Kare-kare and-and halo-halo

I couldn't sleep after 2:00 am, so I laid in bed and finally got up at 7:30 am, took a shower, and went for breakfast. Well, it wasn't the typical breakfast. I didn't have a meal since yesterday morning, so I went for the typical Filipino meal -- kare-kare, steamed rice, and halo-halo. (Yes, Filipinos have a thing for repeating words.)

No, it's not pronounced "kayr-kayr"; it's "kah-reh'kah-reh'". As in Spanish, there are only five vowel sounds in Tagalog -- a, as in father; e, as in ever; i, as in indigo; o, as in long; u, which sounds like "oo", as in tool. So, it's not "hey-lo'hey-lo'" like the XBox game; it's "hah-loh'hah-loh" like "hollow-hollow" except you don't pronounce the w's.

Kare-kare is oxtail and tripe in a peanut curry sauce with bok choy, eggplant, and beans. Purple salted brine (alamang) is served on the side. Of course, the kare-kare was in a huge bowl, enough for three or four people.

Halo-halo literally means "mix-mix" but can be loosely translated as "variety." It is a dessert served like a sundae. The bottom half of the sundae glass contains layers of several of the following: different types of preserved and sweetened beans, jackfruit pieces, nata de coco (the fruit of a type of palm tree), gelatin cubes, tapioca pearls, and cubes of egg flan (custard). Then the rest of the sundae glass is filled with shaved ice. Evaporated milk is poured over the ice. Finally, it is topped either with a scoop of ice cream or ube (oo'beh) which is a sweet paste made from purple yam. Before you eat it, you dig in with a long-handled spoon and try not to spill as you mix up all the ingredients. Ergo, the name "mix-mix".

The entire meal was about $10, including tip.


Auntie Nita enjoying a bowl of halo-halo. more pics