Halo Halo
The Philippines' rainbow shaved ice: layers of sweet beans, jellies, leche flan and purple yam ice cream under a drift of ice and evaporated milk. Halo halo means mix mix, so mix it.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Halo Halo, in 5 ideas
- Halo halo is an architecture of contrasts. Crunchy ice, chewy jellies, creamy flan, and the purple crown of ube ice cream.
- The ice must be shaved. Not crushed, so it melts into the milk like snow instead of rattling like gravel.
- Every layer is sweet in its own way. So balance is built by portion, a spoon of each rather than a flood of any one.
- Leche flan on top is the classic finish in the great halo halo shops. A perfect little custard is worth the small effort.
- Mixing is the ritual. Dig to the bottom and fold it all together until the glass turns lavender and chaotic, then eat fast before it melts.
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 cups shaved ice
- 1 cup sweetened red beans
- 1 cup sweetened chickpeas or white beans
- 1 cup nata de coco (coconut gel), drained
- 1 cup kaong (palm fruit), drained
- 1 banana, saba if possible, cooked in syrup and sliced
- 1 cup macapuno or young coconut strips
- 1/2 cup leche flan, cut in pieces
- 4 scoops ube (purple yam) ice cream
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- Toasted pinipig or rice crispies, to finish
How to make it
Method
Chill four tall glasses. Divide the beans, chickpeas, nata de coco, kaong, banana and macapuno among them in colorful layers.
Fill each glass to the top with shaved ice, mounding it slightly.
Pour the evaporated milk slowly over the ice so it trickles down through the layers.
Crown each glass with leche flan pieces and a scoop of ube ice cream.
Scatter pinipig over the top for crunch.
Serve with a long spoon and a straw, and instruct everyone firmly: halo halo, mix mix, all the way to the bottom before the first bite.
Freeze your milk in ice cube trays and shave or blend those for an extra creamy base that never tastes watery.