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Piraguas
Piraguas: Puerto Rican shaved ice with tamarind and passion fruit syrups
Push-cart piragüeros park by the plazas of Old San Juan and along the beaches on hot afternoons, scraping a block of ice by hand, packing it into a paper cone shaped like a little pyramid and soaking it in bright syrups: tamarindo, parcha (passion fruit), coco or frambuesa. At home, two quick fruit syrups and a blender or ice shaver do the job. The common mistake is using coarsely crushed ice, which lets the syrup run straight through; the ice needs to be fluffy like snow to hold it. Chef's tip: pour a little syrup in the bottom of the cup, pack in ice, then add more syrup, so the last bite is as sweet as the first.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the tamarind syrup
- 2 ⅛ oz tamarind paste (seedless)
- 7 oz sugarsplit between the syrups
- 1 cup watersplit between the syrups
For the passion fruit syrup
- ½ cup passion fruit pulpfrom about 6 fruit, or frozen
- 1 tbsp lime juice
For the ice
- 2 ⅝ lb ice cubes
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅛ oz tamarind paste (seedless), half of 3 ½ oz sugar and half of ½ cup water in a small pan. Simmer, stirring, for 4 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is smooth.
4 minStep 2: In a second pan, simmer ½ cup passion fruit pulp with the rest of 3 ½ oz sugar and ½ cup water for 4 minutes, then stir in 1 tbsp lime juice. Strain out the seeds if you like.
4 minStep 3: Cool both syrups fast by setting the pans in a bowl of iced water for 5 minutes; they thicken as they cool. They keep for 1 week in the fridge.
5 minStep 4: Shave 2 ⅝ lb ice cubes in an ice shaver, or blitz it in batches in a strong blender in short pulses, until it looks like fresh snow.
Step 5: Pour a spoonful of syrup into each cup, pack in the shaved ice and mound it into a peak, then drizzle generously with more syrup. Serve at once with a straw and a spoon.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does piraguas take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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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