Halo-halo, literally ‘mix-mix’ in Filipino, is a staple Pinoy shaved ice dessert, especially popular during summer. Although halo-halo is very much akin to ais kacang in Malaysia and Korea's patbingsu, sources claim that Pinoys learned how to make halo-halo from the Japanese.
According to Kiyoshi Osawa’s (1981) book ‘A Japanese in the Philippines,’ the Japanese has a war time monopoly on a food business called ‘mongo-ya’. “Mongo is a Tagalog word meaning red beans. What was sold for ten centavos was a plateful of cooked red beans heaped with ground ice, topped with sugar and milk”. This was supposedly introduced by karayukisan-san– Japanese women groups who traveled to East Asia and Southeast Asia to work as prostitutes about 100 years ago.
Today, halo-halo is ubiquitous in both pop-up side street stands in residential neighborhoods and proper Filipino restaurants. Making a glass at home is possible, too, as most of the ingredients can be bought ready-made from the supermarket.
Homemade Halo-Halo Recipe
Yield: 1 glass
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon nata de coco
1 tablespoon garbanzo beans (Chickpeas)
1 tablespoon saba; cooked in brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweetened corn kernel
1 tablespoon macapuno
2 tablespoons sago (Tapioca Pearls); cooked
2 tablespoons gelatin; cooked
1 tablespoon kaong (Sweetened palm fruit)
1 teaspoon pinipig (roasted rice puffs)
1 – 2 cups (depending on size of glass) ice; crushed or shaved
2 tablespoons langka slices (Jackfruit)
2 tablespoons ube jam (Purple Yam)
2 tablespoons leche flan
¼ cup Evaporated Milk
1 scoop ube ice cream
Procedure:
Combine nata de coco, garbanzo beans, sweetened saba, sweetened corn kernels, sago, gelatin, pinipig, macapuno and kaong in a tall glass (preferably parfait glass). Fill the glass with ice. Pour 1/8 cup evaporated milk. Top with langka, ube, leche flan and ice cream. Pour the remaining 1/8 cup of milk. Serve.
If you can’t be bothered buying your ingredients and making your own glass, you may order halo-halo from the following restaurants:
Razon's Halo-halo
Razon's of Guagua
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Price: P100
Digman Halo-halo
Photo: Digman's Facebook Page
BC2 Original Digman Halo-Halo
54 Gawaran St., Bacoor
Cavite, Philippines
Price: P55
Milky Way Halo-halo
Photo: Milky Way's Facebook Page
Milky Way
Branches: Virra Mall, Greenhills, San Juan, Milky Way Bldg. 900 Arnaiz Ave (formerly Pasay Road),
(02) 726 5541
Price: P125
Manila Peninsula's Halo-halo Harana
Photo: The Peninsula Manila's Facebook Page
Halo-Halo Harana by The Lobby at Manila Peninsula
GF The Peninsula Manila
+63 2 887 2888 Ext 6759
Price: P600++
Photo: Conti's Facebook Page
Conti’s
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Halo-Halo Special (P110)
Junior Halo-Halo Special (P65)
Via Mare Halo Halo
Photo: Via Mare's Facebook Page
Via Mare
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Price: P112
Max's Giant Halo-halo
Max's Special Halo-halo
Photo: Max's' Facebook Page
Max’s Restaurant
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Halo-Halo Regular P 93.50
Halo-Halo Special P 119.90
Giant Halo-Halo P 456.50 (serves 5-8 persons)
Aristocrat Halo-Halo
Photo: Aristocrat's Facebook Page
The Aristocrat Restaurant
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Special – P125
Regular – P90
Chowking Halo-Halo
Photo: Chowking's Facebook Page
Chowking
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Special: P97
Mang Inasal Halo-Halo
Photo: Mang Inasal's Facebook Page
Mang Inasal
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Small P49
Regular P69
Photo: Chicboy's Facebook Page
Chic Boy
View Branches
Price: P75
Photo: Mini Stop's Facebook Page
Mini Stop
16 o.z.: P45 (add P5 for ice cream)
Singling out the best halo-halo in the metro is almost impossible as everyone would have their own preference in terms of flavor and ingredients' proportion. Therefore we're leaving it up to you to name the best halo-halo you've tasted in the metro. Let us know your thought in the comments section below.