KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — When the temperature rises, it’s best to just chill with a bowl of ais kacang.
The heat buster is also known as ais batu campur or simply abbreviated as ABC.
You start building the refreshing dessert by layers.
Firstly, the ingredients are added into the bowl.
The standard fare includes cooked red beans, creamed corn, cendol and grass jelly strands which are sometimes diced into cubes.
In recent times, toasted peanuts have found their way into the bowl to give a crunch to the concoction.
Some places even throw in chewy translucent palm seeds or atap chee.
One stall in Brickfields uses shredded young coconut flesh.
Durian lovers can even up their pleasure by adding pungent durian puree on top of their shaved ice dessert.
Next, a mountain of shaved ice, preferably as fine as possible, is packed on top to cover the ingredients.
For finely shaved ice, you need a manual or automatic ice shaver with a very sharp blade to cut through the ice blocks.
Then comes the flavouring of the shaved ice. It depends on each stall but the old school version is usually fragrant gula Melaka syrup and a dash of evaporated milk for a creamy taste.
Some stalls add the overly sweet pink rose syrup.
In Kuching, they use freshly squeezed coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.
Some stalls even add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream to make it creamier. You get a straw to drink up the melted ice and a spoon for the best bits.
1. May-May Ais Kacang
Lorong Camar, Kepong Baru, Kuala Lumpur
When the Kepong Baru morning market winds down for the day, all kinds of stalls selling food take over, like this ais kacang stall. Located across from the Magnum shop, the shaved ice is packed into a longish column versus the usual mound. You can request for the pungent durian version that is topped with durian puree.
2. Stall at Setapak Air Panas Food Court
Jalan Ayer Jernih, Setapak, Kuala Lumpur
Open: 9.30am to 3.30pm. Closed on Mondays
Located next to the famous Hennessy Lor Mee stall, this humble drinks stall serves a pretty looking ais kacang with finely shaved ice. Unlike other places, the ingredients are placed on top of the shaved ice. You get bright pink jelly strands, creamed corn, soft cooked red beans with cincau in the concoction.
3. 939 Ais Kacang
939, Jalan Pasar, Seri Kembangan, Kuala Lumpur
Open: 10.30am to 4.30pm. Closed on Wednesdays.
Like the other stalls around this village, this one is located at the front of the owner’s house. Locals trickle in here for a light snack of assorted yong tau foo and a bowl of shaved ice to cool down. There’s all kinds of fruit variations, like mango, dragon fruit and the list goes on. You also get a bubur cha-cha version with yam cubes. Even though the ice tends to be quite rough, the ais kacang is full of goodies like soft cooked red beans, cendol, cincau, creamed corn and peanuts.
4. Gerai Minuman Aneka
Lot No. 1031, Damansara Uptown Food Court
Open: 6pm to 12.30am.
Don’t snub this ais kacang served in a styrofoam bowl and plastic spoon. It hits the right notes with its finely shaved ice covered with a fragrant gula Melaka syrup and evaporated milk, which you just want to eat on its own. We suggest you eat half of the ice then mix it with the remaining ingredients. As you dig into the bowl, discover bright pink jelly bits, cendol, corn niblets, grass jelly and soft small red beans. The shop also serves all kinds of drinks including leng chee kang.
5. Stall no. 41, SS2 Wai Sek Kai
Petaling Jaya
Open: 6pm to 11pm. Closed on Thursdays.
Cool down with a glass bowl of ais kacang from this stall. It looks appetising with the mound of finely shaved ice topped with a deep dark brown thick gula Melaka syrup, a dash of rose syrup and evaporated milk. Despite its dark colour, the syrup lacks fragrance. You get slightly crunchy green agar-agar cubes, corn niblets, cincau and small soft cooked red beans. A straw is also given to you to drink up the melted ice as it mingles with the syrup and milk.
