Penang "Michael Jackson" Drink

If you are a viewer of Discovery Travel & Living TV channel, you may remember chef and restaurateur Bobby Chinn, the host of World Café Asia series (in)famously kicked off his journey on the tropical island of Penang with a unique drink interestingly named "Michael Jackson" which is a mix of soya bean milk and grass jelly.

I grew up in Seremban (approximately 60km south of Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia. This soy bean milk and grass jelly drink brings back some childhood memories. The drink vendors used to sell by the road side, outside cinemas or schools on a mobile cart. The cart was usually full of huge transparent plastic tubs of different colourful drinks. One would be soy bean milk, one with grass jelly drinks and other cordial type of drinks. When you pointed at the soy bean milk and grass jelly followed by a yell of "CAMPUR" (Mix in Malay), they would scope up some sugar syrup, soy bean milk and grass jelly in a plastic bag, tied up with a straw dangling over it.

They didn't have a name for this drink during that time (perhaps 20-30 years ago). Not until Michael Jackson released his single titled "Black or White" from his "Dangerous Album" in the early 90s. The drink vendors from Penang started naming this drink "Michael Jackson". I have studied and worked in Penang for 8 years. I fondly recall the drink vendors in George Town shouting out to Western tourists, "Come and try the Michael Jackson drink!"

Penang "Michael Jackson" Drink Recipe

Ingredients

Canned Grass Jelly * (see note at bottom of post)
Sweeten soy bean milk, chilled in fridge

Method:

1. Drain and remove grass jelly from can. Dice jelly into small cubes.
2. Fill 1/4 of a glass with grass jelly cubes.
3. Top up the glass with chilled sweeten soy bean milk.
4. Now you have "Michael Jackson" drink on your hands, take a sip, sit back and enjoy his "Black or White" music video.

Note: You can find canned grass jelly at Asian grocery section of Woolworth or Cole Surpermarket in Australia. You can also find them in most Asian Grocery Stores.