Little tubes of flavored ice in plastic casings are a fond memory of my past. You see I was a very willful child. I would do whatever I want, when I pleased. I'd like to think that there's a fine line between being a spoiled little brat and just knowing what you want. Roadside es lilin is something that I always want. And something that my parents would never let me eat because of the array of artificial coloring and flavor enhancers the vendors put in them.
So whenever I came home from school, I'd make a pit stop and purchase a few tubes of brightly colored sticks using the lunch money I deliberately set aside and devour them before I'd get home. I was always very careful to not let it dribble lest it become evidence of my misconduct. And so continued this little secret where tens of sticks were consumed until one fateful day I bought a too-soft, astonishingly red, strawberry flavored es lilin. As I ripped the little corner with my teeth, out came the crimson water, tainting my white uniform shirt the same color. I walked home with my head hung low, knowing full well the consequences that awaits.
My mother yelled, shook her head, then yelled some more. My dad also shook his head, but there was no yelling. Instead he went out of the house and didn't come back until about an hour later. I was in my room and by the time I came out for dinner, he called me to come near the freezer. He opened it and I was shocked when I saw what was inside. Tubes and tubes of es lilin. But not the kind sold by the street side vendors, with their shockingly bright colors and artificial flavors that are sometimes too sweet, too sour and always ends with a touch of bitterness, no. He went out to buy the plastic wrappers and filled some with chocolate milk, some with mung bean porridge (my favorite to this day), and some with shredded cucumber in sugar water.
He says that it's sometimes okay to give in to whims or do what you please, so long as you take care not to do yourself harm. I agree. I think I'll always agree with most of what he says.
There really is no recipe to this. If you can get your hands on them, get some individual plastic casings measuring 3-4cm by 10cm and fill it with whatever you want.
A mixture of tapioca pearls, condensed milk and raspberry syrup.
Some diced melon and papaya in lychee syrup
Fill each casings about 2/3 up using a funnel and twist the end before tying to a knot. Put them in a bowl and freeze for a few hours before serving.