I’m often asked, ‘what dessert goes best with Indian food?’ If you consider how diverse the Indian sub-continent is when it comes to cuisine, then you won’t be surprised the same goes for desserts, from Punjab in the north to Kerala in the south. If you’ve never had an Indian dessert, there is an incredible range of flavors and textures. Some are fried while others are not. Ingredients vary by region and include everything from milk and yogurt to nuts and cardamom. Some preparations use a host of base ingredients from refined chickpea flour to rice flour. Freshly grated carrots and raisins for carrot halwa. Cashew, clarified butter, and cardamom, and sugar for burfi. Indian desserts are often quite pretty, beautifully shaped and decorated…even gently flaked with delicate gold and silver leaf. I especially like Indian desserts that have flavors like mango, cardamom, saffron, pistachio, and rose water. 

My favorite Indian dessert is kulfi. On an Indian restaurant menu it will likely be described as ‘traditional Indian ice cream.’ Compared to say, Italian gelato or American ice cream, kulfi has a richer texture and is creamy. Just like any ice cream, there are countless flavors. One of my favorites is anything with mango. Mango ice cream, mango sorbet,  anything mango.

Whenever I host guests at home for an Indian dinner party, some kind of frozen dessert is my go-to solution. Why? It’s such a satisfyingly sweet, cool, fragrant way to end a sumptuous Indian feast. It’s easy to prepare too, especially after you’ve worked hard on a made-from-scratch dinner of lamb korma, roasted eggplant, crispy okra, and basmati rice with naan and saffron sauce.

Photo Source: haagendazs.us

The easiest concoction is this: get a pint of mango sorbet, invest in high quality rose water, and finely chop a few sprigs of fresh mint leaves. It sounds simple, but the combination is addictive. Whether it’s Haagen-Dazs or any other brand, mango sorbet or mango ice cream is great to keep in your freezer for a rainy day.

Photo Source: amazon.com

How do you make it? 

There is no recipe, folks. And, you can make this in less than 5 minutes. In each glass dish or bowl, using an ice cream scoop, dole out a couple of heaping scoops of mango sorbet. Drizzle 1 teaspoon (or less) of rosewater evenly over it and top with fresh mint. I sometimes top it with a single cocoa-dusted chocolate almond for looks, more than anything. This is an elegant dessert ideas that take no time at all and will be just as unique as your dinner party. Try it. Trust me, you will love it.