Growing up attending a Chinese primary school, opportunities to worship at the Milo truck altar were few. We did not have Sports Days (lack of space, you see), and as the Milo truck came on random days or Children’s Day celebrations, we never knew when it would appear. 

But when the day comes, the ancient school intercom would crackle to life, a teacher would announce the arrival of the Milo truck, and it would be like Christmas came early. The bright green truck would dispense hundreds of extremely cold, sweet, foam-topped, chocolatey drinks. I also have a vague memory of a teacher ‘tapau-ing’ the drink in large containers.

Fast forward to present day, lockdown-induced doom-scrolling led me to discover that the Internet claims to have broken the code to the Milo truck recipe, and I decided to check-in with a friend in food research at Nestle for additional tips. She was cryptic about it, but one piece of advice, among others was ‘add lots of milk.’

Armed with my newfound knowledge and feeling like I was about to commit corporate espionage, I set out to recreate the classic Milo truck drink at home.

Recipe 1

Source: asiaone adapted this from a social media user who observed a Milo truck employee at work. 

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 tsp condensed milk
• 2 tsp evaporated milk
• 2 heaped tbsp Milo powder
• 175ml cup hot water
• Ice 

Instructions

• Put condensed milk, evaporated milk, and Milo powder in a cup.
• Pour in hot water and mix well.
• Add ice.

Verdict: It was very sweet, a touch too milky, and the drink needed more time to chill. It was actually very similar to what we had growing up, but something was missing. As the recipe was adjusted from the massive proportions from what a Milo truck would use, it was a pretty solid recipe already. We’ve already cracked the ‘what’, but what’s more important is the ‘how’. 

Recipe 2

In my research, I came across this piece from snookay which emphasised on stirring briskly as the hot water is poured in the Milo mixture, which could be key to unlocking the slightly foamy texture of the drink. Well, I took that a step further.

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 tsp condensed milk
• 2 tsp evaporated milk
• 2 heaped tbsp Milo powder
• 175ml cup hot water
• Ice
• Special equipment: Bubble tea shaker

Instructions: 

• Put condensed milk, evaporated milk and Milo powder in a cup.
• Add hot water, stirring briskly as you pour. 
• Add ice as needed.
• Pour mixture into bubble tea shaker and shake for 3 minutes.
• Serve in small paper cups over ice
• Optional: refrigerate the drink for 1 hour before shaking and serving over ice
  

Verdict: Aaaaah. This was it. Hitting the right notes, the perfect Milo truck concoction. The basic ingredients can be adjusted to your personal preference for sweetness and milkiness, but using the shaker allows us to cool the drink quickly and adds a deliciously foamy texture. Serving it in a paper cup just adds to the experience of feeling like an eight-year-old again, queuing under the sun for a shot of ice-cold liquid chocolate. 

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Based in Shah Alam, Joyce Koh is a sporadic writer and champion of Klang kopitiams.