Mango Strawberry Bingsoo with Mochi (No Machine Needed)

Shaved ice is one of the greatest summer treats of all time. Almost every country in the world has their own dessert based on shaved ice. The Korean version, bingsoo, is one of my favorites due to its unique preparation. The use of milk in the ice creates a fluffier and creamier snow-like shaved ice, and when it’s topped with fresh fruits it’s simply unbeatable.

This recipe has been carefully crafted to be as EASY and DELICIOUS as possible

The Ice

Using this blend of corn syrup, water, and whole milk for the ice base allows for perfectly fluffy shaved ice even without an expensive machine. The corn syrup and milk adds flavor and makes the ice soft enough to grate by hand. 

This sounds fantastic, so why not use only milk? In my tests ice made completely out of milk had two major problems: 

• The ice melted way too fast. The same milk fats that make the shaved ice softer and creamier, also makes the ice melt faster. Way too fast to grate by hand! 
• The milk flavor was too strong. The shaved ice made completely out of milk didn’t have the refreshing taste that shaved ice should always have. It was heavy on the tongue, like ice cream.

Mixing in the right ratio of plain water solved both these problems while still keeping all the benefits of milk shaved ice. This combination is soft, fluffy, sweet, AND refreshing!

The mochi topping

The recipe for this mochi is actually not mochi at all! It’s bilo bilo! Bilo bilo originates from the Philippines. It is a soft and chewy rice ball made with glutinous rice flour. It’s very similar to mochi. The only difference is that the ratio of rice flour is higher in bilo bilo. This makes it much less sticky and way easier to shape into balls. I flavored mine with brown sugar but you could leave them plain.

Methods to shave ice without a machine

Food processor – The easiest and fastest method is to use a food processor. It’s perfectly fine to throw chunks of the ice into the food processor and let the blades chop it up into tiny pieces, but if you have a grater attachment then you can get even smoother ice using that. 

Box grater – A box grater has a large enough surface area to let you quickly shave ice by hand before it melts. I recommend keeping the ice in one large chunk. Hold one half of the ice in a ziploc bag for cleanliness. Then hold the bagged end with a kitchen towel or oven mitt to prevent the heat from your hand melting the ice.

Fork – The simplest approach, but also the one that takes the longest. Here I recommend you shave off a small amount of snow, place it in the cold bowl, then place the whole bowl in the freezer while you shave off a little more. Repeat until you’ve made a snow mountain!  

Mango Strawberry Bingsoo with Mochi (No Machine Needed)

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

8

hours 

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

300

kcal

Ingredients

• Shaved ice

• 1/4 cup corn syrup

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 cups water

• Mochi Topping

• ½ cup glutinous rice flour

• ¼ cup water

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• Topping

• 2-3 strawberries, sliced

• ½ cup frozen mangoes, defrosted

• Drizzle of condensed milk

Directions

• Combine milk, water, and corn syrup in a large bowl. Stir together to combine. Pour into a wide lidded container. Place in the freezer, along with the serving bowl until the milk has frozen. About 5-8 hours.
• At least an hour before shaving, make the mochi. Mix glutinous rice flour and water. Knead together into a smooth dough. Pinch off small chunks and roll in your hands to form small balls, about the size of a grape. Drop in boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Drain the water, leaving a few tablespoons of water in the pot. Add the brown sugar and gently simmer on low heat until dissolved and thickened. Turn off the heat and let cool.
• Remove mango chunks from the freezer and let sit at room temperature to defrost. Wash and slice strawberries.
• Remove the milk ice from the freezer. Shave into snow with the preferred method (see above). Top with fruits, bilo bilo, and condensed milk drizzle.