Not everyone may think it is a good idea to have red beans as the main ingredient for a dessert, but Patbingsu 팥빙수 , the typical Korean snack, has a delicious taste and is perfect for the hot South Korea summer days!
Recipe of patbingsu 팥빙수
The patbingsu 팥빙수 is a sweet course with a simple recipe: in its most modern and typical version it is made of ice and red beans, to which are added tteok (gummy rice cake).
The beans are boiled, crushed and some sugar is added, becoming a sort of sweet paste that goes over the top of the mountain of finely shaved ice, usually flavored with super sweet condensed milk.
The dessert has many variations: the typical version is added with ingredients such as ice cream, fruit, syrups, dried or candied fruit, coffee and a little of everything that can deliciously accompany the shaved ice.
History of patbingsu 팥빙수
There are traces during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) of a similar version to the current patbingsu 팥빙수, made of crushed ice with fruit. Certainly at the time a dish not for everyone as the fundamental iced ingredient was not easy to preserve on summer days. Modern versions were developed during the 20th century due to the various external influences that South Korea received.
Desserts similar to patbingsu 팥빙수
The patbingsu 팥빙수 is a sweet course that reminds the cendol or the ais kacang in south-east Asia, other similar delicacies based on shaved ice with added syrups or ingredients such as beans, corn and candied fruit that can also be found in Chinese Baobing or Japanese Kakigori, other examples that recall this Korean snack.
Patbingsu 팥빙수: Conclusions
The specialized shops and cafes that serve the patbingsu 팥빙수 are scattered almost everywhere in the various Korean cities and in Seoul it is certainly easy to find this sweet snack which gives a pleasant sensation to the taste buds that will be softened and freshen up from the iced dessert perfect for the boiling days of the hot Korean season!
