A few years ago, “fruit cereal” became a trend — just a bowl of berries, ice cubes and coconut water. I now think that concoction was probably started by someone who knew about Korean hwachae before it hit social media.
Hwachae plays to the tune of otai, a mouthwatering fruit dish. It is roughly translated to “punch,” and traditionally comprises fruits, flower petals, noodles and even a sprinkling of pine nuts. Modern South Korean hwachae is highly adaptable, but usually includes strawberry milk and soda as its base.
When I twisted off the cap of the soda, my youngest child was immediately by my side (we don’t get soda too often at our house), watching me pour it into a bowl of his (personally ranked) four favorite fruits and adding the peach-flavored jellies. The jelly cups are those individually packaged domes that come in a bag and have a slurpable jelly in a fruit flavor, about a tablespoon in size. I scooped some into a bowl and gave him an Asian-style soup spoon, which seemed fitting. His review was a quickly emptied bowl, but he did ask for more jellies to be added next time.
From what I’ve seen, you make hwachae according to your favorite fruits. Variations include grapes, sliced bananas, raspberries, blueberries, peaches and melon, in addition to the fruits I used in my recipe. The only non-negotiable seems to be watermelon. I’ve seen several recipes suggesting sweetened condensed milk, but I felt like the sweetness was improved by cutting it with a bit of lime juice instead. You can add boba, mochi or even a scoop of ice cream, which tips the whole idea past “punch” to a full dessert course — the best way to end a summer evening.
My Version of Hwachae
Ingredients:
• 2 cups watermelon, cubed into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup mango, cubed
• 1 cup lychee, peeled and pitted, cut into 2
• 2 cups strawberries, cut into thirds or fourths
• 1 (16-ounce) bottle Japanese- or Korean-style strawberry milk
• 1 (16-ounce) bottle lemon-/lime-flavored soda
• 1 package peach-flavored jelly cups, tablespoon sized
• 1 (12-ounce) jar nata de coco, drained
• Juice of 1 lime
Directions:
In a large bowl, add 2 cups of ice and the fruit. Add the milk and soda and stir a few times. Top with the jellies, nata de coco and lime juice. Swirl it around once or twice, being careful not to break up the jellies.
Scoop into bowls or wide-mouthed glasses. Serve with a spoon. While it’s best eaten immediately, you can store it in the fridge for a day.
Serves 6-8.
Mariko Jackson writes about family and food. Email her at thelittlefoodie@gmail.com.
