It’s Marvelous what Milo Can Do For You

Entering the world of Milo – a beloved malted drink that’s an essential backdrop to so many childhoods around the world. For My Recipes, September 2018

Children in Malaysia and Singapore know that dinosaurs still roam the streets. So does Godzilla. From within kopitiams (coffee houses), mobile vendors and vans parked outside schools, these delicious monsters emerge. Ice-cold, milk chocolate-colored Milo drinks are the after-school quenchers of choice, many locals say. The whimsically named ‘dinosaur’ is made with a generous heap of dissolved granules, condensed milk, water and ice and a mound of grainy granules on top. In the case of the Godzilla, whipped cream or ice cream smother Mount Milo.

But what is Milo, ye who grew up in the United States, or swathes of malt-less European territories, may ask? From your palsin Australia, New Zealand, parts of Asia, West and southern Africa and countries in South America like Colombia or Peru, let’s start with a little Milo 101. It’s brown but not chocolate, it’s good for a boost if you’re an active six-year-old but an equally lovely adult bevvy to snuggle with on cold nights before bedtime (try it with a shot of Kahlua). It is not a guaranteed smooth ride. Those with textural issues may have to opt out because when prepared with cold milk, the rough granules bob to the surface defiantly. Even with hot milk or hot water, a few errant nubs float about. So what is it made of? According to Nestlé, the manufacturer: malted barley, sugar, cocoa and milk powder with seven added vitamins and minerals, including iron, Vitamin C, calcium and Vitamins B1 and B2.

Tins have over the years remained faithfully, reassuringly, deep green, somewhere between a pine tree and an Eastern green mambasnake (don’t click if you haveophidiophobia), adorned with an energetic sport-playing cartoon boy, usually a footballer. Punted as a drink that gives you energy, Milo was named after the Olympian wrestler Milo of Croton who was envied for his brute strength, having won a dizzying six Olympic events in the 6^thCentury B.C. The original Milo was rumored to drape a bull on his shoulders like you would a shawl, and roam about for hours a day as practice. Myths and legends aside, our folks doled out the morning Milo like it was an easy-chew vitamin.

Australian Nestlé food scientist Thomas Mayne developed this versatile drink in 1934, to be prepared with either hot or cold water or milk. The core market was undernourished children growing up during the Great Depression. It’s said that Mayne drank a glass of Milo until he died at age 93.

For us kids Milo was both mandatory consumption and a luxury. Many of our families used to serve it for its purported essential vitamins and minerals, but today’s parents, occupying an anti food pyramid/carbs-are-the-devil world may balk at the sugar content. A controversial video that went viral this year shows the Malaysian-manufactured Milo contains 40 per cent sugar and one serving equals the total daily sugar allowance recommended for an adult by the World Health Organization.

In our home, for reasons of economy, my mother was thrifty with her Milo spoon and used an austere combination of hot water and a splash of hot milk. Performing poorly with dairy anyway, it became my brother’s elixir of choice right through university, with our parents sending him a supply along with snacks and provisions. Author Rachel Khong recounts in a Bon Appétit article how her Malaysian parents would stuff their suitcases with tins of Milo on visits every few years, the drink acting like a bridge between their lives, old and new.

My Indonesian colleague Tika Larasati has a friend send her Milo sachets to Glasgow where she lives now. Sharing memories about Milo, my friend Liezel Vermeulen points out the difference between a regular spoonful and a spoonful[cute illustration],while London chef Linda Galloway adds that the best way to enjoy it is “with a teaspoon straight from the tin. [It’s] dry and gravelly at first and then it comes together like mud in your mouth.” Several other friends mention the virtue of Milo eaten directly from the can. I put it to the test a few weeks ago – the granules dissolve slowly like sweet cloying cement, coating my mouth thickly. I need a jug of ice-cold water after that.

Compared to the hot drinks we sipped on as kids, today’s world of Milo appears to be exhaustive, gourmet even: chocolate bars, cereal, packaged cold drinks, cakes [this is a cool picture], brownies, Milo spread on soft white bread with condensed milk, Milo, sprinkled on ice cream or on smashed avocado, Milo cookies, energy balls and even this fantastic Milo ice ball – a mound of ice slathered in thick, velvety Milo sauce [this is a cool video],and topped with a handful of the delicious granules.

I do wish we knew about the Malaysian preference for an extravagant grainy mound on top of the drink, when I was a child, instead of the manic stir-stir-stir we desperately executed trying to get the bits to disintegrate. I imagine licking a lavish spoonful of granules without hiding in corner, would have made our childhood ditty: “It’s marvelous what Milo can do for you!” all the sweeter.

 

RECIPE: INDULGENT ICE COLD MILO

MAKES 1 glass

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) Milo, plus extra for serving

60 ml hot water, or enough to dissolve grains

80 ml condensed milk

200 ml cold milk (full cream, or as you prefer)

4-6 ice cubes (more if you prefer)

a few tablespoons whipped cream or a scoop of chocolate ice cream

Method

1. In a mixing jug or large mug, dissolve the Milo with the hot water, stirring well until it becomes a smooth paste. Add condensed milk and stir. Top with cold milk and mix well.
2. Fill a serving glass with ice cubes and top with the mixture. Spoon whipped cream or ice cream over and top with a large serving of the granules. Serve with a spoon to enjoy the malty Milo bits.

 

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