"Maja Blanca"

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups coconut thin milk
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 can cream style corn
• 2 tbsps butter, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Procedure:

In a thick bottom casserole, combine the first-two ingredients. Mix until sugar dissolves. Place over medium-low fire. Stir continuously until it thickens. Remove from fire.

Add in the cream-style corn and butter. Bring back to the stove. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until very thick, should continue stirring to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat. Drizzle with vanilla flavoring. Mix well. Pour in a molding container or several small containers. Sit at room temperature until it cools. Cover, then, put inside the refrigerator.

Serve cold.

Wordless Wednesday #6

Wordless Wednesday

Two of the most common Filipino desserts or "native kakanin", they are "putong puti" (steamed white rice cake) and "special sapin-sapin" (three-colored layered rice-based delicacy).

Puto Bumbong

Christmas is just around the corner, you can smell it in the air! Tomorrow is the start of "Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo" or 9 Consecutive Dawn Masses. It's a Catholic practice in celebrating the Birth of Jesus. One of the things, I look forward is, the "puto bumbong" and "bibingka". They are traditional Christmas delicacies here in the Philippines, sold outside the church, usually brought as pasalubong or eaten for breakfast. They are wrapped in banana leaves. Then, wrapped in old newspaper. It's good to know that Filipinos can still be earth-friendly.

Puto Bumbong is made up of ground glutinous rice that is colored purple, called "galapong". They are cooked in small tube bamboos in a specially made steamer, rolled in hand-grated coconut, called "niyog". Sometimes, spread with a little margarine. Then, sprinkled with "pardo", I think, it's called raw sugar. As for the Bibingka, I haven't had any photo to post.

My hubby went out earlier to do some errand. When he got back, he brought home Puto Bumbong. He told me, while walking home, he stumbled upon a small stall selling these little cuties. He loves native kakanin, simply cannot resist them. He bought several packs. Though, still trying to less my food intake for today because of last night's Christmas Party we attended, I simply can't resist! It is so yummy! Even my kiddo loves it! Here is the picture of my Kulit eating the Puto Bumbong....

Pinipig Kalamay

Puto... Kutchinta... Kalamay!

On our first morning in Davao, we were awaken by the shouting of "puto... kutchinta... kalamay ..."(of course with the binisaya accent!) by the lady vendor who we fondly called "Manang". She goes around the subdivision every morning to sell her products. For the whole week we stayed there, we were her loyal consumers. Her three products are really yummy. I personally liked the kalamay c",)

Puto, Kutchinta and Kalamay are some of the sweet desserts a.k.a. "Native Kakanin" known here in the Philippines

"Maja Maiz"

In Filipino cuisine, this recipe is classified as "kakanin or panghimagas" or commonly known as dessert. Usually, it is made of real corn, boiled and then scrape off from the cob. Too much time to prepare! (",) I decided to use canned corn instead.


Ingredients:

• 1 can (425g) cream style corn
• 1 brick (250ml) sweetened condensed milk
• a pinch of fine salt
• a tbsp of white sugar (optional)
• a few drops of yellow food color
• coconut cream (kakang-gata):
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 pc (400 g) coconut, grated
• coconut milk (pangalawang gata):
• 1-¾ cup warm water
• (used) coconut, grated

Here’s how:

In a large bowl, place ingredients for coconut cream. Mash and squeeze. Put coconut cream extract in a non-stick wok. Place in medium fire, cook until coconut cream turns to latik. Stirring very often. Set aside.

While cooking the coconut cream. Do the coconut milk, mash and squeeze. Place coconut milk extract in a non-stick medium casserole. Add the first-four ingredients. Mix well. Place over medium-high fire. Stir continuously until it thickens.

Line with banana leaves and lightly grease a “bilao” or platter, or 5 plastic microwavable round containers (250 ml) with coconut oil (from latik). Place and divide cooked mixture into greased containers . Top with latik generously, press latik lightly unto cooked mixture while still hot. Let it cool.

Serve.

"Minatamis na Saging" (Boiled Bananas in Sweet Syrup)

A banana is a plant, not a tree, though strictly an herb. The term banana is also applied to the elongated fruit, technically a false berry, which grows in edible species and varieties, in hanging clusters, several to many fruits to a tier, called a ‘hand’, many tiers to a bunch. The total of hanging clusters is called a 'stem' in the commercial world. Grown in the warm and humid tropics, bananas are picked and shipped green. Contrary to nature’s norm, they are one fruit that develops better flavor when ripened off the bush.

For two days now, I’ve been frying bananas for snack, plantain bananas to be exact. It’s one of the fruits that my Little One really likes! There’s still a bunch of it left lying on the kitchen table. This time, I want to cook it differently. I was aiming for “turon” (sweetened banana rolls) but wasn’t in the mood for all the fuss in preparing it. The easiest way I can think of to cook it besides frying, is to just boil it in syrup. And still, my kiddo loves it! He almost ate all the bananas I cooked! Can you believe that?!! Imagine, this recipe is good for 3-5 servings.

Ingredients:

• 10 pcs (about 3/4 kg) ripe plantain bananas (saging na saba)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2-3 drops of banana flavoring (optional)

Here’s how:

Peel the bananas. Cut into three diagonally. Put in a thick bottom casserole. Add water and pandan leaves. Cover. Place over medium-high fire. Bring to boil. Reduce fire to medium. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Put brown sugar. Mix. Cover again. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until it boils again. Remove from pan. Drizzle with banana flavoring.

Let it cool. Serve.