Maria NasirIs masala chai your morning poison? Are you addicted to several cups of this aromatic spiced concoction per day? Well, I am! My mornings and evenings are not the same without a good, strong cup of masala chai but even a devotee like me has to think twice in the simmering heat of Lahore before indulging into my favourite hot beverage.
Past few days have been so terribly hot that all I feel like drinking is my chilled lemon, cucumber, mint water …over and over again till there is no space left in my stomach for anything else! Yesterday I missed masala chai so bad that I decided to convert it into spiced tea Popsicles, a variation of a popular South Asian frozen dessert – kulfi. Kulfi is our local version of ice cream, more like a dairy based frozen dessert or Popsicle. Traditional it is flavoured with almonds, pistachios or rosewater and frozen on a stick. It’s also made in the form of a block and then cut into cubes and served with sweetened milk, soaked basil seeds and vermicelli as Kulfi Falooda.
My masala chai kulfi or spiced tea Popsicles have all the delicious aromas and flavours of tea leaves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, aaand the rich sweet creaminess of traditional kulfi with all the fun that takes one back to the childhood days.
Ingredients:
1+1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons strong tea black tea leaves or two Lipton tea bags
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves
seeds from 4-5 green cardamoms
1/2 inch piece ginger
3 tablespoons dry milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
This Is What You Do:
Add milk, tea leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger to a sauce pan.
Bring to boil and then reduce heat. Let simmer for 5-6 minutes or till the milk is infused with the flavours of tea and spices.
Cool to room temperature. Stir in dry milk and condensed milk.
Pour in Popsicle or kulfi moulds. Stick in Popsicle sticks or wooden skewers when semi frozen. Freeze several hours or overnight till frozen solid.
Right before serving, dip the moulds for a few seconds in a bowlful of hot water. Serve immediately.
Serves 4