We met with Yui Kanokwan in a somewhat atypical way, as is often the case in the Gelato Project: she had written to me before even downloading BilanciaLi, then a few exchanges during the course at ALMA with Stefano Guizzetti, and finally we met in person at Sherbeth.
It was there that I tasted his Nypa Tonka ice cream. A deep, different taste, with a particular balance between sweet, salty and toasty. Not the classic salted caramel, but something more layered. I immediately asked her to share it in the Open Lab.
Yui is a chef and ice cream maker with an international background between Italy and Thailand, very focused on sustainability, modern techniques and local ingredients, with a true taste seeker approach.
Nypa Tonka
Nypa Tonka is an ice cream inspired by classic salted caramel, but completely reinterpreted through local, natural and sustainable ingredients from southern Thailand.
The recipe was created with the aim of giving value to traditional ingredients, often forgotten by new generations, and demonstrating how it is possible to create a taste as well-known and international as salted caramel using a few natural products linked to the land.
The main sugar comes from the Nypa palm, grown in the mangroves of southern Thailand, in an area where fresh river water meets salty sea water. This allows the plant to absorb salts and minerals that are then found in the sap, which is processed into a raw sugar with a sweet profile but a natural saline aftertaste.
To give structure and deeper aromatic support, Yui also uses Tanod palm sugar, made by slowly concentrating the sap of the flowers. Its flavor is caramelized, toasted, slightly bitter, and allows the “caramel” effect to be recreated without the need to burn white sugar.
Rounding out the profile comes Pattani’s sweet salt, an artisanal sea salt with a delicate, round taste designed to enhance sweetness without covering it up.
But the most interesting detail is probably the Tonka bean, used not in a single form but through three different flavor profiles.
- The first is natural, without roasting, and brings notes of vanilla, sweet almond, hay, and light lactic sensations.
- The second involves gentle roasting at 110 °C for 30 minutes, which develops light spices, warm vanilla and softer caramel notes.
- The third is an intense roasting at 140 °C for 12 minutes, which pushes the Tonka toward deeper tones of pronounced spices, leather, tobacco, and roasted cocoa.
The calibrated blend of these 3 profiles (mixing 1/3 of each profile) builds a three-dimensional aromatic bouquet, which blends with the palm sugars and salt giving the ice cream an elegant, structured and very recognizable character. It is this work on Tonka that makes Nypa Tonka more than just “salted caramel.”
Ingredients
- 560 g of whole milk
- 139 g of water
- 60 g butter 82%
- 30 g of toasted low-fat milk powder
- 10 g of WPC 80%
- 30 g of Nypa palm sugar
- 100 g of Tanod palm sugar
- 65 g of dextrose
- 4 g of sweet Pattani salt or Maldon salt
- 1 g of locust bean gum
- 1.5 g guar gum
- 0.06 g/kg Tonka bean in three flavor profiles
Proceedings
Toast the low-fat milk powder at 140 °C ventilated for 12 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has a uniform golden beige color and a caramelized, nutty aroma. Cool quickly and, if necessary, sift to remove any lumps.
Prepare Tonka bean in three versions:
- a natural one without roasting
- one toasted at 110 °C for 30 minutes
- one toasted at 140 °C for 12 minutes
The tonka bean should be roasted whole, then allowed to cool and ground using a coffee grinder or spice grinder. Once ground, it should be sifted to obtain a fine powder. The coarser pieces and husks can be reused in other recipes.
Cool the roasted broad beans completely, grind them finely and mix them into equal parts
weighing all ingredients
Cut the butter into cubes and keep it aside
Combine all the powders in a bowl and mix well
Combine milk and water in the liquid part
Add the powders to the liquids, keeping the butter aside, and blend with an immersion blender for about 2 minutes until smooth and homogeneous
Transfer the mixture to the pasteurizer and add the butter at about 40 °C
Complete heating to 75 °C
Mantecare to an outlet temperature of about -8 / -9 °C
Blast at -22 °C for one hour
Allow to rest at least 12 hours at -18 °C before serving
Conclusion
Nypa Tonka starts from a familiar idea, that of salted caramel, but takes it to a completely different territory of palm sugars, artisanal salt, roasting and local biodiversity. It is an ice cream that holds together known taste and territorial identity, sustainability and technique, memory and reinterpretation.
And that’s what makes it perfect for the Open Lab: a recipe that doesn’t just work, but tells something.
Do you also want to post in the Gelato Project Open Lab?
The Gelato Project Open Lab is a new corner of the Gelato Project dedicated to fresh ideas from the community. If you’re an ice cream maker, a balance geek, or just someone who has created a flavor you’re proud of, you can contribute too.
Write and tell me about your recipe-I will be happy to evaluate it and, if suitable for the column, publish it in our open space dedicated to ice cream creativity!
Join our Community
Did you know that we have an interactive community on WhatsApp? It is structured with a central channel and thematic channels to exchange on dedicated topics such as precisely ice cream!
Small note: whatsapp does not give access to history, so you start seeing messages from the moment you join, which is why when you enter it all seems empty.
- Nypa Tonka Ice Cream – A caramel that comes from Thailand - 12 April 2026
