Philippine Food Illustrated

July 30, 2011

bibingka royal

bibingka royal – /bi-bíng-ka ro-yál/ Ilocano snack) [n.] flat glutinous rice cake.

A baked wide flat rice cake. Its light yellow color is from the yolks of chicken eggs used in the ingredients. Bibingka royal is brushed on top with melted butter or margarine, sprinkled with white sugar, and topped with grated cheese. The commonly used cheese is Eden cheese, cheddar cheese, or any processed filled cheese that can easily be grated into strands like those used for ensaimada bread.

When served, it is sliced like pizza and served with the optional grated coconut meat as topping right before eating.

To make bibingka royal you need at least 3 whole chicken eggs, a cup of refined sugar, 1-1/4 cups of kakang gata (coconut cream), 2 cups of galapong (ground glutinous rice batter), and 4 teaspoons of baking powder to help raise the rice batter.

Before mixing all the ingredients, the oven is preheated so baking will proceed right after the mixing process.

Mixing procedure start by combining sugar and half of the coconut cream in a mixing bowl and stirred well until sugar are dissolved.

In another mixing bowl, the rice flour and baking powder are mixed and sifted. White sugar is added to sifted rice flour and the mixed ingredients is poured slowly into the previously prepared sugar and coconut cream mixture. The remaining half of coconut cream is added next and slowly while mixing continuously.

Also in another mixing bowl, eggs are beaten until light and thick, then added with melted butter (or margarine) and mixed to blend well. The mix is pour in the previously prepared galapong batter mix.

For the baking pan, sheets of fresh banana leaves are laid as linings on 2 large round flat pans. The prepared batter is poured into the pans, spread thinly and evenly. If banana leaves is unavailable, tinfoil or parchment paper will do.

Baking proceed in the preheated oven. The bibingka royal is baked until it is dry and hold its shape. Toothpick test will tell that the rice cake is done.

When done, and while the rice cake is still hot, the top side is brushed with butter (or margarine) then sprinkled with white sugar and grated cheese.

Bibingka royal is sliced like pizza and served with the optional siding of shredded coconut meat. You may spread coconut shreds as additional toppings right before eating the rice cake.

Bibingka royal from the food stall in Tuguegarao City's Mall of Valley.

Check this recipe on how to make bibingka royal

Related posts:

Tarang Bulan

Parirutong

Daral

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Edgie Polistico

suman maruecos

suman maruecos – /sú-man ma-ru-we-kos/ (Tagalog and Bulaqueño snack) [n.] purple rice stick.

A sweet and sticky rice snack delicacy made with ground glutinous purple rice, sugar, and coconut cream. The rice mix is wrapped in banana leaf and rolled into a log and topped or sprinkled with latik (the aromatic brown curd of boiled coconut cream) and then steamed to cook.

Its consistency is quite similar to tikoy or a thickened calamay.

Can be taken and eaten as is or with hot coffee, hot or cold chocolate drinks, or ice-cold cola drinks, and other palamig (cold refreshments).

Suman maruecos of a booth that sells native Bulaqueño snacks and delicacies in Market-Market, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

To make suman maruecos, 2 cups of purple glutinous rice is washed, drained, then soaked in water enough to cover and for at least 4 hours. Afterward, the water is decanted and the soaked rice is ground into galapong (rice batter).

Another 1 cup of rice flour (ground ordinary rice, not malagkit) is added and blended well in the glutinous galapong to minimize the stickiness of would-be suman maruecos. Then 1/2 cup of coconut cream and 1/3 cup of sugar are added and mixed well for every cup of galapong produced.

The mixture is then cooked in a pot on low heat and stirred continuously until the mixture thickens into a paste. The pot is then removed from heat and set to cool.

When cool, 2 spoonfuls of thick rice paste is laid and spread on a banana leaf wrapper and rolled into a log (size similar to a jumbo sausage), and sprinkled with latik (those aromatic brown curds of boiled coconut cream, as in when making coconut oil).

The banana leaf wrapper is then rolled and pulled to wrap the suman maruecos. Both ends of the banana wrapper are folded to seal the contents. Several pieces of suman maruecos are piled in a steamer and cooked for about 30 minutes.

When cooked, the consistency of suman maruecos would look like tikoy (Chinese sticky rice cake) or a thick calamay (sweetened sticky rice paste).

If purple glutinous rice is not available, white glutinous rice can be used as a substitute added with mashed ube to give the suman its purple color.

Check this simple recipe for suman maruecos

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Edgie Polistico

humba (braised pork)

Humba cooked by a relative in Inopacan, Leyte.

humba – /húm-bâ/ Cebuano, Boholano, Waray, and Tagalog dish; dw Chin. Hokkien hon bà [highly spiced pork dish] < ho [saucy] + bà [meat]) [n.] braised fatty pork

Other local names:

a.k.a. humba Bisaya in Cebuano
umba in Capampangan

This is a dish of chunky slices of pork, complete with those wobbly thick layers of pork fat and skin.

To cook, the chunks and fatty slabs of pork are braised in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, water, spices (crushed garlic, peppercorn and laurel leaves, etc.), and salt to taste. It is simmered for long hours until the oil from pork fat would exude and blend in the gravy. The meat must be very tender with the pork fat having a jelly-like consistency that would easily wobble when you shake the dish, and when you prick or press it with a fork or table knife, the tines or blunt blade would effortlessly sink into the skin and fat.

There are now many variations of humba across the country depending on what ingredients are available. In some places of northeastern Mindanao, eastern Visayas, and Laguna, humba is seasoned with tahure, and tausi, and added with skinned peanuts. The Visayans would add peanuts and a spoonful of brown sugar to enhance the texture of every bite and taste.

The humba of Warays in the eastern Visayas has the skin of pork removed before cooking, leaving only the fatty layer and meat in the pot. Skinned peanuts are also added.

A tray of humba sold at an eatery in Panabo City.

Humba is also savored in Luzon that an old version of humba called umba by the Capampangans of Central Luzon (particularly the provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac) and Tagalog region including Metro Manila. Humba in Luzon is cooked with chunks of cracked panocha (concave mold of raw cane sugar) or many spoonfuls of muscovado sugar to enhance the taste. They would also use crushed tahure (salted bean curd) or tausi (black beans) instead of toyo (soy sauce). They also add peanuts, kinchamsay (dried banana blossom), and/or ripe saba banana.

Some local Chinese restaurants in Metro Manila originally add kinchamsay to this dish.

In Iba, Zambales, humba has chunks or big slices of very ripe saba banana (Philippine plantain).

In Iba, Zambales, humba has big slices of very ripe saba (plantain) banana.

Reheating the humba for several days (at least for 2 to 3 days) on low fire for at least an hour and occasionally turning over the meats would render the dish more flavorful, more tender, and tastier. When reheating, a little more water mixed with little more vinegar and soy sauce may be added to keep the dish saucy and the meat from getting fried by the pork lard. The more humba is reheated, the more delectable it would be.

Learn to cook with this simple humba recipe

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Edgie Polistico

June 18, 2011

barako finger (dynamite chili stick)

barako finger - /ba-rá-ko fing-geyr/ Tagalog delicacy) [n.] green finger chili roll \dynamite chili.

Other local name:

a.k.a. dynamite chili or dynamite chili stick in Tagalog and Cebuano

The siling berde or siling haba (green finger chili) is cut lengthwise with the stalk remaining intact, seeds removed, washed clean, then filled with a cheese stick. Another version is filled with sautéed ground meat in chili sauce instead of a cheese stick. The filled chili is then wrapped in lumpia wrapper (wanton wrapper) and fried until crisp and browned.

The stem or stalk of the finger chili juts out like a wicker of dynamite. Thus, it is called dynamite chili with reference to its dynamite-like appearance.

Packs of freshly made and uncooked barako fingers are sold in food stalls at the Caticlan Airport in Malay, Aklan.

The barako finger is deep fried and served as an appetizer or a pulutan. It makes a good partner with your ice-cold beer.

The barako finger is not too hot to handle as one may think because siling haba (green finger chili) is mildly spicy hot, even made lesser spicy hot when its seeds are removed.

A pile of dynamite chilies at a world-class and first picnic-inspired night food market at Glorietta's Dolphin Park in Ayala Center, Makati City.

The barako finger could be a lot hotter if the seeds are not removed. However, keeping all those seeds inside would cause this appetizer to have a hint of bitterness in taste.

Here are the steps on how to make the simplest version of barako finger (a.k.a. dynamite chili).

A serving of freshly fried barako finger (a.k.a. dynamite chili) doused with sweet chili sauce.

There are now many variations on how barako finger is prepared and enhanced. The most common is with the filling lined with a sheet of bacon before it is wrapped in a lumpia wrapper.

Those who seek or demand an intensely hot variation can have their wish granted by simply adding minced siling labuyo (Philippine tiny bird’s eye chili) or any other species of chili pepper that are intensely hot. If Carolina Reaper is available, you can use it to rig the barako finger or dynamite chili to the max. Just add the explosive super hot chili in the sautéed ground meat for the filling. A chili sauce version can also be used.

Now you have another good reason to cry out loud, babe.

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Edgie Polistico

June 14, 2011

taklong

taklong – /ták-long/ (Hiligaynon [Capizeño] snail) [n.] forest snail.

Other local common name:

a.k.a. takrong in Hiligaynon (Capizeño)

A species of big-sized forest snail found in the woods or forested areas of Capiz province and nearby provinces on Malay island. This snail would thrive in moist places near a river or waterfalls. It lives on trees as this snail is fed with leaves of trees and other plants.

They are caught crawling under the foliage and on the branches of trees and other plants. The snail is carrying on its back a dark brown coiling shell.

It looks like kurakol (plant snail) or a big-sized kuhol (escargot).

As food, taklong is collected and boiled in water to make it easy to pull out its meat from its coiling shell. The meat is pried out with a fork or pin.

The meat is cooked into barbekyung taklong (forest snail barbecue) by marinading it in barbecue sauce then skewered on a stick and grilled, or made into guinataang taklong (forest snail in coconut milk), guinisang taklong (sautéed forest snail), or adobong taklong (pickled forest snail). When cooked, it is gummy and chewy like a chicken gizzard.

Personal note

This snail is quite different from kuhol. It tastes bitter and chewy. In my case, I turned squeamish and had a thorough exercise with my jaw masticating the dish. It takes a good combination of spices and seasonings to make it at least enticing. Its bitterness is definitely so strong due to its diet of forest green leaves.

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Edgie Polistico

March 20, 2011

tsikalang

tsikalang – /tsi-ka-láng/ (Cebuano and Chavacano (Zamboangueño) snack of southern Mindanao) [n.] fried rolled purple glutinous rice.

Other local name:

Also spelled as chicalang in Chavacano (Zamboangueño)

The purple glutinous rice is ground and mixed with some trigo (wheat flour) and water, moderately enough to make a rice dough. A handful lump or cut of this rice dough is rolled to the size of a banana fruit and then fried in deep cooking oil. When frying is almost done, it is sprinkled with brown sugar and cooked until the sugar would caramelize and coat the fried rice dough. The caramel-coated rice dough is then removed from the pan and set to cool.

The cooked tsikalang is then skewered in a bamboo stick similar to that of a banana cue (fried saba banana in a bamboo stick).

A bite of tsikalang is a bit chewy because it is made with glutinous rice.

Tsikalang in Pagadian City is skewered in bamboo sticks.

In other parts of southern Mindanao, like in Zamboanga City, tsikalang is shaped like a twisted donut or big pinilipit and is not skewered in bamboo sticks, but coated with flour and caramelized sugar.

Tsikalang in Zamboanga City is shaped like a twisted donut or big pinilipit with flour coating.

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Edgie Polistico

February 19, 2011

ensaimada

ensaymada – /en-say-má-da/ Tagalog and almost all other dialects bread/pastry; dw Span. saim [pork lard] > ensaimada <>ensaimades) [n.] spiral soft cheese bun.

Also spelled as ensaimada in almost all languages and vernaculars in the Philippines

Filipino ensaymada has its origin in Majorca, Spain, where it was originally made with flour dough, water, sugar, eggs, and pork lard called saim. Thus, it is called ensaimada.

The Pinoy version substituted pork lard with butter, and several sub-variants of ensaymada are now seen and sold anywhere in the Philippines that include: ham ensaymada, ube ensaymada, mongo ensaymada, ensaymada Malolos, and the all-time-favorite cheese ensaymada.

Pinoy ensaymada is still a soft dough bread in a spiral form that wounds towards the center, often glazed with melted butter or margarine and lightly sprinkled with or pressed and rolled on refined white sugar and topped with grated cheese.

Enhanced variations have strips of ham, macapuno strings, or a sweet paste of ube or ube jam.

The Bulakeños started making before World War II their large version of ensaymadas topped with lots of grated cheese and thin slices of salted duck egg.

The latest variation of ensaymada is no longer spiral in shaped but a clustered several pieces of softy yellowy buns made with the same ensaimada ingredients and still glazed with butter or margarine sprinkled with white sugar and generously topped with grated cheddar or filled cheese.

Some Batangueños migrated and brought their baking expertise to Mindoro. These ensaymadas in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro came from a Batangueño bakery in town.