As Mumbai goes ga-ga over its new found frozen dessert, the Italian gelato, the creamy Indian kulfi is fast picking up in big cities in the United States, especially New York City. Several Indian restaurants and a few global cuisine eateries are serving up the rich treat in some sinful varieties.
Whoever said kulfi was only about boring dry fruity flavours that couldn’t go beyond pistachios or kesar? Some unusual but terribly tempting variations of the kulfi are now making their way into fine dining eateries.
Spice Market and 66 in New York has its pastry chef Pichet Ong enticing his guests with a Kulfi with Banana and Spiced Chocolate, made using Ovaltine, a milk flavouring, which is to the US and UK what good ol’ Bournvita is to us. A slice of this malty dessert is then drizzled with cinnamon flavoured chocolate sauce and caramel popcorn.
As for Devi, another new entrant to the New York restaurant scene that specialises in Indian home-style food, it’s all about presenting the already well-endowed kulfi with a royal flourish. Their kulfis are served covered in gold leaf and sitting in thick, reduced citrus juice with orange segments on the side. ‘‘The only word I can think when I think of the way they serve kulfi at Devi is hip. The presentation is fantastic and, of course, it tastes very rich too,’’ says celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who’s dined at the restaurant recently. ‘‘But the kulfi is not as sweet as we are used to having it here, as they are trying to cater to Americans who aren’t used to anything too sugary,’’ he adds.
At Tabla, one of the best known Indian fusion restaurants in New York, it’s all about mixing Eastern exotica with an American flavour. So a Tahitian Vanilla Bean Kulfi is what they have to offer and they serve it with sweet-sour cherries on the side.
Says Chicago-based businessman and foodie Achyut Setlur, who’s lived in the US for the last 40 years, ‘‘Kulfi is becoming popular, but it’s still in the higher end restaurants. It hasn’t reached the man on the street yet. But most Indian restaurants in big cities like NYC, Chicago and Los Angeles have it on their menus, especially the mango flavour.
As far as the quality of the kulfi served, it seems as close you can get to the pucca Indian variety. ‘‘I had eaten it once at Panna2 in NYC and it was pretty much what we get here. It was a regular malai flavour. No exotic frills,’’ says Matan Schabracq, Zenzi owner.
Adds businessman Kunal Vora, who’s sampled the treat in pistachio and saffron flavours, in a string of NYC eateries from Madhur Jaffery’s Daawat to Cafe Spice, Diwan and Pongal, ‘‘I have enjoyed it quite a few times and loved the taste. And quite frankly, it was no different than our own kulfi. But it didn’t seem as fresh as we get it in India, though.’’
From the looks of it, there’s more to come as far as kulfi goes. Kool Freeze, a brand of packaged kulfi, has just arrived with a big bang in supermarkets in LA with the punchline: ‘It’s not just ice cream, it’s kulfi’. Are we looking at the next popsicle?