Phil’s blog

I’ve had a recent mini-obsession with a dessert called uji kintoki. As Vickie has informed me, this is actually one of several variations on a popular asian shaved ice dessert. This version consists of shaved ice topped with green tea syrup, condensed milk, red bean paste, green tea ice cream, and mochi balls (sticky blobs made from rice flour and water). Justine and I first encountered this during our trip to Japan last summer at a place in downtown Kyoto. It was amazing.

The first attempt was made on a whim while Justine was visiting. We got a cheap ice shaver from Target and ingredients from a nearby Japanese supermarket. As pictured below, these included sugar, condensed milk, macha (green tea powder), red bean paste, and rice flour. The first time I was a bit impatient and didn’t take much care with the presentation, and it ended up looking like green soup with crap floating in it as you can see from the photo. I’ve made it twice since with better results each time.

Here’s my current recipe:

1. Make the mochi balls by first putting about 1oz rice flour per serving into a small bowl. Add water slowly while squishing it around with your fingers until you have dough that will maintain its shape. Break off little pieces, roll them into balls, and put them in a pot of boiling water. Once they’re all floating, transfer them to a bowl of cold water.
2. Make the green tea syrup (about 2-4T per serving) by slowly dissolving sugar into boiling or near boiling water until it’s about a 1:1 ratio. Slowly add a tiny bit of macha, about .5g per serving, until it’s combined. Put it in the freezer to chill.
3. Optionally form the red bean paste into whichever form you like. An easy option is to roll them into little balls like the mochi.
4. Shave some ice and pack in densely into a bowl.
5. Top with the green tea syrup and drizzle condensed milk. This step will likely destroy your perfect little ice mound. I’m still trying to figure out how to mitigate this, and I’m thinking next time I’ll put the syrup in the freezer for longer until it’s near freezing before I pour it on. Packing the ice differently may also be an option.
6. Add little scoops of ice cream, then the mochi and red bean paste. Enjoy!