“Come downstairs, we’re making halo-halo!” My younger brother called me from the living room as I stayed cooped up in my room, trying to avoid the summer heat. During the summer, my younger brother and I shared the tradition of watching whatever trash television was on in the evening and snacking on sweet treats to pass the time.
The atmosphere of the living room felt lively, with the electronic buzz of my brother shaving ice and glasses clinking against the dining table. I rushed downstairs, excitement charging through my mind. I found my brother at the dinner table and witnessed all the ingredients scattered about. Glass containers filled with coconut jellies, coconut sport string, and ube were sealed with lids, one jar filled with red coconut jellies was left open with a spoon sticking out. Along with the numerous glass jars, there was a hefty bag of white sugar, a can of evaporated milk, and a deteriorated ice crusher.
I’d always enjoyed indulging myself in halo-halo, the icy dessert being the perfect medicine for me to cure the summer heat. It had little preparation, aside from freezing water and shopping for ingredients. Halo-halo’s a sweet, Filipino treat eaten during warm weather, the word “halo-halo”, translating to English is “mix-mix,”, in which you would mix the sugary ingredients together before consumption. My parents taught my brothers and me at a young age how to make it, and occasionally, they’d gather with us in the dining room to eat halo-halo, exchanging casual conversation. When I was younger, I ate the dessert with only red and green coconut jellies, ice, milk, and sugar; I’ve grown a larger palate since then. One particular time, when preparing my halo-halo, I had the bright idea to use the crushed ice to sculpt a snowman sitting on top of the cold treat. My hands ached from the temperature as I molded two snowballs and pushed the spheres against the ice, merging the halo-halo and sculpture into one.
I plunged down under the plush cushioning onto the sofa beside my brother and turned on the TV, my ice cold glass freezing my hand. Me and my younger brother watched America's Got Talent while we ate our frozen treats.
The atmosphere of the living room felt lively, with the electronic buzz of my brother shaving ice and glasses clinking against the dining table. I rushed downstairs, excitement charging through my mind. I found my brother at the dinner table and witnessed all the ingredients scattered about. Glass containers filled with coconut jellies, coconut sport string, and ube were sealed with lids, one jar filled with red coconut jellies was left open with a spoon sticking out. Along with the numerous glass jars, there was a hefty bag of white sugar, a can of evaporated milk, and a deteriorated ice crusher.
I’d always enjoyed indulging myself in halo-halo, the icy dessert being the perfect medicine for me to cure the summer heat. It had little preparation, aside from freezing water and shopping for ingredients. Halo-halo’s a sweet, Filipino treat eaten during warm weather, the word “halo-halo”, translating to English is “mix-mix,”, in which you would mix the sugary ingredients together before consumption. My parents taught my brothers and me at a young age how to make it, and occasionally, they’d gather with us in the dining room to eat halo-halo, exchanging casual conversation. When I was younger, I ate the dessert with only red and green coconut jellies, ice, milk, and sugar; I’ve grown a larger palate since then. One particular time, when preparing my halo-halo, I had the bright idea to use the crushed ice to sculpt a snowman sitting on top of the cold treat. My hands ached from the temperature as I molded two snowballs and pushed the spheres against the ice, merging the halo-halo and sculpture into one.
I plunged down under the plush cushioning onto the sofa beside my brother and turned on the TV, my ice cold glass freezing my hand. Me and my younger brother watched America's Got Talent while we ate our frozen treats.
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Ingredients
🍧 Two parts ice 🍧 One part evaporated milk 🍧 White granulated sugar 🍧 One part red “nata de coco” (coconut jelly) 🍧 One part green “nata de coco” (coconut jelly) |
Materials
🍧 Ice crusher 🍧 22 oz bowl 🍧 Spoon 🍧 Glass (for serving) |
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Instructions
1. Use a spoon to put your red and green coconut jellies at the bottom of your glass. 2. Crush your ice using an ice crusher, shaving enough ice to fill up a 22 oz bowl. 3. Transfer shaved ice into the glass with the red and green coconut jellies. 4. [OPTIONAL] Gather more ice cubes to shave, filling up half of your bowl. Proceed to use your hands and collect the shaved ice, balling it up into a ball. Make two spheres. 5. [OPTIONAL] Stick the spheres together and proceed to smush the snowman onto the shaved ice in the glass. 6. Douse your halo-halo with evaporated milk. 7. With the same spoon used previously, dig it into the bag of granulated sugar and sprinkle an ungodly amount of sugar on the ice. I recommend thinking like an 8 year old who has the biggest sweet tooth for this step. 8. In the jar containing the red coconut jellies, there’s coconut water in it to preserve the jellies. Pour an adequate amount of the liquid onto the ice and enjoy! |