Filipino Halo-Halo

My introduction to halo-halo came during a sweltering summer visit to my Filipino friend’s family celebration. Watching her grandmother methodically layer the colorful ingredients before drowning them in shaved ice and evaporated milk was like observing an artist at work. The first spoonful – a perfect mix of sweet, creamy, and refreshing textures – was a revelation.

This simplified version was born from necessity when ingredients were hard to find, but the essence remains. Each time I prepare it, I remember her grandmother’s hands carefully assembling each glass, and how she nodded approvingly at my wide-eyed delight after my first taste of this remarkable treat.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shaved ice
• 1/4 cup sweetened red beans (adzuki)
• 1/4 cup coconut gel (nata de coco), drained
• 1/4 cup sweet palm fruit (kaong), drained
• 1/4 cup sweet potato, boiled and cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup jackfruit, sliced
• 1/4 cup plantains, sautéed in brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons tapioca pearls, cooked
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 scoop ube (purple yam) ice cream
• 2 tablespoons rice krispies or corn flakes

Instructions:

1. Cook tapioca pearls according to package directions, then cool
2. Prepare or gather all other ingredients and arrange in separate bowls
3. In a blender, crush ice until fine and fluffy
4. In tall glasses, layer beans, coconut gel, palm fruit, sweet potato, jackfruit, and plantains
5. Top with shaved ice, mounding slightly
6. Drizzle with condensed and evaporated milks
7. Top each glass with a scoop of ube ice cream
8. Sprinkle with rice krispies or corn flakes
9. Serve immediately with long spoons
10. Mix everything together before eating (halo-halo means “mix-mix”)