Prep: 10 mins · Chill: 4 to 6 hours · Serves: 10 · Vegetarian, gluten-free

The shortcut kulfi Neetu makes when there's no time to stand over a pan reducing milk for an hour. Whipped cream and condensed milk do the work instead, flavoured with cardamom, rosewater and ground pistachio, then frozen in moulds. No cooking, no churning, no ice cream machine. Set it in the morning and it's ready by the time dinner's cleared away.

Why you'll love this

• No cooking and no churning

• No ice cream machine needed

• Classic kulfi flavours for a fraction of the effort

• A make-ahead dessert for a crowd

• Naturally gluten-free

Ingredients

Main

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 tin)

• 1 tsp rosewater

Flavourings

• 1 tsp ground green cardamom

• 2 tbsp pistachios, coarsely ground

• 1 tbsp almond powder (or ground almonds)

Method

• Pour the cream into a large bowl and whip with a hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip. It's ready when you lift the beaters and the cream stands up on its own.

• In a second large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, rosewater and ground cardamom.

• Fold the ground pistachios and almond powder into the condensed milk mixture.

• Add the whipped cream a little at a time, folding gently with a spatula. Work slowly so the mixture stays light and airy.

• Spoon into kulfi moulds, an insulated tub, or small paper cups.

• Freeze for 4 to 6 hours, until firm.

• To serve, dip the moulds briefly in warm water to loosen, turn out and serve.

Serving suggestion Turned out of the moulds and eaten as they are on a hot afternoon. Sliced into rounds and served over falooda with a drizzle of rose syrup. Or scattered with extra ground pistachio and a few rose petals for something that looks the part at the end of a dinner.

Mama's tip Fold, don't stir. The whole texture of a no-churn kulfi depends on the air you've whipped into the cream staying put. Once the cream goes in, use a spatula and a slow folding motion, turning the bowl as you go, and stop the moment it's combined. Beat it in and you'll knock the air straight back out, and the kulfi sets dense and icy instead of soft and creamy.

A note on serving with chutney This is a dessert, so the chutneys sit this one out for the most part. If you do want to bring one to the table, a small spoon of Mama Sood's Apple Chutney works surprisingly well on the side. Apple and cardamom are old friends, and the fruity sharpness cuts through the richness of the cream. Keep it optional and keep it small. The kulfi is the star here.

Variations

• Pistachio-heavy: fold through extra ground pistachios and scatter more on top

• Mango: swirl a few spoons of mango puree through before freezing

• Kesar (saffron): steep a pinch of saffron in 1 tsp warm milk, then fold in for golden, fragrant kulfi

• Falooda: slice and serve over soaked falooda vermicelli with rose syrup and basil seeds