Ice creams get a new avatar

You’ve tried them in cones, you’ve tried them fried and as sandwiches. But have you tried ice creams in the form of rolls yet? With milk as its base mixed with other ingredients, ice cream rolls are ice creams rolled just like a kathi roll.

Traditionally, ice cream rolls are known to have originated in Thailand where they are popularly called Thai ice cream rolls and are served as street food. In NCR, Sawad-e Ice Cream Rolls, a dessert parlour in Faridabad, is one of the first places to introduce this concept, followed by Freeze in Pacific Mall, Subhash Nagar, from where these rolls caught attention.

“One of my friends, who lives in Faridabad told me about Sawad-e... I went there to see how these rolls are prepared and realised that the preparation of these rolls is the most exciting aspect. I thought that it would be a great business idea to bring something innovative with ice creams to Delhi,” says Sumit Kapoor, owner Freeze.

Soon after its launch in December last year, videos of the making of ice cream rolls started trending on social media. Melted Nutella chocolate base (or any other milk base) is dropped on ‘cold tawa’ or teppan at a temperature of around -440 Celsius. With two blades, the base is mixed, until the ingredients mix properly, and spread finely over the tawa. In less than two minutes, the base converts into frozen stuff on the tawa, which is then scratched accurately to make rolls. And bam! Your cup of six to seven ice cream rolls is ready in front of you.

At Freeze, Cookie Monster (made with oreo biscuits and chocolate Nutella), Tropical Treat (with Kiwi and Mango) priced at Rs 130 and Rs 150 are one of the highest selling flavours of ice cream rolls.

“It is gourmet style ice cream prepared in front of you and is pocket friendly. In Quick Service Restaurants (QSR), something like this is a rarity,” says Luv Trivedi, co-founder, Ice Pan Creamery (IPC).According to Trivedi, the concept of ice cream rolls is also popular in Las Vegas, these rolls are made sugar and gluten free. On the other hand, in Thailand and Hong Kong, it is served as a street food, and taste is given more priority.

“We try going somewhere in between by catering to both taste and health,” he tells Metrolife. At IPC, they serve some Indian flavours like Benarasi Paan rolls, Tulsi rolls and Mango and Imli rolls to name a few. Speaking of their texture, ice cream rolls are comparatively harder to normal ice creams in texture. These preparations melt quickly which makes its difficult to maintain and store.

“Most of the machines used in this process come from countries with temperatures extremely low. Sometimes on a very hot day, setting the accurate temperatures becomes tedious. Also, there is nobody to repair of these machines,” says Trivedi.

With their outlets in various malls of Delhi, like DLF Place Saket, DLF Mall of India, Galleria Gurgaon, Pacific Mall Subhash Nagar, people enjoy watching these rolls swoop in their cups within minutes. However, while everything about ice cream rolls is unique and new, the way it is eaten (with a spoon) is not. Why isn’t it possible to eat these rolls like we usually eat rolls, wrapped in aluminium foil, and handy?

“There are some people who like having ice cream with their hands, but since it starts melting soon, using a spoon becomes mandatory. However, maybe we can work on this idea and introduce cones for these rolls,” says Ujjawal Aggarwal who handles kitchen operations at IPC.