There was an unusual heatwave in the San Francisco bay area last week with the temperature soaring above 90ºF almost every day. The hot weather came at a perfect time as I could make one of the summer desserts I love eating in Japan, and that is Matcha Shaved Ice or what we call Ujikintoki (宇治金時).
What’s Ujikintoki?
Ujikintoki is a Japanese shaved ice dessert, made with shaved ice on the bottom, drizzled with matcha syrup, and topped with red bean paste. Other common toppings include shiratama dango (mochi), sweetened condensed milk, and green tea ice cream. On a hot and humid summer day, eating shaved ice brings immediate refreshment and cools you down. When I got back from Japan, I purchased this shave ice machine after doing a bit of research and reading reviews. This shave ice machine won’t make the nice fluffy snowy shaved ice, but it is inexpensive (compared to commercial models over $200) and easy to operate. You simply insert the ice block, place the top of the machine on and press it down to start shaving ice. The machine only comes with 2 ice molds so I used plastic cups about the same diameter to freeze additional ice blocks. Each ice block only makes 1 bowl of shaved ice. Typical shaved ice you see is made with fruity flavors like strawberry, melon, lemon, blue-Hawaii, and they can be purchased at summer festivals and food stalls in Japan. However, Ujikintoki is usually served only in restaurants or sweet shops during the summer, and it’s a rather special treat because one Ujikintoki costs about 800-1000 yen (USD$8-10) in restaurants. For us, since we can’t find any restaurants or places to purchase Ujikintoki, making them at home was the only option. And it was a smart option as our family loves it and we’ve been enjoying it almost every day at home. It’s a quick dessert that literally takes just a few minutes to put together if you have all the ingredients. I figured out how to make matcha Syrup using the same proportions as making simple syrup, but adding matcha powder to it. I really like this matcha syrup recipe and how flavorful it is so I will be making this over and over again. I also have a recipe for the rest of the toppings used in this dessert:
Red Bean Paste (Anko)Shiratama Dango (with video)Matcha Ice Cream (with video)
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