Love old-school snacks? Taiwan's beloved peanut ice-cream roll now in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Fans of Taiwanese desserts, there's now one more Taiwanese delicacy for you to indulge in without having to fly out of the country: the famous peanut ice-cream roll (hua sheng juan bing qi lin).

It is the first time the dessert, an old-school delicacy from Yilan County in Taiwan and a common sight at Taiwanese night markets, is being sold in Singapore. The snack, which resembles a 'popiah' spring roll, is made by wrapping ice-cream, peanut candy shavings and a sprinkling of coriander in a flour crepe.

To recreate the original flavour of the dessert, homegrown dessert chain Dessert Story specially imports huge blocks of peanut candy directly from Taiwan. The blocks weigh 25kg each, and are the size of old-school television sets.

Currently, two ice-cream flavours are available - coconut and yam. One wrap comes with three scoops of ice-cream, and each wrap is priced at $3.50.

Read also: Fans willing to travel to Taiwan to see pretty ice cream girl

If you've never tried the peanut ice-cream roll before, the ingredients of the dessert appear to clash with each other, both in texture and in flavour. However, a bite into the roll reveals otherwise.

The peanut candy is shaved so finely that it melts into the smoothness of the ice-cream. The chewiness of the flour crepe and the herbal taste of coriander go well together, and leaves us wanting more.

The coconut-flavoured ice-cream is light and refreshing, while the yam-flavoured version is sweet but not overwhelmingly so.

Besides the peanut ice-cream roll, Dessert Story is also rolling out Duo Snow Ice ($5.90), another fan favourite at Taiwanese night markets.

Currently available in two flavours - strawberry yoghurt with nata de coco, and mango and coconut with mango cubes - this shaved ice dessert is a perfect pick-me-up for those seeking respite from the heat.

Both these desserts are available at all Dessert Story outlets from Monday, April 3, 2017.

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pariel@sph.com.sg