Sunrise Eats: Cat’s Halo-halo

Sunrise Eats is a new series where members of the Sunrise DC hub share recipes for food that is important to them––whether it be a family recipe, the first meal they learned to cook, a food that makes them feel connected to their culture, or another recipe that made a significant impact on their (food) memory.

“When it’s hot out, it’s halo-halo time!”

When I first asked our Hub’s own Cat B. about the traditional Filipino dessert halo-halo, this line stuck with me, and it’s only become more appealing after surviving our first heat wave of the summer. As temperatures across the DMV continue to rise and vaccinations make it possible to slowly inch back into outdoor gatherings with loved ones, I have to say: there may be no better time than now to start sampling every icy treat imaginable.

For those looking for something past your basic popsicles and ice cream cones, halo-halo is a great place to start.

Halo-halo (which literally translates to “mix-mix” in Tagalog) instantly brings to mind memories of summer time for Cat––especially summer time as a child, when she would stay outside all day to bask in the summer heat.

If you plan to try out this recipe, Cat has this advice to share: “Feel free to add anything to it! Personally, I think anything fruity or sweet will go well. And the more ice, the better.”

...

‍

Cat’s Halo-halo

Ingredients:

• Shaved ice
• Sweetened red beans
• Sweetened white beans
• Ube jam (aka. ube halaya)
• Nata de coco (aka. coconut gel)
• Jello (any flavor you prefer)
• Evaporated milk
• Condensed milk
• Ube ice cream
• Leche flan

Directions:

1. Start by filling up your cup (or bowl!) with the beans, the jelly, and the jam.
2. Stuff as much ice as you can into your eating vessel. 
3. Pour on the evaporated milk, followed by some condensed milk.
4. Top it off with your ice cream, and a piece of flan.
5. Take your spoon, mix everything together (adding more of the ingredients as needed), and enjoy!