Summer Treat/Summer Cravings: The HALO-HALO

Summery Treat: THE PINOY HALO-HALO

halo-halo
photo credit: tumblr

Along with visiting several places during the summer vacation, there are a lot of things Pinoys look forward to—one of which is the various selection of food/desserts that are very famous during the summer season. One the the very famous “summer” dessert in the Philippines is the Halo-halo.

The name halo-halo was derived from the Tagalog word “halo” which means “to mix”. The name was particularly pertaining to the way this colourful, delicious dessert is eaten.

So what are the ingredients in making halo-halo? Halo-halo is composed of various ingredients that are all mixed together, along with shaved ice and evaporated milk. The most common ingredients used to make this dessert are gelatine(gulaman, usually red/green in color), tapioca pearls(sago), macapuno, sugar palm(kaong), flat rice crispies(pinipig), sweetened ripe jackfruit, sweetened ripe banana, coconut gel(nata de coco), ground toasted peanut, sweetened beans, and melon.

The ingredients are then placed in tall glasses with a few teaspoons of sugar(depending on your preference, sometimes depending on the generosity of the tindera). After all the ingredients are in place, shaved ice is then added. Evaporated milk is poured on top and it’s ready to be served. Special halo-halo, which is preferred by many is topped with flan de leche(leche flan) and ube halaya. Sometimes scoops of vanilla, ube, and mango-flavored ice-cream is added.

So how do we eat the halo-halo? Halo-halo is eaten using a spoon. The spoon is used to mix all the ingredients evenly. Because the serving is usually very full because of the shaved ice, the mixing could be challenging—that is why you have to gently stir the mixture. However, when the ice begins to melt stirring becomes easier.

We usually see vendors of this dessert in the side-streets. The ingredients are kept in glass jars and placed on top of a small wooden or plastic table and covered with a white cloth. Halo-halo has been made a part of the menu in some restaurants like Chowking and Razon’s which offer this dessert whole year round. Razon’s halo-halo is definitely a must-try for Filipinos. I don’t know how they make the ice very fine in texture compared to other halo-halo vendors.

Halo-halo from Razon's

The cost of halo-halo differs from where you purchase it. The side-street stalls sell their halo-halo for about 10-25php while restaurants like Razon’s sell their halo-halo for more or less 75php. Razon’s halo-halo also has less ingredients than the typical Pinoy halo-halo, consisting of only about 3-4 ingredients.