I have been trying to recollect the phrase I heard lately. Something about the eyes eating before the stomach but I can’t seem to grasp it. I can feel it floating about some where in my head but it simply eludes me. Argh…this is frustrating and totally annoying but basically I’m just trying to say that the food must appeal to the eyes before one would want to try and take a bite of it. Well anyway, this dessert will definitely appeal to your eyes even if its name, literally translated to mean Iced Beans, sounds totally unappetizing.

Imagine a bowl heaped with shaved ice so soft it resembles powdered snow. Patted into shape to resemble a mountain and drizzled all over with rainbow colored syrup - blue, green, red, yellow, and then splashed with creamy white evaporated milk which turns portions of the red syrup pink and then topped with a heaped spoonful of creamy creamed corn. Beneath this mountain of colorful ice hide glorious yummylicious goodies - fruit cocktail, cubes of colorful jelly, ribbons of grass jelly, beans and if you’re lucky, you might just find a lychee or longan hidden amongst the treasure. In the scorching heat of tropical Singapore, don’t you think this would bring you to paradise and leave you there? (at least while it lasted!)

Since summer is on its way, I did myself a favor and bought myself a snow machine. While it does it’s job of shaving ice, it is a lesser cousin compared to the soft snow I’m used to getting in Singapore. But who’s complaining? It was just so fun to hear the sound of ice crushed and watch the kids have fun with choosing what their treasure was going to be and how they were going to decorate their bowls of ice. The best part was when I heard this comment, “I didn’t know we could get THIS Singapore food in America”. It was that gooood!

Ingredients:

Ice
300g granulated sugar
360ml water
2 - 3 screwpine leaves
food coloring
evaporated milk

Toppings (probably should be renames “bottomings”):
Cream style corn
canned fruits
agar-agar (I made instant ones using the mix)
boiled beans
creamed durian
grass jelly
fruit coctail
etc etc etc…(very much a choose your own adventure section)

Method:

1. Place water, sugar and leaves in a pot. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves and thickens slightly.
2. Divide the sugar into as many parts as food coloring you are using.
3. Mix each part with a few drops of the food coloring to the desired color.
4. Place the bottomings into the bowl then start shaving ice over these. The more ice the merrier.
5. Pat the ice into a cone shape.
6. Pour a few tablespoons of the colored syrup all over the ice.
7. Add a few splashes of evaporated milk.
8. A tablespoon or two of creamed corn on the summit.
9. Enjoy!!!