Nolen gur — date palm jaggery — is tapped from trees on winter mornings in the delta and arrives in Kolkata’s markets from November, in earthen pots that must be used within days before the jaggery ferments. The sweet shops of the city build their entire winter menu around it: nolen gurer sandesh, nolen gurer payesh, and this — nolen gurer ice cream, sold from hand-pushed carts outside Durga Puja pandals and sweet shop doorways.
Nolen gurer ice cream emerged from the Kolkata artisan ice cream scene in the 2010s as a way to extend the nolen gur season, which lasts only the winter months when the date palms are tapped.
Zone: River Delta
SOURCE: Adapted from Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick sweet shop, Kolkata, method documented 2019
LOCAL NAME: নলেন গুড়ের আইসক্রিম
INGREDIENTS
- 500 ml whole milk
- 250 ml double cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 150 g nolen gur (grated or broken (or light brown sugar — see notes))
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
- Heat the milk and cream together in a heavy pan over medium heat until just below boiling — small bubbles at the edges, not a full boil. Remove from heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar, and salt together in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened.
- Pour the warm milk mixture slowly into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan over low heat.
- Stir continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula for 8–10 minutes until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Do not allow it to boil.
- Remove from heat. Add the nolen gur and stir until completely dissolved. Add the vanilla extract. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until thoroughly chilled.
- Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
- If no ice cream machine is available: pour the chilled custard into a wide freezer container. Freeze for 1 hour until the edges begin to set. Beat vigorously with a fork or hand mixer to break up the ice crystals. Return to freezer. Repeat every hour for 4 hours.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Nolen gur from South Asian grocers in winter or specialist online retailers year-round. Light brown sugar with a teaspoon of treacle as substitute — the flavour is different but the ice cream is still good. Double cream from any supermarket. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Nolen gur from Patel Brothers or Bengali grocery stores. Heavy whipping cream in place of double cream. Light brown sugar with molasses as nolen gur substitute. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Nolen gur has a lower melting point than refined sugar and makes the ice cream slightly softer than a standard custard ice cream. If it is too soft straight from the freezer, leave it for 5 minutes before scooping rather than the usual 10.