Pok Pok (Thai-Style Ice Cream Sandwich)

Name: Pok Pok (Thai-Style Ice Cream Sandwich)
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 2 14-oz. cans coconut milk; 1 cup desiccated coconut; 1 ⁄ 2 cup sugar; 1 ⁄ 4 tsp. kosher salt; 1 frozen pandan leaf; 1 tbsp. vanilla extract; 4 soft hot dog buns; 1 ⁄ 4 cup canned corn; 1 ⁄ 4 cup sweet gingko nuts; 1 ⁄ 4 cup nata de coco, drained; 1 ⁄ 4 cup palm seeds, rinsed; 2 passion fruits; 1 large, crisp chocolate chip cookie, roughly crushed; 3 tbsp. toasted cashews, chopped; 3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Serves
serves 4

TODD COLEMAN

Chef Pichet Ong gave us this recipe for pok pok, an ice cream sandwich based on those he ate as a child in Bangkok. Hard-to-find ingredients can be found at Kalustyans, Grocery Thai, and eFoodDepot. This recipe first appeared in our April 2011 special Sandwich Issue with author Christopher Tan's article Special Treats.

Ingredients

2 14-oz. cans coconut milk
1 cup desiccated coconut
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
¹⁄₄ tsp. kosher salt
1 frozen pandan leaf
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4 soft hot dog buns
¹⁄₄ cup canned corn
¹⁄₄ cup sweet gingko nuts
¹⁄₄ cup nata de coco, drained
¹⁄₄ cup palm seeds, rinsed
2 passion fruits
1 large, crisp chocolate chip cookie, roughly crushed
3 tbsp. toasted cashews, chopped
3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

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Instructions

Step 1

Bring coconut milk, coconut, sugar, salt, and pandan leaf to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let steep for 1 hour. Discard pandan leaf. Transfer to a bowl and stir in vanilla; chill. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, then transfer to a plastic container and freeze.

Step 2

To serve, place three small scoops of ice cream in each bun and top with 1 tbsp. each corn, gingko nuts, nata de coco, and palm seeds. Scoop out juice and seeds from fruits, and divide among sandwiches; top with 1⁄4 of the crushed cookie and cashews. Drizzle milk over each sandwich.

Bring coconut milk, coconut, sugar, salt, and pandan leaf to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let steep for 1 hour. Discard pandan leaf. Transfer to a bowl and stir in vanilla; chill. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, then transfer to a plastic container and freeze.
To serve, place three small scoops of ice cream in each bun and top with 1 tbsp. each corn, gingko nuts, nata de coco, and palm seeds. Scoop out juice and seeds from fruits, and divide among sandwiches; top with 1⁄4 of the crushed cookie and cashews. Drizzle milk over each sandwich.