Pronounced (with Midwest twang): ice ka-chang  

Looks just like a crunchy, sweet, refreshing snow cone, right?

But wait- dive your spoon beneath that pink iceberg and- what’s this? A bowl of red beans and sweet corn! Those seaweed-esque brown fingers? Grass jelly! And the green sluggish things? Cendol, or a jelly made from starch, and colored (oh-so-appetizingly) by pandan leaves.

It’s a favorite with the Malaysians; and, if you’ve ever craved the tastes of a Popsicle, melted into a lentil salad, drowned in sugar syrups, and layered with slimy, limpid candies, I’m sure you’ll dig right in.

Try it for yourself….

Still hungry? Sample another Southeast Asian delicacy, bird’s nest soup.