Kulfi Review!

I am proud and blessed to be a Malaysian. A melting pot of various cultures and heritage, I get to immerse myself in a host of celebrations and the food, too! Speaking of which, Deepavali is coming up and I just recently had my first taste of a newly discovered sweet treat, Kulfi, a traditional Indian ice-cream!

The melange of flavours available (Source: Mum’s Kulfi – Facebook)

Thanks to a discussion about Deepavali stories and treats, my colleague decided to ‘enlighten’ me further on Indian treats. We ended up ordering two cups of kulfi via Foodpanda from “Mum’s Kulfi” for lunch (at only RM5.50 each, by the way!).

Truth be told, it was just heavenly! The kulfi came in a smaller cup but the taste and texture was distinct from your regular ice cream. In fact, it is widely known as a healthier version of ice cream using milk, sugar and natural flavours. This probably makes up for its uniquely flavourful taste. My first foray into trying the dessert was saffron or ‘kesar’ flavoured kulfi. It had a dense, creamy texture and left a soothing herbal aftertaste in my mouth.

Left: Mum’s Kulfi – a local small business selling (you guessed it) Kulfi; Right: Sunita Bhutani the mum behind Mum’s Kulfi.

Don’t just take my word for it – try it yourself! It’s a good treat to enjoy with your friends and family this Deepavali.

Good News Malaysia reached out to Rahul Bhutani who runs Mum’s Kulfi alongside his mother, Sunita Bhutani. The Bhutanis felt that the local ice cream scene needed a more Asian touch, so they set up Mum’s Kulfi in 2016.

What method do you use to make your Kulfis?
At present, all our kulfi ice creams are handmade. We use a methodology of stirring and not whipping which gives the kulfis a denser, richer and creamier intense flavour compared to the more commercial ice cream options available in the market.
What inspired you to start this Kulfi business back in 2016?
It was a two-fold inspiration actually! While Mum has always been a legend in our house with her skills in the kitchen (especially given her background in F&B in India), we were sitting in a restaurant in PJ and when we ordered a kulfi, we knew it was time to try and see what we can do with Mum’s recipes and skills.
Would you consider yourself the first local Kulfi business?
Yes, we would like to consider ourselves as the first local kulfi business thanks to the approach we have taken, i.e. providing a freezer where required, our unified price mechanism across all platforms (online, retail, e-commerce etc.) and our innovative flavours, along with a professional approach to production and quality control.
Are you a home-based business?
Yes, we are currently home-based, although we operate out of the kitchens in two different homes with deep freezers in both venues due to volume of the business.
Within the span of these four years, how has Mum’s Kulfi grown as a business?
From the first cup and flavour (almond) and snagging our first wholesale restaurant client in PJ, today we have a presence in KL, PJ and Ipoh. We are available on Grab / Food Panda and all other relevant food distribution platforms, and many flagship restaurants all across Malaysia now feature our kulfi as a dessert option on their menu.
Where do you hope to see Mum’s Kulfi in five (5) years from now?
We hope to be able to secure distribution in the major regions of Malaysia (Ipoh representation has started post-MCO this year) and we hope to carve a niche as an alternative to the traditional ice creams in Malaysia.