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Jigarthanda
ஜிகர்தண்டா: Madurai's chilled milk cooler with almond gum, nannari syrup, reduced milk and ice cream (plus 8 hours soaking)
Jigarthanda means 'cool heart', and on a hot evening in Madurai crowds queue around the carts near the Meenakshi temple for a tall glass of it. It's layered rather than blended: a spoonful of soaked almond gum (badam pisin), a glug of nannari (Indian sarsaparilla) syrup, chilled milk reduced until creamy and lightly caramel-coloured, then a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The result is cold, floral, wobbly and rich all at once. This home version uses shop-bought vanilla ice cream; check that yours is eggless and gelatine-free. Chef's tip: let the reduced milk chill overnight; cold, thick milk is what makes it taste like the street version rather than flavoured milk.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 2 tsp almond gum (badam pisin) in 1 cup cold water for 8 hours or overnight. It swells into a clear, soft jelly about 10 times its size; break up any hard bits.
5 minStep 2: Bring 1 litre full-fat milk to the boil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat, then lower to medium-low and simmer for 30–35 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the sides back in, until it has reduced by about half.
35 minStep 3: Stir in 2 ⅛ oz sugar and simmer for 3–4 more minutes until the milk turns a pale beige and smells lightly caramelised. Common mistake: leaving it unstirred on high heat; the bottom scorches and the whole pan tastes burnt. Keep the heat moderate and scrape the bottom.
4 minStep 4: Cool the milk, then chill it for at least 4 hours, or overnight. It thickens to the texture of single cream.
Step 5: To assemble, put 2 tbsp of the almond gum jelly in each tall glass, add 1 tbsp 4 tbsp nannari (sarsaparilla) syrup, a couple of 8 ice cubes cubes if using, then fill with the chilled milk.
Step 6: Top each glass with a scoop of 4 scoop eggless vanilla ice cream and serve at once with a long spoon, so everyone can stir the layers together.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jigarthanda take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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