The red bean flavoured snacks that have appeared in the archives would fool you into thinking that I’d always liked red bean. For the first few years that I’d known D, he’d tell me how much he enjoyed eating red bean ice cream sticks, only for me to stubbornly refuse to partake because the red bean soup from Chinese restaurants that also used mung beans and Chinese almonds had ruined the innocent red bean for me. It wasn’t until the last few years with gradual exposure to Japanese desserts that I realised its deliciousness.
So, we come full circle with this Yimei Red Bean Milk Ice Bar.
Each bar is made with a red bean flavoured milk base and studded with sweet red beans.
Each bar has a generous number of red beans within, mostly at the tip of each bar – a likely result of how the bars were produced and beans being heavier than water – giving sweet and nutty pops of texture and bite. The milk ice bar has a pleasantly mellow red bean flavour, although its low milk content – there is very limited dairy flavour – makes the bar impossible to bite into straight from the fridge. The upside to this is that the bar doesn’t melt to a puddle even if you take your time eating it.
Overall, a higher dairy content would’ve made for a creamier and richer dessert that more properly satisfies cravings for ice cream and dessert.
This Yimei Red Bean Milk Ice Bar contained 5 bars or 437.5 g. It was produced in Taiwan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2017.