Cold dessert perfect for hot days

IN THIS intense heat, people are likely to be in search of something cold and sweet, more so as temperatures keep rising.

One vendor who is likely to enjoy good sales this time of the year is the operator of Yu Yu Ice.

Wu Baowen, 50, sells flavoured ice from a roadside stall in Jalan Welman, Rawang, Selangor.

Yu Yu Ice, which means “shaken ice”, has been around for 33 years.

“The business was started by my father,” said Wu.

At his stall, the icy treat is available in five flavours: corn, sour plum, red bean, cendol and lychee.

Customers can mix up to two flavours.

“In the past, we used to have yam-flavoured shaved ice but I had to take it off the menu because the processing of yam takes a lot of time,” said Wu.

It takes about two to three hours to make each batch of flavoured ice, which is made fresh daily, he explained.

“After I close for the day, I will start to prepare the raw ingredients for the next day’s flavoured ice.

“I continue the preparation work at 8am the next day so that I am able to complete the process in time,” he said.

Wu still uses the machine that his father used when the latter started the business.

Sugar syrup and the respective ingredients for each flavour are mixed in a machine. Then the liquid is put into the freezer.

Wu said he was the longest-standing flavoured ice vendor in Rawang.

He ensures that he stays true to his father’s recipes.

The most popular flavour, he said, was cendol which incorporated red beans, coconut milk, corn and cendol strands.

Other popular flavours are sour plum and corn.

Besides Rawang residents, the stall also attracts customers from nearby towns.

The younger generation is catching on to this popular dessert too.

Packed in a paper cup, the flavoured ice was initially sold for 80sen.

Today, it’s priced at RM3 per cup.

The stall operates from 11.30am to 5.30pm daily, except Mondays.