No-Churn Ice Cream

নারিকেল ও লেবুর আইস ক্রিম
Lime & Coconut Ice Cream

Small servings - it is condensed milk & cream after all! 

I'm not sure why I made this ice cream. I felt I wasn't experimenting enough with my own recipes - and I guess this is the result. The methodology is adapted from a BBC Food no-churn ice cream recipe, which I've tried and tested before. The original is simply a combination of 400.00 g of condensed milk and 600.00 ml of whipped double cream, with other ingredients added to create various flavours. This makes a whopping 1 litre of ice cream, so I usually halve the recipe totals, which can be seen from the ingredients list below. 

This particular recipe is a slight modification, replacing half of the proscribed double cream with creamed coconut. This introduces the coconut flavour, as well as adding texture to the ice cream from the solid kernels. I'm quite happy with how this turned out, but note that the coconut flavour outshines the lime. Experiment by reducing the amount of creamed coconut, or by adding more lime zest. For a more intense lime flavouring, I would recommend opting for lime essence, as adding too much juice will turn the ice cream sour. Of course, there's no need to limit flavours to lime and coconut!

Ingredients:

• 200.00 g sweetened condensed milk
• 150.00 ml double cream
• 75.00 g creamed coconut
• Juice from 1 lime
• Zest from 2 limes

Method:

All mixed and prepped for freezing

• Mix the zest and lemon into the condensed milk
• Dissolve the creamed coconut into 75.00 ml of boiling water, and let cool slightly
• While the coconut is cooling, whip the double cream into stiff peaks
• Fold the coconut and then the cream into the condensed milk
• Pour into a freezer proof container, and freeze overnight
• Take out a few minutes before serving for ease of scooping

Coconut & lime ice cream, ready to serve

Additional information:

I used a solid "creamed coconut" dissolved in water as that was what was available in the supermarket near me. 150.00 ml of liquid coconut milk may be a suitable substitute, though using the creamed coconut adds a certain texture from the solids. For other flavours, I would recommend combining fruit pulps, compotes etc. with double cream and condensed milk. I've also wondered whether melting chocolate into the cream and condensed milk mixture will work, though I haven't tried it as I'm not a fan of chocolate ice cream. 

A Childhood Love Affair

চিনির পায়েস
Payesh with Sugar

Payesh - the simple way

My love for payesh started at an early age. My family and friends soon found out about my infatuation, and suddenly at the slightest hint of a special occasion people were feeding me bowlfuls of payesh. And like any relationship that faces too much outside input, my affection for payesh came to an oversaturated end. I quietly moved on to laccha shemai, and kept my newfound love to myself. However, I couldn't quite forget payesh. There is a certain richness to payesh made with jaggery that isn't quite replicated by any other dessert, and so I made sure to learn how to cook this myself. 

Payesh is a dish traditionally served during special occasions and religious festivals, and has many variations. Of course, the jaggery needed for my favourite iteration is hard to come by in the UK, so the recipe I'm posting just uses sugar. Payesh with sugar is in fact what we mostly had growing up abroad, and what our family would serve during special occasions or dinner parties. For my recipe below I use unrefined sugar and powdered cinnamon to give the dish a slight caramel tint. If I manage to hunt down some jaggery from a store near me, I will make sure to update the recipe with new instructions. The ingredients below should yield enough payesh to make modest portions for 4.

Ingredients

• 500.00 ml whole milk
• 100.00 ml water
• 60.00 g basmati rice
• 1.00 small knob of butter
• 3.00 cardamoms
• 3.00 pinches of powdered cinnamon
• 60.00 g of unrefined sugar, or to taste
• Pistachios and raisins, optional for garnish

Method

• Pour the milk and water into a heavy bottomed (ideally non-stick) pan, and put on medium-low heat
• Bring the milk to a gentle boil, which should take 10 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent a skin forming over the liquid
• Gently crush the cardamoms, and add to the milk along with the cinnamon 
• Bring the milk to rolling boil, and let it cook and thicken with the spices for around 5 minutes. Continue stirring throughout
• Rub the butter into the rice, and add to the boiling spiced milk
• Let the rice cook in the milk, which should take 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently while the rice cooks - this will stop the formation of a skin over the milk as well as prevent it from burning
• Once the rice is cooked, add the sugar and mix into the payesh
• Continue cooking until the dish reaches the desired consistency - runny or thick and stiff - my personal preference seems to change with the wind
• Pour into a large serving bowl or individual dessert bowls while still hot, so the payesh can set as it cools down
• If desired, garnish with chopped pistachios and raisins before serving. The dish can be had warm or cold. I would serve cold as a dessert or for afternoon tea, and warm for a special occasion breakfast.  

Additional Notes

The recipe above is payesh in its simplest form. As I've written earlier, I actually prefer payesh made with jaggery, and will hopefully posting a recipe for such soon. But the dish can get much more interesting. Payesh holds a special significance for Hindu Bangladeshis, and I've seen their recipes use more complex spice combinations - think bay leaves and saffron. In rural Bangladesh, I've also encountered versions of the dish that substitute rice for wheat, papaya or coconut. 

I Do Still Cook

কষানো গরুর মাংস

Spicy Beef Curry

Spicy beef in a bowl of rice, topped with dried coriander

I realise it's been many months since I've published a Bangladeshi recipe. This post is to make up for that, though strictly speaking it is just a re-worked version of the lamb that was my first recipe on the blog. However, I feel that this makes it a fitting comeback post, and one that captures some of what I've been doing for the last few months. It is true that I've been cooking less, largely due to a very transient lifestyle. But to make up for this, I've been trying to get better at the dishes that I do know how to cook, and one of the results is this recipe below. The amounts here a little more refined from my previous post, which was geared towards a large banquet meal, and the times are adjusted based on experience.

As to what else I've been learning to cook? Well, Thai and Chinese actually - because I grew up in those regions, eating the food but never really knowing how to cook it. I thought I should change that, but I don't think I can justify posting any of those attempts on the blog just yet! 

Ingredients

• 120.00 g onions, thinly sliced
• 1.50 teaspoons of ginger paste
• 1.50 teaspoons of garlic paste
• 0.50 teaspoon of powdered turmeric
• 1.00 teaspoon of powdered chilli 
• 1.00 teaspoon of powdered cumin 
• 1.50 teaspoons of powdered coriander 
• 2.00 dried bay leaves
• 3.00 1.50 cm sticks of cinnamon
• 6.00 cardamoms
• 4.00 cloves
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• 500.00 g of beef, diced into cubes
• 1.00 teaspoons of sugar
• 3.00 tablespoons of yoghurt
• 4.00 fresh whole chillies, optional for flavour

Method

• In a non-stick pot, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium heat
• Add the sliced onion and one cinnamon stick, and fry till browned
• Add the ginger and garlic pastes to the pot, mixing immediately and continue frying for about 2 minutes
• Add a little boiling water to the mixture, stirring it in to form a clumpy paste
• Turn the heat down low to prepare the spices
• Mix the turmeric, chilli, cumin, coriander and salt to taste in a little bowl, then add to the pot, stirring to mix in with the onion base
• Immediately after, add the bay leaves, the remaining cinnamon sticks, 4 of the cardamoms and the cloves, and continue stirring to ensure nothing burns
• Turn the heat back up to temper the spices, adding boiling water periodically to ensure that the mixture remains a thick paste
• Continue cooking the spices for around 25 minutes - or until the "raw" smell disappears, leaving behind a distinct fragrance reminiscent of a cooked dish
• Add the beef, stirring all the while to smear the spices over the meat
• Follow up with generous amounts of freshly ground black pepper, and continue stirring to ensure it is mixed in throughout the meat
• Turn the heat up high to make the dish bubble and heat the beef quickly, and cook at this temperature for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent burning
• Turn the heat down to medium and mix in a cup of boiling water to the pot. 
• Leave to cook for at least 1.50 hours, uncovered to ensure the cubes of meat remain whole
• Add small quantities of warm to boiling water when necessary to prevent the dish from drying up
• Once the 1.50 hours have passed, mix the yoghurt with a pinch of salt and the sugar, and stir into the pot
• Add the fresh chillies to the pot whole - these are mostly for flavour and colour, and not for heat
• Reduce the heat slightly, cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes
• Add a little more black pepper and the remaining cardamoms to the dish, stir and let the dish simmer for 5 to 10 minutes before turning off the heat

Additional Notes

The cooking times above are the bare minimum - i.e. how I'd cook this dish if I was being impatient. In truth, this dish gets better when slow cooked for longer than the time specified, and then reheated several times. As with lamb, beef prepared this way is traditionally bulked up with potatoes. However, we also use pumpkin in my family for beef specifically. This is a healthier option that turns this dish into something a bit creamier and sweet. If you want to add pumpkins, cut them into 1.5 cm cubes and add them to the meat 20 to 25 minutes before taking the dish off the stove. 

Review: Izumi

Sashimi in Dhaka

Chef's sashimi platter

Most of my trips back home involve gorging on food that only Bangladesh can offer. I can claim this trip was slightly different, if only because on top of the usual gorging I made an effort to explore the evolving restaurant scene in Dhaka. Izumi had been on my Wishlist for a while, not just because it was one of the newer restaurants in town, but also because it specialised in Japanese cuisine, a rather uncommon offering in Bangladesh. 

The restaurant sits at the end of a quiet side road in Gulshan, away from the noise and pollution of the main avenue. The site is gated, and a short driveway leads up to the guarded main doors, typical of many establishments in Bangladesh. Walking through these doors we found ourselves in a large Japanese themed lobby, with a small reception booth to our left. I headed straight there to ask for a table, as the staff present seemed hesitant about approaching us. After a check of their reservations we were led through to the ground floor dining area, a softly lit room with generously spaced tables. Restaurants around the world should take note – especially higher end establishments who have no excuse for squeezing guests together like sardines. 

A spacious interior

Despite being a weekend, the floor was largely empty, and the other guests seemed to be businessmen entertaining clients or Asian expats out on expenses. We were seen to quite quickly by a polite and helpful waiter. He pointed out items on the menu the kitchen was current unable, unsurprisingly to prepare due to a lack of imported ingredients. While I sympathise with the hurdles Bangladeshi businesses must face importing unusual ingredients, it is something to be aware of before visiting establishments like Izumi. Our waiter helped us with our orders, talking us through the contents of each dish. He was vague about portion sizes though (good news: they’re big!,) and we had to do a bit of guesswork with amounts. 

On the left, complimentary tofu with veg and sesame.

On the right, prawns and spinach in spicy mayo - stacked, so bigger portion than is obvious

Food arrived soon after we placed our orders, starting off with a complimentary canape of tofu muffled in shredded vegetables and sesame. While not particularly special, the tactic of serving a small canape was very much appreciated while we waited for our orders. The dish also made me feel we were going to get actual Japanese food - another plus. However, the rest of courses turned out to be a mixed experience. We'd ordered a starter of prawns and spinach in spicy mayo. The portion was rather generous here: more than enough for two and shareable between our three at a stretch. But while it tasted "Japanese" insofar as it wasn't somehow "Bangladeshified", it wasn't very good, and more in line with what I'd expect from a cheap restaurant elsewhere in the world. I felt similarly about our mains - the grilled miso chicken was a delight to find in Bangladesh, but it should have had more miso. Our garlicky king prawns were nice, but similar preparation can be had elsewhere in town for less. It was really the sashimi that saved the day, which was extremely fresh considering it must have been refrigerated for import, and was served beautifully as you can see from the photo in this post. Some of the cuts were a bit awkward, and a bit too large for a single mouthful, but it definitely satisfied our family's raw fish cravings. 

Grilled miso chicken, on the bone

The only sticking point I can imagine is the price, which was TK 3500 for the set before tax. This easily puts Izumi up there with an above average price for sashimi in say, London. In fact, the pricing at Izumi is my main criticism. The restaurant is easily more expensive than others of the same bracket in Dhaka, apart from maybe the newest 5 star hotels. A starter will you set back by around TK 1000, and mains cost from TK 3000 onward. Granted, portions are big enough to be shared, but our bill for one starter, two mains, a sashimi set, drinks and steamed rice came to a total of TK 12000 with VAT, or TK 4000 per head. This is a lot for Bangladesh. Imported ingredients or not, the food - the mains in particular - needs to be better than what we had for our visits to become regular. However, I expect the restaurant will survive on business meals and expats who have few options for eating out. To someone local, I would only say go if you need a sushi or sashimi fix. It will be good, but be aware that it's going to cost you a lot. 

Food: 6.5/10

Service: 7/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value: 6.5/10

Final Score: 6.5/10

Contact Information

A: 24/C Rd 113, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
T: +8801933446677
W: www.facebook.com/izumiBD

NB. The final score, while influenced by the sub-scores, is a qualitative reflection of my overall impression of the establishment.