Unusual Food – Kacang Memet

Kacang Memet is another of those unusual ingredient combinations which on first hearing, is a tad unusual for those of us outside of Indonesia.

My previous post about Teh Telur (Tea with Egg) is another example.

Kacang Memet is a popular drink found in Palembang, in south Sumatra, Indonesia.

The local blogging community here, Wongkito, took me along to try this interesting concoction.

First of all, you have to find the guy who makes it.  His name is Memet.

If you ask a motorcycle taxi, or ojek, he will know Memet and take you to his street cart, which is shown below.

This guy has been around for decades, and his Kacang Memet, or Shaved Ice with Red Beans is a Palembang specialty, so you have to come here and try it.

Combining something used to keep your drink cold (ice) with something that you normally use for soup (red beans) sounds weird, but it’s a refreshing combination.

First of all, you have to shave the ice into a cooler box (or Esky for Australians, Chilly Bin for New Zealanders)

Add the red beans to the bottom of a large glass.

Scoop the Shaved Ice on top of the Red Beans.

Pour coconut juice and sweetened condensed milk over the top.

Yip yah!

You have Kacang Memet!

The beans taste quite sweet because they are boiled with sugar before use in the drink.

On a hot, humid day in Palembang, this drink went down in a few seconds!

There you go – now you know how to make Kacang Memet!

More Indonesian Food Stuff

Check out some more at Authentic Recipes from Indonesia.

Air Asia have helped me get to Indonesia to experience this awesome trip.  You can experience Indonesia as well by checking out their website.