The heat is unbelievably oppressive this afternoon in Manila! For a cool and quick pick me up, just scroll down this post quickly for a virtual halo-halo, wherever you may be…
And check out that red plastic “stirrer” with hands at either end. Heehee. I really liked them and bought a few, thinking we might use them for halo-halo’s served in the restaurant, but they were so expensive that using them isn’t likely. I am curious, what’s your icy weakness at this time of year? Halo-halo? Mais con hielo? Sagu at Gulaman? Fruit smoothie? Iced tea or coffee?
P.S. We made our own preserved langka last week, how-to here. You can also make your own ube jaleya. Or some macapuno preserves/strings. And minatamis na saging. But for the other ingredients, we just bought the bottled stuff. :)
34 Responses
Not much of a halo-halo fan. I’d much rather have sago at gulaman. But if halo-halo is my only option, I’d go for Razon’s because their version has fewer ingredients [banana, langka, leche flan, macapuno (?)]. The pictures look amazing, though. :D
Oh, and love the stirrer! I have bookmarks purchased at Fully Booked that resemble it. :)
When it’s really hot, coconut water with a touch of sugar on the rocks – nature’s isotonic drink. :-)
I’m not a fan of Halo-Halo but I love your photos! :)
i am a fan of halo-halo. be it the too-many-assorted ingredients OR the 3-ingredients only, ok lang, less the ice cream.
i guess, i just don’t appreciate the taste of ice cream mixed with halo-halo. =)
OMG! Inggit! Soo hot now in Manila.
Am a huge halo-halo fan. The sweetness of the mix-in’s coupled with creamy milk and ice sure beats the summer heat. Love the stirrer MM.
I’m pretty sure you could buy those “stirrers” wholesale in Jatujak for less than THB2 per piece – a hand on one side only, though. The other side was plain and I don’t remember if that end was pointy, rounded or flat like a small spatula. Will check this weekend.
… and that halo-halo. Oh my!
Halo halo it is – one of the treats I look forward to when going home to the Philippines.
Ay naku, pwede ko ng kainin yung pictures mismo. I love all that you’ve mentioned. Nakakainggit!!
My icy weakness is guyabano shake
there is an unseasonal, winter-like spring storm today, but this halo halo looks absolutely and invitingly delish even as ice pellets rage outside….
Love halo-halo! Now, if only one can eat your photos…
Me thinks its time to add video to the blog. I used to detest halo halo in all of its weird mutations…evaporated milk, corn, etc. One mouthful would result in a destended abdomen followed by periodic gastrointestinal emissions. A few years ago I found a rather well executed halo halo of a now defunct turo turo. For a quick fix, I’ll turn to halo-halo’s Viet cousin, the tri color dessert.
There was this turo-turo type of counter in the Malborough Mall in Calgary in the seventies that served passable halo-halo that invariably piqued the curiosity of non-Filipino passers-by who always inquired what we were having when refreshing ourselves with large parfait glasses of halo-halo. We would answer mix-mix and they’d suggest it looks more like stab-stab.
“jaleya” is a novel way of describing in “english” the filipino halaya.
ricky, I have always been a bit confused about the halaya, haleya, jaleya, jalea references… but I believe the original is “jalea”, in SPANISH, for literally “jelly” which this concoction is obviously not. Jam, on the other hand, is “mermelada” which I take is actually a reference to marmalade perhaps, best made with bitter spanish seville oranges. Ube Jam is accurate I guess. But Ube Jalea, Jaleya, Halaya, Haleya is probably not… as a jelly is typically a clear(ish) fruit preserve, say like guava jelly (which is sometimes not so clear in the Philippines). :)
At any rate, I think it’s safe to say, the Filipino term Halaya or Haleya hails from the Spanish jalea. So it’s not an English translation of a Filipino term. And it is accurately spelled jalea, not jaleya, as I have written above. Three years of Spanish classes and I can’t speak it at all… :)
I love your halo-halo MM, more palaman than ice!
Guinumis! Especially the one from Milky Way. Was never a huge fan of Halo-Halo until I had the one at Milky Way. I think they’ve gotten everything right – the proportion of ingredients, the size, shape, and crunch of the ice.
Hmmm.. So tempting… I’d go out to buy one but it’s too darn hot outside! >_< Also, I prefer saba con yelo over halo-halo. :D
Fruit shakes, home made…and yes, I agree..guyabano is very healthy…
In the Philippines, green and ripe mango shakes…the well- made ones…
these series of halo halo pics is a torture.. love it.. love it..! halo-halo is the best icy treat!
Halo-halo with a huge slice of leche flan for topping is okay, but I prefer the simpler saba con yelo with evaporated milk and some small sago. =)
Sago’t saba con hielo for that not so heavy feeling….
Haha. Great idea on the ‘virtual’ halo-halo.
MM, Regina’s in Shopsville sells those plastic stirrers in volume, cheap also if I may add.:)
Razon’s is the only halo-halo that I like. I’d rather have sago’t gulaman or ice cream. Lately, my drink of choice has been milk tea with tapioca pearls.
MM, if you were to start using the cute stirrers in your restaurant I guarantee you that people would start stealing them. Sad but true.
I got these stirrers at a wholesale restaurant supply store and they were still kinda pricey… compared to the bamboo “muddlers” we had custom made for our restaurants for smashing our santol juice, etc. Plus the muddlers are locally made and these probably imported… :)
omg! Those were great pictures; capturing the slow movement of the milk and mixing the halo-halo. :P Yum! The closest place to get halo-halo here is Gerry’s Grill, but I know it won’t be the same.
I’d love some halo-halo! But do not have time to make all the ingredients! I like halo-halo beany- minatamis na garbanzos, white beans and red monggo- with ube, leche flan and pinipig.
Saba is easy to get here, so I just make kusilba/ minatamis na saging with evap milk, sago and lots of ice.
We went home for a quick visit and I had Chowking halo-halo, sadly it did not taste like it used too, to me. Some of the bits were tough to chew; it was sickly sweet; and the ice was very hard to break.
Did not have time to go to the ones in Laguna with yema pastillas.
Gorgeous looking halo halo! I love halo halo with few ingredients that are prepared well, one thats not too sweet, and with lots of ice. Yum!
we love halo-halo; the ones sold by our neighbors are enough to beat (temporarily) the summer heat. my favorite ingredients would be nata de coco, leche flan and ube. my kids also love sago’t galaman; however, i’m more partial to gulaman.
i miss mais con yelo. haven’t had this for years!
i love looking at the photos where the milk is slowly melting the shaved ice. :)
Not sure if ‘pick me up’ is right — looking at the pictures I sink deeper and deeper in my chair! If I saw these plastic stirrers at Zubuchon, I would definitely ask the manager if I could please take home one. Or can I pay to get two? :-)
These days my sugar quota is taken up by iced coffee. Although I usually drink coffee black, for some reason iced coffee has to have copious amounts of sugar and milk. In QC, my favorite halohalo is at Coconut House inside Quezon Memorial Circle, not too many ingredients but generous with macapuno, and the scoop of coconut ice cream makes the trip worthwhile.