7 questions with Pooja Bavishi (of Malai 🍨)

plus Pooja's recipe for Easiest Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Hi all! I’m so happy to share a new “seven questions” interview with you today! And for my friends who also love organization and archiving, you can now find all the interviews I’ve shared in my newsletter right here!

I’m so delighted Pooja Bavishi was game to answer seven questions today!

Pooja is the founder and CEO of Malai, the acclaimed New York–based ice cream company specializing in innovative flavors infused with traditional South Asian ingredients.

Malai is inspired by the flavors and spices of Pooja’s childhood—ginger, rose petals, fennel, saffron, cardamom. Since opening Malai in 2015, Pooja has won Food Network’s Chopped Sweets competition, was recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 100, and was named a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow.

I had eaten her delicious ice cream before, but only met Pooja in person for the first time recently when I was in Brooklyn a few weeks ago to interview Molly Yeh for the launch of her new cookbook. Pooja and a friend of hers were getting a drink at the same place I was getting a drink before the event (they were attending!). We all got to chatting then after they event they invited me to walk to Malai with them to eat ice cream (FWIW, if you ask me if I want ice cream, the answer will always be yes). It was such a sweet way (literally) to end the night.

Pooja is also the author of a brand new cookbook that will be out in two short weeks (April 8th!): Malai: Frozen Desserts Inspired by South Asian Flavors, which you can pre-order from bookshop.org right here. You can find out lots more about the book, pre-order a signed copy, or pre-order from all of the places on the Malai website right here.

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I loved Pooja’s responses to the seven questions I sent her way. And below her responses, paid subscribers will find Pooja’s amazing recipe from her book for Easiest Ice Cream Sandwiches (she uses white bread — brilliant!).

1. What do you hope readers will feel when they're in the pages of your cookbook?
I hope readers feel inspired to try the recipes and make ice cream at home, experiencing satisfaction with the results. I also hope they stock their pantries with spices like fennel seeds and fenugreek, discovering their versatility and realizing how important it is for them to be mainstreamed. Most of all, I hope they love the desserts they create from the book and return to them again and again.

2. How has working on this book impacted you?
Building Malai has been an incredible learning curve. There have been so many things I've never done before, but after 10 years, I've developed a strong sense of what I know and how to find answers when I don’t. Working on this book, however, was a completely new experience. I had no idea what I was doing and had so many questions along the way. It almost felt like going back to the early stages of Malai—where everything was unknown! While it was challenging, it was also incredibly exciting. Writing a cookbook has been a lifelong dream, and I’m grateful to have had the chance to do it, especially while continuing to grow my business.

3. What do you love most about ice cream?
What do I not love about ice cream?! It’s truly the perfect dessert—creamy, sweet, and cold. And when it's flavored just right, it offers a perfect balance of nuanced tastes. It hits all the senses. Good ice cream also has a flavor arc that’s incredibly satisfying: you start by tasting the dairy, then the flavorings, followed by the sweetness, and finally, that delicious cooked note—the slightly caramelized flavor at the end. It’s so satisfying. There is absolutely nothing I don’t love about ice cream.

4. What do you say to someone intimidated to make ice cream at home?
Ice cream doesn't have to be intimidating! In fact, that’s the opposite of what this book aims to achieve. While some recipes do require an ice cream maker, others use simple ingredients like condensed milk, whipped cream, and flavorings. These can be put together in just a matter of minutes. This book isn’t focused on creating the perfect ice cream; it’s about creating moments of joy at home using the same delicious flavor profiles we love at Malai.

5. What do you say to someone thinking about starting an ice cream company?
I say: do it! The world can never have too much great ice cream. Of course, there will be challenges and tough days in this business, but the joy it brings makes it all worth it.

6. What was the last thing you cooked or baked?
Honestly, it was the fried ice cream pie from the cookbook! I love that recipe so much—it’s rich, satisfying, and always a crowd-pleaser. I actually have two fully made pies in my freezer right now, just in case!

7. First thing to come to mind right now: what was your favorite thing to eat when you were a kid?
It might sound simple, but I absolutely loved buttered toast as a child. My parents would give my sister and me masala chai diluted with milk when we were young, and I’d dunk toast with pads of butter into it. Honestly, it was the best thing ever.

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Thank you Pooja for answering all 7 questions! And now, for paid subscribers, Pooja’s recipe for Easiest Ice Cream Sandwiches, from Malai: Frozen Desserts Inspired by South Asian Flavors. The book will be out on Tuesday April 8th — pre-order yours today right here!

And here’s the recipe for these ice cream sandwiches for paid subscribers!!!