Dondurma Maraş

Chewy Turkish Ice Cream

This month I am excited to be taking part in my first blog event. The theme is Street Food  and it is being hosted by Zita of  Zizi's Adventures. It's part of the Monthly Mingle event created by Meeta from What's For Lunch Honey?

What a great theme to get started on. Turkey has some great street food and as it's the only country I've been to I thought I would make this delicious ice cream. Dondurma means ice cream or literally 'freezing' and Maraş is the town where this famous ice cream originates.

I found three published recipes for Dondurma Maraş from Tessa Kiros, Greg Malouf and Ghillie Başan and they more or less the same. More milk than cream because it is already such a thick ice cream. A grain of mastic pounded with a little sugar for that resiny piney taste and chewiness and some sahlab powder for that thick silky texture. 

Sahlab is the ground root of an orchid that grows in Anatolia. It has thickening properties and a delicate flavour comparable to vanilla which is also from a species of orchid. Pure sahlab is impossible to find outside of Turkey and I've been told it's endangered but you can buy a powered version from middle eastern stores. It wont be quite as stretchy but you will still get that unique texture.

Here's my take on all three recipes.

Ingredients 

900ml of milk
300ml of cream
200g of caster sugar
1 - 2 grains of mastic
3 tablespoons of sahlab

Method

In a mortar grind the mastic with a little sugar to a dust and add to the sahlab. Heat the milk, cream and sugar in a heavy based saucepan. Add a little of the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir so you don't get any lumps then whisk into the heating milk. When the milk reaches the boil simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat stirring regularly. It should be nice and thick by now. Cool in a ice bath and pour into your ice cream maker then freeze in a sealed container.