Mango Bingsu (Korean Shaved Ice) is a traditional Korean recipe, for a classic dessert of shaved milk and mango ice served topped with cubed mango, ice cream, rice cakes and condensed milk. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Korean version of: Korean Mango Shaved Ice (Mango Bingsu).
Combine the milk, water, and sweetened condensed milk in a jug, stirring the mixture thoroughly until the condensed milk is fully incorporated.
To prepare bingsu in an ice machine: Pour the bingsu base mixture into the ice puck container for your shaved ice machine and freeze until the milk mixture is solid (about 4 to 6 hours). Depending on what comes with your machine, you may need to remove the frozen puck and repeat the process until all the milk mixture is frozen and ready to use.
Once the frozen milk pucks are ready, shave the milk puck according to your machine instructions.
To prepare bingsu using a blender: Divide the bingsu milk mixture into ice cube trays and place it into the freezer. Allow the cubes to freeze until completely solid, about 3 to 4 hours. Remove the cubes and repeat the process if necessary.
When ready to assemble, place the frozen cubes into a blender or food process. Pulse the cubes until they are fine flakes.
To prepare bingsu in a freezer: Pour the bingsu milk mixture into a 5l resealable freezer bag or a few smaller freezer bags (use the largest bags you can so the milk mixture freezes as a thin sheet). Place the freezer bags of the milk mixture in the freezer. Try your best to keep the bags laying flat so that when the mixture is frozen, it'll also be flat and even.
Once frozen, break up the mixture into smaller pieces by bending the bag. Then use a rolling pin to break the mixture into finer pieces by rolling and beating the bag.
Whilst the bingsu mixture is freezing, prepare the mangoes: Carefully dice the mangoes into small, even-sized pieces. Place the visually appealing diced mangoes in a medium-sized bowl. These will later serve as a delightful topping for your bingsu. Cover the bowl and refrigerate to keep them fresh.
Gather the remaining smaller and less attractive mango pieces (approximately 300g) and place them in a blender. Blend until they reach a smooth, puree-like consistency: this puree will be used to drizzle over bingsu at the end.
Set a saucepan over low heat and add the mango puree along with the sugar and lemon juice. Gently cook the mixture over low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has fully dissolved. Once ready, take off the heat and set aside to cool. Once at room temperature, ttransfer the syrup to the refrigerator to cool and let the flavours blend together.
Prepare all the necessary ingredients for assembling the dessert and set them near to hand. Then, layer the ingredients in the following order in a serving bowl: Begin by placing half of the milk shaved ice in the base of the bowl.
On top of the ice, sprinkle a bit of mini Injeolmi (if desired), followed by a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk and the mango syrup you prepared, as above. Repeat these layers with the remaining ingredients until you reach the top of the bowl.
Finally, add a generous amount of diced fresh mango and any other toppings you desire, such as ice cream or cubed cheesecake. Then, glaze around with mango syrup and sweetened condensed milk to add more sweetness and creaminess.
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