Filipino desserts served in glasses or bowls range from cold to hot, heavy to light, and solid to liquid.
Let's start with the cold treats.
Mais con hielo
This dessert translates to corn with ice in Spanish.
Mais con hielo is a dessert made of shaved or crushed ice. It's topped with sugar, evaporated milk and bright yellow corn kernels (typically from a can).
This simple treat is especially popular with people who find halo-halo too much.
Iskrambol
While mais con hielo is known for its simplicity, iskrambol celebrates complexity. Its name is the Filipinised version of 'ice scramble'.
It's a street treat that's often sold in front of schools and it's pink, banana-flavoured and a milky ice slush that's topped with powdered milk, strawberry and/or chocolate syrup, rice bubbles, tapioca pearls, sprinkles, pinipig (rice bubbles) and marshmallows.
Sago't gulaman
Some consider sago't gulaman a drink while others think of it as a dessert.
No matter what you think it is, sago't gulaman is undeniably one of the most popular Filipino cold treats.
No matter what you think it is, sago't gulaman is undeniably one of the most popular Filipino cold treats.
Sago't gulaman starts off with arnibal, which is basically a reduced syrup made of brown sugar and vanilla or banana essence.
Water, crushed or shaved ice, sago (similar to tapioca pearls but made from palm pith), and jelly (made from dried powder or agar) are added to the mix.
Guinomis
Guinomis is almost a cross between a halo-halo and sago't gulaman. It hails from the Kapampangan people and is made of crushed ice, jelly, sago, sugar, evaporated milk, water and pinipig.
To make it more substantial, you can add melon strips and replace the evaporated milk with coconut milk.
Mango sago
Mango sago is a cold dessert made of coconut milk, condensed milk and vanilla. It's topped with ripe mango and sago.
The mango is the star of this dessert, but the sago complements the fruit beautifully. Opt for the small variety of sago balls instead of the larger ones.
Source: Alana Dimou
For added texture, toast some pinipig and sprinkle them on top.
MANGO SAGO RECIPE
Mango sago
Buko pandan
Buko pandan is made of green jelly cubes (pandan flavoured is best), coconut strips, sago, kaong (palm seeds), nata de coco, pandan extract, condensed milk and coconut juice.
While this bright green dessert is great any time of the year, it's especially popular during birthday celebrations, Christmas and New Year.
And now for desserts that can be served cold or hot.
Minatamis na saging
Minatamis na saging translates to 'sweetened banana' in Tagalog.
The dessert is made of chopped saba banana that's cooked until soft with water and muscovado sugar.
While this dessert can be eaten hot and as is, you can also add ice, evaporated milk and sago for a colder dessert.
Taho
Filipino sweetened banana (minatamis na saging). Source: Getty Images
In its simplest form, this popular morning street snack is made of silken tofu, arnibal and sago. Nowadays, it comes in other flavours, such as pandan, strawberry and ube too.
Taho vendors typically carry a wooden pole on their backs with two metal buckets hanging from each end. One bucket holds the sago and tofu, while the other holds the arnibal.
Typically served hot in the morning, this treat is supposed to give you a warm, comforting feeling. However, some people prefer their taho served cold and will chill it in the fridge.
You'll see taho sold by peddlers in the Philippines. Source: Getty Images
On the other hand, the following dessert must be served hot.
Ginataang bilo-bilo
Ginataang bilo-bilo (also known as binignit in the Visayas region) is made of coconut milk, sugar, glutinous rice balls, sago, saba bananas, taro, jackfruit and sweet potatoes.
This dessert is the heaviest on this list. Indeed, it's so filling it can be considered a meal in itself.
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