🫘 Red Bean Ice: The Soul of a Classic Hong Kong Drink

When it comes to must-try Hong Kong ice cream in the summer, red bean ice is definitely on the list! Whether you're at a tea restaurant or an ice cream parlor, the sight of a refreshing cup of red bean ice topped with smooth evaporated milk instantly lifts your mood 😍. So, the question is: why does red bean ice always have to have evaporated milk? Let's take a closer look at the secrets of this classic combination!

📜 A little history of red bean ice

1. A product of tea restaurant culture

Red bean ice originated from Hong Kong's ice shack culture in the 1950s and 1960s. During the scorching summer months, people loved to go to ice shacks to cool down with cold drinks, and red bean ice was one of the most popular desserts.

2. Luxurious and affordable

Red beans are a common ingredient, already popular even when served with ice and sugary syrup. However, to enhance their texture and flavor, cha chaan teng (tea restaurants) add evaporated milk, instantly elevating the drink and offering a more affordable yet sophisticated experience.

🥛 Why do we need evaporated milk in red bean ice?

1. Enhance the rich taste

Red beans themselves have a subtle bean aroma, but if the syrup alone is used, the flavor would be rather bland. Evaporated milk, with its rich, milky aroma, adds a rounded and smooth texture to the ice kacang, creating a richer flavor, almost like a layer of cream enveloping the red beans.

2. Neutralize the sweetness

Red bean ice, with its sugar syrup and refined red beans, is already quite sweet. The creamy aroma of evaporated milk counteracts the overly sweetness, creating a more balanced flavor. In other words, it's more than just a flavor enhancer; it's also a blender!

3. Add a sense of layering

A cup of red bean ice is divided into several parts:

• Bottom layer: Red beans are plump and sweet
• Middle layer: Crushed ice is cool and crisp
• Upper layer: Evaporated milk is smooth and rich

The combination of three flavors creates the soul of authentic red bean ice.

4. Tea restaurant signature dishes

Hong Kong's tea restaurant culture is deeply influenced by British cuisine, with evaporated milk being a key ingredient. Whether it's silk stocking milk tea or yuanyang (a traditional Chinese tea), evaporated milk is used in all dishes. Therefore, the use of evaporated milk in red bean ice is both a taste bud preference and a cultural legacy.

🌟 The unique charm of red bean ice

1. Visually attractive

The red beans sink to the bottom, the ice cubes are crystal clear, and the milky aroma floats in the air. The drink has a sharp contrast in color, like a fresh and refreshing painting in summer📸.

2. Refreshing and cooling

Hong Kong is hot and humid in the summer. A cup of red bean ice brings an instant cool and refreshing feeling, cooling off and quenching thirst while also making you feel full, killing two birds with one stone.

3. Affordable and delicious

Compared to Western ice cream and cakes, red bean ice cream is affordable but just as satisfying, making it a "luxury for the common people" that everyone can afford.

🍧 Variation and Innovation

In recent years, many dessert shops have upgraded their red bean ice, for example:

• Add ice cream balls to make it a more luxurious version🍦
• Use coconut milk to replace some evaporated milk to bring out the tropical flavor🥥
• It can even be turned into "Red Bean Smoothie" or "Red Bean Iced Coffee", which is very interesting.

But no matter how it changes, evaporated milk remains its indispensable soul.

💡 Editor's Summary

Adding evaporated milk to red bean ice is not just a taste bud necessity; it's also a reflection of cultural heritage and culinary wisdom . Evaporated milk enhances the smoothness, layered texture, and balance of red bean ice, while also imbuing it with a rich, authentic cha chaan teng flavor. For Hong Kongers, this cup of red bean ice is more than just a drink; it's a collective memory, a sweet reminder of summer.

👉 Next time you walk into a tea restaurant, remember to order a cup of red bean ice and slowly savor the perfect combination of evaporated milk and red beans 🫘🥛🧊.