Durian Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream | Recipes

Durian, mint flavoring, and chocolate. When this recipe popped up on my facebook feed, it just about floored me. I really had to think about it. I mean, some durians do have a slight menthol kick to them. I just couldn’t decide if adding mint would ruin perfectly delicious durian, be just plain bizarre, or was the brilliant evil genius of some deviant chef. It turns out to be the latter. Durian Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is amazing.

Durian Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream comes to us form the genius of raw food chef Megan Elizabeth McDonnell. I met Megan at the Woodstock Fruit Festival while working in the kitchen. Megan was responsible for some of the most amazing raw meals I’ve had, the highlight (for me) being her veggie felafels.

Later, we ate some durian together and she told me what she likes about durian (go to 1:00 of the video to see Megan eating durian).

Knowing Megan was the mastermind behind this recipe, I immediately decided that tasting Durian Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream was on my bucket list and it needed to happen pronto. We never know what the future holds, y’know.

I fell in love at first spoonful. The durian was whipped into an uber-creamy, super smooth delicacy that was fluffy and vanilla-ey and chocolatey and pure durian-y all in one. The mint gave it an aromatic coolness, mimicking the slightly cooling or numbing effect of Penang’s best. Put that way, I should have realized that adding mint would be a perfectly natural compliment to durian’s chocolate undertones.

This is by far my favorite durian recipe, and I intend to make it again this weekend.

I’ve posted my photos along with  the recipe and a link to Megan’s video. Her photos will be prettier than mine, since I did not use anything to add that lovely green shade that denotes a proper mint ice cream (the original recipe calls for spirulina, a powdered green algae popular among the health crowd). If you want, you could use green food dye or blend in a leaf or two of spinach.

Since this recipe calls for frozen durian, if you’re not in Asia the easiest and cheapest thing to do is purchase a box of pre-processed, frozen durian pulp from your local Asian store. In my tiny Oregon hometown, a box like the one below cost $8.99, but I have purchased them other places for as little as $5 per 1 pound box.

Ingredients

Recipe by: Megan Elizabeth  (Watch her make this)

• 1 pound durian flesh, seeds removed, frozen
• 2 drops peppermint oil
• 1 tsp spirulina (optional: for coloring)
• sprinkle of cocoa nibs or chocolate chips

1. In a food processor or other blending contraption, blend the durian flesh, peppermint oil, and spirulina powder. I used a Nutribullet, and it worked fine.

2. Scoop into bowls and sprinkle on cocoa nibs or chocolate chips, whichever you prefer.

3. Enjoy with your favorite fruity book.

Do you think Mint and Durian a good combo? Rate this recipe below!