Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Happamitta]

After a trip to the Philippines I've become addicted to fruit smoothies and shakes. Rather than giving in to the impulse of ingratiating myself at the nearest Smoothie King, I went ahead and bought a blender.

So my question to smoothie-makers is this: where do you get your fruity ingredients? Considering the lack of frozen concentrate juice in Korea, as well as the extremely high costs of fresh fruit (1,700 won for a single, regular-sized orange at the local supermarket.. cmon ) I'm wondering where to go about getting what's needed to make great shakes and smoothies without breaking the bank.

Thanks in advance.

[Harpeau]

Well, depending on the flavor, you can pick up fresh fruit from the fruit seller. A bit pricey, but it's not so bad. I blend or juice it and then add ice and sometimes a bit of milk.

Does anyone know if there is much concentrated juice available at Cosco? Any other ideas?

Thanks.

[Chillin' Villain]

Man alive, there seem to be a lot of smoothie threads leading up to summer. And I keep replying to 'em. It's better than bacon and cheese milkshake threads, though.

Anyways, it's going to be the usual answers. I've definitely seen concentrated OJ at Hannam Market (and MAYBE at Costco- can't remember). I think I've seen concentrated grape juice there, too. Sorta depends if you care about sugar content or not, but those often have a dumpload of it in 'em. Fresh fruit CAN be cheap depending on the season; oranges were pretty affordable not too long ago. Bananas and pineapples are cheap right now, and mix well in a LOT of different drinks. For strawberries and blueberries, you just can't go wrong with Costco (again). They're cheaper, they're frozen (easier to keep), and they're probably the only blueberries you're going to find in Korea anyways. I've also found that, despite how awesome fresh Korean strawberries are, the frozen strawberries taste better outta the blender. There are also the big bags of mixed tropical fruit (mango, papaya, pineapple...) at Costco that are great smoothie mixes straight from the bag. Blend it up with some plain yogurt and pineapple juice, and there's a winner right there.

[ella]

I use "Red Orange" juice as a base and add bananas, apples, oranges, kiwi - whatever I have on hand.

[Harpeau]

Which juices from concentrate tend to be the most natural with little sugar added?

[djsmnc]

[khyber]

costco has the bags of frozen fruit in a few combinations as well as by their lonesome (I seem to recall seeing blueberries and strawberries as well as "tropical fruit" mixes).

Frankly though, we just use bananas and orange juice + whatever we actually want it to taste like.

[Rteacher]

Instead of adding ice, you can also just freeze the bananas before blending them with yogurt or juice. 100% pineapple juice can be found at some department store supermarkets (like E-Mart and Shinsegae) as well as Hannam supermarket...

I think that frozen bananas, peaches, yogurt and a little honey would make a good combination (of course, strawberries are very popular, too - and usually not too expensive...)

Probably because I have too many metallic fillings, I always get headaches from all the ice they add at places like Smoothie King...

[Bramble]

IMO you should splurge on real fruit and try to save money in other ways. Beer, cigarettes, coffee, eating out every day and taking cabs every time you feel like it ... those things aren't necessities, but fruit is. You've already bought the blender - why not do it right and do your body a favour?

[oni]

A smoothie in the morning is essential for me to start the day
I use bananas, soya milk, frozen tropical fruit mix from costco and a bit of cinnamon/nutmeg.
A splash or two of malibu gives a good kick too!
Frozen banana makes it much thicker and creamier like using ice cream