shaved ice

[torakris]

It's summer, it's hot, what could be better than some shaved ice?

How do they serve it in your part of the world?

Examples from Japan

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=23435&hl=

and Korea

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45398&hl=

[Carrot Top]

The only places I've seen shaved ice anywhere in the United States (lately) is at carnivals, fairs, and the occasional 'Hawaiian Ice' shop which is a franchise sort of thing.

Used to be, in the Hispanic neighborhoods in NYC in the summertime, there would always be a guy wheeling around a huge block of ice on a cart that he would hand-shave when you ordered , then would pour the syrup over it.

Low-cost business...quite entertaining...a wonderful part of the 'street life'. I wish they still were around, I'd love my kids to be able to order an ice...watch the ice chips wing into the air as he made the ices...

Of course, we don't have any ice cream trucks ringing their bells as they drive through suburban neighborhoods anymore either. A terrible shame.

[natasha1270]

Halo-Halo. Shaved ice, red mung beans, coconut gel, macapuno, jackfruit, ube ice cream, leche flan, whatever else you happen to like, topped with a bit of evaporated milk. Sweet tooth? You bet!

Also, we make hawaiian ice and use all sorts of different flavored syrups - bought and homemade. I keep a few blocks of ice in a ziploc in the freezer to have on hand.

N.

[Mayhaw Man]

We call them Snowballs here in New Orleans. And they are nothing short of a lifesaver on a long hot summer afternoon. The above link has a pretty good explanation

We actually have two companies that exist to do nothing but make the machine that turns blocks of clear ice into FINELY SHAVEN SNOW LIKE ICE. NOT HUNKS OF ICE OUT OF A MACHINE> THESE ARE NOT SNO CONES LIKE YOU FIND AT SOME COUNTY FAIR-THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF-PAY ATTENTION!

The best, by far, in my opinion is located on the downtown/lakeside corner of the 4800 block of Tchopitoulas St. Hansen's Sno Bliz has been run by the Hansens since the Thirties and they are still there everyday that they are open (Thursday -Sun 1-7). The flavors are wonderful, including a couple of tart flavors that can really wake you up on a steamy aftrnoon (mmmm, lemonade with condensed milk- can you say delicious?).

The reason that these are far and above the rest has to do with the ice. Mr Hansen has a machine that he built himself 60 something years ago and it makes the FINEST shaved ice in town. Just like frost off of a winshield. Dry, with no real water weight to it and as light as a feather. The perfect vehicle to soak up a nectar cream sno ball or maybe a blueberry (my children's favorite when they were little-turns their teeth, their clothes, their tongues, your car seat, their strollers, and everything else that they come into contact with permanently blue).

Here is a good view of an ice shaving machine by Sno Wizard. These guys make the best of the commercial models and in the hands of a caring and professional sno ball master they can churn out some pretty good ice (if anyone, ever, takes a steel spoon and crushes the ice down into the container, reach across the counter and slap them right against the cheek-this is wrong and when I am in charge of this place, these kinds of people will be put where they can no longer do harm to others or themselves ) to float a great flavor or combo of flavors on.

Currently, at Hansen's, I am kind of stuck in a rut with almond creme (think wedding cake ). My wife loves lemonade, the tart one, as there are two different ones.

I might go have one on Saturday. They are worth a 45 minute drive anytime.

[joiei]

now Brooks has done flung a cravn' on me. My favorite was Plum Street Snowballs, because when I lived on Lowerline, i could walk over. And I loved the cream almond flavor. also, the wild cherry. I never made it over to Hansens. I wonder where davebr went on the west bank?

[ExtraMSG]

I have a few pics from a place on the Big Island below. If you look at the one with the guy and all the syrup bottles hanging that will show you how many flavors they do, probably 50 or more. In Hawaii, tropical flavors are king (eg, passion fruit, coconut, mango, etc):

http://www.extramsg.com/modules.php?set_al...lbum.php&page=6

Here's one that I didn't put on my site, but shows the massiveness. This one has a scoop of ice cream in the middle:

[Mayhaw Man]

now Brooks has done flung a cravn' on me. My favorite was Plum Street Snowballs, because when I lived on Lowerline, i could walk over. And I loved the cream almond flavor. also, the wild cherry. I never made it over to Hansens. I wonder where davebr went on the west bank?

I used to live around the corner on Pine when we first got married and would stop at Plum St. Snoballs on my way to work at Carrollton Station. Plum St is also the official purveyor of snoballs at the Jazz Fest.

[Hest88]

I'd never had proper shaved ice until I vacationed in Hawaii. I ate lots of snow cones, of course, but I didn't realize shaved ice was so incredibly different! Shaved ice with ice cream is heavenly on a hot day.

[fifi]

now Brooks has done flung a cravn' on me.  My favorite was Plum Street Snowballs, because when I lived on Lowerline, i could walk over.  And I loved the cream almond flavor.  also, the wild cherry.  I never made it over to Hansens.  I wonder where davebr went on the west bank?

I used to live around the corner on Pine when we first got married and would stop at Plum St. Snoballs on my way to work at Carrollton Station. Plum St is also the official purveyor of snoballs at the Jazz Fest.

My ex-husband grew up near there so that was the nostalgic go-to place. The one on Metairie Road was near where we lived so that was the usual haunt. When I was pregnant with my daughter my absolute have to have craving was amaretto and anisette snowballs.

Way back then, the machine of choice was an Ortelaney. (spelling questionable) My sister visited, we went for snowballs, and she started researching how to get one. She was going to import the concept to Houston and become a snowball tycoon! At the time, the only thing available here was the ground up ice version and even those were hard to find.

[Clerkenwellian]

Of course, we don't have any ice cream trucks ringing their bells as they drive through suburban neighborhoods anymore either. A terrible shame.

Really? Why?

[achevres]

This thread brings back a great food memory. In Puerto Rico, where I grew up, we have the piragua (pee-rah-gwah - emphasis on the rah). They are shaved ice cones topped with syrup. They are different than other snow-cones I have had elsewhere. The ice is hand shaved from a large block of ice with a special shaver and it is coarser than the American snow-cones. The top of the ice is shaped like an inverted cone, which gives a larger surface for the syrup. The syrups are thick and in many "regular" flavors, like red cherry. But, for me, the best syrups are the ones made with tropical fruits: passion fruit (parcha), soursop (guanabana) and, especially, tamarind (tamarindo). In fact, I have tried other flavors from other people's cones, but since a small child the only flavor I have ever ordered has been tamarind. Another popular flavor for adults was anise, tasting a lot like anisette, the liqueur.

The piraguas are usually sold from colorfully painted carts. The block of ice is in the middle, and the bottles of syrup lined up around the sides of the cart. Don't miss them if you visit Old San Juan.

Edited to correct typo.

Edited August 18, 2004 by achevres (log)

[TJHarris]

Watch your local PBS stations. They just released an Ice Cream documentory that has a good segement on shave ice. PBS to find your local station and schedule.