Sheer yakh
Sheer yakh: Kabul's rose-water and cardamom ice cream with pistachios
Sheer yakh, literally milk-ice, is the ice cream Kabul's street vendors once churned by hand in metal drums set in buckets of salted ice, and it's still the treat of choice on hot summer evenings and at Eid gatherings. It's dense and slightly stretchy, flavoured with cardamom and rose water and packed with chopped pistachios. Traditional sheer yakh is thickened with salep (orchid root); cornflour gives a similar body at home. Chef's tip: cook the custard until it thickly coats a spoon, then chill it overnight before freezing; a cold, aged base churns denser and smoother.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 3 tbsp cornflour with 100 ml of the ½ cup whole milk until smooth, with no lumps.
Step 2: Put the rest of the 2 ¾ cups whole milk, 1 cup double cream, 5 ½ oz sugar and 8 green cardamom pods in a heavy pan over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
6 minStep 3: Whisk in the cornflour mixture and cook over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon thickly; a line drawn through it with a finger stays clear.
8 minStep 4: Take off the heat and stir in 2 tbsp rose water. Cool, pressing cling film onto the surface, then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
240 minStep 5: Churn in an ice-cream machine until thick, about 25 minutes, and stir in most of the 2 ⅞ oz pistachios. No machine? Freeze in a tub and beat hard with a fork every 45 minutes, four times. A common mistake is putting a warm base in the freezer; it freezes icy and crystalline instead of dense and chewy.
25 minStep 6: Freeze for 2 hours until firm. Soften for 10 minutes at room temperature, then scoop and scatter with the extra pistachios.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sheer yakh take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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 whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of double cream?
- Whipping cream, same amount (less rich; whips softer).
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