Anniversary & Pouring Awards with Pista Kulfi

Took a break from blog & cooking for a couple of days as I was in a mood to celebrate!! That's right, Arun and I celebrated our 4 years of married life on 10th June. Phew, time truly flies in just a snap!! (Below is our wedding snap, a perfect South Indian Wedding shot...please don't laugh at it.;).

So I was in no mood to cook that day & told Arun that the meals of the day will be either frozen, take away or a dine out. He preferred the third one. ;) So we went to one of our favourite food joints {Did I tell you, that we live in a place called Chesterfield, a Historic Market Town in UK & don't have much choices around here ;)}, "Frankie & Benny's."My god, we both die for those thin crust Italian Pizzas & the cheesy gar(lick)y bread which melts in your mouth like a candy floss...Aah!

Now, I have to tell you what we ordered, because it was that good. ;) For starters, we ordered their famous garlic bread with crispy coated chicken & Prawn cocktail. Sipped on some Mojito & ordered the mains....Arun had the Salmon fish cakes (which was coated with ham & cheese with breadcrumbs....can u get the taste of it...?) with herb potatoes & I went for my favourite Prawn Pasta Alfredo. Perfect dinner for two. I was even game for a sticky toffee pudding with a dollop of ice-cream but then I had already made a sweet treat at home just for him, the previous night, which was waiting in the freezer, about to be slurped on. So that toffee pudding went for a rain check.

"Kulfi", is a creamy, frozen, Indian homemade ice-cream which is made with 2 main ingredients i.e milk & sugar. All you need to do is boil the milk in a saucepan, simmer the heat, read a book by its side & stir the milk frequently till it condenses & reduces in half. Add the sugar, wait till it melts, add the flavourings & nuts. Pour it in conical shaped moulds & freeze it. Slurp it off when you want to. No churning required unlike regular ice creams. See...We Indians have solution for everything ;)

"Pista" is nothing but Pistachios. In India, you get those lovely mud pots or "kulhars" filled with chewy kulfis filled with nuts, specially Pistas. Its just heavenly! So here goes the recipe....

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 litre milk (preferably whole milk)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (this measurement is the minimum one should use)
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios (pista)
• 3-4 strands of saffron (optional)
• 3 pods of cardamom (cover removed & crushed with a pestle & mortar)
• green food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Boil the milk in a saucepan. When the milk starts to rise, simmer the heat down to the minimum & start stirring with a spoon. (Stirring is to avoid the milk stick to the pan).You need real patience here. Cook the milk in low heat & stir frequently for a minimum of 40 minutes or until you see the milk starts reducing.
2. Continue stirring. You will notice, that the milk starts leaving white creamy layers on the sides of the pan. Scrape it from the sides and mix it well with the milk. When you have stirred for 45-50 minutes, add the sugar at this stage. The measurement I have given is the minimum. Taste your milk to check the sweetness & if you need more, add it accordingly. Cook the milk till all the sugar is melted.
3. Add the crushed cardamom, saffron & the pistachios to the milk. Add 2 drops of green colouring, if you want to give that restaurant finish Pista Kulfi. Give a gentle stir & switch the heat off. Allow the Kulfi to cool in the saucepan at room temperature.
4. Keep all your lolly moulds or your small ramekins ready. Pour the kulfi to the moulds & allow it to freeze in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
5. Serve your guests with some Pista Kulfi after their dinner or in the evenings, when your kids come back from school. Let them not miss their lolly man. ;)

What a Weekend this has been!! Celebrations and food!! and lo behold, what did I see today morning when I opened my (g)mailbox? Pouring awards for my blog from another blogger counterpart, Donna! I just couldn't believe it coming. I read her comment so many times & each time I read, it felt nice. Donna, that was so generous of you. Now somebody pull me down as am on cloud nine. he he he...But am so thrilled! Only a true blogger will understand my sentiments...!!

Thanking Donna is just not enough but am really glad that she considered my blog as an impressive one. me still learning!! Friends, please do visit her website www.mytastyjourney.com and read her journey of weight loss & lifestyle transformation. She is truly an inspiration for overweight people like me who have zero will power. Also don't miss out her healthy but delicious recipes & the "Motivational Monday" audio talks. Cheers!

Now to pass on these awards to 10 bloggers which I recently found in the net & was impressed by their recipes & write ups. They are (in no particular order):

1. www.basilmomma.blogspot.com
2. www.priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com
3. www.kothiyavunnu.com
4. www.personalfoodjournal.blogspot.com
5. www.sobha-goodfood.blogspot.com
6. www.foodssrilanka.blogspot.com
7. www.comeletseat.blogspot.com
8. www.burgers2broccoli.blogspot.com
9. www.recipecongeries.blogspot.com
10. www.vardhiniskitchen.blogspot.com

Plus these awards are for www.tadkapasta.wordpress.com who gave me, my very first blog award. :) Keep cooking & let's be merry!!