Mala mango ice cream

This ice cream is bold, spicy, balanced, and a surprise hit with everyone who tried it. I'm really quite proud of it!

This started with me wanting to experiment with Sichuan peppercorns in ice cream. I eventually settled on using it in an asian-fusion-esque hot honey mix-in which uses a mala (spicy and numbing) chili oil. To complement it, I mix this into a mango ice cream base which pairs quite well with the spice.

At first bite, you're greeted by tropical mango and a rich, velvety creaminess. But as it melts on your palate, the complex warmth of the chili oil settles in leaving a lingering, slow-burning spice which beckons for another spoonful. I was delighted at how balanced the flavor profile was and how well-received this was by everyone who had a scoop.

When I do this again, there are a couple changes I'll make:

• The mango flavor could be punched up a bit. Needs more (and riper) mango and probably some citric acid as well in the ice cream base.
• The numbing sensation was not detectable, so I'll pump up the amount of peppercorns in the chili oil next time (tbd if this is actually good or not!)

1. Prepare the mango ice cream base and mala honey
2. The next day, churn the mango ice cream. Layer the mango ice cream and drizzles of the mala honey.
3. Transfer to freezer until set (at least 4 hours).