FAMOUS PINOY DESSERT (PANGHIMAGAS)

Halo-Halo

Halo-halo is one of my favorite summertime desserts.The refreshing dish layers shaved ice and condensed milk on top of all sorts of ingredients for an end result that packs in lots of contrasting textures, from chewy to crunchy, creamy to sticky. While components vary, you'll find some common add-ins at most halo-halo carts and bars: jellies, flan, macapuno, palm seeds, sweetened red beans, shaved ice, ube ice cream, fresh fruit, toasted coconut flakes, pinipig. My version uses mango jelly with fresh fruit set into it as well as pandan-infused sweetened condensed milk.

The words “halo-halo” translate to “mix-mix” because before you eat the treat, you mix everything up. And while shaved ice is essential, the mix-ins are really the stars here. Ranging from creamy to chewy to gelatinous and even crunchy, the textural contrasts are what make this treat so much fun to eat.

My Favorite Halo-Halo Ingredients

Minatamis na saging (bananas in syrup):

which are saba bananas cooked in a caramel syrup. They add shaved ice, evaporated milk, and macapuno (or coconut sport), then top the halo-halo with a couple of pieces of leche flan. Their halo-halo is famous in the Philippines. In my version, I add small tapioca pearls to the sweet bananas.

Macapuno

Also known as gelatinous mutant coconut, macapuno is chewy, soft coconut meat with a jelly-like texture. It adds coconut flavor and coconut texture to the dessert.

Milk mixture

I bring in the flavors of leche flan by using a milk mixture made of coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. For a vegan version, you can use coconut-based evaporated and condensed milk or omit all together.

Ube halaya:

Some versions of halo-halo will include ube, or purple yam, whether that’s in ice cream form or by using ube halaya (purple yam jam). Ube is a popular ingredient in Filipino desserts. I use ube halaya because I felt it was easier to source than ube ice cream.

Coconut ice cream:

If you can’t find ube ice cream, I recommend using an ice cream with a flavor profile that pairs well with tropical flavors. The ice cream brings creamy, milky textures to the dessert and it’s delicious once things begin to melt and combine in the glass. In this recipe, I use coconut ice cream, but you could also try mango sorbet or vanilla ice cream. Need a vegan option? Vegan coconut ice cream would work well here, too. As long as the ice cream complements the rest of ingredients, you’ll be fine.

Jackfruit:

Jackfruit (nangka in Tagalog) is a fruit native to South Asia that can be eaten in both unripened and ripened form. The unripened form is used in savory cooking and has been used as a faux-meat alternative. The ripened version is used in sweet form. Here, I add chopped canned jackfruit in syrup. The jackfruit is delicious but also has a lightly firm texture that plays with the palate.

Nata de coco:

This coconut water gel has a firm gelatinous texture that I love. It is sometimes scented with flavors or food coloring; however, they do make a dye-free version, if you happen to be dye-sensitive, like me. For me, it’s not halo-halo without jackfruit and nata de coco. Those textures are essential to my halo-halo experience.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!