Pat Bing Su

[maryeats]

During the Korean Summer the curious of iced treats pops up.

Pat bing su. I have yet to try it, and plan to soon, but from what I can figure it is a scoop of crushed ice topped with sweet red bean goop, some sugary sauce (chocolate, melon, sweetened condescended milk) and jellied candies.

Does anyone know where this originated from and why?

[Dejah]

During the Korean Summer the curious of iced treats pops up.

Pat bing su. I have yet to try it, and plan to soon, but from what I can figure it is a scoop of crushed ice topped with sweet red bean goop, some sugary sauce (chocolate, melon, sweetened condescended milk) and jellied candies.

Does anyone know where this originated from and why?

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This sounds like the Ais Kacang that I found in my Malaysian cookbook.

Red beans seem to be used in many Asian recipes. I love the texture in frozen hun dow bing ( think popsicle/fudgsicle).

[nakji]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again,

I like beans.

I like dessert.

But I do not like beans in my dessert.

They make a similar dessert here in Vietnam, but they call it che, and it comes in so many varieties. I like fruit and ice with coconut cream myself, but the bean ones are really popular as well.

[phage]

Yes, this is found all over Asia in one form or another - HaluHalo from the Philippines, (something) from China, and of course the Hawaiian Shave Ice.

What goes in Pat Bing Su varies - there's a kind of ddeok or rice cake that comes in little cubes, there's agar-agar, there's even creamed corn..... But the beans are in pretty much all of them, and I would disagree with Nakji about the appropriateness of dessert beans - Asians are very creative in their use of beans and have devised many tasty things to do with them. One year I bought a #10 can (around 6 lbs) of these sweetened azuki beans and used them all up in pat bing su. This summer though i haven't got around to getting out my binsugi and shaving ice with it - maybe still have time before it gets colder...

I'd attach a photo except that it is thundering here and so I have to turn off my computer.....

--Phage--

[maryeats]

I agree with Nakji,

I love adzuki beans, but not in my dessert.

I asked around and one theory is that this is originally a Japanese dessert, and that would make more sense to me. Korean desserts aren't usually as complicated.

In a bakery the English translation on the menu was “ice castle”.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11549943...3121_158501.jpg

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11550068...3121_161116.jpg

So far I've tried the original, and a fruit and yogurt one (sans the beans). Both are considerably more expensive than a scoop of ice cream (7,000 won / 7USD). A green tea variety is also popular in Seoul, but I think the pasty-ness of the beans and the aftertaste of powdered green tea wouldn't be pleasing. Nevertheless I'll try it soon.

I am starting to prefer pat bing su to ice cream because it is so light (without the red beans) and more refreshing. Ice cream can be so cloying sometimes.

On a side note I am having trouble getting my photos to appear in the post. Any advice?

[ZenKimchi]

I think it was mentioned in another thread that it could be related to a similar dish in China called bing. It translates to "Red bean ice" somthing.