Sunday, March 20, 2011

Halo-Halo



Spring is here! ... and yes, I'm back again.

You probably don't remember me anymore because I am the biggest slacker of all time, but I am hoping to correct that. I am making my resolution now, it's not to late to do so, is it? I will try to post as often as possible from here on. Cross my heart and... nope, I don't want to die, not yet anyway! Haha!

Well, spring in Miami is totally different than most cities in the US. For one, we don't really have an obvious change of seasons here as you probably know. It is hot here most of the time! Except for a few trees flowering during this time of the year, there's really not much difference from summer. Temperature is already in the 80's!

Which brings me to my post today. Halo-halo.

Halo-halo is the Filipino word for "mix". It is a traditional summer frozen dessert in the Philippines. For some reason, I have been craving for it these past few days... I blame it on the heat.


Halo-halo is very quick to prepare. It is really nothing but a melange of different fresh tropical fruits, cooked sweet beans with crushed ice, milk and sugar. It's a poor man's version of a shake, if I may say so.

But it's delightfully refreshing.



Above are the halo-halo that Mr. J and I enjoyed while lounging by the pool in a beach resort in Cebu, Philippines. The halo-halo was served in a young coconut shell which makes for a great presentation, and was perfect for Mr. J who loves coconut. As you can see, ice cream and chocolate fudge are added to the mix which made this particular halo-halo richer... and yummier! The whole mix was topped with a few corn flakes. Corn flakes??? Yes, the breakfast cereal! Sounds weird, huh? Maybe, but the flakes totally work, adding a crunchy texture to the whole concoction. Perfect.

You don't believe me? Well, I dare you. Try it and see for yourself.

You'll thank me later
.

Halo-Halo


Your choice of the following ingredients ( few or all of them)
1 ripe large banana
2 ripe or 1 canned mangoes
1 cup firm gelatin set into gel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup canned ripe jackfruit
1/2 cup sweet corn
1/4 cup sweetened beans, drained*
1 cup kaong or nata de cocos, drained*
1 cup young shredded coconut, fresh or canned
1 cup cooked sweet yams or (ube halaya) glutinous purple yam, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cup shaved ice
2 cup evap milk

Optional toppings:
4 scoops of favorite ice cream
drizzle of chocolate fudge
a small sliver or two of caramel (leche) flan
1/2 cup chopped peanuts, rice krispies, or corn flakes

1. To assemble - layer your fruits in a bowl or tall glass.
2. Top with crushed ice.
3. Pour milk over ice.
4. Then top with topping of choice.
5. Garnish with corn flakes and maraschino cherries.
*Available in Asian markets / groceries.

10 comments:

Megan said...

Perfect in a hot weather... so yummy

Tina (PinayInTexas) said...

glad to see a new post from you!
Hmmmm...I love halo-halo!

Daksha said...

Wow! purple, red , piech all color in one dish good for spring summar nice post.

Cooking Contests said...

This looks so good! And really quick and easy. Do you know where I can find jackfruit? I've been seeing things about that recently. I've never heard of it before and I'm very curious!
~Nancy Lewis~

Jescel said...

Hi Nancy.. thank you for dropping by my blog. Jackfruit is not so common here in the US, but you may find it in some Asian groceries. You can either get them already in bottle (preserved) or fresh.

While I love eating the fruit fresh, for Halo-halo though, I much prefer the preserved form.

Let me know if you find jackfruit and how you like it :o)

Pinx said...

hi Jes.. thanks for liking my post in one of my blogs... i wish you all the best in your endeavor! soon, you'll be a restaurateur in God's time. love your food blog. i want to have a food blog too but i don't cook that often now. i rely on our nanny to cook for our lunch and dinner... hehehe... kutob ra ko take photos sa food... hehehe...

Olive said...

oh, yum! I LOVE halo-halo!! It's the best summer treat ever! :D

Have a nice day, you two! :)

Unknown said...

woww. i've never tried halo halo in a coconut before. a fantastic idea!

grace said...

welcome back! your name is so awesome and memorable, of course i remember you! great dish with which to come back, too--it's unique and easy and oh-so-delicious!

easyfoodsmith said...

Yum! That is looking irresistible!