Matcha Kakigori (抹茶かき氷)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kakigōriki, Japanese hand-cranked ice shaver, or an electric shaved-ice machine
• •Chasen, bamboo tea whisk, or a small wire whisk
• •Fine-mesh sieve for sifting matcha
• •Small saucepan
• •Chilled serving bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the matcha

   Open the matcha before you begin. It should smell fresh, green, and faintly sweet, with a clear green color. If it smells dusty or looks dull brown-green, save it for baking and don't use it here. Kakigori has no sauce thick enough to flatter a tired powder.

   Cold makes sweetness quieter and bitterness louder. That is why the quality of the matcha matters more here than it does in many warmer sweets.
2. 2

   Make syrup

   Combine the sugar, 1/2 cup water, and salt in a small pan. Warm just until the sugar dissolves, then take it off the heat. You are making a clean syrup, not caramel. Boiling it hard only thickens it and makes it sit heavily on the ice.

3. 3

   Whisk matcha paste

   Sift the matcha into a small bowl. Add the tablespoon of hot water and whisk with a chasen, or a small whisk, until smooth and glossy. Use water around 175°F or 80°C, not boiling water. Too much heat roughens the taste and makes the green edge harsh.

   Sifting and pasting are not ceremony for ceremony's sake. Dry matcha clumps the moment it meets syrup, so you smooth it first while you can still control it.
4. 4

   Finish syrup

   Whisk the matcha paste into the warm sugar syrup until the color is even. Let it cool completely, then chill it. A cold syrup keeps the ice snowy longer, while a warm one starts melting the bowl before the spoon arrives.

5. 5

   Shave the ice

   Chill two serving bowls. Shave the ice directly into each bowl, letting the flakes fall loosely. Don't press them down. The spaces between the flakes are what catch the syrup, and packing the ice turns snow into a hard lump.

6. 6

   Pour and serve

   Pour the chilled matcha syrup over the ice in three light passes, turning the bowl as you go. Aim for green streaks through white ice rather than one soaked mass. Serve at once, while the top is still snowy and the lower ice is just beginning to drink.

Chef Tips

• •Buy matcha in a small tin from a shop that sells through its stock quickly. Once opened, keep it tightly closed in the refrigerator and use it within a few weeks. Matcha is not patient.
• •Use a kakigōriki, a Japanese ice shaver, if you have one. An electric shaved-ice machine is a sensible stand-in. A blender or food processor makes crushed ice, and that changes the dish.
• •Chill the bowls and syrup before shaving the ice. Kakigori is a race, but not a frantic one. Cold tools give you a few calm minutes.
• •Do not add anko or condensed milk to this version. Those are fine in other kakigori, but here they would cover the clean bitterness that makes matcha worth using.

Advance Preparation

• •The matcha syrup can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Whisk it before serving, since fine tea particles may settle.
• •Freeze the ice block at least 24 hours ahead if your shaver uses block ice. Temper it at room temperature for 5 minutes before shaving so the flakes come off light instead of brittle.
• •Chill the serving bowls for 30 minutes before serving. This small preparation matters more than fussing over garnish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 370g)