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Raspao
Raspao: Barranquilla shaved ice drenched in homemade blackberry and lime syrup
On a hot Barranquilla afternoon, the raspao cart is the fastest way to cool down. The vendor scrapes a block of ice with a metal plane, packs the snow into a cup and floods it with bright syrups: kola, tamarind, lime, blackberry. Many add a ribbon of condensed milk on top, but this version stays vegan and lets the fruit carry it. Children love it, and it is a fun one to make at home with a blender and a jug of syrup. The usual misstep is pouring warm syrup over the ice, which melts it to slush in seconds, so chill the syrup completely first. Make the syrup a day ahead if you like; it keeps a week in the fridge. Chef's tip: freeze water in a shallow tray, then blitz the slab in pieces with a few pulses for fluffier, snow-like ice than ice cubes give.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the syrup
For the ice
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 7 oz blackberries, 5 ½ oz sugar and ½ cup water in a small pan over a medium heat. Simmer for 8 minutes, crushing the fruit, until the syrup is glossy and coats a spoon.
8 minStep 2: Pour through a sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp to get all the juice. Stir in 2 tbsp lime juice.
Step 3: Set the jug in a bowl of iced water and stir for 5 minutes, until the syrup is completely cold.
5 minStep 4: Pulse 2 ¼ lb ice cubes in a strong blender or ice shaver in batches, until it looks like fluffy snow. Avoid long blending, which turns it to water.
Step 5: Pack the shaved ice into 4 cups and pour the syrup over generously. Serve at once with a spoon and a straw, and 4 lime wedges if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does raspao take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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