Something, I have missed eating for more than a decade is the heavenly sweet sapota that is commonly referred to as the chikoo fruit in India. As the weather would start to get cooler, the little round brown fruit begin to pop up all over the place. I’ve been told that you can find them fresh in California however, their presence here has definitely been elusive. Consequently, I reconciled with the notion of never having to eat it again, unless I visited either a warmer part of the country or India in the right season. But then something amazing happened last weekend, I found some in Maryland! Not the fresh fruit but the frozen peeled and sliced fruit in bags. I double-checked the bags to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me, it was akin to being dehydrated in a desert and imagining an oasis in front of you. I picked up a few bags, since I wasn’t sure when the next time would be and I could stretch them out a little bit without having to eat them all in one sitting.
I’ve recreated and updated one of my favorite ways to eat sapota and I think you will get to love it as much as I do. A popular and traditional way to eat sapota in India, is this delicious frozen kulfi dessert. I can vividly remember the sweet taste and texture of the thick frozen slices of sapota/chikoo kulfi that were served over banana leaves that we’d pick and eat with a spoon. The melting sapota kulfi would dribble milk from the sides and I would try to scoop up as much as I could. I’m definitely not one to waste dessert!
So here I am folks, updating one of my popular childhood memories and desserts. Freshly ground cinnamon and brown sugar are perfect ingredients for fall cooking and also absolutely fitting in this kulfi. I love eating frozen desserts throughout the year and will definitely be making some more for you soon. I certainly don’t think the weather should limit our options.
I still don’t own kulfi molds and I’ve been using my cappuccino cups that I previously used to make my mango kulfi. It works fine and this is unfortunately the only action those cups have ever seen!
If you follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram you might have noticed some of the photographs of the ingredients, I’ve been sharing. Most of the time I post photographs of prepared food but I do love working with ingredients and will showcase them on a weekly basis. If you have any particular recipes or foods that you would like me to write about, do let me know at nikarama [at] abrowntable [dot] com.
cinnamon sapota kulfi
yields: 6 servings
ingredients
1 quart or 4 cups whole milk
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, freshly ground
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup almond meal
1 cup sapota fruit pulp, puree (remove and discard the outer skin and seed)
3 tablespoons fine sugar (for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground (for garnish)
1/4 cup almond meal
1 cup sapota fruit pulp, puree (remove and discard the outer skin and seed)
3 tablespoons fine sugar (for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground (for garnish)
1. Bring the milk, sugar, honey, and cinnamon to a boil in a thick-bottomed saucepan, stir constantly with a silicone spatula to prevent the milk from scalding. Reduce the flame to a gentle simmer and add the honey. Continue to stir the milk and simmer for another 20-25 minutes until it reduces to approximately 3 cups.
2. Fold in the heavy cream, almond meal and stir constantly on a medium flame. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for 2 minutes and then remove from the flame.
3. Whisk in the pureed sapota pulp into the hot mixture. Transfer the mixture into a gallon size ziploc bag, seal airtight and place in an ice-water bath to cool for 30 minutes. Once the mixture has cooled, divide it evenly between six cappuccino or kulfi molds or any other freezer safe molds that you own. Seal the open ends of the mold with cling film to prevent the formation of ice crystals. Freeze and allow to firm for at least 6 hours.
4. Just before serving remove the kulfi molds from the freezer and allow to sit outside for 5 minutes at room temperature. In the mean time, mix the fine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Remove the kulfi from the molds ( I insert a knife, a little less than halfway in the center of the kulfi, twist it a little to loosen it from the sides and pull it out) and transfer to a clean serving plate. Dust each kulfi with a little of the cinnamon-sugar mix, you can also roll the kulfi in the mixture.
58 Responses
That looks and sounds delightful! A wonderful dessert.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a treat for you to find sapota! I'm going to have to do a google search to see this fruit. Your dessert is beautiful.
This looks delicious and I love the choice of ingredients you put into it. I wasn't familiar with it previously but now would love to try it.
Congratulations on finding sapota! That must have been very exciting for you. I wish I could have seen your face in the frozen food aisle when you saw it there! These look delicious. A new comfort food.
I miss chickoo here too. I have to scout out the frozen version now. Kulfi in this cold came as a surprise, but I'm with you, some frozen treats I could eat all year long.
This is completely intriguing to me – utterly new. Thank you for the introduction. And what beautiful photographs. My compliments to you!
Sapota is my favorite fruit. Like so many, I really really miss it too. I am so happy you found it and I wish I can some time.
Of course, I am gonna love this dessert and hey, your pictures always are great.
I love eating kulfi & a home-made cinnamon version sounds even better! Another must make!,..Yummmmmmmm! 🙂
I never had anything like this Nik…and embarrassed to admit that never heard of sapota…thanks for the post…I sure learned new things.
Hope you are having a wonderful week 😀
Hi Nik,
I love your recipes and have tried out a few of them over the last couple years. I have a food blog called Kitchening Around (http://kitcheningaround.blogspot.com), and I am constantly trying to take better pictures for it – your blog is an inspiration. As a kid growing up in India, I loved sapota and actually thought it was "supporta" (makes no sense why it is called that or 'chikoo'). I can't wait to try this one!
I wonder if I can find this fruit frozen around here…it sounds super delicious, especially since you've been yearning for it for so long!
This looks so creamy…I don't believe I've ever had sapota kulfi before, but it sounds like some sort of delicious cross between halva and rice pudding!
Nik, what a beautiful dessert. I've never had it before and so glad that now I know what it is. Pinned!
We called our brown doggie chikoo too. We have a few chikoo trees but the one giving the best fruits is in the neighbors garden. You should see the chani and bats, they go crazy for the neighbor's tree Nik. ^.^
I have never tried a chikoo kulfi but I can imagine that the caramel like flavors would work so well in this recipe.
I've never had kulfi but it sounds delish!
Beautiful dish! I love every kulfi I've ever had, although I haven't had sapota. Sounds terrific! Thanks so much.
Wow!
Love your photography! Gorgeous pictures and love your style of writing! I will be regular here:)
I love kulfis…Although my favorite is cardamom, this cinnamon sapota one looks terrific!
Wow! Sapota in Maryland? That is truly incredible, Nik. I'm so glad you were able to recreate a dish you loved with a favorite fruit from 10 whole years ago. Just amazing, my friend. I'm with Medha, above. Your writing is wonderful here. Thanks for sharing!
Oh boy this just looks so so good
Had never heard of sapota – but sounds delicious from your description. Glad you managed to find it!! I have a similar problem in Germany finding certain things and I always get so excited when I finally spot them
Beautiful images as always! x
I've never had sapota kulfi.. This looks delicious… Beautiful clicks too.. Do visit my blog.. http://kitchenserenity.blogspot.in/
I have never had or heard of sapota..it sure looks very tempting.
Now you know I love your kulfis, Nik!!
As usual, it looks beautiful…and I love learning something new. Your cappuccino cups make great molds.
I surely miss sapota, rambutans and many exotic fruits here. This kulfi brought back great childhood memories. Yummy composition 🙂
Thanks, Rosa!
Thank you Liz, I hope you find it. I think Amazon might sell some too.
Thanks, Pamela! I hope you get to find it, it is a really great flavorful fruit with an awesome taste.
Haha, I was super excited and thrilled. I think I've stocked up for a few months.
I think sapotas fruit in cooler temperatures in India, though I am not sure when they do here. I'll eat frozen desserts at any time of the year, I love them too much.
Thank you so much and it is great to meet you!
Thanks Asha, you are always so kind.
Kulfi is so much fun to make and eat! You should try to make this.
Don't be! There are so many other delicious fruits out there that I have not tried and can't wait to! Hope you had a great week too.
Thank you so much! Your comments made my day, I visited your blog and it is pretty awesome.
I think it shouldn't be too hard to find, these days it is amazing how things are becoming more and more available.
Thank you, Irina!
Thanks, Julia!
Haha, that is so cute. What is a chani? Caramel with this would be delicious, great idea Helene!
Dina, it's an Indian version of ice cream but I avoid classifying them together because they are very different in method of preparation but also in texture.
Thanks, John!
Thanks!
Thank you so much, Medha. I look forward to seeing more of you here.
Denise, I haven't had cardamom in a while, I will need to change that soon!
I know Stacy, I was as surprised as you! Thank you for your kind support and words as always!
It is, I hope you get to try it!
Haha, I know little finds like these make me so excited.
Thank you, Nilu! I hope you get to try it sometime.
It is Angie!
I know you do Angela, I wish I could send you some!
Aww, thanks Monica! I know, I do wish I can find some new molds though, it would be great to have a change.
Kiran, I would have thought you would have good access to these fruits in Florida! I wish I could send you some.
I have a sapota tree in my office garden 🙂
Thats a beautiful dessert you have there!
Thanks for posting. Anyone who would have the chance to taste it seems to surely come looking for more. Nice post.
Nik, I miss sapotas too. I love the sapota milkshakes and ice creams. I try to eat to my fill if I'm visiting India during the right season. Last weekend I found sapotas in Patel Brother's in MD. They were hard as rocks but that didn't stop me from buying a few. They ripened within a couple of days and were the most delicious ones I ever tasted. I'll definitely go there again soon. Hopefully, there will be some left.
Without a doubt, one of the most delcious puddings I’ve seen in a while. Love that heavenly dusting of icing sugar and your modern revamp of a kulfi. Now I just need warmer weather to enjoy these in 🙂