Hot Rice Balls over Shaved Ice 冰火汤圆
Hot Rice Balls over Shaved Ice is featured among the local specialties of Taiwan.
Hot Rice Balls over Shaved Ice (冰火汤圆) is a Taipei (台北) dessert that sets steaming, springy rice balls on a mound of shaved ice. The city's illustrated magazine documents a sesame-and-osmanthus version at Yu Pin Yuan (御品元).
The hot and cold assembly
Shaved ice is piled to twice the height of the serving bowl and drizzled with osmanthus sugar syrup. Hot sesame rice balls are laid on top immediately, sending up steam as the hot dumplings meet the ice. The rice balls retain a soft, chewy texture at serving.
Two stages of sweetness
The maker advises eating the rice balls while hot, before they harden. After the dumplings are finished, lemon juice and osmanthus syrup can be added to the remaining crushed ice. That turns the end of the bowl into a sweet-and-sour osmanthus lemon ice dessert.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-30. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.
Image credits & notes (1)
- Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片A similar preparation is pictured; the local version may differ. 同类菜品参考照片，当地做法可能不同。Photo: Junyu-K · CC BY-SA 4.0Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited. Thumbnails may show a cropped view.
