Patbingsu (Shaved Ice with Sweet Red Beans)
Local name: 팥빙수
In short: A mound of snowy milk ice topped with sweet adzuki beans, chewy rice cake and condensed milk, a cooling Korean summer dessert made at home. It takes about 1 h 40 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 h 20 min
- Resting
- 4 h
- Total
- 1 h 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 530 kcal
Patbingsu is the dessert Koreans reach for when summer gets hot. Fine shaved milk ice is heaped in a bowl and covered with sweet red beans (pat), chewy rice cake cubes and a drizzle of condensed milk, then everyone digs in with long spoons. The beans are the heart of it, and cooking them yourself is easy. Freeze the milk in advance, and the rest comes together in minutes.
Instructions
- Put the beans in a pot, cover with plenty of water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and discard the water, which carries bitterness.
- Return the beans to the pot with the 800 ml (3 1/3 cups) fresh water. Simmer, partly covered, for 60 to 75 minutes, until the beans are soft enough to crush between two fingers.
- Stir in the sugar and salt and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until the beans are thick and glossy. Cool completely. They keep in the fridge for 5 days.
- Whisk the milk with 3 tbsp condensed milk and pour it into a shallow tray. Freeze for at least 4 hours, until solid. Put 4 serving bowls in the freezer to chill.
- Break the frozen milk into chunks. Shave it with a shaved-ice machine, or pulse it in batches in a strong blender until it looks like fine snow. Work quickly so it does not melt.
- Heap the milk ice into the chilled bowls. Top with the red beans, rice cake cubes, fruit and soybean powder, then drizzle with the condensed milk.
- Serve immediately and let everyone mix the toppings into the ice as they eat.
Tips
- No shaved-ice machine or strong blender? Freeze the milk mixture in a shallow tray and scrape it with a fork every 30 minutes for a granita-style texture.
- Cook a double batch of beans. They freeze for 3 months and are good on toast, waffles or plain yogurt.
Questions and answers
Can I use canned sweet red bean paste?
Yes. It saves over an hour. Use about 300 g (1 1/4 cups) and loosen it with a spoonful of water so it spreads over the ice.
Can I use plain ice instead of milk ice?
Yes. Shave regular ice and pour a little milk and condensed milk over the top. It is lighter and less creamy than the frozen milk version.
Is patbingsu very sweet?
It is moderately sweet. For less sugar, cut the sugar in the beans to 50 g and drizzle only 2 tablespoons of condensed milk over the top.
How long does it take to make Patbingsu (Shaved Ice with Sweet Red Beans)?
About 1 h 40 min in total: 20 min of preparation and 1 h 20 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Patbingsu (Shaved Ice with Sweet Red Beans)?
About 530 kcal per serving, with 19 g of protein, 94 g of carbohydrates and 9 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 530 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 94 g |
| Fat | 9 g |
| Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 50 g |
| Sodium | 320 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
