Ingredients
Ice
- 1 litrewhole milk, or filtered water, frozen into a block
Mango
- 3ripe Irwin mangoes, or other well-flavoured mangoes
Mango sauce
- 1extra mango, or 200 g mango flesh
- 3 tbspcaster sugar
- 1 tbsplime juice
To finish
- sweetened condensed milk, to drizzle
- 2scoops mango sorbet or ice cream, if wanted
Equipment
- an ice shaver
- chilled metal bowls
Directions
- Let underripe fruit sit at room temperature for a few days. Never refrigerate a mango that is not yet ripe. Freeze whichever you choose slowly, in a deep container. Give it at least twenty-four hours to freeze solid throughout.
- Take the block out and leave it at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes. You want it just below zero, when the surface looks wet.
- Blend the extra mango flesh with the sugar and lime juice. Blend it until completely smooth. Taste it: it should be sweet with a clear edge of lime. Chill it thoroughly before using it. Cutting the mango cubes is done at the last moment.
- Cut the cheeks off either side of the stone. Score the flesh in a grid without cutting the skin. Cut them fairly large, about two centimetres. Keep them cold until you assemble.
- Put metal bowls in the freezer for thirty minutes. A warm bowl melts the base of the mound immediately. Spoon a little mango sauce over that layer. Keep going until you have a tall loose mound. Do not press the ice down at any point.
- Pile the mango cubes over and around the mound. Pour the remaining mango sauce over the top. Drizzle condensed milk over it in thick ribbons.
- Add a scoop of mango sorbet on top if you want. Serve it immediately with a spoon. It collapses within minutes, so build it when people are seated.
Technique
- Temper the ice block for ten to fifteen minutes, or it shaves gritty rather than fluffy.
- Layer the sauce through the mound rather than only pouring it on top.
- A hard unripe mango has no flavour and cannot be rescued.
Substitutions
- Any well-flavoured ripe mango in place of Irwin.
- Milk ice for the creamier modern style, or water ice for the traditional one.
Variations
- With mango sorbet on top.
- With diced strawberry alongside the mango.
- Made with a milk ice base, which is the common style now.
History
Irwin mangoes brought from Florida under American aid in the 1950s and planted at Yujing near Tainan gave the dessert its scarlet fruit.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mango Shaved Ice?
Mango Shaved Ice is a dessert from Taiwan: mountain of shaved ice piled with fresh mango and condensed milk. Irwin mangoes brought from Florida under American aid in the 1950s and planted at Yujing near Tainan gave the dessert its scarlet fruit.
How long does Mango Shaved Ice take to make?
Mango Shaved Ice takes 20 min plus freezing of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 large bowls. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Mango Shaved Ice?
Yes, within limits. Any well-flavoured ripe mango in place of Irwin. Milk ice for the creamier modern style, or water ice for the traditional one.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mango Shaved Ice?
Let underripe fruit sit at room temperature for a few days. Never refrigerate a mango that is not yet ripe. Freeze whichever you choose slowly, in a deep container. Give it at least twenty-four hours to freeze solid throughout.
