Summer's just around the corner, and because of unemployment my partner and I are avoiding use of the air-conditioning so our electric bill stays down.

He wanted to make sorbet, but since we don't have an ice cream maker in our apartment, I suggested to make bingsu (Korean shaved ice) instead! This recipe is a shortcut method for those who don't have a shaved ice machine, and it works pretty well! The base also avoids using any heating element that may make the apartment hotter! Keep in mind there are multiple freezing times, so you may want to make multiple batches at once so you don't have to wait every time you want shaved ice.

The one pictured above is a pantry version of Taiwanese-style shaved ice (inspired by Meet Fresh chain cafe), but this base would work with kakigori (Japanese) patbingsu (Korean), or any shaved ice really! I have a patbingsu version pictured at the bottom of the page (with homemade matcha ice cream, red bean paste, and condensed milk drizzle). For the MeetFresh version, I'll list the components I used below, but you can customize the toppings any way you want.

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Ingredients​

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• 240 ml whole milk (1 cup)

• 60 ml water (1/4 cup)

• 72 - 84 ml sweetened condensed milk, depending on sweetness preference (5 - 6 Tablespoons)

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Instructions

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1. Mix together milk, water, and condensed milk.

2. No Machine Method: Pour the mixture in a large gallon Ziploc bag. Remove any excess air and seal the bag. Lay flat on a (preferably metal) tray and freeze until frozen solid, about 5 hours. Make sure you only make 1 batch per bag, because the layer of liquid needs to be thin.

3. Chill serving bowls in the freezer until needed.

4. Once shaved ice mixture is frozen solid, remove tray from freezer. With a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat tenderizer, gently but quickly crush the ice sheet into smaller chunks, then press those chunks so they become snow-textured. If your ice is melting, freeze and gently crush again before serving in chilled bowls.

5. If you have a shaved ice machine or high-power blender/food-processor:

   • For shaved ice machine: push frozen mixture through shaved ice machine straight into chilled bowls.

   • For high speed blender: pour the milk mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until frozen solid, about 5 hours. Grind the ice for about 20 seconds, or until the texture is like snow. Serve immediately in chilled bowls.

 

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Topping ideas:
 

• 1 piece firm purin/creme caramel/flan

• Tapioca boba pearls, boiled according to package instructions, then tossed with honey or brown sugar syrup

• Hojicha agar jelly (I steeped a strong cup of hojicha and used in place of mineral water. After it cooled, I cut it into cubes. This was a substitute for grass/herbal jellies)

• Mochi or dango, shaped into mini logs and covered with roasted soybean powder (matcha, black sesame powder would work too. This was a substitute for the QQ mochi at Meet Fresh)

• Red bean paste, homemade or store-bought

• Fresh fruit

• Whipped cream or condensed milk no-churn ice cream

  • I also made coconut jelly as a substitute for the almond jelly cup, but it fell apart from not enough gelatin, so it's sitting beneath the boba

  • Other options/ideas: any kind of syrup, fruit/purees, beans, sweet potatoes, other bean pastes, custard creams, rice cakes, jelly noodles, jelly cubes, sweet potato/taro balls, sticky rice

 

1. Have all toppings ready.

2. Scoop shaved ice into chilled bowl

3. Top with desired toppings and serve immediately!