AI-generated image
Aiskrim potong (Malaysian red bean ice-cream bars)
Firm coconut and red bean ice-cream bars, cut from a block
Aiskrim potong, literally cut ice cream, comes from the days when Malaysian factories froze long blocks of dense ice cream that vendors sliced into bars to order. It is still sold nationwide from motorbike freezers and kampung shops, especially in the afternoon heat after school, in flavours like coconut, sweet corn, yam and durian, with red bean as the classic. It is firmer and denser than scooped ice cream and melts slowly in the hand. There is no egg: the base is cornflour cooked into coconut milk and milk, with a little condensed milk. The cooked starch gives the bars their chewy, close bite and keeps them smooth because it ties up the water before it can form big crystals. Chef's tip: stir the half-frozen block once so the beans don't all sink; the common mistake is pouring and leaving it, which gives a bean-heavy bottom and a plain top.
- Total time
- 390 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the red beans
- 4 oz dried adzuki beanssoaked overnight
- 2 ⅛ oz sugar
For the ice-cream base
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 3 ½ oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 1 ¼ oz cornflour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pandan leaf (optional)knotted
Swap for corn
- 7 oz sweet corn kernels (optional)cooked, instead of the red beans
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Drain 4 oz dried adzuki beans, cover with 1 litre of fresh water in a pan and simmer over a medium-low heat for 60–75 minutes, until each bean crushes easily between your fingers.
70 minStep 2: Drain off most of the water, stir in 2 ⅛ oz sugar and cook for 5 more minutes until glossy. Cool.
5 minStep 3: Whisk 1 ¼ oz cornflour into 100 ml of the ½ cup full-fat milk until smooth.
1 minStep 4: Heat the rest of the ¾ cup full-fat milk with 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 3 ½ oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 ¾ oz sugar, ¼ tsp salt and 1 pandan leaf over a medium heat, stirring, until steaming.
5 minStep 5: Whisk in the slurry and stir for 4–5 minutes over a medium-low heat, until it is as thick as a pouring custard and coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pandan.
5 minStep 6: Cool for 30 minutes, then stir in the red beans (or the 7 oz sweet corn kernels for the corn flavour).
30 minStep 7: Pour into a 900 g loaf tin lined with cling film, cover and freeze for 90 minutes, until half set.
90 minStep 8: Stir once to spread the beans evenly, smooth the top and push in 10 wooden sticks in a row. Freeze for 3 hours more, until solid.
180 minStep 9: Lift out the block, peel off the film and cut between the sticks with a hot knife to make bars.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aiskrim potong (Malaysian red bean ice-cream bars) take?
- About 390 minutes in total: 300 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Apple & pear puree
A smooth, naturally sweet puree of gently stewed apple and pear, one of the first foods for babies of 4–8 months. The fruit cooks in a little unsweetened apple juice, so nothing else is needed. Serve it lukewarm; any leftover keeps covered in the fridge for a day, or freezes well in small pots.
Perfect for:Summer coolers