No Churn Matcha

(Green Tea) Ice Cream

July: National Ice Cream Month

Islander’s home state of Hawaii has a sizeable Japanese population, ranking second behind Filipinos as the largest ethnic minority group. On her cul-de-sac, there are two Japanese families and she attended the same elementary/intermediate/high schools with the neighbors’ children. She also had several co-workers and friends of Japanese ancestry while living on Oahu. Even her bridal shower took place at a Japanese restaurant and two decades later she and Highlander would go to Japan for his kanreki (60th birthday)! Yes, we have an affinity for Japanese traditional culture—and, of course, Japanese food!

We frequently drink green tea and indulge in matcha mochi ice cream desserts when we go to Japanese eateries. At home, we also cook Japanese food once in a while, including matcha infused no-churn ice cream. It is one of the easier recipes to make to highlight the end of a Japanese-inspired meal. No-churn matcha (green tea) ice cream is also a sweet summer snack that one can enjoy throughout National Ice Cream Month.

Recipe

(Adapted from the Food Network)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (1 pint) heavy whipping cream
  • 2-3 teaspoons matcha (green tea powder), culinary grade
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Directions

Beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the matcha in vanilla and mix to make a paste.

In a large bowl, pour the condensed milk. Stir in the matcha-vanilla mixture. Gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture. Place in a loaf pan or ice cream container. Cover and freeze for at least six hours or overnight. Remove from the freezer. Scoop into tiny tea cups, dessert dishes or ice cream cones.

Notes

  • The final food photo above shows a traditional Japanese matcha mixer/bamboo whisk. Thanks to Nan N., who travels often to Japan (Camp Zama) from Hawaii (Fort Shafter) for work, for this gift.
  • Islander’s Daddy, whose last duty station was in Pearl Harbor before retiring from military service, deployed often to different U.S. naval bases in Japan.
  • To boost the green color, stir in a little bit of green food coloring (optional).
  • Search our blog for other Japanese recipes under Theme Menus.
  • Search our blog for other no-churn ice cream recipes for National Ice Cream Month.