Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for roast peach with salted jaggery kulfi

In the summer, my favourite recipes are low-effort but high-reward. That usually means leaning on certain ingredients to do a lot of heavy lifting. In today’s recipe, there are three heroes : the jaggery, an ancient Indian unrefined sugar, which has its molasses intact, so giving it a naturally rich and earthy caramel flavour; the peach, a fleeting August pleasure; and, finally, a new kid on the block, evaporated coconut milk, which has a smooth consistency that’s perfect for setting to soft-ish ice-cream.
You’ll need six small heat- and freezer-proof moulds or bowls. I use little enamel cups to set these in, then unmould them on to plates, but you could freeze the mix in small bowls and serve just as it is. Powdered jaggery and evaporated coconut milk can be bought in specialist south Asian food shops and online.
Prep 5 min
Cook 1 hr
Freeze 2 hr+Serves 6
For the kulfi130g powdered jaggery (I like H&C), or dark brown muscovado sugar360ml evaporated coconut milk – I like Nature’s Charm250ml vegan double cream – I like Oatly½ tsp fine sea salt
For the peaches3 peaches, halved and stoned½ tsp ground cardamom (optional)1½ tbsp maple syrupZest of 1 lime
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and line a small oven dish with baking paper.
To make the kulfi, put the jaggery in a saucepan and shake to distribute evenly. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, put the pan on a medium heat and stir until all the sugar has melted. Whisk in the evaporated milk and cream, until fully incorporated, then stir in the salt. Bring the mix almost to boiling point, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Pour equal portions of the cooled kulfi mix into six small cups or bowls and pop them in the freezer for at least two hours, until solid.
Meanwhile, put the peach halves cut side up on the lined baking dish. Mix the cardamom and maple syrup in a small bowl, then evenly distribute this between the peaches. Roast the fruit for 25-35 minutes, until tender but not falling apart, then remove, grate the lime zest over the top and leave to cool.
Put a peach half on top of each bowl of frozen kulfi and serve, or, to unmould, boil the kettle and pour it into a large heatproof bowl. Carefully dunk the base of each mould in the hot water for a couple of seconds, then put a small bowl over the top of the mould, flip over so the kulfi slips into the bowl and top with a peach half.