Vegan Cardamom Spiced Coconut Ice Cream

1. Separate ¼ cup of the dark brown sugar and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, rest of the sugar, nutmeg, cardamom pods, salt and heat gently to completely dissolve the sugar and till the coconut milk has heated well.
3. Add the Xanthan gum to the sugar that you set aside earlier and mix very well.
4. Add this to the heated coconut milk and use an immersion hand blender to blend the Xanthan gum into the mixture properly - for a few minutes. Alternatively, you can use a regular blender to do this as well (just make sure your blender can handle hot liquids - if not, let the mixture cool down first and then proceed with this step).
5. The liquid should be thick but NOT GLOOPY. If it is gloopy, add a little water to thin it out to a thick consistency.
6. Let it cool completely and chill overnight in the fridge.

With ice cream machine

1. Churn the base according to the manufacturers' instructions and let it harden completely in a container for a few hours.

No churn method

1. Transfer the base into a shallow dish, and keep it in the freezer, covered.
2. Using a hand mixer, mix this mixture every hour incorporating air each time. Repeat every hour until the ice cream is completely frozen.
3. Serve as is or with Cardamom Cashew Praline.

Cardamom cashew praline

1. Prepare a silpat or parchment paper on a baking tray to pour the praline on.
2. To caramelize sugar using the dry method - in a shallow nonstick pan, sprinkle the sugar in an even thin layer and heat the sugar on medium heat.
3. As the sugar starts to melt, move the sugar around to ensure it melts evenly which may result in some sugar clumps being formed. Keep heating the sugar while moving it around from time to time. DO NOT LEAVE THE SUGAR UNATTENDED.
4. The sugar will start to turn color and melt completely. When the sugar turns a golden color, sprinkle the cardamom over the caramel. When the sugar turns an amber color, immediately remove from the heat and add the cashew, and using a spoon mix to coat the nuts as much as possible.
5. While still hot, pour this onto your silpat and flatten (using the spoon) as much as possible. BE CAREFUL NOT TO TOUCH THIS MIXTURE AS IT WILL BE VERY HOT!
6. Let it cool and harden completely.
7. Using the handle of a big knife or a pestle, break it into small pieces. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.
8. This can be sprinkled on any kind of ice cream or dessert.