Thai coconut ice cream – an easy to make refreshing treat

Thais know a thing or two about surviving the tropical heat. You won't catch them walking very far in the heat of the sun, umbrellas serve dual function as both rain and sun protection – and the familiar jingle of the ice cream bike is often heard – And since an ice cream treat only costs about 25 cents – it a great everyday indulgence!

Coconut milk ice cream, served in a cup, bowl or as a true ice cream sandwich, with a slice of bread folded around a scoop of ice cream. It's cheap and it's very tasty and it's an incredibly simple thing to recreate at home. There are only, in fact, 3 ingredients!

How to make Thai Coconut Ice Cream

1. 3 cups of coconut milk*
2. ½ cup of sugar
3. ¾ cup of water

Ice Cream Making Instructions

1. In a pot, combine the sugar and the water, and bring to a boil. Stir the solution until the sugar has dissolved and then turn off the heat.
2. Let the sugar water cool, and when at room temperature, mix about ¾ of the syrup with the coconut milk.
3. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar syrup if desired. Remember though, that as things cool, their perceived sweetness lessens - so you want the coconut milk to taste just a little bit too sweet prior to processing it for freezing, - so it will taste just perfect as it comes out of the freezer.
4. Process the mixture in your ice cream maker, and enjoy!

A quick note on coconut milk

Coconut liquids are sold in three basic ways, as:

1. Coconut water
2. Coconut milk
3. Coconut cream

1. Coconut water is simply the sweet and clear juice contained within a young coconut – and although a refreshing drink, it is not normally used for cooking.
2. Coconut milk is the liquid that remains after the white flesh of the coconut, the coconut meat, has been pressed. To further complicate things, this is also sometimes known as coconut cream! The first pressing of the meat results in thicker milk with a higher fat content (cream, or thick milk) the second pressing results in thinner milk. Coconut milk that is sold in cartons in supermarkets is generally a mixture of these two pressings – and this is what you want.
3. Coconut cream, as sold in supermarkets, is usually something like a "Coco Lopez" type of thing, which is a processed mixture of coconut cream and sugar. This is not suitable for making Thai coconut ice cream.