
Surviving summer in Japan can be quite the struggle. Besides sky high temperatures, you also suffer south east Asian like humidity levels. The melting heat leaves Japanese residents finding for ways to cool them down.
One of the best ways to cool yourself down is downing a Japanese shaved ice dessert known as Kakigori.
It’s incredibly easy to find kakigori during summer; they’re usually served in cafes, restaurants, pool, and beachside pop up stands.
Besides buying kakigori, making it at home is super easy. All that’s needed is – shaved ice, flavoured syrup, fruits, and condensed milk.
Most households already own ice shaving machines—so it’s just a matter of buying the rest of the ingredients.
Next time you pass by a kakigori shop, or if you think of trying to make some at home—try one these popular flavours:
Strawberry Kakigori
Strawberry kakigori has a nice sweet and fruity tase. It’s juicy and served with crushed strawberry sauce.
Maccha Tea
While it’s not a flavour you’ll commonly find outside of Japan, Maccha, is loved here. You simply need to add maccha-tea powder with condense milk and voila—you now have a delicious and aromatic tasting dessert!
Shirokuma
Shirokuma is a kakigori flavour that hails from the seaside city Kagoshima. The word shirokuma translated to white bear in English—you’ll see the bear resemblance when you look at the dish from a birds eye view. To make shirokuma you simply add condense milk, raisins, and your choice fruits.
We’ve shown you the most traditional Japanese flavours so far. The following two are more common flavours from around the world which you would use the same ingredients.
Pudding Kakigori
Tiramisu Kakigori
Whether you try kakigori at a shop or you want to make it at home, try it this summer, and cool yourself down with a scrumptious Japanese dessert!