palapa

You don't have to go to Marawi City in Mindanao to have a taste of palapa. We find these bottled palapa in one of a Muslim stalls we found in a Muslim Community of Quiapo, Manila.

palapa -  /pa-lá-pa/ (Maranao condiment) [n.] a mixture of thinly chopped sakurab (Muslim Mindanao scallion), lots of finely sliced luya tiduk (Philippine bird’s eye chili), pounded luya pagirison (ginger), and some toasted grated niog (coconut). They are combined, pounded, cooked on a big pan, stirred continuously until aromatic, removed from cooking, let cool, and then stored in a garapon (small jar with cap). Palapa can be dry (if cooked over a long time until moisture is reduced, but not totally dry) or moist (when cooked briefly).

When needed in cooking, palapa is sautéed first and added with the optional spoonful of condensed milk before palapa is used as a seasoning to a particular dish.

A small bowl with a serving of sauteed palapa is a centerpiece on our lunch in a Muslim restaurant nearby the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila.

Palapa is an ever-present essential ingredient in Maranao cuisine, it would transform the Muslim dishes to become enticingly reddish in color with much piquancy in taste. If Bicolanos are known for their spicy hot dishes, the Maranaos are far more than that.

Bottled palapa prepared and sold by Maranaos in ubiquitos Muslim stalls nearby the Golden mosque in Quiapo, Manila.

 

If Bicolanos are known for their penchant for chili, wait till you experience how hot also is the Maranao cuisine.


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tapay

tapay - /ta-pay/ Maranao snack [n.] fermented rice with yeast.

Tapay is prepared using ordinary rice boiled either in plain water or in coconut milk in a process similar to cooking kanin (steamed rice). A locally made yeast called tapai is sprinkled and mixed thoroughly into freshly cooked rice that is then molded into a big mound and let stand to cool and ferment for one to two days in a deep platter or any covered container. It is kept covered and undisturbed until fully fermented. 

The fermentation of rice with yeast would cause tapay to emit a liquor-like odor and taste. A scoop of produced tapay is spread on fresh banana leaves (or leaves of alum tree, Adelia monoica), spreading tapay thin and flat into a square or rectangular shape. The leaf is then folded on both ends to serve as a wrapper. Fermentation continues in the folded leaf.

A serving of tapay (click photo to enlarge image).

To serve, the leaf wrapper of the tapay is opened and the tapay is transferred into a deep bowl. A milk solution is prepared with chilled coconut cream and if coconut milk is not available, chilled fresh milk or evaporated milk is used. The coconut milk is added with some ice (crushed, cube, or tube ice) and some condensed milk as a sweetener. The ice-cold milk solution is poured into the bowl and mixed well with the tapay. A condiment called tiyolo, which is a pounded roasted grated coconut meat with brown sugar, is added to the mixture to give tapay a distinct aroma and flavor.

When done adding and mixing the coconut milk solution and tiyolo, the prepared tapay is all ready to be eaten. If it is your first time to try eating tapay, you would mistake its smell for that of spoiled cooked rice. But no, tapay is not really spoiled at all. It is just the natural smell of fermenting rice with yeast.

Tapay has a light sweetness and distinct smell and taste of a liquor, which is actually a lace of alcohol produced in the fermentation process of tapay.

Tapays wrapped in alum leaves (Adelia monoica). These are sold in the Pier Area of Cotabato City

A Muslim Maranao selling tapay at the entrance gate of Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila during the observance of Eid al Fitr or the end of Ramadan or Maulidin Nabi.

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Continue to follow my blogs. You can also follow and learn more by joining us in our Facebook group. Have more bits and pieces about our kind of food, ingredients, and ways of cooking, dining, and knowing food culture across the 7,641 islands of the Philippines.

Encouragement and enthusiasm are not enough. I also need moral support, prayers, and anything else that can uplift my spirit and keep my good reasons. Keep them coming. All I know is that I am happy with what I am sharing and giving away. If you are pleased and happy with what I am doing, just smile and please share the happiness. Keep sharing and include to share the PHILIPPINE FOOD ILLUSTRATED. I feel energized when my blog becomes one of the reasons why you are happy and smiling.

Edgie Polistico

 

pastil

pastil – /pas-tíl/ (Maguindanaon packed meal) [n.] rice topped with sautéed shredded meat.

 

Similar dishes: 

• also spelled as pastel in Maguindanaon
• patel or pater in Maranao
• paster in Iranun

It is closely similar to the Tagalog binalot sa dahon except for the way how it is wrapped in banana leaf.

A scoop (about a cup) of steamed or boiled plain rice is placed on the center of a spread of banana leaf and topped with shreds or flakes of sautéed meat or fish called kagikit. 

The cut of banana leaf is wilted first in fire or ember to soften and make it a pliant wrapper. 

The scoop of cooked rice is then molded by folding the banana leaf. Before finally wrapping the rice, it is topped with kagikit (sautéed shredded meat) usually that of shredded meat of braised fish or chicken. Then the leaf is finally rolled around the topped rice. It is sealed by folding both ends similar to that of suman (Tagalog rice stick), only that the pastil is wider and flatter in shape than that of suman.

The special version of pastil has more meat, plus a hard-boiled chicken egg (shelled and cut into halves) as toppings, and the rice is mixed with a little amount of glutinous rice that would bind well the molded meal.

Pastil is considered the budget combo meal of our Muslim brothers in Mindanao.

In Manila, it is sold and readily available in the ubiquitous Halal restaurants and eateries near the Golden Mosque in the Quiapo district and in Maharlika Village in Taguig City.

Pastil is usually served and eaten by pouring some soy sauce right before eating and paired with hard-boiled chicken egg.  It can also be eaten on the go by holding a piece of pastil and peeling it just like when you open a banana and eat it while standing, walking, or on a ride.   

A Maguindanaon food stall vendor skillfully prepares pastil.

A mold of rice is topped with kagikit of sautéed shredded chicken meat from Cotabato City

A mold of rice is topped with kagikit of shredded fish adobo. This one is from Quiapo, Manila.

This mound of pastil is sold at a Halal eatery at the Welcome Rotunda in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. Boiled eggs complement with the packed meal.

Mounds of pastil is a common sight at the many foodstands along Sinsuat Ave ext. cor Quezon Ave. in Cotabato City.

In Metro Manila, you can have pastil from the ubiquitous food stalls and eateries near the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila. I bought a bag of my first pastil experience from this place.

In Metro Manila, you can also buy pastil in Maharlika Market and in talipapa and eateries nearby the Blue Mosque in the Maharlika Village in Taguig City. 

You can eat pastil with bare hands, but make sure to wash your hands before eating to conform with the Muslim law on hygiene in dining Halal food. Here, I'm eating pastil with a pair of spoon and fork at home.

Related posts:

Kalintubo

puso (sweetened rice)

Puso (plain rice)

Pasong

Tapay