A mum's experiments with homemade ice cream, so that her kids stay away from preservatives, is now a brand whipped up with tender love and care
Asha Thakur
Asha’s homemade ice cream
Asha Thakur’s daughter Saumyaa was all of two when she threw tantrums for a softie cup, from an ice cream shop near their old home in Lokhandwala. “I didn’t know what went into those ice creams, and was sure that I couldn’t give it to my kid every day,” the 53-year-old says. This was in 2000.
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Adamant that she would not allow her daughter to eat “synthetic” ice cream, Asha decided to experiment with the frozen dessert at home. She gave it a shot using a recipe from a friend. “I tried basic flavours like vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, and slowly, moved on to fruits and nuts,” says Thakur, who ever since, has allowed Saumyaa, now 17, to indulge in a scoop every day. Back then, she sold her ice cream to a few friends and family under the name La Croix.
Asha’s homemade ice cream, which takes around an hour to prepare, needs at least two rounds of freezing before it is ready to serve. Pics/Sameer Markande
Sixteen years on, her older daughter, Sucheta, who goes by the blogger name The Vegetarian Bhukkad, has bigger plans. Last month, she rebranded her mother’s product and christened it Icekreamskee, and put it on Zomato. “It is time to introduce people to mom’s ice cream,” says the 25-year-old.
The Juhu-based family has already invested in a kitchen aid mixer and gelato maker. A deep freezer will arrive within a fortnight.
Avocado
Sucheta tells us that her mother gets the entrepreneurial bug from her nani, who used to put up food stalls at fairs. “My mom used to help her out. Even during festivals, all the sweets and savouries were made at home from scratch. So, my mom developed a good kitchen discipline,” says Sucheta.
Freezing point
While ice cream needs two rounds of freezing for approximately 14 hours each, its preparation is only an hour-long process. “For the base, you need milk, sugar and stabliser, which is boiled together, cooled and then left to solidify in the freezer for 10 to 12 hours. Once set, you cut it up into cubes,” says Asha, who has studied food and nutrition at Juhu’s SNDT college.
Chocolate Almond
“The first time I made it, I followed instructions to the tee, and got it right. One important aspect of making good ice cream is to use great quality ingredients. Even today, we use sulfur-free sugar, fresh cream, good milk and no preservatives,” says Asha.
Earlier, as long as an ice cream did not have ice crystals, it was considered good. “There was no emphasis on flavour,” she says, adding, “Innovation is the key now, and we do a lot of trial and error. One flavour that has recently clicked for us is ‘chai and biscuit’.”
“It was the month of May, and as you know, most people need a cup of tea to shed the afternoon ‘susti’. That’s when I hit upon the idea of making an ice cream that included a daily dose of chai. For the ice cream, I first make Gujarati chai, which has masala, lemon grass, ginger and cardamom. After I cool it, I whip it up with cream, bread a few digestive biscuits [Parle G did not work as it turned into mush and interfered with the taste] and freeze it,” says Asha.
Boils down to tasting
Asha leads us into the kitchen, where she whips up a fresh guava and chilli ice cream. She goes through the steps like a pro, adding frozen ice cubes to the base, mixing the guava pulp and adding a pinch of salt and red chilli powder. She whisks it, and gives us a spoonful to lick. It’s consistency is that of milkshake and the aftertaste has a hint of chilli. She pours it into a tub and puts it into the freezer.
We now take a seat on the sofa, and begin with a bowl of chocolate almond, which is creamy and thick. The chocolate and almond chips are evenly distributed in every bite. The avocado, on first try tastes bland, and could easily pass off as cold guacamole without flavouring. Asha aunty is eager for feedback and makes a mental note to add a flavour to elevate the
experience.
Then it is time for the chai and biscuit, and we look at the clock. It is past 6 pm and we’ve not had our dose of cutting yet. The masala hits the right notes at first bite, and it really feels like we are having our chai cold, but with a warm punch of cardamom, ginger and masala. This one is a winner, and the addition of biscuit is sheer nostalgia. If you are a coffee addict, there’s a coffee and walnut for you, and it is as kadak as a shot of south Indian filter. We love the tender coconut, for it has malai, and not shredded coconut. By now, we are already full, and consider not trying any more. From the corner, Soumyaa tells us, “I can eat as much ice cream as you give me. Any hour, any form.” This teenager gives us #icecream goals.
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