Bingsu

Bingsu is South Korea's answer to a hot summer day: a mountain of finely shaved ice that melts on the tongue like fresh snow. The classic patbingsu is crowned with sweet red adzuki beans, a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk, and small, chewy mochi bites, while fresh fruit and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds add freshness and crunch. The secret is the ice: it must be so finely shaved that it almost feels creamy – that's why we freeze milk instead of just crushing ice cubes. Serve immediately in a large, cold bowl and let everyone dig through the layers.

• Cuisine: South Korea
• Time: 30 minutes (plus 6 hours freezing)
• Servings: 4 people
• Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Stir 8 dl whole milk with 3 tbsp sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture into a wide, shallow pan and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
2. Meanwhile, make the mochi bites: whisk 80 g glutinous rice flour with 1 dl water and 1 tbsp sugar to a smooth dough. Steam the dough for 15 minutes until it is shiny and chewy, then let it cool.
3. Toss the cooled mochi in a little extra glutinous rice flour so it doesn't stick, and cut or snip it into small cubes.
4. Cut 1 ripe mango into small cubes, and have the sweet red beans ready in their syrup.
5. Take out the frozen milk block and scrape it with a fork or spoon into a fine, fluffy snow – or briefly run it through an ice shaver if you have one.
6. Divide the shaved milk into four cold bowls as high peaks.
7. Top each portion with sweet red beans, mango cubes, and mochi bites.
8. Pour a generous drizzle of sweetened condensed milk over, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, and serve immediately while the ice is still fluffy.

Tips

• Freeze the milk in a wide, shallow pan – the thinner the block, the easier it is to scrape into fine snow.
• Place the bowls in the freezer 15 minutes before serving to keep the bingsu from melting too quickly.
• Swap out the fruit according to the season: strawberries, watermelon, or blueberries all work beautifully with the red beans.
• If you're in a hurry, you can make the mochi bites the day before and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.