Black Sesame Shaved Ice

Recipe and post by Justine Lee. Follow her on Instagram @justyfication.
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It’s not summer until I’ve sunbathed in the park with a good book and my ears hooked to an upbeat playlist. But when the heat finally gets the best of me (read: when it gives me a bad farmer’s tan), I head inside for a bowl of this black sesame shaved ice. Thirst-quenching, freckled with an icy-creaminess coming from sweet black sesame milk, sprinkled with a kaleidoscope of sweet toppings, if this shaved ice doesn’t relax you into an air-conditioned heaven, I’m not sure what else will! The key to the kingdom is not some fancy-schmancy ice machine but rather a ziploc bag. Once you’ve unlocked a level after making the easy shaved ice base, next comes the fun part: toppings! The combo of juicy fruit, red bean, and mini mochi, is a typical one found in cafés in South Korea and it tastes majestic with black sesame shaved iced in particular. You are the decider of your own dessert destiny: garnish with sweet and summery elements you want to mellow down with.

A bowl of black sesame shaved ice

Black Sesame Shaved Ice

Prep: 2 hours 10 minutes

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

3 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy milk, such as almond or oat)

4 tablespoons Rooted Fare's Black Sesame Crunchy Butter

¼ cup red bean paste, homemade or store-bought

⅓ blueberries, fresh or frozen 

4 fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced 

⅓ cup mini mochi 

2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Steps

  1. In a medium bowl, add milk and Rooted Fare's Black Sesame Crunchy Butter. Whisk vigorously to fully combine. Pour the black sesame milk into a gallon-size ziploc bag and lay flat in the freezer for 2 hours, or until frozen but easily breakable. (Shaved ice can also be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Let the frozen milk thaw for 10 minutes.)
    black sesame crunchy butter being added to ziplock bag
  2. Use a rolling pin, break the frozen milk into small crumbly pieces. Another option is to pour the frozen milk into a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) and quickly pulse until you achieve fine crumbles. Pour the shaved iced into a large serving bowl.
    A bowl of black sesame shaved ice without toppings
  3. Scoop in red bean paste in the middle of the shaved ice. Add berries and mini mochi around the center. Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk. Serve immediately
    Black sesame shaved ice topped with red bean pasteBlack sesame shaved ice topped with blueberries and strawberriesBlack sesame shaved ice topped with blueberries, strawberries, and mini mochiBlack sesame shaved ice topped with blueberries, strawberries, mini mochi and condensed milk

Enjoy! We'd love to know how you liked the recipe! Share your creation and tag us @rooted.fare on Instagram or @rootedfare on TikTok for a chance to be featured. 

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Justine Lee is a food writer, recipe developer, and baker based in New York City. She frequently shares stories for various outlets such as Food52, Food Network, Taste, and more. As an immigrant to this country herself, Justine resonates with Rooted Fare's work as it reflects that of her own initiatives as a food creative, to unpack what it means to be Korean-American through dishes, stories, and celebration of the ingredients that ground her back to her home base. Black sesame is a high impact staple in her life’s pantry, which is why Justine could not be more honored to deliver two exclusive recipes featuring Rooted Fare's crunchy black sesame butter. 

Try her recipe for Black Sesame Bibim Guksu (cold noodles) with Crunchy Cucumber and Kimchi here.

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