Do you have a sweet tooth? Are you tired of trying to satisfy your craving with just plain, old ice cream or chocolate chip cookies? Well, I have some recommendations that will not only bring you new food experiences but satisfy that strong, sweet tooth. Here are five sweet treat recommendations, “Asian Treats Edition”.
Mamon is a popular Filipino sponge cake. The most favorable mamon would be the ones bought at Goldilocks. Goldilocks is one of the biggest bakeries in the Philippines, some are even located in some parts of the United States. Mamon is a wonderful treat if you would like a buttery, fluffy bread. Mamon is also sometimes served with some cheese on top.
Lychee Jelly is another popular treat, mainly for kids, due to its packaging. Lychee Jelly is like a Jell-O, in a little-packaged cup, that is Lychee flavored. They are mainly found in cute jars/coin banks, such as a Panda-shaped coin bank, for example. For those who do not know what Lychee is, Lychee is simply a tropical Chinese fruit. They are sweet, chestnut-sized fruits that have a unique flavor and smell. Lychee Jelly can also be served with nata de coco inside, which gives a little bite to it; just as chocolate chips does for ice cream.
Halo-Halo is one of the well-known desserts of the Philippines. It’s best to eat during the summer since it’s similar to a fruit slushy. However, there is more to it. Halo-Halo is created in layers. Starting at the bottom layer of the cup, it is filled with palm fruit, coconut strings, jackfruit, sweet beans, and sometimes nata de coco. The next part, or the middle part, is filled with crushed ice and evaporated milk. And finally, the topping, which consists of a scoop of ube ice cream, mango ice cream, a piece of leche flan, and is decorated with more of what was added to the bottom layer (palm fruit, jackfruit, nata de coco, etc.). Halo-Halo can be either mixed and then eaten, or just eaten by layer.
Next, another recommended treat is any of the Big 3. Pocky, Hello Panda, and Yan-Yan. These three are very well-known all over the world. These Asian snacks can actually be found in American stores like Hot Topic or Tilly’s, instead of just Asian supermarkets. These snacks are simple, sweet, and iconic.
First, Yan-Yan is packaged in a divided, cup-like container. Yan-Yan contains a creamy dip (either chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or a duo of chocolate and strawberry), and a few cookie sticks.
Hello, Panda is bite-sized, kind of spherical cookies, with filling. Similar to Yan-Yan, they come chocolate-filled, strawberry-filled, and vanilla-filled.
Now Pocky is not only similar to Hello Panda and Yan-Yan, but it is the most iconic. Most people today has tried or have heard of Pocky. Pocky is thin cookie sticks, that are pre-dipped in either chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, or other unique flavors like Green Tea and Cookies and Creme.
Finally, Bubble Tea! Bubble Tea, just like Pocky, is growing in popularity. Bubble Tea comes in different flavors and forms. There are iced milk tea, regular iced teas, slushies, and smoothies. Besides the unique flavors and forms, what makes it popular are the bubble balls. Bubble balls are known as Tapioca balls. They are sweet, chewy, and are in a bubble-like shape. They are cooked and then added to a frozen/iced drink. Nowadays, there are other things you can have instead of the original Tapioca balls. You can replace the Tapioca balls with other flavored bubble balls, nata de cocom and even popping bubbles. Popping bubbles are cold bubbles that are filled with a bit of juice. So, to give a better understanding, if you ordered a mango bubble tea with mango popping bubbles after you take a bite of one of the bubbles, it “pops”, and gives an extra burst of mango juice. It’s a mind-blowing experience, trust me.
These are the recommendations I have for this article. If you like the recommendations or would like to add on to the list, feel free to leave a comment! Stay tuned for another “Got a Sweet Tooth?” Article!