Mais con Yelo | A Filipino Shaved-Ice Dessert

Being with my filipino family always felt like a party because it consisted of tons of people, tons of food, and staying up late blasting that karaoke. The one thing I always looked forward to during our humid Tennessee summer parties was halo halo. But let me interrupt your excitement. This isn’t a halo halo recipe. You read the title! Let me continue. All the fixings for halo halo would be set up buffet style and although I loved the coconut gel, plantains soaked in syrup, and if we were lucky, ube ice cream. Just kidding. It was the late 90’s and early 2000’s. It was impossible to find Filipino ice cream in Tennessee. It wouldn’t be until my visit to the Philippines at sixteen when I’d first enjoy goodness of ube!

Okay, I digress.

So I established that there were tons of halo halo fixings. I would have several servings all varied in flavors, but the simplest variation that satisfied my halo halo craving when all the other mixings were gone, was shaved ice, creamed corn (the Del Monte brand specifically) and evaporated milk.  I thought the making of this three-ingredient treat was of my own creation, but Tatay said to me at one of the family parties when he saw me making my sweet corned slush, “Oh you’re making mais con yelo!”

Mais con yelo translates directly to corn with ice. And yes, It’s also Spanish for corn with ice because like comedian Jo Koy says, Filipinos are “the Mexicans of Asia”!

Although I love this dessert, I did find it odd. Corn in dessert?! When comparing American desserts to Asian desserts, never did I find vegetables used in American desserts...except for Thanksgiving pies...okay and rhubarb. I would later learn from an episode of Master Chef that corn is commonly used in desserts. Duh, fructose! I believed one contestant made corn ice cream -- essentially mais con yelo!

Well, now that the corn fields in Illinois have all been leveled bare, I’m saying farewell to this sweet golden vegetable with an ode to my childhood favorite treat. I asked Inay for more information on mais con yelo and she simply said, “It’s just corn, ice, and evaporated milk!” I was looking for a bit of history on the dessert. Did the Spaniards bring corn to the Philippines? How did mais con yelo come to be? Why do we use Spanish for this dessert’s name? She gave me no answers, but she did relay, “If you add anything else, it’s halo halo!” Well, as much as I love the basics, I had to put my own twist to it. So I added just one other halo halo mixing, sweetened red beans. It may no longer be mais con yelo, but as a creative and color enthusiast, a white and yellow slush in a glass just doesn’t look pretty. But mostly it’s because I’m Asian and I just love me some red beans in my desserts, so why not? 

I made this recipe from scratch and 99% vegan (butter or bust!), and if you rather take the quick and easy route in making this treat, there’s no shame in buying canned creamed corn and red beans.

Mais con Yelo

• Coconut Creamed Corn

• Sweetened Red Beans

• Evaporated Milk or Coconut Milk

• Shaved Ice

Layer all ingredients into a glass or bowl with mixings in the bottom and the shaved ice on top. Then pour the desired amount of milk. I used almond milk evaporated milk, but if you want to go strong with the coconut flavor, go for it! Just take note that if you prefer more of a thick slush consistency, pour less milk. 

Coconut Creamed Corn

• 6 ears of corn, kernels removed, making about 4 cups of kernels. 

  • For a more varied texture, I divided the kernels and pulsed 2 cups of the kernel in a food processor making smaller bits and left the other 2 cups of kernel whole.

• 2 tbs of coconut oil or butter

• 1 tsp of salt

• 4 tbs of sweetened condensed coconut milk

• ½ cup of coconut milk

On medium heat, melt coconut oil. Once heated, put the whole kernels into the pot along with salt, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until the kernels have golden edges. Mix in the rest of the corn kernels with the sweetened condensed coconut milk, caramelizing for five minutes and stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning. Pour in coconut milk and bring to simmer. This looks like a lot of liquid, but it will cook down. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Creamed corn will thicken as it cools. It will be very sweet, but once mixed with ice, milk, and the red beans, the sweetness level will be just right.

Sweetened Red Beans

• 1 cup of cooked adzuki beans (red mung beans)

• 1 cup of water

• ½ cup of maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)

Pour all ingredients into a sauce pot. Set on medium heat and bring to boil. Once boiling, lower to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until liquid thickens into a syrup consistency.

I grew up with my Tita Aida using this ice shaver to make halo halo or mais con yelo. I luckily was able to find this one, a Fuji Japan Metal Ice Shaver, at a wet market in San Pablo City, Philippines! I’m really bringing it back to my childhood!