History

Mango shaved ice (xue hua bing, snowflake ice) was popularised in Taipei in the 1990s, when Yongkang Street's Ice Monster (now Smoothie House) refined the snowflake-ice machine that produces sorbet-thin shaved ice rather than chunky shards. Taiwanese Irwin mangoes from Pingtung in the south are in peak season May to October. Smoothie House on Yongkang Street is the canonical Taipei version, with a mountain-sized portion topped with mango ice cream.

Common allergens: Milk

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 24 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 litre milk, sweetened with 100g caster sugar, frozen in shallow trays overnight
  • 3 ripe Taiwanese Irwin mangoes (or Alphonso), peeled and diced
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 30ml fresh lime juice
  • 200ml mango sorbet or mango ice cream
  • 60ml sweetened condensed milk, to drizzle

Method

  1. Make mango syrup: blend half the mango with sugar and lime juice until smooth.
  2. Shave the frozen sweetened milk on a snowflake-ice machine (or use the small-blade attachment of a food processor) into a mound.
  3. Spoon mango syrup over the shaved ice mound.
  4. Top with the remaining diced fresh mango, a scoop of mango sorbet and a drizzle of condensed milk.
  5. Serve immediately with long spoons.

Tip from the editors. Snowflake-ice machines are sold cheaply online; the result is closer to sorbet than crushed ice. Taiwanese Irwin mangoes have a perfumed honey note other types can't match.

Where to eat mango shaved ice

Mango shaved ice in Taipei

Smoothie House ★ 4.3

Café$daanDaily 10:00-23:00

Smoothie House on Yongkang Street in Taipei runs the canonical mango snowflake ice, xue hua bing with chunks of mango, mango ice cream and condensed milk.

Signature drink: Mango snowflake ice

Order: Mango snowflake ice with mango ice cream and condensed milk.

Tip: Open 10:30-22:00 daily. Walk-in counter; mango is best May to October.

No. 15, Yongkang Street, Da'an District, Taipei City 106

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