Halo-Halo: Philippines' Sweetest Export

Ask a non-Filipino about their preferred Pinoy dish, and you'll likely hear the usual favorites—Adobo or Lumpia. But there's another sleeper hit waiting for its moment to win over the Western palate: the colorful dessert known as Halo-Halo.

Halo-Halo translates to mix-mix in Filipino, and once you have one in your hand, you'll understand why. It's a tumbler filled with various ingredients, including purple yam, banana, coconut, creme caramel, condensed milk, and ice cream layered on top of shaved ice. This glassful of sweet treats may not look like any other dessert in the West, but it's pretty easy for anyone to imagine how it tastes: DELICIOUS!

It's widely believed that Japanese-Filipinos first developed halo-halo between the 1920s and 30s. Based on the famous Kakigori, the first iteration of the frozen treat consisted of shaved ice, flavored with condensed milk and syrup. But instead of using Azuki beans as garnish, they used the locally abundant mung beans to make it. Eventually, people added other ingredients to it until it evolved into the well-loved dessert it is today.

Halo-Halo Garnishes

Since the Halo-Halo literally overflows with sweet garnishes, eating without spilling everything requires skill. You'll need to carefully drive your spoon into the shaved ice until you reach the bottom of the glass. You then start churning until the ice caves in, and the ingredients blend with the slush.

Once you mix your dessert, eating it is pretty straightforward. You scoop a small pile of ice and Halo-Halo's savory victuals from the glass, deliver them into your mouth, and relish a spectrum of flavors that changes every time you chew.

Although you can occasionally find halo-halo at some stores and restaurants, you can usually buy the best options at dedicated halo-halo stalls--the Filipino version of the American soda shop and ice cream parlor combined.

Of course, you can also make it at home, and we'll show you how easy it is to do:

Ingredients:

Halo-Halo is so popular that you can buy batches of these ingredients in Filipino and Asian stores. If you see a jar with Halo-Halo written on it, put it in your shopping cart immediately!

• Crushed ice

• Evaporated milk

• Ice cream

• Whole corn kernels

• Kaong

• Macapuno

• Garbanzos

• Rice crispies

• Coconut gel

• Sweetened plantains

• Sweetened jackfruit

• Purple yam

• Creme Caramel

• 1 can of evaporated milk

• Brown sugar

  
  

Instructions:

With more than a dozen ingredients, Halo-Halo may seem intimidating to make. But the process is quite straightforward:

1. Pour your first batch of ingredients into the bottom of the glass. It could be anything you fancy putting in. In our case, we poured corn kernels and Garbanzo beans first.

2. Add a layer of shaved ice on top your first batch of ingredients.

3. Keep building alternate layers of ice and garnish until the glass is packed to the brim. You can then top your dessert with a small mound of shaved ice.

4. Sprinkle the toppings to your Halo-Halo. These vary greatly, but the most typical options include purple yam, sweetened Saba plantains, rice crispies, ice cream, and creme caramel.

5. Pour condensed milk on your Halo-Halo, let it trickle down the glass, and enjoy.