Ice buko (coconut pops)

We're feeling the last of the summer breeze and the last couple of days have been grey and wet and humid.  Exacly the summer I grew up with back home. 

In the tropics.  Philippines.  Where I grew up.  

I spent most of my childhood in two places.  Subic Olongapo up north from Manila and Quezon which is south of Manila, where my grandparents were.  We'd be shuttled to the south during school holidays and back home after two months.  From the city to the country and back again. 

Two different worlds here, as Subic is monopolised by PX goods (PX meant Post Exchange or import restricted items from the US).  This was back in the day when the Subic was one of the Naval hubs in the Philippines.  While Quezon brings back memories of fresh, from-paddock-to-plate kind of food.  

There's a lot to look back to with childhood and what we ate back then and how food and consumers have evolved over the course of less than 20 years.  Compared to today's generation where there are so much variety and healthier options, one would think how we survived with canned food and loads of sugar in everything from cereals to juices -I'm thinking Tang orange juice here.  But not all my food memories were packed in tins and boxes and came from the freezer.  

Spending the holidays with my grandparents meant eating food from the local market - produce, meat and poultry grown by local farmers (back in the day when organic simply meant fresh, no regulations or certifying bodies), coffee beans grounded right there and coconut juice doesn't come in a tetra pack.  Trips to the market with my grandmother was always a treat where my prize for helping is a bag of freshly boiled peanuts, a glass of "palamig" (usually coconut juice with fresh coconut strips and some gulaman).

And afternoon play at the local playground meant waiting for the street vendors set up their kiosks in the afternoon offering the day's treats - and this ice buko (coconut) pops is just one of the many.  Ice buko (coconut) pops is a creamy, milk-based ice popsicle with some fresh coconut flesh and sometimes with sweetened adzuki beans (red mung beans).  They're the best treat after a day of hide-and-seek-running-climbing-trees-hop-scotch-outdoor-play-etc.

This recipe is inspired by one of my fave Filipino bloggers Jun Blog's -  ice buko with sweetened adzuki.

Thanks to Sophie from The Sticky and Sweet for hosting this month's theme at the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop.    Check out her Mars Bar Slice Cupcakes!    This was a fun theme, reminiscing about food from my childhood and the challenge to recreate them here.    I can't wait to see what the rest have created from their childhood memories. 

Ingredients:

2  330ml tetra packs organic coconut water*

1 397g can condensed milk

1 cup coconut cream

1 pack 494g shredded young coconut


Method:

Prepare ice pop moulds.
Or if you don't own one, prepare plastic cups and food-grade popsicles sticks.

Spoon a tablespoon each of the shredded coconut into the cups/moulds.

In a large bowl or a large measuring cup, mix thoroughly the coconut water, condensed milk and coconut cream.

Pour the coconut-cream mixture into the cups.

Place in the freezer until slightly set, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Place the popsicle sticks into the cups/moulds.

Freeze for another 4-6hours until solid.

Tips and tricks:

* You can use fresh young coconut juice bought from Asian shops or your local fruit and veg grocer.  And use 2 and half cups;

* I used C Coconut Water for convenience.  And after comparing the other brands available, this was the best I could get my hands on.  Most of the brands I found locally had sugar in them.  Check out the comparision review made by Coconut Water Australia to help you decide which brand to use. 

* If you can't get your hands on food-grade wooden popsicle sticks, you can also use wooden cutlery.  I actually used a wooden fork because I like the sticks are wider.

* To remove the popsicles from the plastic cups, place the popsicle under running water until loose.

Now, Sophie has got me reminiscing other things besides food from my childhood.  

 

I asked my Filipino friends and family on Facebook and what chlidhood food they miss growing up, and the response was just classic!  Here's what most of them are craving in no particular order:

1. Magnolia Chocolait;

2. White rabbit

3. Bazooka Joe bubble gum

4. Texas  and Tarzan bubble gum

5. Ice candy - homemade ice pops using fresh fruits pureed with juice

6.  Curly tops;

7. Horlicks malted milk tablets;

8. Haw flakes;

9. Kraft caramels;

10. Ice buko

How about the days when blank cassette tapes the means to get the latest pop music via the radio.  Waiting for my fave song to play on the radio and pressing record.

Typewriters.  Carbon paper.  Aerosol hair sprays (gah!!!). Shoulder pads. Casey Kasem's Top 40. MTV. Duran Duran.  Sony Walkman. The Donny and Marie show. ....  Hahaha!  I should stop!  I'm giving away too much!

Peaches, strawberry and orange popsicles

It’s been scorching in Sydney and all across Australia as the heat surges to its 40s.  Adelaide was just declared the hottest city in the planet last week as temperatures soared to 46.5* and the tennis players at the Australian Open can’t escape from what is summer in Australia.   I’m not complaining though.  I love summer and everything that goes with it – Australian flies and all. 

It's summer and stone fruits are a plenty!  Sometimes I get overly excited at my local fruit and veg shop and just buy buckets load.  Sadly, with the heat most fruits soften quickly than normal at room temperature.  So some of these were put to great use - home made fruit pops or popsicles.  They're healthy, all natural and great to combat sweet cravings in the summer heat.

And a big thanks to Swah for hosting this month's Sweet Adventures Blog Hop!  Check out her elegant white tea, pomegranate and mint popsicles!  

To make these popsicles, we used plastic cups and wooden disposable forks.

4 peaches, pits removed

250g strawberries, hulled

juice of 4 valencia oranges

1-2 cups water

Using a blender, mix/process the fruits then add the orange juice slowly.  Add the water as much or as little as you want.   We used all 2 cups.

Pour into small plastic cups.  Then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.  When the popsicles are slightly firm, place wooden disposable popsicle sticks or wooden disposable forks.

Freezer overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Enjoy!

These popsicles definitely brought out the party mood in our home. 

Avocado ice cream

Spring is here and it's been wonderfully warm.   I guess we are lucky as winter was not that cold and now spring is a tad bit higher in the temperature scale.  It did soar up to 41*C last year in the summer, so we can expect another scorching HOT summer down under.  I don't mind HOT, just as long as bushfires are contained and everyone exercises caution - you know. Slip-Slop-Slap. 

And as the warm days come, its time to share this ice cream recipe found from a local supermarket magazine.  Its easy, no need for an ice cream maker.  And it has a touch of tropical in it with the addition of coconut milk and its egg free too.  Australian avocados are abundant at the moment at my local green grocer and they're beautiful! Nice and clean on the inside and the seeds are just the right size so you get a good portion of avocado flesh.  I won a tray of these yummy goodies a couple of weeks back which I shard on IG.  I made lots of savoury dishes with it but not a sweet one.   

In Asia, avocados are actually used mostly for sweets - in fruit shakes mostly and in ice cream.  Besides the classic guacamole, it was only in Oz that I adopted the habit of adding it to savoury dishes like chicken or salmon to prepare a sandwich or eating as is with just pepper or salt, not the usual mashed with milk and sugar.   In the Philippines alone, avocados are eaten as a dessert. 

To make this yummy avocado ice cream:

Ingredients:

3 medium avocados

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 395g can of condensed milk

1 270ml can of coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

toasted nuts to serve

Scoop avocado flesh and spoon into food processor with lemon juice.  Process until smooth.

Add condensed milk, coconut milk and vanilla and continue to process until mixed thoroughly.

Pour into an air tight container and place in the freezer until slightly frozen, about 2-3 hours.

Spoon everything back into food processor and process again until smooth.

Place into air tight containers and freeze until ready to eat.

Thaw for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

To serve, add some toasted nuts (pistachios or almonds work nicely).

 

Tips:

* The lemon is important as it helps the avocado retain its green colour and not turn brown.

* After 3 hours in the freezer, the avocado ice cream will be a little bit icy but not yet frozen.  It's important process them again to get the creamy texture result.

* When ready to serve, depending on the weather and the season, thaw the avocado 10-15 minutes before serving.  Then top with toasted nuts.