Ice Kachang (Singapore Shaved Ice Dessert)
Local name: 红豆冰
In short: A mound of shaved ice over sweet red beans, corn and grass jelly, drizzled with rose syrup, palm sugar syrup and evaporated milk. It takes about 1 h 35 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 h 10 min
- Resting
- 8 h
- Total
- 1 h 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 470 kcal
Kachang means beans in Malay, and ice kachang is Singapore's tallest, brightest answer to hot weather. Fine shaved ice is piled over a hidden layer of sweet red beans, corn kernels, grass jelly and palm seeds, then striped with rose syrup, palm sugar syrup and a pour of evaporated milk. Eat it fast, because it melts quickly, and dig down so every spoonful gets a bit of everything.
Instructions
- Simmer the soaked beans in the fresh water, partly covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until very soft but still whole. Stir in the sugar and salt and cook for 5 minutes more. Cool.
- For the syrup, simmer the palm sugar, water and pandan leaf for 8 minutes until it coats a spoon. Strain and cool.
- Chill four tall glasses or bowls in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Shave the ice with a manual shaver, or pulse ice cubes in a strong blender with 2 tablespoons of water in short bursts until it looks like fluffy snow.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of red beans, 2 tablespoons of corn, a few cubes of grass jelly and some palm seeds into the bottom of each glass.
- Mound the shaved ice high above the rim and press it lightly into a dome.
- Drizzle each dome with rose syrup, palm sugar syrup and evaporated milk. Top with a little more beans and corn and serve immediately.
Tips
- To save time, use canned sweet red beans instead of cooking dried beans. Drain them lightly so they do not water down the ice.
- Cook the beans and syrup up to 3 days ahead. Shave the ice only at the last minute, since it melts fast.
Questions and answers
What goes into ice kachang?
Shaved ice, sweet red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly, palm seeds and a mix of syrups and milk. Many stalls also add colored jelly cubes and peanuts.
Can I make ice kachang without a shaver?
Yes. Pulse ice cubes with a splash of water in a strong blender until snow-like. Or freeze a block of milk and syrup and shave it with a sharp spoon.
Where do I find grass jelly and palm seeds?
Canned or packaged grass jelly and palm seeds are sold at Asian grocery stores. If you cannot find palm seeds, leave them out.
How long does it take to make Ice Kachang (Singapore Shaved Ice Dessert)?
About 1 h 35 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 1 h 10 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Ice Kachang (Singapore Shaved Ice Dessert)?
About 470 kcal per serving, with 12 g of protein, 98 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 470 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 98 g |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 62 g |
| Sodium | 130 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
