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We try an ice cream bar in chili pepper oil, begin to think the internet is just screwing with us

Master Blaster Jul 15, 2014
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Fresh off Taiwan’s discovery that pudding and ramen are pretty tasty together and despite the widespread disgust and horror it produced, Chinese netizens have now come up with a new unlikely taste sensation: Chili oil & an ice cream bar.

As weird as it initially looked, I could kind of see the pudding ramen working out, but I draw the line at this ungodly combination. I’d have to have accidentally swallowed drain cleaner to want to consume thi…oh, hang on. My phone’s ringing…

Okay! Looks like I get to try out the newest food craze from China’s internet! I can’t…wait.

The online testimonies use particular brands of chili oil and ice cream bar. For the oil Lao Gan Ma was selected, we tried some a while back and could see why. It’s a heck of a condiment, but could its deliciousness even enhance ice cream?

Unfortunately there was no Lao Gan Ma brand chili oil in my area so I opted for something more local. I remembered this particular brand when trying some chili oil flavored ramune soda last year.

This might be a good time to mention what chili oil (taberu rayu in Japanese) is. Basically, it’s a vegetable oil with chili peppers soaked into it along with other spices for flavor. It’s not nearly as spicy as you might expect, although it does have a bit of a kick. It’s more of a salty and savory flavor that goes great on rice.

China’s online gourmands also recommended using Dongbei Daban ice pops.

Image: Toychan

Those were also in short supply around these parts so I opted for an equally generic looking package of ice cream bars.

Opening up and scooping out the chili oil didn’t look promising. As I scooped out some chunks of dried garlic I remembered some nutritionists interviewed by People.cn who said the conflicting cold and spicy flavors would be an exciting taste. However, that gleaming preview came with the warning that the cold ice cream could weaken the stomach lining where the spiciness might get its revenge.

It was time to push those thoughts aside and do the rayu.

Wouldn’t you know it? It tasted fine. For the most part it tasted like vanilla ice cream even though I tried to scoop up as much oil and chunks as possible. There was a slight tinge of the herbs but nothing overwhelming.

The spiciness effect did come but was slightly delayed and was quickly extinguished by ice cream in the back of the mouth. It was kind of like what happens when a bomb goes off underwater but not nearly as dangerous or exciting. I actually found myself dipping the rest of the ice cream into the chili pepper just for the heck of it.

And that pretty much sums up the chili oil & ice cream experience. If you want to try it for the heck of it, you won’t be disappointed. On the other hand, you won’t be impressed either, and for that reason I give this food-type thing only eleven stars out of eighteen.

By the way, the one nutritionist was right about the stomach. A short time after the initial testing I could feel the sensation deep down that I had eaten some spicy food even though it didn’t actually feel spicy while eating.

Source: People.cn via Toychan (Japanese)
Images: RocketNews24 (Unless otherwise noted)