KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — A fist-sized shaved ice ball drizzled with sweet condiments is a great respite on a balmy day.
It also represents a bygone era in Malaysia when ‘ais kepal’ cost only five cents, mainly at Chinese and Indian hawker stalls.
The cool delight came in a variety of flavours, using homemade ingredients such as red beans, peanuts, gula Melaka (palm sugar), sugary syrup and sarsaparilla.
This treat was enjoyed by all. Children relished it during class or after school, on their way back home and adults lapped it up at parties or just to cool off.
A mainstay of gentler days, ‘ais kepal’ remained a bestseller for over five decades, before changing trends and preferences meant it lost its appeal in the 80s.
But the local delicacy is experiencing a renaissance of late, despite only being sold at a limited number of outlets.
Entrepreneurs Dexter Song and Nikhil Roy Joshi have been widely credited for actively reintroducing the ‘ais kepal’ in media interviews and via social media.
At their curio store, Bits & Bobs in Ipoh, ‘ais kepal’ comes in four flavours (priced at RM3 each) — ‘Sarsi and Asam’, ‘Sarsi-Rosella and Lychee’, ‘Gula Melaka and Lychee’ and ‘Grape with Lychee or Asam’.
“We felt the traditional fare has great potential after our parents and their friends told us how much they enjoyed it when they were younger,” said Song.
Youngsters born after the 80s, however, are unfamiliar with ‘ais kepal’.
“Many of them tried it for the first time at our store and their positive responses led to increased demand,” said Nikhil.
Even Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah was seen sampling the humble fare at Bits & Bobs.
To cater for a larger customer base, the outlet relies on a modern-day electric-operated ice machine, to produce refined flakes faster from large blocks of ice.
“The manual hand-cranked machine used in the past was tedious and time-consuming,” said Nikhil.
The ice is shaped into a ball by hand before the piquant syrups of your choice are added for flavour.
“Some of the syrups are freshly brewed at the outlet, in line with the tradition of using homemade ingredients by previous stall traders,” Nikhil said.
Tiny bits of asam or lychee fruit can be added upon the customer’s request for more flavour or to give the creation a modern twist.
Once ready, you can lick and suck on the ice ball, on a waterproof paper base that prevents a dripping mess.
“In the past, it was actually just plonked on your bare hands — an unhygienic way of consuming it,” Song said.
The reinvented ‘ais kepal’ is undoubtedly paying off. Song said he was delighted to see his customers’ “faces light up” when tucking into it.
“The older folk, in particular, gleefully polish it off like little kids.
“It brings them back to the good old days. It makes them happy, so that makes Nikhil and I happy as well,” he smiled, before getting back to make more of the cool stuff.
