Fig & Honey Ice-cream

The summer heat has just about reached its peak and any amount of chilled beverages and ice-creams don’t seem enough to cool off. I’ve already made a batch of Mango ice-cream this summer too, and wanted to make other flavours. I also bought a spanking new red Cuisinart ice-cream maker, oh boy, it has just made my life and making ice-creams that much easier! Last week I was at Costco and found fresh figs and I was squealing with joy!! 

My last memory of eating fresh figs is from almost a decade ago when ajji (my grandma) used to bring them home when she saw them in the market. This was one fruit I really missed when I came here and didn’t quite know where to buy them or when they were in season here. This year I had kept an eye out for them and came home armed with two whole boxes – about 50 figs in all. By the time I got around to making ice-cream I had polished off about ½ off one box and had to resist eating them all.

I use a lot of the figs to make Fig & Honey Ice-cream, a flavor favourite from childhood and something I haven't come across here in the USA.

You will need:

2 cups chopped Mission figs, about 12-14

2 cups Whole Milk

2 tbsp Custard Powder (Brown & Polson, recommended)

3 tbsp + 2 tbsp Crystal Sugar

3 tbsp Water

½ cup Condensed milk

4 tbsp good quality Honey

2 tsp Vanilla extract

2 cups Heavy cream

Powdered Sugar, if required

Combine the chopped figs,3 tbsp crystal sugar and water in a medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook until figs are soft and the whole mixture has a jam like consistency, about 7-8 minutes. Turn off heat and cool completely. 

Combine ¼ cup of cold milk with the custard powder until dissolved and lump free. Bring remaining milk and 2 tbsp sugar to a boil on medium heat. When it begins to boil, remove from heat and add the custard paste while stirring. Return to low heat and stir until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Turn off heat and cool completely.

Once the custard is cooled, stir in the condensed milk, honey,vanilla and heavy cream. Transfer to a metal container and chill for atleast 8 hours. Churn in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. In the last 5 minutes of churning, add the fig mixture. 

 Serve with additional honey drizzled on top if required. 

Mirchi ka Salan - Green Jalapenos Curry

Mirchi ka Salan is a typical dish from Hyderabad traditionally served to be eaten with Biryani. Mirchi translates to Chilli in Hindi and Salan is a gravy so it’s a spicy tangy gravy with chillies in it. This dish can be made with any kind of chilli – hot chillies like the Thai Chilli pepper or Serranos as well as the slightly milder one like the Jalapeno. 

I prefer to use Jalapenos, so that I can make the gravy very spicy and also the Jalapenos hold up well when pressure cooked.

You will need:

10 Green Jalapenos, washed and dried

¼ cup Vegetable Oil

½ cup thinly sliced onions

1 tsp Mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

2 tsp Red chilli powder (optional)

Salt to taste

To dry roast:

2 tbsp Coriander seeds

8 Dried Red chillies (4 Guntur, 4 Byadige)

1 tbsp White Sesame seeds

½ cup raw Peanuts, skinned

Roast each of the ingredients separately until fragrant and slightly brown. Pulverize in a blender to a fine powder. 

To grind to a paste:

½ cup grated fresh coconut

1 tbsp Fried Gram ( Hurgadale)

1 tbsp Tamarind paste (or 1/4 cup Tamarind pulp)

1 tbsp Jaggery (adj. to taste)

Note: You can vary the number of dried red chillies to suit your preference for spicy levels.

Slit the jalapenos in half up to the stem taking care not to cut it completely. Fill each jalapeno with little of the ground powder. Make a paste with the remaining powder and ‘to grind’ ingredients.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the mustard seeds and when it begins to splutter add the curry leaves. Add the sliced onions and sauté until done. Add the prepared paste and sauté for a few minutes. Now add the filled jalapenos, ½ cup water enough to submerge the jalapenos. Season with salt, stir and then close cooker with lid. 

Turn heat to high, when the steam begins to rise, place weight on lid turn heat to low and cook for 8 minutes. Turn off heat, let cooker cool well before removing lid. Stir and serve hot with rotis.