WHEN I was in secondary school, come Chinese New Year my family will go up to Taiping from Ipoh and celebrate the festive occasion with my paternal grandmother.
The man who could count on us was the cendol man. He parked his stall outside a mamak restaurant.
My cousins and I used to pay 40 sen for a bowl in the 1960s.
My younger cousin had a dislike for the “green stuff” so he almost always said cendol sikit, ais banyak (more ice and less ingredients).
That was just fine with the cendol man as the price was the same.
It was also walking distance from the Taiping railway station, and so many people knew about this cendol man and became his regulars.
This Chinese New Year cendol ritual continued for decades until my grandmother passed away 18 years ago. But I have not forgotten the hawker or his cendol.
business at the same place but it was no longer under the big tree.
It moved into a building behind it and is called Restoran Ansari Famous Chendol.
The business is now in its third generation of Abdul Kader, the original cendol man, who emigrated from India. Abdul Kader started selling cendol in the 1940s.
His stall was located along Taiping’s Main Road (now called Jalan Taming Sari) behind a restaurant called Bismillah. Consequently, it was nicknamed Bismillah cendol.
Before the Second World War, a bowl of Bismillah cendol cost between one and three sen.
When Abdul Kader was too old to carry on, his son Abdul Rahman took over.
Business continued to flourish. There were always people who were hankering for a bowl of ice-shavings sweetened by brown sugar or gula Melaka as the locals called it, mixed with cendol (green noodles), red beans and coconut milk.
If you prefer, pulut (glutinous rice) is another option.
The family recipe wasn’t a big secret or complicated. The trick was to mix the right portions of each ingredient.
The decades passed rather quickly. Abdul Rahman too called it a day. His two sons have since taken over the family business.
Ansari is the name of the older boy. His brother Ibrahim is the co-partner.
The cendol business in Barrack Road forged ahead without missing a step, even though there are other stalls in Taiping.
The Ansari cendol is reportedly the oldest cendol family in town. They have been in business for nearly 70 years.
Prices for the variations of cendol begin at RM1.10 for the ordinary bowl to the top bowl with red bean and glutinous rice cendol at RM1.60.
Of course, there is also pasembor sold by a separate stall in the restaurant. For RM2.60, you can have your plate of pasembor and a bowl of Ansari cendol to wash it down.
The Taiping Ansari cendol has become a tourist attraction of late. Even the Taiping Tourism Office has given due recognition to its popularity.
There are eight to 10 tables but the flow of customers is constant, so business is good.
There’s a distinct richness to the taste of Ansari cendol.
Personally, I prefer “everything” and that means, red beans and pulut.
Decades ago, everything was done manually but these days even the ice-grinder is automated.
No more labour is involved except in lifting the ladle to scoop the brown sugar and cendol into each bowl.
Ansari chendol is at 92, Jalan Barrack. It operates from 10.30am to 6.30pm.
Five framed news articles about this well known cendol stall on the restaurant wall gives due recognition to its status.
The clientele too is a good mix of people from all walks of life.
Ansari cendol which began as Bismillah cendol will continue to cruise on its prosperous track in that quiet Taiping corner in years to come.
The constant stream of customers even way past lunch time is proof that this cendol stall may well enjoy better days ahead.
Read more: The ‘cendol’ that made Taiping famous http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/The__8216_cendol__8217_thatmadeTaipingfamous/Article/#ixzz1EB1xyM49
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