KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 — When temperatures soar in Malaysia, a bowl of cendol offers a cool respite. It’s an all-time favourite found at restaurants, food courts or even makeshift roadside stalls.

A bowl of cendol consists of finely-shaved ice where palm sugar syrup, coconut milk with a pinch of salt, and green cendol strands of course. The strands are made from a mixture of rice, green pea and wheat flours and tinged with the juice extracted from blending dark green pandan leaves with water.

Usually, a little alkaline water is added to firm up the strands. Sometimes tender cooked red or kidney beans are added into the bowl. You get a wide range of toppings from creamed corn, grass jelly strands, “pulut” or glutinous rice and even “tapai”, a type of fermented rice. For a decadent bowl, vendors even add a dollop of durian paste for an ultra-rich taste and pungent aroma.

Even though cendol can be eaten on its own, most places prefer to serve it as an accompaniment to food. The Indian Muslims like to pair cendol with spicy rojak where the cool dessert soothes the burning tongue.

Those who hail from the north of Peninsular Malaysia eat it with a bowl of Kedah-style laksa, a milder and less pungent version of assam laksa. In essence, a bowl of cool cendol crowns off your dining experience.

Cendol Pak Su, roadside van along Jalan Liter U19/D, Section U19, Sungai Buloh Open: 10am to 4.30pm.

The locals flock here to get their rojak or curry mee fix from this 15-year-old stall next to the mosque. Get here early as the food tends to run out fast especially on Fridays. The homemade soft cendol strands have a light pandan fragrance that is best eaten with a plate of spicy curry mee topped with tender chunks of chicken pieces, hard-boiled egg, tofu puffs and bean sprouts.

Cendol Pulut/Tapai and Laksa Utara Jitra Mai, roadside van along Lorong Keluli 1B, Kawasan Perindustrian Bukit Raja, Section 7, Shah Alam Open: 12pm to 7pm. Closed on Fridays.

Just off the road leading to I-City, this stall has the pull factor as everyone stops by to indulge in a bowl of cendol and laksa. Most customers prefer to pack the cendol and laksa home since you need to sit out in the open. The Kedah-style laksa is exceptionally good with its thick fish broth, half portion of hard-boiled egg, vegetables, thick soft rice noodles and a dollop of prawn paste. In comparison, the cendol pales a little but it’s worth dropping by for the awesome combination. You can also bulk up your cendol with a dollop of pulut or tapai.

Restoran Muar Home Cooked Cuisine, No. 6G, Tengkat Tong Shin, KL. Open: 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm. Closed on Mondays.

If you miss home cooked food, drop by here for dishes like fried eggs topped with sweetish dark soy sauce, salted egg yolk chicken and fried fish. The kitchen also whips up a sinful plate of butter kailan where the shredded dark green leaves are deep-fried till they taste like crispy seaweed. The cendol may be the smallest in town but it packs a punch with its aromatic palm sugar syrup and soft green strands mixed with tender red beans. We suggest you order at least two bowls to satisfy your cendol cravings.

Straits Food Company, 2, Jalan Abdullah, Bangsar, KL Open: 10am to 10pm.

An offshoot of Baba Low’s at Lorong Kurau, both outlets serve an exceptional bowl of cendol topped with super fine shaved ice, aromatic palm sugar syrup, coconut milk, soft cendol strands and tender kidney beans. Pair it with a bowl of their ultra creamy Nyonya laksa and their egg popiah for a totally satisfying meal.

Checkers, 19, Lorong Setia Bistari 2, Damansara Heights, KL. Open: 6pm to 10pm. Closed on Mondays.

Bend the rules with a dash of alcohol in your cendol at this legendary no-signboard restaurant. The dessert is made up of two scoops of creamy vanilla ice-cream, cendol strands, cashew nuts, corn niblets, grass jelly shreds and canned longans, all drizzled with a decadent rum sauce. It’s best eaten with their juicy pork ribs.