Taiwanese shaved ice
July 22, 2007
Filed under Asian cooking
Halo-halo will forever be associated with Filipino cuisine. But this dessert/snack made with fruits, milk and shaved ice are found in a lot of other Asian countries too. Malaysia has its shaved ice with red bean sauce, China has its fruit salad, Korea has its paht bing-soo and, below, there’s the Taiwanese version with feathery shaved ice that is almost like a sorbet.
Sorry, don’t know the Taiwanese name for this wonderful dessert (or is it a snack?). I just got back from Taiwan and one of the places we went to was the Shilin Night Market (but naturally!). Hungry as I was, the overwhelming smell of simmering broth, fried meat and everything else in between were simply too much for my nose and I ended up not wanting anything else but a large bowl of shaved ice topped with some kind of syrup and preserved fruit.
Not that I can tell you what fruit it was either (they looked like raspberries). I simply chose from over two dozen photos, pointed out which one I wanted and that was it. I asked for no names (I doubt I would have been able to mouth the words anyway); neither did I ask for a rundown of the exact ingredients.
This much I can say though: it looked like the shaved ice was a mixture of milk and water. There were no ice crystals (like what we get with our halo-halo) but something lighter — feathery best describes the texture. I would have wanted to try another variety but after finishing a bowl of shaved ice, there’s no more room in my stomach for anything else but bottled water. 
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buti ka pa masarap kinain mo. yung beef noodles ko maasim!
amoy pa lang nung mga noodles nyo nahilo na ko hahahaha
There’s a halo-halo place here in legaspi where the ice is soft and as you say–feathery. no ice crystals too. I hear the secret is that they use a powder we call “yabo”. i don’t know what that is called in manila, but it’s like flour. maybe it’s even a kind of flour
hi connie!
Razon’s halo-halo also uses a feathery type of ice..more like iced milk..Saaarap..parang milk sorbet na rin!
honey, now you’ve got me interested in “yabo.”
julie, i’ve tried razon’s halo-halo several times. it’s not the same. hirap i-describe. The appearance of the Taiwanese shaved ice is like dessicated coconut but the texture is lighter and it just melts in the mouth.
Wow! Nag night market ka?! Grabeh, ok dun ano? Tsaka did you notice na babata nung mga tao sa Shilin? All youngsters na parang hang out eh.
so connie, will there be chinese/taiwanese
recipes and pics in your future posts? mahilig ako sa chinese food eh…
it is called “chuwa ping” chuwa means shaved, ping means ice. the secret is that they have a good ice shaver. You should have tried the carmelized strawberries on a stick, that is so yummy too.
hi connie,
hmmmm, naglaway na ko sa picture pa lang. maybe, the concept of ICE MONSTER was taken from that taiwan version of iced desserts.
there’s a taiwanese resto along banawe and they serve exactly the ones on the photo (except for the topping which is raspberry or something like you said) and they call it snow ice. it’s made of very very fine ice and the syrup tastes like it has banana flavoring or something for the syrup), but the topping is quite rich(different toppings, my fave is the strawberry and the 8 bean topping). so sorry, but forgot the name of the resto.
Hi there!… I got interested in Razon’s halo halo… can you please tell me where it is? Thanks!
it’s called “chwa ping” meaning shaved ice. The ice shavers they used here are really the key how they made the snow like texture. You should have also tried the carmelized strawberries on a stick, it’s really something.
yuga, nag- girl watching ka dun ano? hahahaha nag-night market ako wala naman nabili kasi ang dami tao!!! nag-yosi na lang ako at nag pearl drinks.
taj, yes. i just have to wait until the newspaper publishes the article first then i can reproduce it here. a few days…
jenny, i didn’t see that! too bad, i love strawberries.
macris, the real thing is 100 times better than the pic ehehehe
elaine, if you remember… i’d love to bring my kids there.
Qai, the main is in Pampanga but there are branches in Market! Market! and SM Megamall.
hi there, i am interested in franchising a “happy haus” donut, if you know the details of this please send me an information on how to avail, how much the investment, potential income and everything about franchising the “happy haus donut”. Thanks a lot. Hoping for your reply on this matter asap.
Dito natatawa sila (locals) sa amin pag kumakain ng halu-halo… bakit daw namin hinahalo?
They eat it the way it’s presented… walang halo-halo na tulad sa atin.
hi connie, find your blog very informative! I love it! keep it coming! (first time here!)
ms. connie do you have meatless recipes? i’m new in taiwan and my husband’s parents are vegetarians, i’d like to try and cook for them sometimes(filipino style) but I don’t know any recipes that has no meat or doesnt use any meat essence at all since we filipinos love meat :-p
Deni, go to a Happy Haus outlet, talk to the owner/manager and ask there.
iska, eh di may boring parts pag ganun pagkain?
hija, i don’t think i have strictly vegan recipes. except for the usual salads. lots of fish and seafood recipes though. use the category links on the side bar or the search box below.
connie please tell qai that Razon’s is also in Greenhills and along Julia Vargas, Pasig(coming from Libis turn right to Julia Vargas - right side of the road where there is a golf range, car accessories.) Razon’s is beside Aranaz native bags.
Thanks, Macris.
O, Qai, more locations of Razon’s from Macris.
There are countless of toppings you can choose from…a very refreshing treat during summer. I used to buy one at the wet market near my place. It is very creamy when it melts.
Did you try the marsala in Shilin? Stinky tofu?
Hi Connie! Korek ka dyan… may boring parts talaga… basta kami halo-halo pa din ang ginagawa namin.
Ako nga yung tira na sabaw di ko inuubos, lalo nang di ko kaya kainin kung shaved ice and milk lang wala flavor hehehe
qai, meron razon’s sa labas ng shopwise cubao, tsaka sa food court ng gateway mall sa cubao. meron din sa jupiter st. sa makati.
favorite ko sa chuwa ping is the mango and strawberries…yummy!!!
may razon’s na din sa banawe…:)
hi ms connie!
marami palang versions ang halo-halo natin. ^_^ in singapore i was able to encounter what they call ‘chendol’ - shaved ice with milk, red beans, jelly, and coconut strips. also a staple in their night markets. ^_^
good food knows no political boundaries.
nitry pala namin ni hubby yung shaved ice. nagtimpla kami ng milk, sugar and water…tapos nifreeze… tapos nishave namin sa malaking shaver ni mommy (pareho sa jollibeena style) ganun ang lasa…yummy
gusto ko rin sanang magfranchise sa happy haus donut. I tried asking the owner and tinderas where to. pero they won’t give the exact location of happy haus donut.Can someone help me locate it. Thanks!
Hi Connie,
Can you tell me where I can buy a good ice shaver and what brand (one that can make shaved ice like Razons? Also where can I buy “yabo”? Thanks a lot!
Sorry, Rowena, when I need shaved ice, my husband buys in Marikina — shaved ice.
Hi! The secret to shaved ice to be fine ice is to freeze an ice block at least overnight in the freezer which we do here at “Halo-halo sa Corazon”. You can find our branches in Angeles, Pampanga and one in San Fernando at the City Central Bus Terminal along Olongapo-Gapan road.
how much frozen can ice get, eh jay? You might be more credible if you weren’t hard selling your business. Tacky.