Summer's here! It officially began last Tuesday, March 21, 2023, when the weather bureau announced the end of the northeast monsoon or amihan season and the start of the Philippines’ warm and dry season.
And when the hot and humid summer season is here, it’s time to beat the heat and cool down with classic Pinoy coolers like Iskrambol.
The name actually comes from the words Ice Scramble, which is exactly what the street dessert is—shaved ice that is flavored with banana extract, evaporated milk and sugar, or condensed milk; topped with powdered milk, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, candy sprinkles, marshmallows, chocolate candies, and whatever other sweet and colorful treats you can think of. The shaved ice traditionally comes in pink, although these days, an ube-flavored and colored variant may also be available from some Iskrambol vendors. Another variant that they sometimes offer is chocolate.
Iskrambol is, like Halo-Halo, a Filipino summer cooler, but, although they both thrive on shaved ice, they have a different set of ingredients or toppings. Halo-Halo’s ingredients are layered from the bottom of the glass then filled with shaved ice, a pouring of evaporated milk, then topped with a scoop of usually ube ice cream; while Iskrambol is shaved ice, color and flavor mixed together to form a smooth shaved ice mixture scooped into a glass and then topped with its set of ingredients.
How do you make your own Iskrambol?
- Scoop shaved ice into an ice bucket or mixing bowl. Add skimmed or evaporated milk and mix lightly but fast. Add banana extract and sugar. Mix in quickly.
- Ladle ice scramble into a glass or clear plastic cup until halfway.
- Top with a thin layer of powdered milk.
- Ladle ice scramble into the cup until almost full.
- Top with powdered milk, candy sprinkles, mini-M&Ms or Nips, and marshmallows. Drizzle with chocolate or strawberry syrup, and serve with wafer sticks to make it special.
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