Ais Kacang (ABC)

A mountain of finely shaved ice crowned with sweetened red beans, corn, attap palm seeds, cendol, grass jelly, and drenched in rose syrup and condensed milk, ais kacang is Malaysia's answer to the heat — a spectacular, almost architectural dessert construction that tastes even better than it looks. Each hawker centre has its own distinctive ratio of toppings, and the variations between a Penang ABC and a KL version generate genuine connoisseurship.