Ingredients
Red beans
- 150 gdried adzuki or red kidney beans, soaked overnight
- 80 gsugar
- 1pandan leaf, knotted
To layer
- 200 gsweetcorn kernels, warmed
- 150 ggrass jelly (cincau), cubed
- 100 gattap chee (palm seed) in syrup, drained
- 100 gcendol jelly strands (optional)
To finish
- 1.5 kgice, finely shaved
- 4 tbsprose syrup (sirap bandung)
- 4 tbsppalm sugar syrup (gula melaka)
- 6 tbspevaporated milk
- 1scoop sweetcorn or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Directions
- Drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water and simmer with the pandan leaf for 40–50 minutes until soft but still whole. Stir in the sugar in the last 5 minutes and let them cool in their liquid.
- Set out the beans, sweetcorn, grass jelly, attap chee and cendol in separate bowls. Everything must be cold before assembly.
- Spoon two or three tablespoons of each topping into the bottom of each serving bowl. In ais kacang the toppings go underneath, not on top — the mountain of ice is built over them.
- Shave the ice as finely as you can and heap it over the toppings into a dome, pressing very lightly so it holds its shape without compacting into a solid block.
- Pour the rose syrup and palm sugar syrup over the dome in stripes, then the evaporated milk over the top so it runs down the sides.
- Add the ice cream on top if using, and serve at once with a long spoon. It collapses within a few minutes, which is part of eating it.
Technique
- Finely shaved ice, not crushed. Crushed ice gives a bowl of cold water and cubes; the texture of ais kacang is snow.
- Chill the serving bowls in the freezer beforehand — a warm bowl melts the base of the dome immediately.
Substitutions
- Tinned sweetened red beans save the soaking and simmering.
- Any red fruit syrup replaces rose syrup, though the colour is what makes the bowl recognisable.
Variations
- Cendol, the closely related dessert built on coconut milk and green rice-flour jelly rather than shaved ice.
- A durian version, with a spoonful of pulp under the ice.
History
A shaved ice dessert, its name meaning literally bean ice in Malay, topped with sweetened red beans, grass jelly, sweet corn and colourful syrups, developed in Malaysia as a cooling dessert well suited to the country’s hot tropical climate, drawing on a broader pattern of shaved-ice desserts found across several Southeast and East Asian countries, each with their own particular toppings and syrup combinations layered over the shared basic shaved-ice base. Its modern, more elaborate form, sometimes called ABC, an abbreviation reflecting its combination of ais, kacang and other ingredients, developed with an increasingly wide range of possible toppings added over recent decades beyond the more traditional red bean and syrup combination. It remains an extremely popular dessert across Malaysia, especially sought after during the country’s hottest months.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ais Kacang?
Ais Kacang is a dessert from Malaysia: shaved-ice mountain with beans, jellies, corn and syrups. A shaved ice dessert, its name meaning literally bean ice in Malay, topped with sweetened red beans, grass jelly, sweet corn and colourful syrups, developed in Malaysia as a cooling dessert well suited to the country’s hot tropical climate, drawing on a broader pattern of shaved-ice desserts found across several Southeast and East Asian countries, each with their own particular toppings and syrup combinations layered over the shared basic shaved-ice base. Its modern, more elaborate form, sometimes called ABC, an abbreviation reflecting its combination of ais, kacang and other ingredients, developed with an increasingly wide range of possible toppings added over recent decades beyond the more traditional red bean and syrup combination. It remains an extremely popular dessert across Malaysia, especially sought after during the country’s hottest months.
How long does Ais Kacang take to make?
Ais Kacang takes 30 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 bowls. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Ais Kacang?
Yes, within limits. Tinned sweetened red beans save the soaking and simmering. Any red fruit syrup replaces rose syrup, though the colour is what makes the bowl recognisable.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ais Kacang?
Set out the beans, sweetcorn, grass jelly, attap chee and cendol in separate bowls. Everything must be cold before assembly.
