Shaved Ice: Malaysian Ice Kachang
Even though it's been many years, I still remember the maple syrup snow Laura Ingalls Wilder ate in her book Little House in the Big Woods. But while Laura was happy eating that sticky maple candy, I was wondering how the sweetened snow would taste.
Kids reading about Laura Ingalls Wilder in Malaysia may not have access to snow or maple syrup, but they have something just as fine, a delicious shaved ice treat commonly called ice kachang or ABC.
Why the two names? The traditional name, ice kachang, translates to "bean ice", but these days beans are only tangential to this popular sweet. The more common name, ABC, is an acronym for air batu campur, which translates to "mixed stone water", a more apt description of Malaysia's current shaved ice treat.
The key to ABC, nowadays, is the syrup, and as far as I'm concerned, the best is palm sugar syrup, a dark brown liquid with a very sweet, carmel-like flavor. It reminds me of maple syrup, and that's no coincidence. Both syrups, in fact, are actually sap, one from the maple and the other from a variety of palms.
At Washington D.C.'s Malaysia Kopitiam, where I ate ABC a few weeks ago, in addition to palm sugar syrup the toppings included red kidney beans, creamed corn, chinese gelatin, peanuts, and evaporated milk. It was a cooling elixir on a hot, muggy day. But I do wonder, what would Laura Ingalls Wilder think?
Ted Mahsun on June 11, 2009 at 04:52 AM
Ice Kacang is indeed a treat on a hot, muggy day.
Just a note though, "air batu campur" would be more accurately translated as "mixed ice" as "air batu" translates into "ice". "Mixed stone water" is more of a literal translation.
Cheryl @ living in Malaysia on June 11, 2009 at 05:41 PM
Hey, just wanted to comment; it's actually spelled as Ais Kacang. The spelling you have is the outdated version from before Independence up to the 70's and has since been made obsolete by the government.
I reckon Kopitiam wanted to make it feel nostalgic.
Random fact, did you know that Kopitiam is an amalgam of 2 languages? Kopi is Malay for coffee and Tiam is a Chinese dialect for shop! Coffeeshop! XD
Tracy Schneider on June 11, 2009 at 09:26 PM
Thanks, Ted and Cheryl, for helping with the Malay translations and bringing me into the 21st century!