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Creamy Hojicha Ice Cream (Japanese Roasted Green Tea)

Cook Time15 minutes
Chilling Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 15 minutes
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 200 ml whole milk
  • 9 g roasted green tea (hojicha) 1 tea bag per 3g, or half the amount of powder
  • 2 pasteurized egg yolks
  • 75 g sugar
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 200 ml heavy cream

Instructions 

  • Before you start, place your container in the freezer. Add 200 ml whole milk and 9 g roasted green tea (hojicha) to a saucepan and mix well. Leave them to steep while you prepare your other ingredients.
    soaking loose hojicha tea in whole milk in a sauce pan
  • Whisk 2 pasteurized egg yolks, 75 g sugar and 1 tsp cornstarch together in a heatproof bowl until pale and creamy.
    egg yolks whisked with sugar and starch in a steel mixing bowl
  • Place the saucepan on the stove and heat on low/medium-low. Stir occasionally, and when you start to see tiny bubbles appear around the edge, pour in 200 ml heavy cream. Be careful not to let the mixture boil.
    warming hoijcha tea in milk on the stove top while pouring in heavy cream
  • Continue to heat until the little bubbles start appearing around the edge once more, then take the pan off the heat. If you used loose tea, strain the mixture into a heatproof bowl and wipe out the saucepan to use again later.
    straining hojicha from milk and cream mixture
  • Temper the eggs and sugar mixture by adding a few tablespoons of the hot milk/cream to the bowl while whisking.
    Tempering egg yolk mixture with hot hojicha infused milk and cream
  • Gradually pour the rest of the hot milk mixture into the bowl while whisking continuously.
    pouring hot hojicha milk and cream mixture into whisked egg yolks
  • Pour the mixture through a sieve and back into the sauce pan. Heat on low and stir continuously, scraping the bottom of the pan as you go to prevent it catching.
    heating hojicha ice cream mixture in a saucepan on the stove top
  • Stir continuously on a low heat until it thickens into a custard consistency and coats the back of a spoon.
    thickened hojicha ice cream base in a sauce pan on the stove top
  • Pour it into metal container and place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool to room temperature.
    hojicha ice cream mixture in a steel container covered with plastic wrap during cooling
    • Speed up the cooling by placing the container in a larger container filled with ice.
  • Once it's cool, take your frozen container from the freezer and pour the mixture inside. Place it in the coldest part of your freezer and churn every 30 minutes for 3 hours, 6 times minimum.
    scraping hojicha ice cream off of plastic wrap during churning
    • In the first hour you should be able to churn with a whisk. Switch to a spatula when it becomes too stiff to whisk, and scrape the bottoms and sides into the center for even firming.
  • After the final churn, freeze for 3-4 hours (6 hours for larger batches).
    hand churning hojicha ice cream in a steel container
  • Rest on the counter for 5-10 minutes before scooping. If you have hojicha powder, sprinkle a pinch on top for an extra burst of flavor. Serve and enjoy!
    set hojicha ice cream on a metal ice cream scoop

Notes

  • This is a small batch for hand churning. Triple or quadruple the recipe to use in an ice cream machine.
  • If using hojicha powder, use half the weight. 1 tsp is about 1g, so the base recipe would use 1½ tbsp (4.5g).
  • Store in a sealed container in the freezer to prevent freezer burn, and consume in 1-2 weeks for best flavor and texture. 
  • Don't let the milk or cream boil as this can make it split or taste scalded.
  • If you double or triple the recipe: it will take longer to freeze (more like 6 hours). If you're in a rush, divide the mixture into smaller containers.
  • Use two containers for maximum efficiency. One for cooling, one for churning/freezing.
  • Use a steel container for churning. Steel conducts heat better and freezes the ice cream faster.
  • Use wide containers with a high surface area to help it freeze faster.
  • Churn more for a smoother ice cream. 6 times is the minimum. The more you churn, the smoother the ice cream will be.