Adana Bici Bici is registered in Türkiye as geographical indication number 537, dated 17 September 2020. The specification links the dessert to Adana and documents its starch base, powdered sugar, rosewater-scented red syrup and snow-fine ice. It also says the name was inspired by the sound made when the set starch is pressed between the fingers. Protected GI production must take place in Adana; this home-scale recipe follows the documented ratio and sequence without claiming GI status.
Adana Bici Bici — Recipe Card
Adana rosewater shaved ice with starch pudding
Makes 6 servings · Makes 6 chilled dessert bowlsUS cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Adana Bici Bici
Prepare the dish and water
Wet the inside of a 20 x 10 cm/8 x 4 inch nonreactive loaf dish with cold water and tip out the excess. Measure 100 ml/7 tablespoons of the 600 ml water into a bowl; put the remaining 500 ml/about 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon into a medium saucepan.
Make the starch slurry
Whisk the cornstarch into the reserved 100 ml water until completely smooth and fluid, with no dry pockets. Bring the saucepan of water to a full boil over medium-high heat.
Cook the starch base
Whisk the slurry once more, then pour it into the boiling water in a thin stream while stirring. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 6–7 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom. It is ready when it bubbles and becomes glossy, thick and grayish off-white. Stir in the vanilla powder for the final 20 seconds.
Cool and chill
Immediately pour the hot mixture into the wetted dish; it should be close to 3 cm/1 1/4 inches deep. Smooth the top without pressing. Let it cool at room temperature for no more than 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate at 4°C/40°F or colder for 24 hours.
Mix the rosewater syrup
On the day of serving, stir the red food coloring into the 150 ml cold water until the liquid is an even dark cherry color. Stir in the rosewater, taste for aroma and keep cold. Do not exceed 1.5 ml rosewater; it should smell floral, not perfumed.
Shave the ice
Process potable ice in a shaved-ice machine until it resembles loose snow. If using a food processor, pulse small batches and stop before the ice turns wet or forms hard pebbles. Keep it frozen until the bowls are ready.
Cut the starch pudding
Uncover the chilled starch base and cut it first into six portions, then into small 1–1.5 cm/about 1/2 inch cubes. Divide the cubes among six chilled dessert bowls.
Assemble and serve
Mound about 100 g/a generous 3/4 cup shaved ice over each portion. Make a shallow hollow in the ice, add 10 g/about 1 1/3 tablespoons powdered sugar, then spoon 25 ml/1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons rosewater syrup over the ice so it turns pink-red. Serve immediately with a spoon.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/rosewater-shaved-ice-adana-bici-bici. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Registered method
The official specification uses 600 ml cornstarch with 6 litres water and 20 g vanilla for large trays, then chills the cooked base for one day. This recipe scales that 1:10 starch-to-water volume ratio to a home loaf dish and keeps the documented 6–7 minute cooking time.
Color and rosewater
The registered syrup is dark cherry-colored, uses 0.3–0.4 g red powdered food coloring per 1.5 litres water and contains less than 1% rosewater. The tiny home quantity here is a scaled range; use a precision scale if available and never substitute a non-food dye.
Snow-fine ice
The traditional texture depends on ice fine enough to melt in the mouth without being bitten. Use drinking-quality water for homemade ice, keep the machine and tools clean and serve as soon as the ice is shaved.
Optional fruit
The registered serving method allows banana, strawberry or cherry slices as an optional topping. The base recipe and photographed serving omit fruit so the starch, rosewater and fine ice remain the focus.
Dietary labels
The ingredient list is animal-free and gluten-free only when the specified labelled products are used. Check the cornstarch, vanilla, coloring, rosewater and powdered sugar for certification, cross-contact and vegan processing requirements relevant to you.
How to store and reheat Adana Bici Bici
Make the colored rosewater syrup on the day it will be served and keep it refrigerated. After the starch base has cooled for no more than 2 hours, cover and refrigerate it at 4°C/40°F or colder for its 24-hour set; for the documented fresh character, serve it that day. Keep shaved ice frozen and assemble only at the table. Do not store or refreeze assembled, partly melted Bici Bici; discard leftovers from served bowls.
Adana Bici Bici: questions and answers
What is Bici Bici?
It is Adana's chilled dessert of cooked starch cubes, powdered sugar, rosewater-scented red syrup and very finely shaved ice. It is spooned rather than sliced like a firm pudding.
Does Bici Bici contain milk?
The registered Adana formula uses water and cornstarch, not milk. Its pale cubes may look milky, but they become slightly translucent as the starch cooks.
Why must the starch base chill overnight?
The full chill lets the low-starch mixture set cleanly enough to cut while staying tender. The registered method specifies one day in refrigeration after the tray reaches room temperature.
Can I use crushed ice instead of shaved ice?
Only if it can be processed to a snow-like texture. Large, hard shards do not give the rapid-melting texture described in the registered method and can be unpleasant to bite.
Can I leave out the red coloring?
You can make an uncolored home dessert, but it will not reproduce the documented Adana appearance. The registered syrup uses food-safe red coloring to achieve a dark cherry tone; never compensate with extra rosewater.
