Refreshingly creamy, flavourful, Asian-inspired Sous Vide Mango Basil Ice Pops with strawberry drizzle to lick your summer into gear.
It's beginning to feel a lot like summer and synonymous with the season, are frozen treats like these Sous Vide Mango Basil Ice Pops! They contain two of my fave things - mango and Asian flavours.
I am bringing you this recipe today as part of my weekly Instagram stories sousvide-along. Also, to introduce you to the fairly new Sous-Vide magazine by Cuisine Solutions, dedicated to the art of cooking sous vide, it delivers great articles to get you sous viding like a pro, with mouthwatering photos of restaurant-worthy recipes that can easily be created at home.
Issue 6 is all about cooking for the warmer months ahead, and what says summer better than a flavour-packed, frozen treat on a stick? Put a popsicle in my hand and I am immediately transported to my childhood.
A childhood filled with freshly picked mangoes would naturally translate to a life-long love obsession with the irresistible, sweet, juicy, orange-yellow fleshed fruit. Not surprisingly, I was immediately drawn to the mango pops featured in the magazine.
It spoke not only to my love of mangoes, but Asian flavours. The Dude and I love Asian cuisine, and having lived in SEA for a year, what seems like a lifetime ago, those ingredients are always on hand.
Thai Basil
I used Thai basil in place of regular sweet basil, added a little galangal, replaced the white sugar with panela, used fresh, instead of frozen mango and added a little lime zest to another batch.
Thai basil, also known as cinnamon basil, has longer, more pointed leaves, purple stems and pretty purple flowers. Its looks are complement by spicy, licorice/anise aroma and flavour - I love using it in fruit salads. I'd like to make another batch of these pops using Thai lemon basil or Holy Basil, if only to feed my curiosity.
Galangal
Galangal is a commonly used ingredient in SEA cooking, particularly Indonesian, Thai and Malaysian. Flavour-wise, it's a very different beast from ginger, so I am not suggesting it as a substitute per se. Using galangal, instead of the ginger called for in the magazine recipe, made a noticeable difference in the overall flavour profile. I love the fresh, cooling aroma galangal imparts to dishes and felt it would work well in these Sous Vide Mango Basil Pops.
If you prefer more spicy, pungent notes with your mango, then ginger is your gal. You know your palate better than anyone, so play around with what speaks to your senses. It's what I love most about cooking!
Panela
Panela is unrefined, raw cane sugar with flavourful, aromatic caramel and molasses undertones. It is common to Latin and Central America and some parts of the Caribbean. It can be used at a 1:1 ratio when replacing sugar in both sweet and savoury dishes. Apart from its wonderful flavour, I like how the colour seemed to have warmed that of the mango.
Switching up the ingredients made a noticeable difference in the overall flavour profile of the ice pops. I really like the mellow complexity of the ingredient blend I used (so much that I translated it into bonbons). Each ice pop version provided a slightly different experience, but were both refreshingly delish!
To finish them off with a little interest, I piped random line patterns using Strawberry and Passion Fruit Inspiration mixed with a neutral oil to create what is called a magic shell - a technique I've used on a few other pops and ice cream.
The flavours of the Valrhona fruit inspirations are quite intense, so I backed off the idea of dipping the pops for fear they would overpower the incredibly creamy flavour-packed pops. You can skip this, however, as the Sous Vide Mango Basil Ice Pops definitely held their own.
Sous Vide Ice Pops... Really?
Preparing fruits and vegetables sous vide, really intensifies and locks in the flavour and colour. Nutrient loss is also lessened, resulting in an overall win-win, if you ask me.
Although a number of you have reached out to say that I've inspired you to invest in a sous vide cooker, I realize that the majority of you likely don't. These flavourful Asian-inspired ice pops can just as easily be made in a blender, raw.
Either way, you just can't go wrong with mango! Check out my video below.
Special Equipment
- Sous Vide Immersion Cooker
- Silicone Ice Cream/Popsicle Mold
- Popsicle Sticks
- Blender
Ingredients
For the ice pops:
- 220 grams coconut milk or cream or dairy milk
- 48 grams panela or other sweetener of your choice
- 454 grams ripe mango chunks fresh or frozen
- 4 large fresh Thai basil leaves or regular sweet basil
- 5 grams galangal (Ka), freshly minced or freshly minced ginger
For the magic shell (optional):
- 100 grams Strawberry Inspiration for dipping or drizzling
- 20 grams grape seed oil or other neutral oil
Instructions
Prepare the water bath:
- Place warm water in a heavy-duty pot, or heatproof container. Attach the immersion circulator and heat water to 83ºC/181.4F.
Make the pops:
- Add the sugar and coconut milk to a small saucepan and heat to a light boil, while whisking. When the sugar is all melted, remove from heat, cool at room temperature for a few minutes, then chill in the refrigerator.
- Mince the ginger over the mango chunks, then add to a resealable sous vide bag, along with the basil and coconut milk. Seal partially, removing as much air as possible (you can do this by passing the bag along the edge of your counter or table). Add to the heated water bath, removing any excess air from the bag using the displacement method. Seal and cook for 1 hour.
- A few minutes before the cook ends, prepare a stainless steel bowl with cold water and ice. Remove the bag from the water bath, when ready, and place in the ice bath to chill. Open the bag, discard the basil leaves and transfer the contents to a mixer, or a tall container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Pour into molds and freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight for best results.
Make the magic shell:
- Unmold the pops, place on a parchment-lined baking tray and return to the freezer.
- Melt the strawberry and passion fruit inspiration along with the oil in separate bowls over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to 37ºC before drizzling or dipping. Enjoy!
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