Halo Halo as a Fancy

elizavetaann196 (39)in #lifestyle • 8 years ago

It's summer and it's hot! What better way to cool down than with a generous serving of ice-cold Halo-halo?

Summers are never complete without these delectable all-Filipino treats. So a few weeks ago, I purchased an ice shaver specifically to be able to make halo-halo. A quick visit to the oriental store and presto, I have a halo-halo stand right in my fridge.

Halo-halo can be found just about everywhere in the Philippines. We almost take it for granted, and will eat it out of a bowl, a tall glass or even a plastic cup if need be. But serve it in a champagne flute and you've got the makings of a fancy dessert. Perfect after a nice summer meal.

It's really very simple to make. You see that stuff at the bottom? Those are all preserved sweets, out of a jar. You may be able to find jars already containing all the basic ingredients (sweet beans, macapuno , kaong, etc.). You may also add preserved fruits, boiled sweet bananas, leche flan, ice cream, pinipig (toasted rice), and so on. Basically, sweet stuff is what it's all about. The best halo-halo I've ever tasted had 12 ingredients, including ube and macapuno ice cream.

My concoction above was very simple. Two teaspoons of a halo-halo mixture, a teaspoon of sweet white beans, shaved ice packed into the glass, 1/4 to 1/3 cup of milk, and more ice on top of the milk. Top with half a teaspoon of ube halaya (jam made from purple yam) and a piece of sweetened jackfruit. Serve with a long-handled spoon.

If you've never had halo-halo before, the term literally means "mix mix", so you do need to mix everything up before eating. Do not eat it in layers!

I couldn't wait until after dinner to enjoy this:

You can still see the jar of sweet jackfruit there. I have quite a bit left so I'll be making many many glassfuls of halo-halo in the days to come!

Tags: Filipino dessert, Filipino food, Filipino snack, halo halo, Philippine cuisine, Philippine food, Philippines