Chinese Shaved Ice

Method12 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: On the night before serving, put the 225 g dried red adzuki beans and 225 g dried mung beans in separate bowls. Cover each generously with its own unmeasured soaking water and refrigerate overnight. Fill the ice-shaving machine’s moulds with drinking water according to its directions and freeze until solid. Keep the two soaking supplies separate from the measured fresh cooking water.

   Uses 225 g dried red adzuki beans (1 cup/8 oz), soaked overnight · 225 g dried mung beans (1 cup/8 oz), soaked overnight · Unmeasured red-bean soaking water, discarded after soaking · Separate unmeasured mung-bean soaking water, discarded after soaking · Unmeasured drinking water to freeze in the machine’s moulds

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Drain the soaked beans and discard both soaking waters. Put the red beans and mung beans in separate saucepans. Add 710 ml fresh cooking water, 50 g sugar and ⅛ tsp salt to each saucepan, using each mixture’s separately listed stocks.

   Uses All soaked beans from step 1, lifted from their discarded soak waters; its frozen ice remains separate · 50 g sugar (or to taste) · 710 ml fresh cooking water (3 cups) · ⅛ tsp salt · 50 g sugar (or to taste) · 710 ml fresh cooking water (3 cups) · ⅛ tsp salt

3. 3

   Step 3: Bring the red-bean saucepan to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour, until the beans are soft and starting to break down; continue as needed because older beans and different soaking times can change cooking time. Start the separate mung-bean saucepan in the next step while the red beans simmer.

   Check red beans after 1 hour · 60 minUses The complete red-bean saucepan from step 2; the separate mung-bean saucepan is excluded

   
4. 4

   Step 4: While the red beans simmer, bring the separate mung-bean saucepan to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 20–30 minutes, checking from 20 minutes, until tender and breaking open. This saucepan has its own clock and need not wait for the red beans to finish.

   Check mung beans from 20 minutes · 20 minUses The complete separate mung-bean saucepan from step 2; the red-bean saucepan is excluded

   
5. 5

   Step 5: As each bean mixture becomes tender, take ½ cup of its soup, blend that aliquot to a purée and return all of it to its own saucepan. Keep the two mixtures separate. Transfer to shallow covered containers, cool briefly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking; chill fully before assembly. They may be made the day before. If the chilled red beans are too thick, stir in only a little of the separate extra water until spoonable.

   Uses All cooked red bean soup from step 3; take and return only a ½-cup blending aliquot · All cooked mung bean soup from step 4; take and return a separate ½-cup blending aliquot · Optional unknown extra water to loosen only the chilled red bean mixture

6. 6

   Step 6: Check that the machine’s moulds prepared the night before are frozen solid. Keep them frozen until all toppings and the milk mixture are cold and ready; release the ice blocks according to the machine’s directions immediately before shaving.

   Uses Solid ice made from the drinking-water supply in step 1, excluding its separately soaked beans and discarded water

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Cook the ½ cup dry quick-cooking black tapioca pearls and ½ cup dried white tapioca pearls in separate pots, following each package’s boiling, resting and rinsing directions. Use their separately listed unmeasured cooking waters. Cook until fully tender, then drain and rinse or cool as the packages direct to prevent sticking. Keep the two cooked toppings separate and ready for prompt assembly; different pearl types have different cooking times.

   Uses ½ cup dry quick-cooking black tapioca pearls (boba) · ½ cup dried white tapioca pearls · Unmeasured black-pearl boiling and rinsing water, divided as required · Separate unmeasured white-pearl boiling and rinsing water, divided as required

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Have ½ cup prepared uncooked plain glutinous rice balls ready, fresh or frozen. Bring their separate cooking water to a boil, add the balls and stir gently. Cook until they float and are fully cooked and tender through the centre, following their prepared recipe or product directions if needed. Lift out and cool under clean running water to prevent sticking. Drain and keep ready for prompt assembly; discard the cooking water.

   Uses ½ cup prepared plain glutinous rice balls, uncooked (fresh or frozen) · Unmeasured water for boiling and then cooling the rice balls, divided as needed

   
9. 9

   Step 9: Mix all 120 ml coconut milk, 120 ml regular dairy milk and 120 ml sweetened condensed milk in a clean jug. Refrigerate until cold and keep chilled until pouring over the shaved ice.

   Uses 120 ml coconut milk · 120 ml regular dairy milk · 120 ml sweetened condensed milk (or to taste)

10. 10

    Step 10: Once the toppings and milk mixture are ready, shave the frozen ice with the machine and heap it in shallow serving bowls, using about 1 cup shaved ice per bowl as a size guide. If the machine requires a smaller catch bowl, move the ice quickly into the serving bowl before it melts.

    Uses An unmeasured draw of frozen ice blocks from step 6; any remaining blocks stay frozen

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Spoon chilled red bean and mung bean mixtures down the sides of each ice mound in alternating columns. Arrange chosen amounts of cooked black pearls, white pearls and glutinous rice balls around the base. Pour some chilled milk mixture over the top and let it run into the ice. Use the toppings and milk according to taste and the amount actually available, keeping unused supplies cold.

    Uses The freshly shaved ice mounds from step 10 · Chosen spoonfuls of the separate chilled red bean mixture from step 5; unused topping remains cold · Chosen spoonfuls of the separate chilled mung bean mixture from step 5; unused topping remains cold · A chosen drained black-pearl topping draw from step 7, excluding the separate white pearls and discarded water · A chosen drained white-pearl topping draw from step 7, excluding the separate black pearls and discarded water · Chosen drained cooked rice balls from step 8, excluding discarded cooking/rinsing water · A chosen pour from the chilled milk mixture in step 9; its unused remainder stays refrigerated

    
12. 12

    Step 12: Serve the shaved ice immediately with spoons. Bowl size and topping amounts determine how many portions the batch makes. Keep any unused bean mixtures, milk and prepared toppings refrigerated, and keep unused ice blocks frozen.

    Uses The completed shaved-ice bowls assembled in step 11