base mix simmers, mix corn starch with a cup of soy milk to form a slurry.
• Add these two – almonds and the slurry to the base mix and turn the heat off.
• Let it cool and pour them into your favorite popsicle molds.
• Freeze for at least 4-5 hours or overnight.
• Optionally, sprinkle with pistachios right before serving and enjoy!

Or watch it here:

View this post on Instagram

This easy vegan palak paneer is the easiest way to get in some greens while actually enjoying it. Palak paneer is a classic Indian high protein dish that I made dairy free by replacing the Paneer with tofu. It is made with simple ingredients like spinach, tomato, some spices and aromatics. It’s light and healthy, perfect for a weeknight meal or weekend feast!

Origin and Meaning

Palak paneer (more popularly known in english countries as Saag Paneer), originates from North Indian Punjabi cuisine, but is popular all over India. It evolved from Saag Paneer where the word saag in Hindi means “leafy greens”, which refers to mustard greens, fenugreek, spinach, and other leaves used in Indian traditional recipes. Palak is Hindi for spinach.

Traditionally, palak paneer is a vegetarian dish based on paneer (a soft Indian cheese), spinach (which is made into a thick paste), and a mixture of spices such as garam masala, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, turmeric and cumin. It is a great option for vegans (by using tofu) and vegetarians.

How to Make Vegan Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer (tips and science)

I replaced Paneer with Tofu, to keep it dairy free and still be able to eat a tasty dish.

• You can make the tofu taste like paneer with my little hack : boil the tofu in salted water for 2-3 minutes. This makes the texture chewy and very similar to that of paneer!

• Next tip is to blanch the spinach before blending it. This is a great hack to lock in the vibrant green colour and remove the awful bitter tones of spinach. Make sure to prepare an ice bath before boiling. I always reuse the same pan of water used for the tofu to boil the spinach. Then blend it with tomatoes and aromatics and set aside

• The masala base starts with whole spices, and sautee them in some oil for 30 to 60 seconds. Essential oils in spices are not water soluble, they only infuse in oil. So make sure not to skip out that tbsp of oil in there! . Then in goes the chopped onions. Here, you can be as lazy or or as patient as you want. Remember, the more you let the onions caramelize, the more delicious flavor tones you can reap out of it. Not to say it wont be delicious even if you don’t wait until caramelization.

• Then add in the aromatics: green chilies, garlic, ginger and let that cook for a couple minutes. These aromatics are highly important to give this curry a great depth of flavor. Then add the powdered spices and let it all steep and infuse for a while. Next, in goes the spinach mix and cooked for about 5 minutes on medium low. Then add the garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves for a punch and tofu paneer. Do not add the garam masala before, along with the other powdered spices. Garam masala is pre-cooked spices so they will lose flavour if you cook for a long time.

• Serve with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice (which really helps in bringing out all the flavours of the dish) and fresh coriander/cilantro leaves. This palak paneer provides plenty of vitamins, fiber, texture, and protein and goes great with rice or Indian flatbreads like roti or naan.

Storage

Store this Vegan Palak Paneer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them and take it out of the fridge the night prior to consumption and let it thaw slowly in the fridge overnight.

Other Indian Recipes For You:

The Best Vegan Paneer Butter Masala Ever!

Easy Chana Masala(Vegan and Gluten-free)

Vegan Palak Paneer/Saag Paneer

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 1 block firm tofu

Spinach mix/sauce

• 300 g spinach
• Water to achieve desired consistency
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ inch fresh ginger
• 1 Green chili pepper
• 1 medium tomato roughly chopped
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Masala base

• 1 tbsp olive oil or oil of choice
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 green chili pepper
• ½ inch fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp fenugreek leaves/ kasoori methi optional

Tempering:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of asafoetida hing

Garnish:

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Chopped coriander
• White rice or Indian flatbread

Instructions

Tofu Paneer –

• Boil cubes tofu in salted water 2 minutes. Remove the tofu from the water and set aside on a dry towel.

Blanch the spinach-

• Add spinach to the same pot of water. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of ice water).
• After 2 minutes of boiling submerge the spinach immediately in the ice bath.
• Once cool, squeeze out as much water as you can and set aside.

Make the spinach mix/sauce-

• Add the blanched spinach to a blender with all the Spinach Sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Make the masala base-

• In a pan, add the cumin seeds to hot oil and fry for 30 seconds.
• Add the onion and cook until brown and translucent.
• Add the garlic, ginger and green chili.
• Cook 1-2 minutes until golden, then add the ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt and cook for 30 seconds.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour in the Spinach Sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, adding more water if required.
• Add the garam masala and, fenugreek leaves and tofu paneer into the gravy and let simmer for 3 minutes.
• Garnish and serve with white rice or Indian flatbread.

Coconut chutney and dosas are a match made in heaven! Coconut Chutney is a quintessential South Indian condiment that pairs amazingly with south Indian breakfast and snack items like Idli, Dosa and others. Here I share a classic coconut chutney recipe with a spice tempering. Learn how to make this south Indian side dish with my easy-to-follow video as well! This is an addictive condiment and I bet you will keep coming back for more.

What is Coconut Chutney?

Chutneys are a type of dips/condiments that originates in India and can be made from a variety of different ingredients like coconut, peanut, tomato , coriander, tamarind, onion etc. All of these delicious savory dips and sauces are used to enhance the experience of meals.

Coconut chutney originated from the south India and has different versions from different parts of south India. It is most often served with breakfast or with snacks.

How to make Coconut Chutney

The easiest way to make it is by finely grinding fresh white coconut meat with either green chillie peppers or dry red chilie peppers and adding salt to it.

Chillie peppers lend a bit of heat and flavour in the chutney. Garlic or ginger are also added for more depth of flavour. The final tempering of oil with crackled mustard seeds, dried red chilli peppers, some shallots, fresh (or dried) curry leaves and brings more flavor to otherwise plain coconut chutney. One can also add fried urad dal (black gram) and hing (asafoetida) for more depth in flavour.

Substitutions and tips

Coconut: You can sub with roasted peanuts and make a peanut chutney. You can also just use rehydrated dessiccated coconut but it wont be the same.

Tempering: As mentioned before, tempering can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish it to be. You can skip out whatever is not available to you.

Shallots: Shallots have a more subtle taste, so if you want to replace it with red onions then make sure to par-cook it on a skillet before blending it into the chutney to avoid a stron onion-y taste

How can I store coconut chutney?

Just store it in an air tight jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen. Make sure to take it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge the night prior to usage.

I hope you give this easy south Indian chutney a go and let me know! You are going to love it, I am sure of it!

Other chutneys and from the blog:

1. Beetroot Coconut Chutney
2. Tamarind Chutney
3. Vegan Raita
4. Mint Corriander Chutney
5. Spicy Red Kaara Chutney
6. Tomato Onion chutney

Homemade Coconut Chutney

Ingredients1x2x3x

• Base:
• 1 cup grated Coconut
• 2 shallots
• 1 knob ginger
• 2-3 green chilli as per taste
• ½-1 tsp to taste
• ½ cup water
• Tempering:
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 shallot chopped
• 1 dried red chilli
• 7-8 curry leaves

Instructions

• Blend all the ingredients for the base and set aside.
• Heat oil on medium heat and add the ingredients for tempering.
• Once everything smells fragrant and crunchy (around 2-3 minutes), add this tempering to the blended chutney base.
• Serve the chutney and serve with dosas or idlis.

Enjoy this South Indian treat and follow @beextravegant for more delicious recipes!!

Vegan Almond Cardamom Kulfi (Indian Ice cream)

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 cups soy or any other plant milk
• 5-6 cardamom pods (shelled and crushed)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 25 almonds
• 2 tsp corn starch

Instructions

• Mix 1 cup full-fat coconut milk with 1 cup soy milk. Bring these two to boil.
• Add crushed cardamom and continue to stir over high heat.
• Simmer for 10 - 12 minutes then add the sugar.
• Simmer for another 10 minutes until thick and creamy.
• Blitz the almonds into a coarse powder. (You can make it into a fine powder if you wish) and add it to the base mix.
• While the base mix simmers, mix corn starch with a cup of soy milk to form a slurry.
• Add these two - almonds and the slurry to the base mix and turn the heat off.
• Let it cool and pour them into your favorite popsicle molds.
• Freeze for at least 4-5 hours or overnight.
• Optionally, sprinkle with pistachios right before serving and enjoy!