pat bing soo

Korean dessert
Originally uploaded by c(h)ristine.

One of my favorite Korean treats is “pat bing soo,” (pronounced “paht bing soo”) a pile of shaved ice topped with various sweet delights like sweet red beans or fruit cocktail or fruits and definitely drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. Last summer when I was sweating it out in Seoul, I had this wonderful concoction nearly everyday.

They’re sold in bakeries and cafes, and every place makes a little different. Maybe you’ll get some gelatin in it, or fresh pineapple or maraschino cherries or fruit cocktail out of a can. Either way, there’s nothing more refreshing (maybe a watermelon) on a hot day.

I was chatting with Melanie about this, and she says Filipinos have something similar called “halo halo.”

And for what it’s worth–just so you know the meaning of pat bing soo…”soo” means water (the Chinese root anyway, like the Latin root functions in English)…”pat” means red bean…and I think “bing” means ice.

Slashfood has now featured pat bing soo on their site.