Hawaiian Shave Ice (Hawaiʻi Local Snow-Fine Ice)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Countertop block-ice shave ice machine with adjustable blade
• •Ice block molds that fit your machine
• •Three 12-ounce squeeze bottles for syrups
• •Fine-mesh strainer for lilikoi pulp and li hing syrup
• •Paper cones or waxed cups with sturdy spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Freeze the ice

   Fill the molds for your shave-ice machine with filtered water and freeze them solid, at least 8 hours or overnight. Before shaving, let each block sit 5 minutes at room temperature so the blade catches clean and makes soft flakes instead of hard chips.

   The ice is the recipe. If your machine throws crunchy pellets, adjust the blade finer or give the block a few more minutes to temper.
2. 2

   Make guava syrup

   In a small saucepan, combine the guava nectar, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and a small pinch of salt. Warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves and the syrup turns glossy and pourable, 3 to 4 minutes. Don't cook it down like jam. Cool, then bottle.

3. 3

   Make lilikoi syrup

   In the same pan, combine the lilikoi pulp or juice, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and a small pinch of salt. Warm gently until the sugar melts and the syrup tastes bright, tart, and rounded. Cool, then bottle.

4. 4

   Make li hing syrup

   Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in the pan and simmer until clear. Whisk in the li hing mui powder, the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and a small pinch of salt. Taste before adding more powder, because li hing brings sweet, sour, salty, and plum all at once. Cool and strain if grainy.

5. 5

   Set the cups

   Put a spoonful of chilled azuki beans in the bottom of each paper cone or cup. Add a small scoop of ice cream if you're using it, then tuck in some mochi pieces. That's the good surprise below, the part you find after the syrup has worked all the way down.

6. 6

   Shave the snow

   Shave the ice directly over each cup if your machine allows it, turning the cup so the snow piles evenly. Shape it with a light hand into a tall dome. Don't press it tight. Mainland snow cones are hard pellets. Hawaiʻi shave ice should be fine enough that syrup drinks into it.

7. 7

   Flood and cap

   Pour guava, lilikoi, and li hing syrups over the dome in stripes, giving the first pour a moment to sink before adding a little more. Spoon or squeeze condensed milk over the top for the snow cap, then dust with a pinch of li hing mui powder if you like.

8. 8

   Serve right away

   Hand it over with a spoon and let people eat while the ice is still soft and bright. Shave ice waits for nobody. The sun will take back what belongs to it, yeah?

Chef Tips

• •Back home we say shave ice, no d on shave. More important, the texture has to be snow-fine. The syrup should sink in and stain the ice, not bounce off hard chips.
• •Homemade syrup is beautiful, but good bottled local syrup is no shame. Eat what you have. Just keep the colors honest and the fruit tasting like fruit.
• •This is Hawaiʻi Local food, built from Japanese kakigōri, Chinese li hing, azuki and mochi, condensed milk, and island fruit. Name those hands. That's how you honor the dish without pretending it came from the loʻi.
• •Azuki and mochi below make it eat like a small meal after the first cold rush. If you grew up with ice cream on the bottom, put ice cream. Keeper, not gatekeeper.

Advance Preparation

• •Freeze the ice blocks the night before; the machine needs hard, fully frozen blocks to shave fine.
• •Make the syrups up to 2 weeks ahead and refrigerate them in clean bottles. Shake before using.
• •Chill the azuki beans ahead. Cut mochi the day you serve, because the fridge can make it firm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)