Singapore is near the equator and has a tropical climate so it is often hot and humid all year round. To combat this, we have many drinks and desserts to lose the heat and stay cool. The drinks we have in Singapore are variations of drinks that could be consumed warm. Milo dinosaur, Milo Godzilla, Teh Tarik, Grass Jelly drink and Soya Bean Milk you name it and we have it!
As for warm drinks, the most common would be coffee or tea and in the coffeeshops/Kopitiams, coffee is referred to as Kopi and tea as Teh.
I rarely have Kopi or Teh in Singapore and personally I have no clue what's what except for the original Kopi and Teh of which, I tried the warm and Iced versions. However, I do have friends that are experts in this and have attempted to explain the differences to me... but my mind is like a sieve and as soon as it goes in through one ear, it comes out through the other.
On to the Iced drinks...
First up Milo!
For as long as I recall, Milo has always been a favourite among the old and young in Singapore; although the older generations prefer to have it warm and alongside their toasts while the younger generations often have ice cream and/or crushed oreo with it or just simply add ice to it. I have never met someone who doesn't like the taste of Milo so far.... it never fails to put a smile on everyone's faces.
The recipe to make a MIlo drink is really simple and isn't fixed, everyone is free to explore and make their own concoctions and the chances are that it would still turn out great.
My recipe for making awesome Milo is:
4 tbsps
|
Milo powder
|
2 tbsps
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sugar
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1 tbsp
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milk powder
|
I used to make Milo with milk powder until I found out that it could be substituted with condensed milk... from that point on, I didn't look back. Each time I made MIlo, I would reach for the condensed milk unless the pantry was out of it and I had to revert back to powdered milk. Moreover, using condensed milk means not having to add sugar as condensed milk is pretty sweet on its own.
Simple additions to the simple iced Milo gives it the extra oomph. That would be the Milo dinosaur and the Milo Godzilla
Milo Dinosaur
The recipe for making Milo Dinosaur is just adding more Milo powder on top of iced Milo. The Milo powder may seem insignificant but it does heaps to the drink. It gives texture to the drink and what's more satisfying than having Milo powder and the drink together.
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Milo Godzilla
The Milo Godzilla builds up on the Milo Dinosaur; kind of like an evolution of sorts.Milo Godzilla comprises of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream and Milo Dinosaur.
Teh Tarik
Teh Tarik is "pulled milk tea" that is made from black tea, evaporated milk and/or condensed milk. What gives the drink it's name is how it is prepared. The preparer pours the tea from one container to another and increasingly moves the containers further. The process is repeated several times and sometimes the Teh Tarik man would put up a show. The pulling of the tea makes it frothy.
To learn how to make Teh Tarik, click on this link:
http://ieatishootipost.sg/how-to-make-teh-tarik-as-much-as-you-would-need-to-know/
To watch how Teh Tarik man pull tea, click on this video.
or watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cvH8bCl14Y
Chin Chow/ Grass Jelly drink
Grass Jelly is made when stalks and leaves of Mesona Chinensis is boiled for several hours with starch and then cooled to get the jelly consistency. This jelly is cut into strips or cubes and used in many desserts or drinks. The grass jelly tastes bitter and is soaked in syrup to remove the bitterness. The grass jelly drink is refreshing and is perfect when the temperatures are rising. This drink is simple to make and the ingredients can be easily found in everywhere in Singapore.
The ingredients are:
7 tbsps
|
sugar
|
100ml
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hot water
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5 cups
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cold water
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1 packet(150g)
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Chin Chow in thin strips
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Soya Bean Milk
Soya Bean Milk is made by soaking dried soya beans for long periods of time and grinding them in water.
Soy milk is nutritious and has about the same amount of proteins as cow's milk. Vegetarians substitute animal proteins by drinking soya bean milk. Moreover, some people with allergies are unable to drink milk from cows and drink soya bean milk instead. Served cold or warm, cold soya bean milk is refreshing and could be consumed together with fried dough snacks like 5 spice chinese doughnuts and butterfly etc. Nowadays, there are many flavours of soya milk and they are... strawberry, chocolate, melon, vanilla and almond.
Thank you for reading.
-written by Claire
References:
Pictures
Recipe
Video
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