| How Hawaii Does Shave Ice |
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Some call it raspados, others dub it as bingsoo. The concept of it is simple enough: a cup, bowl or paper cone filled with a soft mound of snow and topped with a fruity or milk-based syrup. Shave ice. It’s milky, fruity and what will be served up ice cold on Foodie News every week this summer.
In Brooklyn, you’ll find it sold by those vendors giving that thick, heavy block of ice an extra-close shave, whereas in LA, you’ll probably order it at your favorite air-conditioned, it’s-so-friggin-cute-it’s-hip boba joint. The concept of it is simple enough: a cup, bowl or paper cone filledwith a soft mound of snow and topped with a fruity or milk-based syrup. Shave ice. It’s what’s hot this summer.
Depending upon the locale, though, this simple way to cooldown can be served up a variety of ways. In LA, Taiwanese-style cafés will prefer to top a huge mound of shaven ice with fresh fruits and loads of condensed milk while those in K-Town will typically use sweetened red beans, milk, ice cream, rice cakes, toasted rice-and-nut powder, and a scoop of vanilla or green tea ice cream.
This week, we’ll study up on shave ice Hawaiian-style. How does Hawaiian shave ice differ from other manifestations? According to Kathy Chanof A Passion For Food, “the ice is much more fine, and thus fluffy and lighter.”
Historically, shave ice arrived to the shores of Hawaii by Japanese plantation workers in the 1920s and took up the local flavors of theisland. In its most basic state, shave ice starts with a block of ice that spun across a razor blade that, in its powdered ice state, is then packed into a paper cone and generously drizzled with two different fruit-based syrups.
Popular flavors include, but are not limited to:
Since the vast variety of choices can boggle the mind, the indecisive have another option: rainbow flavor. In this case the hot and bothered can opt for three different flavors instead of two.
Though it’s often served up in a paper cone, Hawaiian shave ice is not to be mistaken for its cousin, the snow cone. For one thing, the ice is so finely shaven,it has a soft, powdery consistency, as opposed to the granular, crunchy texture of snow cone ice. What this means is that the flavored syrups defy the pull of gravity. So instead of concentrating at the bottom of the cone, the syrups are sucked into and evenly distributed throughout the shave ice.
For those who want a more deluxe treat, there are additional ways to crown your mound of islands now. Mochi balls, condensed milk caps, custard cups, li hing mui powder, vanilla ice cream and azuki (sweetened redbean) lovingly jammed into the bottom of your cup are just a handful of sweet, sweet options.
Shave ice may not be hard to find in Hawaii in the summer, but the top two most recommended spots around the blogosphere are Matsumoto Shave Ice and Waiola Shave Ice. Matsumoto is known for its generous portion, vast selection of syrups,and fine shave ice texture. According to Chan, the “original Waiola's in Honolulu is without a doubt, the best shave ice on the island.” Her reasoning? “It's the ice machine they use, there must be magic dust in it or something.”
Hawaii Hot Spots:
Waiola Shave Ice
66-087 Kamehameha Hwy (808) 637-4827
California Recommendations:
Teriyaki Hawaii (a.k.a. Teri Hawaii)
Photos courtesy of Kathy Chan of A Passion For Food
Written by Alice Shin               About the Author:
Alice Shin
there's good food and bad food. i choose to eat the good kind. especially when it's cheap. CHEAP!
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