Summers are for memories and cold treats, so this summer give shaved ice desserts a try! Imagine a mound of a fluffy, lightly sweetened, shaved ice dessert covered in juicy slices of fruit, topped with a sprig of mint, a strawberry drizzle or a scoop of ice cream – perhaps shared with friends, perhaps savoured in solitude while people-watching. Yes, please!
So, what is shaved ice?
Shaved ice is a type of snack or dessert that consists of shaved ice and a sweetener such as syrup, sugar or fruit. The ice consistency varies from finely crushed to fluffy snow. While shaved ice was once made only for the elite, you don’t have to be crazy rich (or go to Asia) to sample this refreshing dessert. You can DIY it with little more than frozen fruit and a microplane, look for videos on YouTube.
Kakigori Asian shaved ice treats have been around as early as the 10th century, thanks to the Japanese who invented kakigori, a treat that used to be reserved for nobility. Before freezers and ice-making technology were invented, ice was harvested in the winter from natural water sources when temperatures dropped below zero. From there, ice blocks were stored in dedicated caves to prevent melting and were used sparingly for special occasions.
Sei Shōnagon, a lady-in-waiting for the Empress of Japan, wrote about kakigori in her journal describing life in the imperial courts. Her daily musings, poetry and various lists later became The Pillow Book, an influential historical and literary piece of Japan’s Heian period. Kakigori made the Top 6 in her list of “Refined and Elegant Things”, the first time it was documented in writing. Described as “shaved ice mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver bowl”, it was the imperial court’s preferred treat to ward off summer’s heat and humidity.
Modern kakigori still uses the simple formula of shaved ice and sweetener as a base but with a plethora of new creative flavours. Now, one can find kakigori topped with matcha, adzuki beans, chewy mochi pieces, condensed milk or sweet potato purée. A popular summer treat sold in cafes, festivals, and restaurants in Japan, it’s slowly gaining traction in North America.
Here in Alberta, Tsujiri in Edmonton and Calgary sell Japanese shaved ice in two flavours – citrusy yuzu and the original, a mix of matcha, red bean, and chestnut served with matcha soft serve.
Halo-Halo
Halo-halo is an offshoot of kakigori sold by Japanese immigrants in the Philippines after the Americans built an ice plant in Manila in 1902. But as you dig into this iconic Filipino frozen treat, you’ll quickly discover it’s not a chip off the old (ice) block.
“There's nothing quite as colourful or enigmatic as halo-halo,” says Earl Briones, executive chef at Birdog in Edmonton, who immigrated from the Philippines when he was 12. His favourite childhood memory of eating halo-halo was celebrating after winning a science bee. Briones recalls how the vendor took an old-school sundae cup and filled it with ingredients before packing it with shaved ice. Then he poured a generous amount of evaporated milk on top with a slice of leche flan (Filipino crème brûlée). For the then-nine-year-old kid with a sweet tooth, digging into this stunner on a sweltering day was the best reward ever.
What makes halo-halo stand out are the ingredients: the sheer variety and the contrast in textures – a choose-your-own-adventure dessert. There’s the richness of ube (purple yam jam); the creaminess of evaporated milk, leche flan and ice cream; the mild, earthy flavour of green pandan jelly, coconut jelly and red beans; and fruit, caramelised plantains, jackfruit, sugar palm fruit and coconut sport.
Halo-halo is literally translated as “mix-mix” in Filipino, because that’s how you eat it. Armed with a spoon, you dig through the milk-soaked layer of ice and mix everything up before eating a spoonful. At the bottom of the cup is possibly the best part yet – a delicious milky slush in a medley of flavours. Drink up!
While many of the ingredients are native to the Philippines, the original halo-halo includes contributions from other cultures: ice and ice cream from the US, leche flan from Spain, beans from Japan. This almost haphazard combo may not make sense to an outsider, but this is precisely what makes halo-halo unique, says Briones. “It tells a story. It conveys how (Filipinos) operate when it comes to food. When a different culture comes to us with a new ingredient, we’re brave enough to take an ingredient that is not native to us and figure out how we incorporate that within our palate to make a cohesive dish.”
“That’s also how halo-halo has its regional differences. I’m from Angeles, Pampanga, and we put pinipig in ours,” he adds. Pinipig is crispy, flattened young glutinous rice grains. Briones envisions an Alberta halo-halo that stays true to traditional flavours and is subbed with local ingredients. “My ideal halo-halo would be local milk leche flan with ube ice cream, sweet potato halaya (sweetened root crop), barley pinipig and haskap berries.”
Bingsu
Bingsu, South Korea’s shaved ice specialty, is remarkable for its edited down simplicity that lets individual flavours stand out.
“One of my favourites is strawberry bingsu,” says Calgary’s JinBar owner and Executive Chef Jinhee Lee. “It is loaded with fresh strawberries over a mountain of fluffy shaved milk-based ice, condensed milk and strawberry chutney.” The traditional version most South Koreans grew up eating is called patbingsu, a combo of shaved ice with gobs of sweet bean paste and condensed milk. While the traditional version uses ice flakes, bingsu nowadays is often made from milk-based ice. The most popular toppings are fruit-based (mango, watermelon or strawberry) and Korean flavours are also common. Try dalgona (honeycomb toffee candy) or injeolmi (Korean rice cake).
In South Korea, the Four Season’s apple mango bingsu was headlined as 2023’s most expensive. The price tag? An eye-watering 126,000 Korean won or $126 Canadian dollars! Good thing bingsu is made for sharing! While most bingsu in South Korea or Alberta are affordable, Lee said that bingsu used to be a luxury when she was younger. “At my first ever group blind date in high school (in Korea, group blind dates are really popular where a group of girls meet up with a group of guys and usually the guys pay for the meal), my friends and I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. “We ordered bingsu and parfait, similar to bingsu but with ice cream instead of shaved ice. I can never forget (the boys’) faces – they were shocked; they were really worried about how they were going to pay for the meal!”
A power move that is reflected in JinBar’s version of bingsu. “Instead of shaved ice, we serve it with condensed milk soft serve – topped with vanilla, sweet mango chunks, sweet red beans, cheesecake bites, and passionfruit coulis.” Always toying with creative possibilities, Lee would like to try making a savoury bingsu. “Bingsu doesn’t necessarily need to be a dessert,” she explains. “My favourite kimchi is dongchimi. It is a mild, water-based kimchi in tangy, refreshing broth with perfectly pickled radish. During fermentation, healthy bacteria form and acidity and sweetness develop, producing an amazing flavour. I would like to make savoury bingsu with shaved dongchimi broth and seafood.”
When temperatures rise this summer, try some shaved ice. Milky or icy, fruit-based or fusion – these treats are the perfect way to cool down. Don’t forget to grab a friend and share some delicious desserts you won’t soon forget.
Where to try some shaved ice treats in Alberta:
Bingsu:
Snowcapz Cafe, Calgary, snowcapzcafeyyc.com
Snowy Village Cafe, Calgary and Edmonton), snowyvillages.ca
Flurrries, Edmonton, flurrries.com
Hanjan South, Edmonton, hanjan.ca
Urban Plant Cafe, Edmonton, urbanplant.ca
Halo-Halo:
Maane’s, Calgary, maanes.com
Pacific Hut Restaurant, Calgary, pacifichut.ca
Chowkeni, Edmonton, @chowkeni
Manila Grill, Edmonton, manilagrillexpress.ca
Yelo’d, Edmonton, yelod.ca
Seafood City, Edmonton and Calgary, seafoodcity.com
Kakigori:
Tsujiri Edmonton and Calgary, tsujirialberta.com
Umami Shop, Lethbridge, umamishop.ca (sells kakigori syrups)
Hong Kong Shaved Ice:
SweetHoney Dessert, 10746 82 Avenue NW, Edmonton