A Halo-Halo Afternoon

Halo-halo is a popular Filipino dessert that is an icy, creamy concoction of assorted sweets served in a tall glass with a spoonful of ice cream on top. It is a popular summer cooler during the hot months (March-June) in the Philippines. Halo-halo is a Filipino term which literally means “mix-mix.” In a tropical country, such as the Philippines, halo-halo naturally became a Filipino choice of year-round dessert and merienda (late afternoon snack).

The rich layers of sweetened ingredients filled in a glass of halo-halo usually consist of red beans, macapuno (sweet coconut), bananas, jackfruit, nata de coco, tapioca (sago), kaong (sugar palm fruit), and toasted pinipig (dried glutinous rice). These layers are capped with shaved ice, poured with evaporated milk (condensed milk or evaporated milk is used instead of fresh milk, due to the tropical climate of the Philippines), sugared, and then topped with a scoop of ice cream.

Today,no specific ingredients are used in halo-halo. Each layer of halo-halo is added as desired, except for the shaved iced which is traditionally added after the last layer of sweet ingredients is set. While some preparations have sweet potatoes, sweetened corn kernels, and gelatin, other halo-halo have additional fills of tropical fruits like mangoes, papayas, and avocados. Aside from ice cream, some halo-halo also have halayang ube, leche flan, and pinipig as toppings.

In terms of arrangement, most of the ingredients (fruits, beans, and other sweets) are first placed inside the tall glass, followed by the shaved ice. This is then sprinkled with sugar, and topped with either (or a combination of) leche flan, ube halaya, or ice cream. Condensed or evaporated milk is poured into the mixture upon serving.

Traditionally, halo-halo is eaten using a spoon after the ingredients are completely mixed. Then, the liquid mixture of milk, sugar, melted ice, and ice cream is drank straight up from the glass.

Traditional Halo Halo Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sweet jack fruit (cut it into small pieces)

1 tablespoon preserved macapuno strips

1 tablespoon preserved ube (purple yam)

1 tablespoon canned corn

1 tablespoon preserved palm fruit

1 tablespoon nata de coco

1 tablespoon preserved beans

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 pint ice cream (your choice of flavor)

Preparation:

Place all ingredients (except milk and ice cream) in a tall glass with wide opening. Fill with shaved ice and pour the milk over it. Top with ice cream and garnish with cherry. Eat it by mixing everything or you can eat the ice cream first before mixing. Be sure to get to the bottom of the glass.

NOTE: All the ingredients are available in Oriental stores.

The dessert truly exemplifies the “east-meets-west” culture of the Filipinos, with the ingredients used coming from a wide variety of influences (to cite some examples: red mung beans which are from the Chinese, garbanzos from the Indians, leche flan from the Spaniards, and shaved ice itself, which was introduced to the islands by the Americans.

If you are new to Filipino foods then give this one a try as an afternoon treat. If you are Filipino, re-acquaint yourself to one of our most famous and delicious treats.

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Technorati Tags: Filipino Recipes, Filipino Traditions, Halo-Halo Recipes, Pinoy Lifestyles Recipes, Pinoy Pride