[Summer Snack] Cool, Sweet Bliss in Every Bite—Making Bingsu at Home

When the midday heat is at its peak, why not make bingsu for a refreshing treat? From red bean bingsu, which pairs milk with red beans, to fruit and coffee bingsu, here are some easy recipes you can make at home.

Milk and Red Bean Bingsu

1 1/2 cups milk, 3 tablespoons condensed milk, 6 tablespoons sweetened red beans, a small amount of glutinous rice cake

Directions

Pour the milk into an ice cube tray and freeze.

Blend the frozen milk cubes, transferring them to a bowl while drizzling condensed milk between layers.

Top with the sweetened red beans and glutinous rice cake cut into bite-sized pieces.

Tip: When transferring the blended milk ice to the bowl, drizzle condensed milk between the layers to keep the flavor consistent throughout.

Fresh Fruit and Condensed Milk Bingsu

Condensed milk ice: 1/2 cup each condensed milk, milk, and water

1 cup each melon and watermelon, 1 banana, 2–3 tablespoons condensed milk

Directions

1 Mix the condensed milk ice ingredients thoroughly, pour into an ice cube tray, and freeze.

2 Remove the rind and seeds from the melon and watermelon, then cut them into 2 cm cubes. Slice the banana.

3 Blend the condensed milk ice, transfer it to a bowl, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of condensed milk.

4 Add the fruit and pour the remaining condensed milk over it.

Tip: Condensed milk ice melts quickly, so make sure it is frozen solid!

Espresso Bingsu

Espresso ice: 3/4 cup each espresso and water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 scoops vanilla ice cream, 2 tablespoons chopped nuts, 1/2 cup cold espresso

Directions

1 Brew the espresso, add the water and sugar, and mix. Once cooled, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze.

2 Blend the espresso ice and transfer it to a bowl. Top with vanilla ice cream and chopped nuts such as walnuts and almonds.

3 Pour the chilled espresso over it.

Tip: Instant coffee mix works instead of espresso, too! Dissolve 2 1/2 tablespoons of coffee per cup of water.

Ice-Crushing Bingsu Blenders & Snowflake Bingsu Machines

Some blenders can finely crush ice to make snowflake bingsu. Tefal's Ultrablend blender has automatic settings for juice, smoothies, sorbet, and more, while the six blades of the Philips Avance high-speed blender can smoothly grind even hard nuts. The Electrolux Masterpiece blender also features titanium-coated blades tilted at 10 degrees, helping it mix ingredients well and finely pulverize hard ingredients such as ice.

There are also machines that make it easy to prepare snowflake bingsu at home. Snowflake bingsu machines from Kenwood, BOKUK Electronics, and Boman are known as home-use bingsu makers.

Using leftover ingredients from the refrigerator is another great way to make bingsu. Add green tea powder, misugaru, other fruits, or nuts according to your taste to create your own distinctive bingsu.

[FAM Times = Reporter Kim Seong-eun]