Ice Buko

Creamy Coconut Popsicle


Ice Buko is a creamy, milk-based cylindrical shaped ice popsicle, with shredded coconut, and at times comes with red monggo beans on top.

These are usually sold from favorite neighborhood sari-sari stores, or from street peddlers carrying a rectangular styrofoam cooler.

The most popular varieties are the coconut/milk-based with shredded coconut, and the monggo topped, plain milk or cream- based.

My ice buko recipe is not traditional, it's real rich and creamy since I use heavy cream and egg yolks.

Let's talk about the molds. You could improvise and use a disposable plastic cup or buy the ice pops mold. The latter is more convenient to use, just set it in the freezer and forget about it.

If you are to use a plastic cup as mold, once you set the mix in the freezer, you have to stand by and wait for about 2 hours to mount the sticks in a partially frozen popsicle. Also, if you inserted the stick when it's near frozen, it will come off once you unmold it... a little tricky, I know.

Now, the unmolding part : if you are using a plastic cup, just slightly push the bottom portion up while holding the stick with the other hand - that should do the trick.

... or hold the bottom under a running cold water for a few seconds and the ice pop should be easy to push up.

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:

  • Canned Coconut Milk
  • Shredded Coconut
  • Heavy Cream
  • Vanilla Extract

IN THE PANTRY:

  • Whole Milk
  • Eggs
  • Sugar
  • Salt

INGREDIENTS

  • 3/4 cup Whole Milk
  • 2/3 cup Coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 1/3 cup Shredded Coconut
  • 5 Large Egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • pinch of Salt


PREPARATION TIME : 5 minutes

COOKING TIME : 8 minutes

FREEZING TIME : 4 - 5 hours

1 Over medium heat, mix all the ingredients except the egg yolks, and shredded coconut and vanilla extract, then simmer, DO NOT BOIL.

2 Beat the egg yolk and add a tablespoon at a time of the mix while beating vigorously so as not to scramble the egg. This is called tempering.

3 Add the egg yolk mix back to the pot and simmer. Turn the heat off, strain and then add the shredded coconut and vanilla extract.

4 Put in individual molds and freeze.

5 If you are to use a plastic cup mold, after putting the cooked mix in individual molds, freeze for 2 hours before mounting the sticks one by one. After 10 minutes, check to see if the sticks are still vertical and not slanted.


BENG'S TIPS

  • You can omit the egg yolk from this recipe but it would not be as rich tasting.
  • If the egg has scrambled while you are tempering, just strain it out with a sieve. The only solids in your ice buko is the shredded coconut, scrambled eggs not acceptable.
  • No patience to do the individual ice pops? Take out your ice cream maker and churn the mix instead.


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