Halo-Halo

Halo-Halo, meaning 'mix-mix' in Tagalog, is the Philippines' most beloved summertime dessert, born from the street stalls and carinderias of Manila and spreading across every province in the archipelago. Layers of colorful sweet preserves, jellies, and beans are piled high under shaved ice and crowned with leche flan, ube halaya, and a scoop of purple yam ice cream.

Ingredients

8 cups finely shaved ice

1/2 cup sweetened red mung beans (monggo), canned or prepared

1/2 cup sweetened white kidney beans (kabayo), canned or prepared

1/2 cup macapuno strings (coconut sport preserves), jarred

1/2 cup nata de coco (coconut gel), drained

1/2 cup kaong (sugar palm fruit), drained and rinsed

1/2 cup sweetened jackfruit (langka), sliced into thin strips

1/2 cup sweetened saba banana, sliced into 1/2-inch coins and boiled until soft

1/2 cup red gulaman (agar jelly), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 tablespoons pinipig (toasted young rice flakes)

4 scoops ube halaya (purple yam jam), about 1/4 cup each

4 slices store-bought or homemade leche flan, about 2 oz each

4 scoops ube ice cream

1 cup evaporated milk

4 tablespoons sugar (for sweetening milk, optional)

Instructions

Prepare all toppings ahead of time: drain and rinse canned beans, drain nata de coco and kaong, slice jackfruit strips, and cut gulaman jelly into 1/2-inch cubes. Arrange each topping in individual small bowls for easy assembly.

If sweetening the evaporated milk, stir 4 tablespoons of sugar into 1 cup of evaporated milk until fully dissolved. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For each serving, begin building the halo-halo in a tall, wide glass or bowl. Place 2 tablespoons each of red mung beans and white kidney beans at the bottom as the base layer.

Add 2 tablespoons each of macapuno strings, nata de coco, kaong, sweetened jackfruit, saba banana slices, and red gulaman cubes, distributing them evenly around the glass to create a colorful layered effect.

Pack 2 cups of finely shaved ice firmly on top of the mixed toppings, mounding it slightly above the rim of the glass.

Place one slice of leche flan on top of the shaved ice, then add one generous scoop of ube halaya beside it.

Crown the dessert with one scoop of ube ice cream placed in the center on top of the shaved ice.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of toasted pinipig over the entire assembled dessert for crunch.

Pour 1/4 cup of the sweetened evaporated milk slowly around the sides of the shaved ice, allowing it to seep down through the layers.

Serve immediately with a long spoon and straw. Instruct diners to mix everything thoroughly from the bottom up before eating, combining all the layers together into the signature halo-halo experience.