The 25-year-old took up an online entrepreneurial course under the Rapid Youth Success Entrepreneurship programme, a local research and social-outreach project to empower youth through entrepreneurship.

At the end of the course she had to make a pitch for a business, and was told she would receive funding if her proposal was approved.

“I decided to pitch a vegan ice cream business as I realised there was a lack of such options in the market,” she tells FMT.

Much to her shock, her proposal was approved. So Sangkhirtana got cracking on her venture, experimenting with different flavours and trying to get the consistency right.

And in March, she launched her new business, Patcha Natural Ice Cream.

Sangkhirtana explains that “patcha” means “green” in Telugu and Tamil, which seemed fitting as most of her products are made from cashew milk and come in eco-friendly packaging.

On her decision to make only sugar-free ice cream, she says her father’s health was a big factor.

“My father is diabetic and I wanted him to be able to enjoy a pint of ice cream without worrying,” she says, adding that she uses monk fruit sweetener or xylitol as a sugar substitute.

Her introductory range consists of pisang goreng, desiccated coconut, red bean coconut, dates, and dark chocolate flavours.

“I tried to add a Malaysian twist to cater to the local palate,” Sangkhirtana says. Her gamble paid off, with the pisang goreng and desiccated coconut being her bestsellers.

As she continued to experiment with new flavours, Sangkhirtana added masala chai – featuring a tea-and-spice mix she blends herself – and mango limau sorbetto to the menu.

She also makes custom flavours such as peanut butter and chocolate, and Nutella, upon request.

In conjunction with Deepavali earlier this month, Sangkhirtana introduced three new ice creams featuring the festive Indian delicacies “jalebi”, a sweet pretzel; the sugar-and-flour-based “ladoo”; and “palkova”.

This range, available until the end of the month, has both vegan and non-vegan options.

“It was difficult for me to avoid dairy milk in these ice creams, especially the palkova, as it is a milk-based delicacy,” she explains.

And with Christmas around the corner, Sangkhirtana cheekily hints that two Yuletide-themed flavours will be emerging from her kitchen soon, so stay tuned!

Each pint of Patcha is priced at RM35. Check out Patcha Natural Ice Cream on Instagram and Facebook for updates and to order.