Roasted Tea Shaved Ice (ほうじ茶かき氷, Hōjicha Kakigōri)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kakigōri machine or hand-cranked ice shaver
• •Small saucepan
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Chilled serving bowls
• •Jar for chilling syrup

Instructions

1. 1

   Brew the tea

   Bring the water just to a boil, take it off the heat, and add the hōjicha. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain. You are making syrup, not a drinking tea, so it should smell deeply roasted and taste a little too strong. Ice will quiet it later.

   Don't steep much longer than this. Hōjicha is forgiving, but overbrewing pulls out a dry harshness that sugar cannot politely fix.
2. 2

   Make the syrup

   Return the strained tea to the pan with the sugar and salt. Warm gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves fully and the syrup looks clear and glossy. Simmer for 2 minutes, then stop. A short simmer gives body; a long boil flattens the tea aroma you worked to keep.

3. 3

   Chill completely

   Pour the syrup into a clean jar and chill until cold, at least 1 hour. Warm syrup melts the shaved ice before it can drink, leaving tea-water at the bottom of the bowl. Cold syrup clings to the flakes and seasons the mound evenly.

4. 4

   Prepare toppings

   If using shiratama, keep the cooked dumplings in cool water until serving, then drain them well. If using tsubuan, loosen it with a teaspoon of water if it is stiff. Toppings should be cool and ready before the ice is shaved, because kakigōri waits for no cook, however scholarly.

5. 5

   Temper the ice

   If you are shaving a block, let it stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, just until the surface loses its hard frost. Tempered ice shaves into soft flakes. Ice straight from a very cold freezer chips into grains, and grains cannot hold the syrup the same way.

6. 6

   Build the mound

   Shave the ice into chilled bowls, building a loose mound about 4 inches high. Turn the bowl as you shave so the pile rises evenly, and don't press it down. The air between the flakes is part of the texture, and once you crush it, you don't get it back.

7. 7

   Syrup and serve

   Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of cold hōjicha syrup over each mound, letting it run through naturally. Add a thin pour of condensed milk, then set three shiratama to one side and a spoonful of tsubuan near the base if using. Dust lightly with kinako and serve immediately, while the flakes are still soft.

Chef Tips

• •Use a roasted tea you like enough to drink plain. The syrup is only tea, sugar, and a little salt, so there is nothing hidden. Stale hōjicha gives you stale syrup.
• •A hand-cranked kakigōri machine gives the softest traditional texture at home. A strong ice shaver works too, but crushed ice from a blender is a stand-in for refreshment, not the same dish.
• •Make the syrup darker than your instinct tells you. Cold mutes aroma and sweetness, and a shy syrup disappears into the ice before the second spoonful.
• •Keep the bowl chilled and the toppings ready. The final assembly should feel almost too quick, because the ice begins changing the moment it leaves the blade.
• •Three shiratama are enough. Odd numbers sit naturally in the bowl, and restraint keeps the tea in charge.

Advance Preparation

• •The hōjicha syrup can be made up to 5 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Stir before using, since the tea flavor settles as it rests.
• •Ice blocks can be frozen 1 to 2 days ahead in the mold that fits your shaver. Clear, slowly frozen water gives a cleaner shave, but ordinary filtered water works.
• •Shiratama are best the day they are made. Hold them in cool water for a few hours, then drain just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)