HAVE YOU EATEN? | RECIPE CURATED BY DANIELLE TROIANO

HALO HALO

If you buy 1 container of each ingredient, this should be 6+ servings, maybe more!

PREP time: 15 mins. COOK TIME: 30-35 MINS.

I picked this recipe because growing up Half-Filipino and half-white, Filipino food wasn’t an everyday thing. That being said, the inconsistency made it so much more special. I’m just enthralled with how tasty and unique and deliciously sweet and so dang pretty it is. It’s always made me so happy! I remember having halo halo at parties and buying it from Filipino restaurants. Fun fact: the last time I ordered halo halo was from Apoy in Minneapolis. It’s a wonderful Filipino resturant run by wonderful people. Check them out and order some take-out. If you aren’t in the Twin Cities area, go find your closest Filipino market or store restaurant and support them in this really difficult time. Please enjoy this silly video where I decided to be ambitious and make the leche flan from scratch. It was a journey and sooooo worth it.

— DANIELLE TROIANO

Danielle is a Twin Cities actor currently spending the pandemic at home in Missouri City, Texas. She’s a graduate of the UMN/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program and made her Theater Mu debut in our production of Hot Asian Doctor Husband.

INGREDIENTS

TOPPINGS

Coconut water (you can also use regular water)

Ube jam

Jackfruit (canned or fresh)

Coconut meat (sliced or cubed)

Palm seeds in syrup (clear, green, or red color)

Sweetened red beans

Nata de coco (coconut gel)

Ube ice cream 

Corn flakes or rice puffs

LECHE FLAN

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. of water

6 egg yokes

1 can evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

OPTIONAL

Ube flavoring

Food coloring

INSTRUCTIONS

Put the coconut water into an airtight container and place in freezer to freeze.

Even disperse sugar into a nonstick pan. Then, evenly disperse the water into sugar.

Heat on medium-high and let the water soak into the sugar. Swirl the pan around in circular motions to make sure all the chunks of sugar have been coated. Don't stir until all the chunks have dissolved. It should bubble.

When the sugar starts to brown, begin to stir it around the pan.

Once it is a medium brown color take the pan off the heat and continue stirring, making sure it doesn't burn.

Once the bubbles are gone, pour the caramel evenly into the bottom of three small ramekins. 

Add egg yokes, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, salt, and vanilla extract into a bowl and mix into a smooth texture.

Pour the custard through a sieve on top of the caramel in the ramekins.

Steam at 200 degrees F for 30-35 min, or until firm.

Blend up your frozen coconut water to make it shaved iced.

In whatever order you'd like, add your toppings, shaved iced, and ube ice cream to a bowl or cup. For extra pizzazz, add ube flavoring to some evaporated milk and drizzle on top! It's a free-for-all at this point! Food coloring is also fun to add if you feel so inclined. Have fun and mix mix!