National Curry Week: Cardamom and Orange Sharbat Kulfi recipe

Sharbats were flavoured sweet and sour drinks that were cooling and refreshing as well as zingy. This take on kulfi takes the flavours of a sharbat but made in a quick and easy way, more like a light gelato.

Serves 4

5 oranges, juiced (around 400ml)

120g caster sugar

rind of 2 oranges

3 tsp. cornflour

800ml milk

½ tsp. cardamom powder

Pinch of salt

2 tbs. crème fraiche or double cream (optional)

Handful of chopped pistachios

Method

Combine the orange juice and 3 tbs. of the sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until reduced to a sticky syrup, there will only be around 80ml left. Leave to cool.

Pour 50ml of the milk into a small bowl and stir in the cornflour and stir until dissolved. Pour the rest of the milk into a large, thick-bottomed pot with the sugar, pinch of salt, cardamom and orange rind and bring to a boil, stir often and make sure you scrape the base so the milk does not catch and burn. Simmer, stirring often until the milk reduces to 500ml. Pour in the cornflour as you stir and cook stirring as it comes back to the boil and thickens, around 5-7 minutes. It should be like custard. Take straight off the heat and leave to cool.

Stir in the orange syrup and mix well, add the crème fraiche or cream if using along with the pistachios and pour into a freezer proof container, cover and chill. Then place in the freezer until frozen, around 3 hours. Take out and blend the whole thing to make it smooth then replace in the freezer for another few hours or until frozen. Alternatively, churn in an ice-cream maker until done.

Allow to soften for 10-15 minutes before serving.