Sweet Homemade Red Bean Bingsu
Making Refreshing and Delicious Original Milk Bingsu at Home
Create a classic red bean bingsu at home with a delightful combination of sweet, cooked red beans and creamy, frozen milk ice. This recipe allows you to recreate the authentic taste you’d find at popular bingsu shops, so you don’t have to wait for special occasions to enjoy a cool, homemade treat. It’s simple yet offers a rich flavor that will make your summer even more special.
Ingredients- 1 cup red beans
- 1 cup milk
- 1 glutinous rice cake (optional)
Seasoning- 3 Tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
- Pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
- Pinch of salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, thoroughly wash 1 cup of red beans. Place the washed beans in a pot, add double the amount of water (twice the volume of beans), and microwave for about 10 minutes. This shortens the soaking time and helps the beans cook more tenderly.
Step 2
Transfer the softened beans from the microwave into an electric rice cooker. You can use the water from microwaving the beans.
Step 3
To enhance the beans’ tenderness and balance the flavors, add 1/3 teaspoon of salt to the rice cooker. Salt helps to bring out the sweetness of the red beans.
Step 4
Add 3 tablespoons of sugar for sweetness. The amount of sugar can be adjusted based on the type of red beans and your personal preference.
Step 5
Pour 500ml of water into the rice cooker. Ensure there’s enough water to cover the beans generously, considering they will be simmered and slightly reduced.
Step 6
Set the electric rice cooker to the ‘Mixed Grains’ or ‘Red Bean’ setting and start cooking. The cooking time may vary depending on your rice cooker’s specific function.
Step 7
Once the cooking cycle is complete, you’ll have perfectly cooked red beans. They should be tender and release a sweet aroma.
Step 8
Taste the cooked red beans and add or adjust the sugar as needed. Balance the natural sweetness of the beans with the added sugar to achieve your desired flavor intensity.
Step 9
Prepare the milk ice, a key component of bingsu. The night before, mix 1 cup of milk with a suitable amount of sugar and freeze it. This will give you easily scoopable, sweetened milk ice. You can pour it into ice cube trays or freeze it in a shallow container and shave it later.
Step 10
Fill your bingsu bowl generously with the prepared milk ice. You can use the frozen milk as is, or for a finer, smoother texture, lightly shave or blend it using a bingsu maker or blender. Since it melts quickly, it’s best to assemble and serve immediately.
Step 11
Generously spoon the delicious, freshly cooked red beans over the shaved or scooped milk ice. The combination of sweet red beans and icy milk creates a wonderfully harmonious flavor.
Step 12
Finally, consider adding a glutinous rice cake (mochi) for an extra touch. If you have one in the fridge, let it soften slightly, then cut it into bite-sized pieces and place it on top of the bingsu. The chewy texture adds another delightful dimension. Feel free to add other toppings like fruits, condensed milk, or nuts to create your personalized masterpiece.
