Rajbhog Ice Cream is a rich Indian ice cream made with the finest ingredients. It is loaded with dry fruits/nuts and made with milk, cream, almonds, pistachio, cashew, cardamom powder and saffron. This mouth-watering ice cream has vibrant yellow colors, amazing fragrance from saffron/cardamom, and deliciously creamy texture with crunchy nuts. To give this ice cream a traditional taste and texture I have used a Cuisinart ice cream maker. This ice cream is Eggless/ Gelatine Free / NO GMS & CMC Powder / NO artificial Flavourings / NO added color; this ice cream is made using all Natural/ Organic ingredients.
This ice cream can be made into vegan using the same procedure using non-dairy ingredients. Get No-Machine ice-cream recipe below.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup – Whole Milk (3.5% fat)
- 2 cup – Heavy Whipping Cream (35% fat)
- ¾ cup to 1 cup – Sugar or Honey
- 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon – Saffron Strands/threads (Also known as Kesar)
- 1 ½ teaspoon – Cardamom Powder (ilachi Powder)
- ½ cup – Pistachio, roasted and slivered (Sliced Pista)
- ¼ cup – Almond, roasted and slivered (Sliced Badam)
- ¼ cup – Cashew nuts, roasted and slivered (Sliced Kaju)
- Freezer Bowl – Freeze the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker bowl overnight
Method
Step 1
Saffron Powder: In a mortar & pestle, add saffron strands and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and grind it to a fine powder. Keep it aside (This method creates a bright yellow color to the ice cream)
Step 2
Ice Cream Base: In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine the milk, cream, sugar and above saffron powder. Whisk to combine and bring the mixture just to a boil or until sugar & saffron dissolves. (No need to boil milk for longer)
Step 3
Let the ice cream base come to room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight for best result
Step 4
Ice Cream Making: Assemble the freezer Bowl; mixing arm and lid to the ice cream base (Follow the manufacturer instruction). On the maker, press Ice Cream options and then the Start/Stop button (It will display 25 mins on a digital screen). Pour the ice cream base mixture through the spout and then cover with the cap. Let mix until thickened for about 20 minutes.
Step 5
Once it starts thickening, add sliced mixed nuts and cardamom powder from the spout and let mix for 10 more minutes. When the cycle ends it will beep and run for 5 more mins; turn off after this.
Step 6
The ice cream will have a soft and creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer to a container and place it freezer for about 2 hours.
Step 7
Serve this delicious ice cream in a bowl or a waffle cone topped with more roasted pistachios/mixed nuts. Enjoy!!
Note:
- No-Machine Ice Cream: whip up 2 cups heavy cream with sugar, and then fold in 1 cup Saffron milk and nuts. (Saffron Milk: Boil milk with saffron for about 10-15 mins, let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate for few hours) Place it in an airtight container and freeze it for 6-8 hours. This ice cream will have a slightly different texture but will taste equally good.
- Vegan: Use coconut cream & Coconut/almond milk instead of dairy cream
- Fat level: Add ½ more of whipping cream to increase the fat content or decrease the fat content by adding more milk instead of cream. Total milk + cream content = 4 ½ cups for 2 quarts ice cream maker.
- Fat-Free/Cream Free Ice cream: Use only milk and not cream. But this ice cream will have a different texture and form more icicles.
- Sweetness Level: I prefer less sweetness and therefore I add ¾ cup sugar or honey. To increase the sweetness level you can add up 1cup -1 ¼ cup total sugar content
- Soft Serve: Ice cream maker creates a soft and creamy ice cream, perfect for soft serve which can be served immediately without freezing it.
- Storage/Freezing: Store the ice cream to an airtight / Tupperware container and freeze it.