shaved ice (Taiwanese baobing lychee dessert)

💭 how is baobing different

Chhoah-peng (or bàobīng or tshuah ping) is typically made with just water. But after several tests, I decided to blend the lychees into the ice itself to make the pucks. Along with my flavorful upgrade, this recipe also differs from other types of shaved ice in two main ways:

1. texture - Taiwanese shaved ice can be very finely shredded – fluffy and powdery like snow – similar to other types of Asian shaved ice like Filipino and Hawaiian-style snow cones. However, some Taiwanese vendors that have been around for generations may serve the ice with more texture, similar to an Italian granita.
2. add-ons - those snow cones are usually topped with just a sweet flavored sugar syrup. But bao bing and others like Japanese kakigōri use syrups and chopped fresh toppings.

💭 where to find a Traditional Taiwanese shaved ice machine

I searched different places and even considered buying one from Taiwan and packing it in my luggage. Thankfully, I found a smaller traditional machine online. It just needs a voltage transformer to work in the US.

You'll see the exact one in the equipment section and the step-by-step photos below.

📋 key ingredients

This recipe requires only 7 ingredients (including just water!), all which can easily be found at most Asian grocery stores (paid link).

• lychees - when available I prefer ‘Kaimana’ lychees because they’re large, sweet, and extra juicy and have an easy-to-peel, thin red skin with a small pit.
• ginger - freshly peel the ginger for the best and strongest flavor.
• sugar - use both granulated cane and light brown sugar to make the ginger syrup. Together they give the syrup a deep, rich sweetness that balances the spicy ginger.
• osmanthus syrup - a great shortcut is to use store-bought osmanthus syrup. It’s priced well online and saves so much prep time. This specific one tastes really good, similar to homemade syrup.
• pineapple - the sweeter the better, but any fresh pineapple is great.

See the recipe card for quantities.

📖 substitutions

• lychee substitute -  instead of fresh lychee you can use drained canned lychee, though it will taste a lot sweeter.
• light brown sugar substitute - use more granulated cane sugar instead. I tested this recipe both ways and it tastes good without light brown sugar too.

📖 variations

• deluxe - use pink pineapple (paid link) as I did in this recipe for that extra pop of color. The pink pineapples also have a mellow sweetness that pairs well with lychee and the osmanthus syrup!
• extra luxurious - add a few scoops of aiyu jelly for another texture layer. It’s so good with this recipe!
• other toppings - if you prefer other fruits, you can try a more modern strawberry baobing recipe topped with sweetened condensed milk, the same ginger syrup, and pudding. Another traditional version is topped with boiled peanuts, mung beans, red beans, tang yuan (sweet rice balls), and whatever other sweet/savory-ish additions you like.
• kid-friendly - set up a toppings station and let them choose what to add to the tshuah ping. Make sure to serve the lychees deseeded.

See this roundup of more East Asian desserts for more sweet inspiration!

make the ginger syrup and shave the ice

In a small (1.5-quart) saucepan, add thinly sliced ginger from a 2- inch piece, 4 tablespoons of cane sugar, 4 tablespoons of light brown sugar or 黑糖, and 1 cup of water and stir. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

While the ginger syrup simmers, prepare an ice bath and cut a small portion of pineapple into ½ cup of bite-sized pieces (about 2½ ounces).

In the meantime, prepare an ice bath in a medium bowl with ice and fill ¾ of the way up with cold water if you plan to use the syrup right away.

Pour the ginger syrup into a smaller metal mixing bowl, then place the bowl in the ice bath and stir the syrup until it cools down.

note: If making it a day ahead, you can skip steps 4 and 5 – allow the syrup to cool to room temperature and refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use.

Transfer the frozen lychee ice from the mold into the shaved ice machine, keeping the second one frozen until needed.

To help release the ice from the mold, keep the mold covered and run the sides under warm water for 10 seconds.

Place a shallow bowl that's at least 6 inches wide (15 cm) under the machine, and run it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

For this specific model, push the top down until you hear a click, then rotate the hand crank wheel on the side to start the shaving.

Shave the ice into the bowl, slowly rotating the bowl as the ice flakes fall.

Check the thickness of the ice flakes and adjust the setting on the machine according to your preference. I prefer the thinnest possible setting.

For this model, you can adjust the thickness by rotating the black knob shown in the photo above.

As-is, this recipe is two servings and makes a total of 4 cups of lychee shaved ice. It's usually served family style, but you can dish it out in individual smaller bowls with approximately 2 cups each.

assemble the shaved ice

Top each mound of ice with the remaining 5 lychees, diced pineapple, and 2 tablespoons each of the osmanthus syrup and ginger syrup to start. Taste and add more to your liking.

Here's an example of how to plate it like the vendor in Taiwan!

🍲 equipment

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• blender (paid link)
• shaved ice machine (paid link)
• voltage transformer (paid link)
• ice puck molds - most machines, like the Doshisha ice machine linked above, come with molds
• kitchen shears
• chefs knife (paid link)
• cutting board (paid link)

❄️ storage

Transfer the non-shaved lychee ice pucks to an airtight container or bag, then store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Store pre-cut pineapple in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Store any extra ginger syrup in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To store longer, portion it into ice cube trays and freeze, then transfer it to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

🥮 more Asian dessert recipes

Here are more East Asian desserts and Taiwanese baobing recipes to try.

💭 faq

🌡️ food safety

• Wash hands before touching ready-to-eat ingredients like the lychee shaved ice blocks and toppings.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• See more guidelines at USDA.gov.