Hi there,
I’m looking for some advice about making kakigori (Japanese shaved ice). I was in Japan this September and completely fell in love with it. I loved it so much that I ordered an authentic kakigori machine from Japan as soon as I got home.
However, I’ve been struggling to recreate that amazing texture ever since. No matter what I try, the ice I make never turns out as soft and fluffy as what I had in Japan. Mine always comes out rather hard and “crunchy,” and it melts almost instantly. The kakigori I had in Japan, on the other hand, was light and airy, and it melted slowly.
Is there anyone here who knows more about kakigori and could give me some tips?
I’m currently freezing distilled water in the molds that came with the machine. Before shaving, I let the ice sit in the machine for about ten minutes to soften. Then I start the machine with the blade pulled back and slowly move it toward the ice until it starts shaving into thin white ribbons. I drizzle some homemade syrup on it, but I also left that step out to just focus on the ice. The ice comes out shitty no matter what.
My machine is an automatic Otona model from Japan (photo attached).
I’ve also attached a picture to show what I mean. The ice came out in white ribbons, but after just a few seconds in the bowl, it started melting and didn’t taste good anymore.
Thanks in advance!!
by SeaworthinessHot1709
5 Comments
1. Pre-freeze your serving bowl if you aren’t already.
2. Change your ice resting time before shaving. It sounds to me you’re letting it warm up too much.
3. If you can adjust the blade gap when shaving, do so. If it’s coming out coarse and slushy, your gap may be too wide.
See if using clear ice helps.
Not sure if you can do it with the molds provided, but if you can make “directionally” frozen ice without the air bubbles, that may make a big difference.
I’m guessing professional Japanese Shave Ice stands get frozen blocks of clear ice for their product.
See if using clear ice helps.
Not sure if you can do it with the molds provided, but if you can make “directionally” frozen ice without the air bubbles, that may make a big difference.
I’m guessing professional Japanese Shave Ice stands get frozen blocks of clear ice for their product.
As others have said, make sure your ice is nice and clear. It sounds silly but trust me it really does make a difference. Make sure you keep it nice and frozen until you’re ready to actually make it, and only let it sit for about half the time you’re doing now (5 minutes)
I’ve always heard it’s the ice that makes the difference. Kakigoori shops use those beautiful completely clear ice and while I’ve never successfully recreated that at home (even in Japan) I did find a link in Japanese for reference
Not sure how well it will Google Translate so summarizing a few key points below
https://www.nichireifoods.co.jp/media/9625/
Use soft water (not sure if that’s better than distilled, just says don’t use hard water). crystal geyser and volvic are examples Japanese people give for soft bottled water
Wrap mold in towel in freezer (apparently it freezes slower so ice is clearer)
Leave out a bit until the ice starts to melt a bit (which you’re doing but maybe 10 minutes is too long)