The Diversity of Thanksgiving Traditions

Like many families throughout the US, musician Hrishikesh Hirway’s Thanksgiving menu combined ingredients from his Indian heritage with classic American dishes, blending flavors to create dishes like stuffing bhaji—stove top stuffing with onions, garlic, and indian spices—and incorporating a full vegetarian Indian dinner alongside turkey and mashed potatoes. But the most coveted dish was his mom’s famous mango pie. 

The recipe was simple—mango puree blended with Philadelphia cream cheese and Cool Whip set in a premade graham cracker crust—the magic was in mom’s touch. Year after year, the Hirway’s family and friends gathered together over plates of food reflecting the cultural mashup of American traditions and their Indian heritage. And every year, the star of the show was mom’s irresistible mango pie.

In 2020, the same year Tyler met Hrishi as a guest on his podcast, the pie making duties were passed down for him to carry on. His first attempt at recreating her recipe resulted in a melty, albeit delicious, pie reminiscent of—you guessed it—ice cream. He reached out and they quickly began collaborating on a flavor in memory of his mom. 

We stayed true to her original recipe, blending mango puree with cream cheese and whipped cream to create a curd reminiscent of her pie filling. This was swirled throughout a caramelized mawa ice cream—a dried evaporated milk commonly used in Indian sweets—then tossed with crumbles of salted graham cracker crust. 

We’re so excited to serve this flavor as a part of The Thanksgiving Series, our 5-course feast as told through ice cream. This menu has always been rooted in gathering with loved ones and sharing traditions, and we’re honored to share a new perspective of the holidays through his family traditions.