Category Archives: Filipino Cuisine

I took some of the maja blanca to some Swiss friends and as usual they were curious. I was asked what it is and the nearest equivalent I could find is BLANCMANGE. I did explain that instead of milk I used coconut milk. They all love it.

Blancmange (bluh-MANHZH) is a pudding made of cornstarch, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Gelatin is substituted for the cornstarch. The mixture is poured into a mould, chilled and unmoulded. Served with sweet sauce or fresh fruit.

So I explained I used sweet corn and coconut cream and the conversation that afternoon was on Filipino food. And guess what they requested next time I visit them: spring rolls.

Stel of Baby Rambutan her post dated 14th of July, wrote about kakainin and she mentioned maja blanca (BLACMANGE OF CORN AND COCONUT CREAM) maja blanca is a popular afternoon snack lumped in the kakanin section of my memory …one of the items my ma or lola (grandma) would bring home as uwi (take home gift) from the wet market.

And she “dedicated” the recipe to me. The very next day I went to the Asian store and bought the things I need. But I was so caught up with unexpected things.

Corn Kernels, corn and coconut mixture, I used whisk to prevent lumps, and cooling down.

But today my good friend Emy, a high school classmate at Science High, Cebu (Philippines) has a birthday. Emy a paralegal whose office is at Beverly Hills, LA, is a busy woman and she said cooking has become so tiresome. We chatted and she asked me “if I were to ask you what would you cook or bake me for my birthday , what would it be?”

I know she loves Maja Blanca, my worst nightmare. I told her I will do my best to create a good maja blanca. My friend Boni who was here thought I was really losing my marbles.

She said in between measuring and stirring, “why are you torturing yourself with this heat.” Yes its almost 37C. But because I was roasting some chicken ( I need the chicken for my salad tomorrow). Also took the chance to roast some aubergine after seeing Ting Aling’s Tortang Talong, the heat in the kitchen was a bit unbearable.

I can already tell from my mixture I wouldn’t need much of gelatin . I have an agar agar stick – never in my life I used this. So I text Celia Kusinera in UK to guide me how much water I need etc.

The only difference I made from Stel’s recipe is I placed some corn at the bottom of the mould. And I used the savarin mould instead of flan mould because I love the scalloped look of the bottom.
But when I showed it to my husband he said YOU WILL HAVE A HARD TIME UNMOULDING THAT. Ouch!!!… he suggested to freeze it before unfolding.

From the taste of the mixture I know I have a good Maja Blanca. I sat down to analyse my previous blunders.
The other recipe I used didn’t mention corn starch. But I also thought of the coconut cream. I probably have used the coconut milk that explains the watery mixture I had.
This time too, I have a fabulous coconut cream.from Malaysia, a present from Bayi when he came. It’s the best I have ever tasted ( in a box). Growing up in the Philippines I cannot recall using canned coconut cream. Our house is surrounded with coconuts. Bayi said to me his wife doesn’t use this as well because she uses freshly grated coconut. But of course he couldn’t bring me fresh coconut cream, he brought instead the best what Malaysia has to offer Ayam Brand (read more) and the box says Perahan Pertama – First Press Milk.

At this time of writing my maja blanca is cooling inside the fridge. I will post another photo tomorrow when I will put roasted coconut on the top.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YASI!

Thank you Stel, hope you are enjoying your short break.
Thank you Cecile for all the emails we have exchanged (no need to guess the contents of our mails)

Terima kasih Bayi for the tasty coconut cream.

When my husband saw my oven grilled aubergines he said “fancy some aubergine salad tomorrow?” We normally make the greek melitzanosalata, but I thought why not try Market Manila’s grilled eggplant salad. Think I will do both.

After a very Filipino lunch with mung beans my sister went craving for a Filipino sweet or dessert. My sister makes the wonderful leche flan, but she said too much calories but she even toyed the idea of Yemas. So I told her to check
Karen’s Pilgrims Pots and Pans and Sassy’s Pinoy Cook. pages for yemas.

We needed condensed milk but she said why not just check what we have in the cupboard and create from what she got. Well it turned out we have glutinous rice, grated and …. Coconut and sesame.

Palitaw. Palitaw literally means to float. Once the glutinous rice mixture floats it means its cook. So she asked if I have a recipe, I said no recipe needed on this. But if you want check Pinoy Cook. I know Sassy must have this. So she said Sassy has this proportion 5 cups flour 3 cups water.. click here to get the recipe

Ok we started measuring but I told her I do not want to make a lot we probably need to reduce the measurements. Also since the kind of rice flour might be different, I just keep checking the consistency. I applied what I do when kneading a dough, like sprinkling a bit of flour so you can lift the dough. As long I can make little balls of the mixture and wont stick on my fingers then I got it right.

For a twist I served half of it with grated coconut and half with desiccated coconut.
Palitaw was served with home made iced tea from brewed Celestial Seasoning tea we had delicious snacks yet so simple.
It rejuvanted all of us and soon everyone back to the garden pottering around.

When we first move to Greece in 1984, there were hardly any Asian shops. There is a supermarket in Psyhico where most of the diplomats live and there AB supermarket has a small selection of rice,soya sauce and some noodles
Looking back I think it was much more aimed for the Japanese. Of course we have learned to improvise, cook and eat what Athens has to offer. It was, still is exciting indeed to go to the market and shop food you never had.

One of my childhood memory in Cebu was when it was the fiesta of the village at my mothers’ side family, all the ladies would gather in the kitchen of Lola Asyang grand house on the hill. I remember too well how large was the kitchen and all those huge pots bubbling with food.Great aunts, aunts all sit down and roll the banana turon.

Banana in Athens in 1984 was as exotic as the way the Greeks saw me and my sister. Also where on earth can we get a spring roll wrapper at that time? Then of course the number of Filipino increased drastically towards 1990. Lumpia wrapper was imported from other European market and a Greek guy opened Salamat store. And banana was beginning to be available at the market.

Then of course every Filipino party offers turon.Some don’t get it right either the wrapper too soggy or the banana is too thick. But why pay a lot for the banana when apples are very cheap in Greece.
We experimented with apples and it turned out great.

Then on my 2nd week here in Oslo, I discovered the immigrant area. I was so happy to see the spring roll wrapper and it is exactly the same brand I used in Greece and UK. Thus I know the quality. I bought few packs you never know when we crave for spring rolls.

One day we bought some Pink Lady apples which turned out not so crunchy. I know they will just rot in the fruit basket and we can’t afford to throw food here in Oslo. So I made some apple turron which I kept on my freezer… Whenever we craved for such delight I have them ready.

I used organic brown sugar and thinly sliced apple for this turon. I say this a treat because we don’t fry up food and this is deep frying.