Beat the Heat: Falooda and Kulfi

Well, itz been quite long since a few of my friends requested for some recipes to Beat the Heat. And I know I'm quite late, and itz not summer where they are, but it IS summer here and now everyday, after work, I feel like I'm sitting in an oven to be baked  while driving back home. LOL

Since I've been so late, as a bonus for my friends, I'll put up 2 recipes here, Falooda and Kulfi. Another thing about my "Experiments" as I'd like to call them is, I go through various recipes and check the ingredients available at home and mix n match n continue with what I feel will look, taste and feel nice. The taste, the smell and the feel of foood... *YUMMM* I hope you'll enjoy having these, as I enjoyed making them and finishing them ;)

FALOODA

Falooda is made by pouring layers of ingredients in a glass. China Grass has to be made a day ahead and kept for setting in the refrigerator.  Caramelising the cashew nuts and Sewia can be done on the same day or can be prepared ahead and used as and when required. The quantity stated here can make 4+ servings. You can decide the quantity of each layer you want depending on your taste :)

Ingredients:

1. Sewian (Semia) - 1 cup appx

    Water- to soak the sewian

2. China Grass - a handful

    Water - 1 Cup

    Any food color - 1 pinch (red/green would be the best)

    Sugar - 2 tsp

3. Milk - 3/4 cup 

    Water - 1/4 cup

    Sugar - 2 tsp

4. Cashew nut - 1/2 cup

    Sugar - 1/2 cup (To caramelize the cashew nut, if this quantity is more you can always keep this in reserve in an air tight container and use it for garnishing any dessert)

5. Rose Syrup 

    Kas Kas - 2 tbsp (soaked in 1/4 cup water) ( I don't know what this is called in English)

    Mixed Fruits - 1 cup (diced)

    Vanilla Ice Cream - 1 scoop for each serving

    Cherry - for garnish

Preparation

Boil China Grass (Agar Agar) in water until it is molten. Add sugar and food color. Strain it and pur it in a bowl and leave it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs for setting. 

Boil Sewia in water until it is cooked and keep it aside to cool.

Heat sugar until it is light brown and add cashew nuts to it. When the sugar melts and completely covers the cashew nut, take it off from the stove and keep aside for cooling. After it is cooled, crush it with something heavy, so that you get crystal like pieces for garnish.

Mix 3/4 cup pastuerized milk with 1/4 cup water and sugar and keep it aside.

For Serving 1 glass :

Pour a little rose syrup in a glass (abt 1 1/2 tbsp) and spread it around the glass, so that red color decorates the glass. Add a little kas kas and some semia to the glass. Pour some milk+water mixture, so that it fills about 1/2 the glass or less. Add some mixed fruits and china grass (sliced into small pieces). Put some caramelized cashew mix. Add a scoop of ice cream, garnish with caramelized cashew, rose syrup and cherry. Serve and Enjoy :)

KULFI

I saw a few recipes of Kulfi in videojug.com, here are the references : http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-make-kulfi and  http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-malai-kulfi

Here is my version of Kulfi. Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

Evaporated Milk - 1 tin

Sweetened Condensed Milk- 1 tin

Dream whip - 4 sachet 

Saffron - 1 big Pinch

Sugar - 1 tsp

Coarsely ground (Pistachio, Almond and Cashew) Nuts - 1/2 cup

Method:

Grind the saffron with 1 tsp sugar and keep it aside.

Prepare the dream whip according to packet instructions (Mix 4 sachets in 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water and 1 tsp of vanilla essence). 

Take a bowl and pour, the whipped cream, evaporated milk and condensed milk and blend them, little by little (pulsing it) using a blender. After it is mixed, add the nuts and saffron mixture. Mix them well, pour into a mould, chill and serve.