I know I know, having an epilogue after only two parts is pathetic. But well I'm a small eater, so don't get mad at me! This is also from The Curry Hut. I ordered it after redeeming the $1 coupon because I wanted to give them some business... another savoury dish would have been too much, and this was the most interesting dessert I saw - Kulfi Pista, a kind of Indian ice cream.
Kulfi specifically refers to a uniquely Indian method of making ice cream by slowly cooking evaporated and sweetened condensed milk. I suppose "pista" refers to pistachio. It comes in other flavours, though not served here, and the ones I would also like to try eventually are rose, cardamom and saffron.
The visual presentation was excellent. Apparently, the ice cream was made in a way that allowed it to be cut into these firm discs and laid out like fallen dominoes. Making it span the diagonal of a square dish to contrast with the circular shape, then adding vibrant green and red elements were strokes of genius.
It also helped that the ice cream wasn't very melty, remaining pretty solid even though the plate wasn't particularly cold, and even after I took my time taking photos. Even right to the last mouthful, only the surfaces in contact with the plate melted. So the chef probably had plenty of lee way in time to slowly arrange the pieces.
The first flavour that struck me was the strong and thick creaminess of the evaporated milk. I think that alone sets it apart from most other ice creams. I personally also love evaporated milk because of its strong creamy flavour and because unlike condensed milk, it's not too sweet. I guess I would say it's my favourite type of milk drink which, although difficult to drink on its own, is a joy adding to all kinds of desserts, drinks and even savoury gravies or soups.
There was also a strong fragrance. The menu specifically said kesar, or saffron, was used. But I also thought there was a distinct fragrance of cardamom. One of the reasons why I love Indian desserts is their mixture of all these fragrant spices with sweets, and this kulfi did not disappoint on that front.
The texture of the cream was gooey and thick, reminding me of Turkish ice cream in its stringiness. When melted, as in the close up below, it was like a milky paste dessert rather than the usual cream or cheap ice creams that use vegetable oil.
I also liked that the bits of pistachios embedded in it ranged in side from the large almost-whole nuts that you can clearly see, to the small grainy bits like the garnishing they sprinkled on top. It gave the ice cream a wide range of textures that you could experience at different stages of chewing.
I thought I felt little fragments curdled milk, reminding me of the texture of gulab jamun, a kind of Indian dessert made from milk dough. My guess is that these curds formed as a part of the heating process in making the kulfi, because some parts of the process of making kulfi are similar to that of gulab jamun.
The cherry and mint leaf garnishes also complemented the ice cream excellently. The fragrant and zesty punch of the cherry augmented the fragrance of the ice cream and complemented its milkiness and nuttiness. The herby menthol of the mint leaf also enhanced the coldness of the ice cream and went well with its creaminess.
I would easily give this dish a 10/10. Although the chaat sampler was not bad, maybe The Curry Hut should promote itself using this dish instead.
Kulfi specifically refers to a uniquely Indian method of making ice cream by slowly cooking evaporated and sweetened condensed milk. I suppose "pista" refers to pistachio. It comes in other flavours, though not served here, and the ones I would also like to try eventually are rose, cardamom and saffron.
It also helped that the ice cream wasn't very melty, remaining pretty solid even though the plate wasn't particularly cold, and even after I took my time taking photos. Even right to the last mouthful, only the surfaces in contact with the plate melted. So the chef probably had plenty of lee way in time to slowly arrange the pieces.
There was also a strong fragrance. The menu specifically said kesar, or saffron, was used. But I also thought there was a distinct fragrance of cardamom. One of the reasons why I love Indian desserts is their mixture of all these fragrant spices with sweets, and this kulfi did not disappoint on that front.
The texture of the cream was gooey and thick, reminding me of Turkish ice cream in its stringiness. When melted, as in the close up below, it was like a milky paste dessert rather than the usual cream or cheap ice creams that use vegetable oil.
I thought I felt little fragments curdled milk, reminding me of the texture of gulab jamun, a kind of Indian dessert made from milk dough. My guess is that these curds formed as a part of the heating process in making the kulfi, because some parts of the process of making kulfi are similar to that of gulab jamun.
The cherry and mint leaf garnishes also complemented the ice cream excellently. The fragrant and zesty punch of the cherry augmented the fragrance of the ice cream and complemented its milkiness and nuttiness. The herby menthol of the mint leaf also enhanced the coldness of the ice cream and went well with its creaminess.
I would easily give this dish a 10/10. Although the chaat sampler was not bad, maybe The Curry Hut should promote itself using this dish instead.
Found kulfi pista interesting? Check out more unusual ice creams here!
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