Halo Halo is a dessert in the Philippines popular during summer months. When the sun is high up and the air is humid, one cannot resist indulging into this sumptuous and filling snack. This food is mainly composed of milky shaved ice with sweetened/caramelized fruits and beans topped with leche flan and purple yam.
In Lucena City, the center of Quezon Province, there is this mini restaurant that is called Ben's. One of its specialties is the Chili Halo Halo. Its ice is not your typical shaved one. Ice blocks are made with a mix of water, evaporated milk and a little cornstarch. Those ice blocks are shaved finely and turn out to be almost as smooth as an ice cream. In a tall glass, small cubes of banana (saba), mung beans, tapioca, nata de coco, macapuno, shreds of jackfruit, all caramelized, are assembled a tablespoon per layer. That's the time when you get to dump shaved ice until a small hump is made at the glass rim. A small scoop of vanilla or purple yam ice cream is placed on top of the ice shavings. While strips of leche flan, more purple yam, chopped chilli and/or chilli powder are sprinkled for the final touch before you pour on more milk to melt some of the ice, making some space for mixing.
It is important to know how to properly mix this cold treat. You've got to start digging at the corner with small up and down thrusts from the base of the glass in order to mix all the ingredients. Thus, the name 'halo halo' that is 'mix mix' in English.