Battle of Halo Halo

One of my favorite filipino snacks is Halo Halo. Halo Halo is a mix of sweet preserved beans, macapuno (coconut sport), leche flan (custard), purple yam (ube), sweet potato, sweet corn kernels, sweet banana, tapioca and topped with shaved ice and milk. Some even top it with ice cream. Hence the name Halo, which means Mix in filipino. Over the years, i've tried halo halo from different places and my top three choices were Chowking's Halo Halo, Razon's Halo Halo and Jurado's Halo Halo.

Chowking's Halo Halo is as traditional as it can be. The taste is soo filipino and the sweetness is just right. I like the fact that Chowking will give a small container filled with milk for consumers to adjust it according to their taste.

Razon's Halo Halo is very different in a sense that they put more macapuno in it and the ice shavings are very fine which makes it easier to eat.

Jurado's Halo Halo is the most unique of all. I have tasted Jurado's Halo Halo in Pampanga on way home from a hike at Mt. Arayat. According to the locals, Jurado's Halo Halo is more popular and better than Razon's. When I tried it, I was amazed at the texture of the beans. In fact, you won't even see the beans. It was actually all the sweet beans mashed with Leche Flan and it looks like a jam. Then topped it with Macapuno balls and has a surprise of pastillas de leche. The ice was not as fine as i would like it to be tho. But it was sooo good. Among all halo halos i've tried this is the best. I just wish the ice were as fine as that of Razon's but it's good enough. Jurado's Halo Halo is a must try for everyone.

Pickled Balsam Pear (Ampalaya Atchara)

I've always hated Ampalaya or Balsam Pear/Bitter Gourd because of its bitter taste. However, last christmas a neighbor gave us Pickled Ampalaya and to my surprise it wasn't bitter at all. I liked it. So i decided to come up with my own recipe. I've always known how to make atchara using green papaya. I was taught by my grandmother when i was younger. So for the Ampalaya, i've used the same recipe of vinegar mixture to pickle it.

Choosing the right ampalaya is not really hard. All you need to do is choose the greenest ampalaya.

Recipe: (for 2 jars)
1 foot of Ampalaya
2 cup white vinegar
1 cup of sugar
2 bay leaf
2 clove of smashed garlic
2 small slice of ginger

First, Slice off the ends of the ampalaya, discard it. Half the ampalaya lengthwise to remove seeds and white stuff. Use a spoon to remove it. Thinly slice ampalaya and put all in bowl with water. Let it soak for about 3 hours or longer to remove the bitterness. What i do is, i change water at least every hour.

In a saucepan, boil water. Regarding amount of water, it's up to you. I usually use about 2 and a half cup of water. In a strainer, place the cheesecloth or any thin cloth you have, drain amapalaya. When water is boiling, pour it over the ampalaya to at least "cook" it. In other words, blanch it.

Now for a foot of ampalaya, i usually use two glass jars. Do not use plastic jar as it will melt when you pour the hot vinegar mixture in. So, add the smashed garlic, ginger and bay leaf in each jar. Go back to your ampalaya and using the cheesecloth, squeeze out all the water from the ampalaya. It will be hot so i usually rub my hands on ice and squeeze it. When all juice/water is out, divide ampalaya equally and put it in the jars.

In a saucepan, mix vinegar and sugar on low heat. Mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. When vinegar mixture starts to boil, turn off heat and pour over the jars.
Let it cool, don't close it yet. When it's cool already, you may close it and put it in the fridge. It is ready for consumption after 3 days