Coffee, Tea or Ice Kacang?

One way to chill out from the stress of a hard work or a long day is by having a bowl of delicious Ais Kacang or ABC.

Figure 1. A very tall tower of ABC with ice grating machine at the back. The lady must have perfected her way of handling the ABC – Air Batu Campur or Ice Kacang. Image source:- FB Masri Angah Li.

“Hey guys… lets go for ice kacang.” When someone says that it would mean to me as “let’s go for some relaxation and perhaps goofing around.

Talk about something not so serious. Just joking around at a “coffee shop” or some stalls around the corner.

Have some laugh and light moments. Take the stress away from the hard work or a long day.

On the other hand…

When I say, “Let’s have some coffee” it would mean I am in a serious mood. Need to get the caffeine fix to stimulate my brain and get the adrenalin pumped up. I am on a mission to accomplish something.

Or ready to go into a “high powered” meeting.

While the words…

“Eh… let’s go have some “Teh Tarik.” This means something in between. Not too serious and not too goofy. More or less like chatting and brainstorming for some ideas.

Be it a new project, new prospects or just exchanging some ideas for further analysis and further discussion before a decision is made.

Or even discussing something that has been done. More or less like a post mortem. Where was the mistake or if there was something better that could be done.

This article focuses on the ice kacang only. Not the recipe or how it is made. But rather sharing some pictures of different version of ice kacang family.

So… it is time to chill out a bit…

ABC? Ice Kacang? What is that?

To Malaysian as well as some Singaporean, the word ABC is a well-known type of dessert. A special form of ice cream. It means “Air Batu Campur.” Literally means mixed ice. 

No… not blended.

But the grated ice is mixed with nuts or beans (kacang) of many different types. Along with sweetening syrups and milk. Placed in a bowl. Decorated in so many different ways. Making it not only looks very beautiful but delicious as well.

The taste is so good it can make you addicted to it.

The pictures below are some of the typical over decorated ABC. But the one at the top earlier that looks like a tower is rather a rare one.

Figure 2. ABC served with ice cream and cookies. Image source:- Wak Powerbank

Figure 3. Colorful and beautiful ABC. The taste is as good as it looks. Image source:- Adza Irdawati Adenan and Wak Powerbank.

Cendol. Is it a Cousin of ABC?

Another form of dessert similar to Ais Kacang or ABC is the cendol. The raw material, i.e., the cendol itself can be easily purchased at super market or even at a small village sundry shops.

Similar to ABC, the cendol can come in variety of servings. A plain one will be just the cendol (the green thing) mixed with brown sugar syrup and added to it a coconut milk.

The brown sugar syrup is the one that gives a special taste of cendol.

Cendol specialists normally have their own way of preparing the syrup. Making the taste very unique and special. More or less it is a secret recipe.

Figure 4. The picture on the right is not cendol. It still is ABC. But the left one is cendol mixed with durian and sweet rice along with corn and some nuts / beans. It is cendol crossing towards ABC. Image sources:- Ain Syarmilla and Hasmawati Ibrahim.

Decorated cendol, just like ABC can come in different mix. Below is a cendol with sweet rice served in coconut milk and topped up with durian. A bowl can get you cool and collected after a hard cycling under the sun.

Figure 5. Cendol Pulut with Durian. Image source:- Wan Ridzuan.

Figure 6. Another version of “Cendol Pulut Durian” Pulut is a sweet rice. It sure is taste good. Image source:- Ehmed Sobri

Figure 7. Is 'cendol' Malaysian? Well, read more here… cendol apos for the story and the image source.

Some Unique Ingredients to ABC or Cendol

The translucent whitish thing below is a very soft, sweet succulent young Nipah (nypa) fruit. Often added to both ABC and some cendol.

Image sources:- steemit.com and MySabah.com

With money, you would not know how the raw fruit look like. You just buy it. Or just eat it. And you would never imagine how difficult it is to get the young juicy succulent fruit out of the fruit bunch.

Just look at the picture below and imagine.

You would then appreciate the difficulty the farmer has to go through in order to get you the young, juicy, sweet and succulent fruit.

Image source:- Anjang acik and tryingtoembracemeagain.wordpress.com

Well… all the above can be found in Malaysia. A similar ABC like serving in the picture below is not from Malaysia.

It looks like it has most of the typical ABC ingredient. The nut, sweet rice, coconut milk and some decoration at the top. It is not a spider or tarantula for sure although it looks a bit like one.

Try to guess where this version of ABC is served.

Image source:- i.pinimg.com

It is the end of the article. If you feel over stressed… go have some ABC (Ais Kacang) or cendol. Chill out. Then get a coffee or tea for the caffeine fix and go get whatever that you want. Perhaps a girl friend?

But don't do it if you are already married or have a special one. Only to those who are still single and there are times when you get super lonely instead of super stressed.