Filipino dessert: Summer superstar, HALO-HALO

Summer time again and the only thing to beat the heat is to indulge our taste buds with cold desserts. For this time of the year the superstar dessert for the buds of every Pinoy will be the halo-halo.

From the word Halo, which means mix, it is a combination of different ingredients build in a parfait or tall glass to create a mouth-watering and wonderful structure of dessert. It is not literally mixed together when being served, the mixing part would be when you are about to start eating the Halo-halo (of course, mixing it using a spoon).

:: Halo-Halo ::

 Yes, it is as festive and colorful as the Filipino culture. To be honest with you, I rejected the manner of portioning the ingredients in terms of serving this dessert, most especially if it is being served for my family. Once you have started eating this dessert you will be asking for more. On the other hand, some root crops are added to this dessert, it somehow makes you full right away.

Some of the ingredient are sago or tapoica balls, gulaman or gelatin, minatamis na saba at kamote or boiled and sweetened banana and sweet potato, sweet kidney beans, garbansos,  macapuno, rice crispies, sugar, milk, langka or jackfuit; for toppings, it may be ube yam, leche flan, ice cream cheese or all of these as toppings.

Filipino Beverage and Dessert: Beat the heat this summer

    Filipinos love to eat; and to beat the heat, we crave for foods that are can quench the thirst and fill our appetite. Here are some of the foods that every Filipinos will surely crave for this summer:



1. Halo-halo - First on the list is the Halo halo. Boiled and sweetened kidney beans or mung beans (munggo), boiled kamote (sweet potato), garbanzos, kaong (sugar palm fruit), nata de coco, macapuno, boiled saging na saba, crunchy pinipig, filled with crushed ice and top with ripe langka (jackfruit) and ube (purple yam) and pored with evaporated milk, this Filipino's all-time favorite is served not only in during the summer season, but throughout the year.

::A bowl of mouth watering Halo-halo::
(Source)

    Even if some of the ingredients are out of season, halo halo, from the tagalog term that is 'mix', it can be mixed with other kinds of fruits and flavorings. The classic recipe of this dish has elevated to the next level as some establishments from the food industry introduced innovations to this dessert such as adding a scoop of ice-cream or serving it on a different way.


2. Ice scramble - Crushed ice blended with sugar and evaporated or condensed milk and top with syrup (usually strawberry or chocolate, or combination of both) and skimmed milk, are well-known and best-selling during hot afternoons especially among kids.

::Ice Scramble::
(Source)

    Since this dessert, which is commonly known as a street food, some food franchising company have seen it profitable and introduced innovations to the ingredients used such as the toppings.

3. Sago-gulaman or Samalamig - A refreshing beverage, from the root word 'malamig' (cold), usually flavored with vanilla extract and simple syrup and contains sago (tapioca pearls) and gulaman (gelatin).

::A refreshing glass of Samalamig:: (Source)

    To make this thirst quenching drink more attractable to the customers, they played with various colors or gelatins and add more options to the flavors that are being served such as fruit salad flavor, buko-pandan, melon, and other fruit combination that you could ever imagine.

4. Buko juice (coconut juice) - Buko craze started to boom on the later part of 2012. Since the modern lifestyle today are focused on the 'more healthier side', this natural drink will surely suit your crave for a nourishing and refreshing drink. Buko juice, young coconut meat and milk serve in its shell for a classy look are usually seen in restaurants and resorts.

::Healthy and refreshing Buko Juice::
(Source)

I hoped you will enjoy your summer with this Filipino refreshing drinks.

Turon

Turon is one of the superstar meryenda of Filipino that is served every afternoon. The sweetness of the saba banana and its crunchy golden fried rice flour wrapper is perfectly match every smoothies on a hot afternoon. 

Makes 4-5 servings 

Ingredients: 

• 10 pieces Saba
• 1 tanda or 10 pieces Lumpia wrapper
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Cooking oil
• (Optional) Additional fillings: Ripe langka/jackfruit & Strawberry

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Tips:

You can add the sugar as a filling to give an extra sweet taste and skip the 4th and last step on the procedure; or (If avoiding too much sugar,) remove the sugar from the recipe and skip 4th and last cooking procedure

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Procedure:

1. Wrap Saba and other fillings with lumpia wrapper.
2. In a deep fryer, pre-heat oil.
3. Fry the wrapped saba until it turns into golden brown.
4. In a pan, put a small amount of oil then add sugar, stir until caramelized.
5. Put all the fried saba and stir until it is equally coated with sugar.
6. Serve.
7. Perfectly paired with mango or four season smoothies or iced tea.

Nilupak

    My mama says, if you want to eat something good and delicious, you have to work and sweat for it. Most of the Kakanin have a lot of preparations and sometimes, it will take the whole day to prepare it. 

Nilupak is a kakanin that is similar to the mashed potato that is paired with the main dish, but it serves as a merienda or paired with hot chocolate or simply coffee in the afternoon.


Ingredients:

• 1 kilo of Cassava 
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup of grated mature coconut
• 1/2 cup of condensed milk
• 1/4 cup of honey
• Margerine for toppings

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Tips:
   You can also add chocolate syrup or jam in this recipe as toppings.
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Procedure: 

1. Boil cassava for 45 minutes
2. After boiling mash the cassava.
3. Then add the honey, condensed milk and coconut. Then, mix.
4. After mixing, you can put and arrange the mixture in a banana leaves which will serve as its plate. You can also use a molder to for a better presentation. 
5. Using a piping bag, pipe the margarine or simply spread it on top on the top of the cassava.

Home Made Mango Ice Cream

  Ingredients:

• 2 cups ripe mango, puree
• 1 cup diced mango (optional)
• 250 ml or one pack Nestle all-purpose cream
• 3 tablespoon fine sugar

 Procedure: 

1. Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl, then mix. 
2. After mixing, pour the mixture into a container.
3. Freeze for 5 hours.

Shortcut for freezing a home made ice cream