Aparajita Nice Cream

Recipe 5 min, plus steeping and freezing timePreparation Time 15 minCooking Time

Aparajita Nice Cream

5 min, plus steeping and freezing timePreparation Time 15 min Cooking Time

About this Recipe

This nice cream, naturally colored with aparajita or butterfly pea flowers, demonstrates how a pop of color and vanilla can do the heavy lifting in a dessert.

The Benefits

Rich in potassium, B vitamins and fiber, bananas promote gut and heart health. Butterfly pea petals have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds such as ternatin, kaempferol and p-Coumaric acid that have anti-cancer benefits.

Ingredients

4 SERVES

Pre-Prep Notes

The day before you plan to make the nice cream, peel the bananas, chop, and freeze in a freezer-proof bag ideally overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

For the Nice Cream

1/3 cup (80 ml) coconut milk
15 to 20 dried aparajita (butterfly pea) flowers, or 2 to 3 tsp butterfly pea powder
1 vanilla pod
4 (600 g) ripe bananas, peeled, chopped and frozen
A pinch of seal salt

For the Garnish

4 fresh lychees
5 to 8 tulsi (holy basil) or purple basil leaves
1 Tbsp toasted shredded coconut
1/4 cup edible flowers such as phlox

Directions

Step 1

Heat coconut milk in a shallow pan until just about to simmer. Add butterfly pea flowers, stir and continue to warm over very low heat for about 2 minutes. Slit the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds, and add both seeds and pod to the coconut milk. Stir and switch off heat. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover, and let it steep in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Step 2

Drop frozen bananas into a blender and strain in the coconut milk, removing the flowers and vanilla pod. Add a tiny pinch of sea salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pulse or blend in short bursts, pushing down the mixture with a wooden spoon. If your bananas were well frozen, the nice cream is ready to garnish and serve; if you prefer it firmer, pour it into a container and return to the freezer to let it harden, about 2 to 4 hours.
Step 3

Prepare the garnish: Peel lychees, slit to remove the seeds, and cut into long slivers. Cut the basil leaves into long slivers or leave them whole.
Step 4

Take out the nice cream and scoop out to serve. You may need to let it soften on the counter for 10 minutes. Garnish with toasted coconut, lychee, edible flowers and tulsi.

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About the author

Eeshaan Kashyap

Eeshaan Kashyap is a Delhi-based chef and food stylist who works at the intersection of food and art though curating culinary events. He is the artist-designer behind Tablescape, an online tableware store.

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