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| An ice-ball: the ideal thirst quencher in the 1950s |
HEAT waves always wear me down.What is the best way to cool down – a
chilled fizzy drink, a cold bath or a dip in a pool? Way back in the 1950s,
the ideal thirst-quencher or heat-buster was an ais bola (ice-ball).
My mind drifts back to those happy carefree days. It was a sunny day.
My classmates and I were walking towards the bus station after school. The
sun’s scorching rays were bearing down on our tender young skin.
As we reached our favourite ice-stall, we would shout out: “One ice ball, Ah Pek!”
Within minutes, we were happily slurping ice-balls and getting cool relief from the
afternoon heat.
What are ice-balls? They were actually ice-shavings shaped into a ball
(like a snowball) and big enough for the palm to hold. In those days, children
usually walked to school, go by bicycle or by bus. The ice-ball was the cheapest
way to cool down, costing only five cents each. Sometimes Ah Pek would even
sell us a split ice-ball at 2½ cents per half when we did not have enough pocket
money!
I can still remember clearly how Ah Pek made the ice-ball. He placed a
block of ice on an ice-shaver (a sharp blade embedded in a wooden implement).
Pressing it down with a home-made handle (a four by four by one inch wooden
block embedded with nails whose sharp ends pointed downwards), he moved
the ice forward and backward on the blade until he had a sufficient amount of
ice-shavings. Then, using his bare hands, he scooped, shaped and compressed
the ice-shavings into a ball. Using a scoop, he spread a layer of red or brown
syrup over the surface of the ball. He did this with a flourish, rotating the ball
expertly so that the sweet liquid was evenly distributed. Then with a broad grin
exposing uneven teeth, he served it to his little customers, placing the ice-balls on
their eager outstretched palms.
As young students, we were too naive to question Ah Pek on his unhygienic methods.
Anyway, in those days, water was unpolluted and it was perfectly safe to drink water
even from the tap. Oblivious to the clouds of dust and dirt around us - whipped up by
departing buses- we slurped the ice-ball, like a lollipop, as quickly as we could before
it melted away.
A few years later, Ah Pek began to serve his ice-shavings in a bowl. For
better taste, he added some red beans. Later, other ingredients like “chin chau”,
“cendol”, coloured jelly and evaporated milk added colour to the “drink”. The
ice-ball is like a precursor to the familiar “ice-kacang”.
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| A bowl of ice-kacang |
Nowadays, the seller makes his ice-shavings by turning a wheel mechanically or
electrically. However, you will not find young kids eating “iceballs” by the roadside.
They are more often in shopping malls enjoying cool ice kacang in an air-conditioned
environment.
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| An ice-shaving machine for home use |
Ice-kacang is enjoyed by Malaysians of all races and ages. Also called ABC (Air Batu Campur),
it is slowly moving from stalls to restaurants, shopping malls, recreational clubs or hotels (served
as a dessert in buffet spreads).
Ice kacang is so popular that it is featured in the sitcom Pua Chu Kang, a Singapore production.
The main character’s mother often makes her special brew of ice-kacang for her family and friends.
Nowadays, innovative ABC sellers have introduced a variety of sweet
and colourful components to make ice-kacang more appealing. These are seeds
and fruits like kidney beans, lotus seeds, sago seeds, selisih seeds, canned longan,
raisins, crushed groundnuts and attap chi. You can ask for ice-cream as a topping too.
My favourite ice-kacang is one with extras like durian and gula melaka.
The price of ice-kacang has taken a giant leap compared with the 1950s.
It costs about RM1 per bowl in stalls, RM3 in hypermarkets, and a whopping
RM8-RM10 in some restaurants or hotels. Selling ice-kacang is a lucrative
business and eating it may become a luxury!
Everyone enjoys this delightful dessert and many have their individual
ways of eating it.
Chan, 61, says, “I break up all the ice first, allowing the shavings to melt
and mix with the ingredients before I spoon the mixture into my mouth – I really
campur (mix) them!”
Nellie, 55, says, “I pick and eat only the ingredients, leaving the ice
shavings untouched – I like my fruits and seeds chilled!”
As for me, I eat it slowly, without breaking up the well-decorated culinary
creation. I like the colourful “mountain” of ice. Usually, I will eat one spoonful of
crushed ice and one spoonful of the ingredients – I enjoy spooning through “the
tunnel” under the mountain for the goodies – and then savouring each ingredient
with the crushed ice, mixing them in my mouth. Mmm – that’s yummy!
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| ABC with ice-cream topping |
Ice-kacang has come a long way from my childhood days. Regardless
of how we eat it, everyone agrees that it is the dessert par excellence. It would
be interesting to have a contest for culinary experts to create a truly Malaysian
ice-kacang complete with only local fruits and seeds and with a Malaysian identity.
That’s food for thought for the tourist promotion board.
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| ABC: a dessert par excellence, with local fruits and seeds |
So what’s your hot favourite to beat the heat – ice-ball or ice-kacang?
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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspaper) on 23rd June 2003.
Photos are added here.
It is also published in my cookbook "Quick and Healthy Meals" together with the recipe for ABC.
For more information on the cookbook, please write to:
quickandhealthy@yahoo.com
