Dec

Penang Hawker Food – Window Sherbet (Ais Tingkap)

Posted by: CK Lam in Drinks, Georgetown, Hawker, Penang

In Penang we always go for ice kacang and cendol as our desert. Recently, I have posted coconut jelly in my blog and it created awareness among my readers. I just got to know through Ken of Foodpoi of a fantastic dessert drink that is no so well publicized. It is know as ‘Ais Tingkap’ or ‘Window Sherbet’ because the chilled sherbet drink was sold over the window when it first started in Penang. It is a sweet red colour flavored (rose essence) drink chilled with fine shaved ice served in chilled glass with pieces of coconut flesh.

Preparation of Ais Tingkap

First, the chilled glass was filled with fine shaved ice and white sugar syrup. The shaved ice causes the drink to have a frosted effect on the glass.

Then a spoonful of getah anggur (olibanum gum resin from tree bark), rose essence and biji selasih (basil seeds) are added in. The basil seed when soak will expand into tadpole like eggs which has a translucent gel covering a crunchy seed.

It is then topped up with pieces of coconut flesh and coconut water. The final ingredients of fragrant herbs and root mixture are added in using a spray.

Finally, the mixture is then vigorously ‘stirred but not shaken’. The result is a cool refreshing glass of Ais Tingkap serve over the ‘window’.

We were told that this drink was created in the late 1920′s. Over the years, this drink has undergone some changes. In the olden days, they used twenty-five different herbs and ingredients whereas now they only uses a few.

This hawker stall is located in Tamil Street/Penang Road (beside Chowrasta Market). It is closed on Sunday. This glass of Ais Tingkap which cost RM1.50 is a nice complement with all the snacks that are sold around there. Click here for the Map Location.

***It came to my attention that those of you who uses Internet Explorer browser had difficulty assessing my website for the past few days. The problem has been rectified but the original post and all the comments on this Ais Tingkap were lost during the restoration. I apologise for all the inconvenience caused and also thank you to all of you for your support and also to those who informed me about the glitch.***

Tags: Anggur, Array, Basil Seed, Biji Selasih, Blog, Cendol, Coconut Flesh, Coconut Water, Desert, Dessert, Food In Penang, Fragrant Herbs, Gum Resin, Hawker Stall, Ice Kacang, Internet Explorer Browser, Penang Hawker Food, Penang Road, Red Colour, Red Rose, Refreshing Glass, Rm1, Shaved Ice, Sherbet, Sugar Syrup, Tingkap, White Sugar

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 11:27 am and is filed under Drinks, Georgetown, Hawker, Penang. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

15 comments so far

J2Kfm

i was one who had problems reading ur post.

this was posted by Cokeworld Citizen. one of her fav as well. haha …

somehow escaped me everytime i go there. alwiz went for cendol only

J2Kfm´s last blog post..Got Me Sayin’ ICHIBAN-desu !!! (Ichiban Boshi @ Pavilion, KL)

December 16th, 2008 at 1:59 pm

little inbox

I don’t realise there’s ais tingkap all this while. I gain knowledge from here.

little inbox´s last blog post.."Kampung" Chicken Soup With Mee Suah

December 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

CK Lam

J2kfm – Pai Seh for the inconvenience…glad you came by again. Only managed to taste this drink after the second visit but worth the travel.

Little Inbox – Everyone of us gain some knowledge from each other blog … that’s the good part of sharing Do go and try this drink.

December 16th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

Selba

So glad that the problem in your blog has been rectified.

The drink was created in the 1920s? Wow… looks so good but how come it isn’t that famous like ais kacang?

Selba´s last blog post..Manado Food

December 16th, 2008 at 3:48 pm

bigboysoven

WOW! this is true, very unique kind of thirst killing drink! so lovely so delicious! I will defintely be there the next visit to Penang!

bigboysoven´s last blog post..

December 16th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

Sweet Jasmine

Hurray,finally the site is back!

This is some special dessert that is worth trying.

Sweet Jasmine´s last blog post..A Not Too Spicy Fish Curry……

December 16th, 2008 at 9:42 pm

squall

ais tingkap…sound intresting…i wan go to try it out…^^

squall´s last blog post..Avanti, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa MIGF dinner

December 16th, 2008 at 10:00 pm

It is always better to use Firefox than IE to surf net. Faster and less probs. Glad that u had solved your glitch.

This drink is new to me. Sounds and looks delicious!

lk´s last blog post..Fen ge herbal soup (?????)

December 16th, 2008 at 11:31 pm

CK Lam

Selba – I am not too sure… as you know, everyone of us has our liking and dislikes. Thanks for informing me abt my blog problem.

Bigboysoven – This is a must try drink…we can go together when you visit Penang.

Sweet Jasmine – This drink is indeed special…nice of you for revisiting this post

Squall – The name already sound special, so is the drink itself.

lk – Thanks for having the dinner with me, it was wonderful meeting you. Do try out this special drink before you leave.

December 18th, 2008 at 10:10 am

Jian

hohoho you finally went to the stall eh? Suppose to be another guy tho when I went there. Now more ppl know about Ais Tingkap

Jian´s last blog post..Wan Tao Loong Jelly Dessert

December 20th, 2008 at 10:53 pm

CK Lam

Jian – You also did a wonderful post on this place.

December 23rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm

Jian

Haha thanks. We are Penangnites mar…must support support lah.

Jian´s last blog post..RM2 Affair

December 24th, 2008 at 3:07 am

IVAN

I round a few rounds over there to find that stall but when i reached its closed…only to remember it is closed on Sunday…haha… will go again on other day to try this…:)

December 24th, 2008 at 11:11 am

CK Lam

Jian – Very spotty of you.

Ivan – Hope you like the taste of this drink.

December 24th, 2008 at 12:02 pm

Chen

Yeah, the ais tingkap is nice. Had it several times in this particular stall. And so is the teh halia next door too.

Chen´s last blog post..Happy 4th Blogiversary

April 26th, 2009 at 10:25 am

2 Trackbacks/Pings

Jawa Mutton Satay @ Chowrasta Market Penang | What2See : Best of Penang Food! Apr 19 2009 / 5pm:

[...] Satay, originally a Malay cuisine, has been fusioned and adapted by many races, as the idea of meat on the stick has been appealing since the early days. In Malaysia, the more popular type of skewered meat would be the chicken and beef. We came across this satay stall specializing in Satay Kambing (mutton satay) during my revisit for the cooling glass of Ais Tingkap. [...]
Penang Local Food List Penang Deli Mar 31 2010 / 12pm:

[...] Sherbet) Address: Tamil Street/Penang Road Business Hours: 12pm – 8pm Closed On: Sunday http://www.what2seeonline.com/2008/12/penang-hawker-food-window-sherbet-ais-tingkap/ http://www.penangtuapui.com/2009/02/desserts-ais-tingkap-window-sherbet/ [...]

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Armed with a camera and a huge appetite, this food writer & her family travel around looking for the best food and events & happily sharing all the good eats with you in this Penang Food Blog