Ice kacang and Chendol - Sweet, cool, tropical desserts

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In hot and humid Singapore icy stuffs are popular. Green and red syrupy ais or ice kacang, with red beans has been in existence since long ago. It was first made popular by itinerant road-side stalls. Now you can find it at almost dessert stalls in hawker centres of food-courts. Kacang is a Malay word for nuts or beans.

Under the mountain of shaved ice you can find more red beans, sweet corn, attap chee or palm seeds and jelly. Condensed milk is also poured on the sweet coloured syrups. Syrups drinks with milk. Yummy.

Ice kacang
Ice kacang
In Malaysia ice kacang is more commonly known as ABC or air batu campur, which means mixed shaved ice. Ice kacang typically cost around $2. If you top it up with durian it will cost another 60 cents or so. A sweet, icy cool and wonderful dessert indeed.

Chendol (or cendol) is made of coconut milk, sugar and greenish jelly-like rice flour filled with shaved ice similar to ice-kacang. The green jellies may look like wiggly worms to some. Other common ingredients that can be be added include red beans and corns.

Chendol Melaka
Chendol
Just like ice kacang, chendol can be topped with durian, mango, even chempedak (artocarpus integer). Durian as we know is a popular south-east asian fruit with that distinctive odour. Eaten by itself it can leave a lingering smell. There is also chendol soya milk selling for $2.40 at Mr Bean soya milk chain.

One of the popular chendol here is Chendol Melaka at Changi Village. A bowl is about $1.50. Melaka is a state in Malaysia, about 3 to 4 hrs away by car or bus from Singapore. Gula Melaka is brown sugar from Melaka, one of the main ingredients in Chendol Melaka. At chain restaurant Encik Tan, you can also get a delicious tower of chendol for $2.50.

Durian chendol
Durian Chendol
And you can get the equally popular Penang chendol at many hawker or food centres too. Penang is also a state in Peninsula Malaysia. So each state has its own chendol specialty. And they are all good. If I have the chance to go to Penang, I would definitely have a go at their famous chendol. Given the weather that we live in, any sweet icy drink is indeed delicious.

Chendol and durian are so popular here that you can even find durian chendol at Singapore Zoo, though price-wise is a bit pricey given its touristy location but it is certainly very delicious and the portion is quite generous too. I have tried it and it was really tasty.

Chendol mould
Chendol mould
So how did chendol got its squiggly worm-like shape? The mould is as shown here. This mould is on display at Geylang Serai Heritage Gallery located inside Wisma Geylang Serai.

The local dessert of ice kacang or kacang ball enjoyed by some school children has been immortalised in street art or wall mural at 51 Waterloo Street by local artist Yip Yew Chong.

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