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How to cook Ice kacang

Ice kacang is a Singapore shaved-ice dessert piled over sweet toppings such as red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly and attap chee, then drizzled with colourful syrups and evaporated milk. This home version uses a shaved-ice setup and simple stove-top prep for the toppings.

Ingredients

For the sweet red beans

• 150 g dried red (adzuki) beans
• 1.2 litres water, for soaking and boiling (plus more as needed)
• 60 g caster sugar
• 1 pandan leaf knotted (optional)

For the toppings

• 100 g canned or frozen sweet corn kernels, drained
• 1 can (about 300 g) attap chee (palm seed) in syrup, drained
• 1 can (about 300 g) grass jelly, drained and cut into 1 cm cubes
• 100 g cooked or canned nata de coco or aloe vera cubes, drained (optional)
• 40 g roasted unsalted peanuts, lightly crushed

For the syrups and milk

• 6 tbsp rose syrup
• 6 tbsp sarsaparilla or other red/orange fruit syrup
• 4 tbsp gula melaka syrup (60 g gula melaka simmered with 60 ml water until dissolved, then cooled)
• 120 ml evaporated milk, chilled

For the ice

• about 1.2 kg ice cubes (for shaving)

Steps

1. Soak the beans4 hr
   Rinse the red beans, then soak them in 600 ml of cold water for at least 4 hours or overnight, until they swell to roughly double their size.
2. Boil the beans1 hr 10 min
   Drain the beans and place them in a pot with 600 ml fresh water and the knotted pandan leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low simmer and cook partially covered for 60 to 75 minutes, topping up with a little hot water if it drops below the beans, until the beans are soft and mash easily between two fingers but still hold their shape.
3. Sweeten the beans5 min
   Stir the sugar into the soft beans and simmer 5 minutes over low heat until dissolved and the liquid turns slightly syrupy. Discard the pandan leaf, then let the beans cool completely in their liquid.
4. Make the gula melaka syrup5 min
   Combine the 60 g gula melaka and 60 ml water in a small pot. Simmer over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until fully dissolved and slightly thickened. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any grit, then cool.
5. Prepare the toppings10 min
   Drain the corn, attap chee, grass jelly, and nata de coco well. Cut the grass jelly into 1 cm cubes. Crush the roasted peanuts coarsely with the flat of a knife or in a zip bag with a rolling pin.
6. Chill the bowls and toppings10 min
   Place four serving bowls in the freezer for 10 minutes. Keep all toppings, syrups and evaporated milk in the fridge until assembly so the ice melts slowly.
7. Layer the base3 min
   Into each chilled bowl, spoon about 3 tbsp drained sweet red beans, then 1 tbsp corn, a few attap chee, a few grass jelly cubes, and some nata de coco if using.
8. Shave the ice10 min
   Shave the ice cubes with an ice shaver into fine, fluffy snow, working in batches. Alternative: pulse ice cubes in a strong blender in short bursts until finely crushed, taking care not to let them melt into slush.
9. Build the ice mountain3 min
   Pile the shaved ice in a tall dome over the toppings in each bowl, pressing gently with the back of a spoon so it holds its shape.
10. Add the syrups2 min
    Drizzle 1.5 tbsp each of rose syrup and sarsaparilla syrup over each mound in separate streaks, then 1 tbsp gula melaka syrup over the top.
11. Finish with milk and peanuts1 min
    Pour about 30 ml evaporated milk over each bowl and sprinkle with crushed peanuts. Serve immediately with a spoon, as the ice melts fast.

Tips

• Use a dedicated ice shaver if you can; blender ice tends to be coarse and watery.
• Cook the red beans a day ahead and store them in their syrup in the fridge so assembly is quick.
• Rinse canned attap chee and grass jelly lightly if you prefer less sweetness.
• Have every component ready before you shave the ice, since it melts within minutes.
• Add more syrup to taste, but go gently with the sarsaparilla as it is strongly flavoured.

Food safety and allergens

Cooked red beans in syrup should be cooled quickly, kept covered in the fridge, and eaten within 2 to 3 days. Make sure beans are fully soft, as undercooked dried beans can upset the stomach, and use ice made from clean drinking water.

Contains: dairy, peanuts

Watch it being made

• Peanut Ice Kacang - 花生红豆冰The Meatmen Channel · 83,711 views · YouTube
• Special Ais KacangThe Foodie · 61,412 views · YouTube
• Ice Kacang In The Making - The Leaf Malaysian Dessert in London UKDiepOnFood · 28,927 views · YouTube

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