When attempting to come up with flavour combinations, I always think to myself first:

“Do they make a satisfying portmanteau?”

Is it an exact science? No. Absolutely not. Because, I mean, exhibit A:

Pannut Rice-Cream
Peadan Rice-Cream

Those two options don’t really do it for me. They don’t do this flavour combo justice. Pandan and Peanut Rice-Cream. Put some respect on this delicious pair.

I was thinking about how often peanuts are used as a topping on Thai or Vietnamese dishes— which often involves pandan scented rice. So I decided to ice cream-ify it.

Love the coconutty, vanilla scented Pandan base coupled with a nutty, roasted Peanut Caramel Sauce. I based this variation off of my Thai Sticky Rice-Cream recipe, but adding fresh pandan leaves and blending them in.

Notes before you start:

This creamy custard heavily relies on glutinous rice to achieve the correct consistency so for this recipe there really are no substitutions.
Full fat coconut milk is recommended as it lessens the water content in the custard base, leading to a less hard texture once stored in the freezer.
Yes, this can be made in a Ninja Creami, just freeze the base in two pint containers. Once frozen solid (24 hrs later) spin 3-4 times to reach the desired consistency.
I used a Cuisinart 1.5 Quart Ice Cream Maker.
I don’t recommend this as a no-churn recipe.
I recommend adding xanthan gum to the mix. This prevents it from getting too hard once stored in the freezer. Use a precise scale as a little goes a long way! This addition is of course optional, but I encourage it for a better ice cream texture.

Let’s make it.

Recipe:

Special Equipment:

Ice Cream Maker
Blender
Kitchen Scale

Peanut Coconut Caramel:

200ml full fat coconut milk
40g dark brown sugar
15g smooth peanut butter
15g molasses
pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, add the coconut milk, brown sugar, peanut butter, molasses and salt.

Place over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Cook until is reduces slightly and creates a satiny, dark, glaze-like consistency, about 6 minutes.

Transfer the caramel to a bowl. Set it aside to cool completely.

Pandan Rice-Cream:

50g glutinous Thai rice, divided
250ml heavy cream
400ml full fat coconut milk
70g rock sugar
30g fresh pandan leaves, cut
pinch salt
20g skim milk powder
0.8g xanthan gum
1 drop pandan extract (optional)
green food colouring (optional)

Prepare your ice cream maker by freezing the double insulated freezer bowl for 24 hours.

Measure out 25g of glutinous Thai rice and pour into a small bowl. Rinse the rice with water until it runs clear.
Add 1 cup of fresh water to the bowl and allow the rice to soak for 20 mins. The rice is ready when it easily breaks when pinched between your fingers.

Measure out the remaining 25g of glutinous Thai rice and add it to a small pan.
Place it over medium heat. Toast the rice, shaking the pan so it evenly browns. About 8 minutes. Once it’s golden and fragrant, turn off the heat and remove it from the pan. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pot, add the heavy cream, full fat coconut milk, rock sugar, pandan leaves, the soaked rice and the toasted rice.
Bring it to a gentle simmer and stir to fully dissolve the rock sugar. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat.

Let the coconut mixture cool in the pot for an additional 10 mins or until the rice is soft.

In a small bowl, add the skim milk powder and xanthan gum (please measure the xanthan gum! as a little goes a long way) stir both powders to combine— this will prevent lumps from forming once added to the liquid.
Add your skim milk powder to the pot — make sure to add while whisking, as to not form any lumps.

Add your pandan extract OR green food colouring and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.

Either transfer the coconut milk mixture to a blender, or use a hand blender to blend until smooth. Careful for any splashes as the mixture will be hot!
Pour the custard through a cheesecloth lined sieve to get rid of the fibrous pandan leaf bits. Use a spatula to work the mixture through the cloth. Discard what remains in the sieve.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so that it is touching the surface of the custard (this is so it doesn’t form a skin/film).
Refrigerate for 6 hours or until cold.

Once the custard is cold you can churn it with your prepared ice cream basin. I spun mine for 15 minutes, it should be super thick!

Transfer the ice cream to a container to store in the freezer. Or eat right away with a generous helping of Peanut Coconut Caramel, toasted coconut shavings and toasted peanuts.

**Once stored in the freezer, to enjoy again with the same creamy texture, leave it out at room temperature for 15 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!!