Pooja's Hibiscus Chaat Masala Sorbet

Photo by:

Morgan Ione Yeager

From Malai: Frozen Desserts Inspired by South Asian Flavors by Pooja Bavishi. Copyright © 2025 by Pooja Bavishi. Reprinted courtesy of Weldon Owen, an imprint of Insight Edition. Photography by Morgan Ione Yeager.

In the Plum Sauce recipe in my book, I tell the story of how my mom was once making a spiced plum juice that she left on the stove for too long, turning it into a thick sauce that we ended up pouring over vanilla ice cream. I created this sorbet as the frozen equivalent of that culinary mishap. I wanted to marry the umami saltiness of the chaat masala with the fruity sweetness of the plum, but I also wanted a flavor that was available year-round. Enter, hibiscus tea. It’s acidic but not too much, has floral notes, and can be easily sweetened, making it the perfect balance to the spices.

Ingredients

4 ¼ cups water
2 cups loose hibiscus flower tea or dried hibiscus flowers
1 cup Madhur Jaggery or granulated cane sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
½ teaspoon Surya Salt
¾ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Methods

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Add the hibiscus, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the tea for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let the tea steep for another 20 minutes. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Make sure to press against the solids in the sieve to release as much moisture as possible.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, chaat masala, and salt, mixing well. Whisk the sugar mixture into the hibiscus tea until fully dissolved. Then whisk in the corn syrup and lemon juice until well incorporated.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve the soft sorbet right away, or place in the freezer to freeze completely.