Cold and delicious dondurma
Dondurma is a dessert that is common in Turkey. The reason for this is the use of a special ingredient derived from the root of one of the most beautiful flowers on the planet—orchids, or more precisely, their Turkish subspecies. This ingredient, called salep, gives ice cream its unique elasticity and stickiness thanks to its starchy properties. It's the key ingredient, without which, unfortunately, ice cream cannot be made. And if you're the lucky owner of salep, you simply must try making Turkish ice cream at home.
Dondurma
Ingredients
- Milk (goat's milk is best, but cow's milk will do) – 500 ml.
- Sugar - 170 gr.
- Salep – 1.5 teaspoons.
- Vanilla sugar - 1 packet.
If you want dondurma with berries, take 100 grams of berries (fresh or pre-defrosted).
Recipe
- Pour milk into a saucepan with a thick bottom and place on low heat.
- Immediately add sugar and salep there.
- Cook the mixture until it becomes viscous, like pancake batter.
- After this, add vanillin, mix thoroughly and cook for a little longer.
- Turn off the heat, but continue stirring the mixture until it cools. To speed up the cooling process, place the pan in a sink half-filled with ice water or on ice.
- When the mixture has almost cooled, you can add pre-washed and cut berries to it if you have chosen the berry version of dondurma.
- After the mixture has cooled, pour it into a freezer container and place it in the freezer.
- After an hour, take out the mixture and mix thoroughly, then put it back in the freezer.
- We take out the future dondurma and stir it three or four more times, every hour or hour and a half.
- After you've stirred it a few times, you can serve it, garnished with nuts, melted chocolate, or berry sauce if desired.
Authentic Turkish dondurma is ready! It's just like the Turkish version—chewy, dense, and incredibly delicious. While it may take a while to prepare, it's nothing compared to the delicious treat you now have in your fridge!
But what if you don't have salep? Since salep is a starchy powder, you can substitute it with cornstarch, but unfortunately, the result will be completely different—this dondurma will be more like a pudding. However, if you're determined to try making this dessert with cornstarch, you'll need twice as much cornstarch as you do with salep. Otherwise, the recipe is the same as for classic dondurma, except you'll need to stir it two or three times instead of four or five.
No matter which way you choose to prepare this sweet, dondurma will impress you and your loved ones as one of the desserts with the most unusual taste and consistency!
