Pistachio Mango Kulfi - Mangoes are here!!!

aaaand..... Mangoes are here!!! The temperatures are soaring, true, but nothing screams 'Summer!!' more than mangoes. Nothing indeed. We adore this tropical fruit in all forms (best when eaten straight off the seed, drippy hands et al.) and when i say 'we', that includes Oreo/sous chef. She loves it so much, she is one of the excuses we make to buy more mangoes :P. Granted, they are not at their best yet, and are very expensive in the market, but i could'nt resist and it was not regretted. Not one bit!

The recipe was adapted with tiny changes from here and needless to say, it is 'knock-your-socks-off' yum. Thanks Deeba! :) Store bought kulfis are appreciated in my home and it's one of the few things that non stick adores that has nuts in it. and i'm not a big fan of most Indian desserts but this recipe is a major major exception and we may have a new fav in the frozen comfort food aisle people! So, without further ado, we kick off the mango season this year with a delish, 'gimme more' ice cream that uses the brilliant fruit. Here's to many many more!

You will need:
1/2 L Milk
1/2 L Fresh Cream
200 ml condensed milk
Ground Cardamom - 3 pods
Sugar to taste
1 cup shelled and unsalted pistachios ground to small bits in the blender
1 large mango's flesh, puréed

How you go about it:
Give the pistachios a quick whir in the blender and make sure you do not make them a paste but remember to scrape off every bit of the nuts from under the blades et al, they lend amazing flavor and act as a thickening agent as well.
Place a thick bottomed pan on the stove and mix the half and half and the nuts and the ground cardamom and turn on the flame at medium. As the mixture heats up, add the condensed milk and remember to keep stirring. Do a taste test and check if it's sweet enough and if not, add additional sugar by the spoonful, checking after each stir.
Continue to stir till the mixture thickens, that will be in 30 to 35 minutes.

Once it has thickened, take off the flame and let it cool for 20 minutes. Add the mango purée and give it a good stir to mix it all in.
Pour into the moulds and keep in freezer to freeze. After thirty minutes, place the kilfi sticks in each mould and return to the freezer. Freeze overnight or at least 8 hours before devouring.
A quick tip to unmould: Butter the moulds lightly before pouring the mixture in. Another option is to dip the full moulds quickly in warm water to unmould.

Enjoy your kulfi! :)