Daiso can help you beat the heat this summer with DIY fruity Suika and Melon Bars【Taste test】

A new product on the market contains concentrate to make two of Japan’s most popular popsicles at home.

As the hot, humid days of summer in Japan get closer and closer, we can thankfully stay cool this year in a new way by making plenty of Suika [Watermelon] and Melon Bars, some of  one of Japan’s favorite icy popsicle treats, at home.

On April 24, the Suika Bar Base and Melon Bar Base went on sale initially at 100-yen chain store Daiso for 110 yen (US$0.69) each. One can has enough concentrate to make four of the standard, wedge-shaped bars that you can find individually packaged in convenience stores freezers, meaning that preparing bars at home using this method could save a lot of money for families that typically go through a lot of the ice candy. Another other cool point is that the bases aren’t any cheap knock-offs but are official products by snack company Lotte, where the developer was inspired to create them after helping his daughter make an easy and delicious frozen dessert for her elementary school research project.

Shortly after the release, we hurried out to our local Daiso to buy one can of each flavor, also purchasing popsicle and ice molds at the same time. Thank goodness Daiso has everything you could ever possibly need neatly gathered in one place.

Once back at SoraNews24 HQ, we got right to concocting the extremely simple recipe by mixing each can of base with 120 milliliters (4.1 ounces) of water.

Then, we poured the resulting liquid into molds (this particular mold made a greater quantity of bars but of a smaller size).

Finally, we popped them into the freezer for seven hours. The whole process from start to finish was incredibly simple and there was no need to use the stove at all, making it a perfect activity for even small children.

When we reopened the freezer several hours later…voila! They had hardened nicely and looked ready to eat.

The coloring certainly looked like that of the standard Suika and Melon Bars, minus the tiny watermelon seeds [chocolate] or the rind [green base of the popsicle]. But how would they taste…?

Luckily, they turned out to be just like the real deal!

They weren’t overly watery or icy like some homemade frozen treats tend to be, and they were solidly sweet right up until the last bite, melting wonderfully in our mouths with a continual bursting of fruity flavor.

The Winnie-the-Pooh-shaped popsicle in particular turned out to be the perfect size for a refreshing snack.

One tip we have while making these is to use a container-type mold with a sealed covering so that the bars don’t absorb the smells of your freezer. The packaging also says that you can try making them by mixing the base concentrate with milk instead of water. Have fun experimenting, and feel free to switch them up with some of our other favorite Japanese frozen treats!

Reference: PR Times
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