saturday market finds at salcedo.

the saturday market at salcedo is one of the nicest markets i've attended; it's not just that there is a nice array of produce and handicrafts available, nor is it just that there is a staggering assortment of prepared foods, but it's also in really lovely park with shady trees filled with fairy lights and plexi-shapes that dance in the wind. it doesn't matter how warm it is or if it's raining, the trees and canopies shelter the shoppers and the lively and easygoing atmosphere keep you from caring anyway.

giant jackfruit

mounds of mangosteens


lovely lychees


beautiful birds of paradise


piles of peanuts


squash blossoms, okra, and cilantro for home


bounty of fruit for immediate and ecstatic consumption


these little piggies went to market

getting a little fruity in kl.

i had some fun correspondence with the housekeeping staff at my hotel; i would leave them one of the bento boxes from the conference (not bad but i'm in kl--sooo many more possibilities) during the lunch break, then return to find more than my fair share of whatever fruit was on offer from the housekeeping cart. whoo! unnamed housekeepers, you rock! of course, no one left me any durian (shucks), but i saw it quite a bit in the produce stalls around the city; no one wanted to split one, so i didn't try the local version (for the record--yes, i've tried it before, and like it okay. the smell doesn't bother me, but whilst the flavour is complex on the sweet end of the spectrum, it lacks an acidity i look for in most fruit). the mighty mangosteen and prickly rambutan, on the other hand, were bought at any given opportunity, and eaten just as quickly--hence, the woeful lack of photos.

also imbibed whenever possible: fresh coconut water, in the young coconut, served with a straw and also a spoon, to scoop out the tender, sweet flesh; coconut water contains a high amount of potassium (lots more than a banana), and helps a body rehydrate easier than just cold water. also sucked up: sugar cane juice, freshly expressed from the cane, diluted only with copious amounts of ice, and a touch of fresh lemon. cane juice is nowhere near as sweet as you would imagine, as it comes from the younger, greener cane, picked before the sugars develop.

probably my most favourite dessert in kl is the shave ice treats topped with fresh and preserved fruits, but unlike the filipino halo-halo, korean bingsu, or even its regional sister ais kacang, it does not have red beans or dairy added, so it is much lighter on the stomach. too many fruit concoctions and combinations were available; this one had fresh soursop pieces, preserved palm fruit, mochi balls, and nata de coco (fermented coconut water gel) covered in a guava syrup and basil seed syrup. fresh, fruity, sweet, yet sharp, icy and refreshing.

imho, the best fruit brought over by the housekeeping staff was the local wax jambu (if you want to get all latin fancy it's Syzygium samarangense.) it is known in the philippines as macopa, and on the island as simply "mountain apples." i never see fruit as big as this here on island, nor this colour--usually it's white or pinkish here, but in malaysia--where it is cultivated for harvest--it comes in a rainbow assortment from white to yellow to green to various shades of pink and red. the interior is snowy white, with a cellulosey texture and flavour similar to an asian pear but slightly spongy and lighter. as i can only get it on island in the wild or from other people's backyards, i took every opportunity to munch on this simple but satisfying gift.

market in kl.

well of course i had to go to a market. i went to imbi market, which i had read about on boo's blog, and in the inaugural issue of time out kl, in an article written by eating asia's scribe, robyn eckhardt. our hotel provided complimentary breakfasts (pretty good as far as hotel buffets go), so unfortunately, i didn't go to sample the famed hainan coffee and roti kahwin, just to poke around a bit to see what kinds of fruits and veg were on offer, maybe peek into the wet market (or maybe not), and check out the stalls.

1. imbi market melons, 2. imbi market starfruit, 3. imbi market herbs, 4. imbi market mangoes

1. imbi market steamed rice cakes, 2. imbi market snacks pushcart, 3. imbi market mutton man, 4. imbi market dried seafood

i was v. tempted to bring back some of the beautiful dried seafood on offer--cuttlefish, oysters, and scallops of every size--but knew that cute but pesky US customs dog would sniff it out. i think, though, with a little experimentation i might be able to recreate the bursting bulbs of smoked garlic, which were offered up in various stalls. don't know exactly what i'd do with it besides a smokin' (literally) pot of tau ew bak, a thick, soy sauce based stew like hawaiian shoyu chicken, only with giant, glistening chunks of pork. mmmmm. so not halal.

temptation gave in when i saw the sisters crispy popiah stall. popiah are the regional version of the filipino lumpia sariwa, a savoury rice or wheat flour crepe painted with a sweetish-soy and bean sauce, then filled with fresh vegetables, yam or turnip noodles, prawns, and whatever else to the maker's choosing. i'm not sure why the sisters' version is so lauded, but i wonder if it is the 'crispy' in the name that is unusual; their popiah had a generous amount of batter bits that were indeed very crispy and added lovely texture to the wrap. count me as one of the many fans.

i think my favourite vendor, though, was mr. wong, the owner of the chinese pastry stall (name temporarily escapes me, but i'll have a rummage for the card). an earnest and engaging young man, his father and uncle had popular shop in chinatown on petaling street, but he moved the four-generations-old business to the market when his uncle retired. when he saw me taking photos, he showed me his own digital camera, filled with photos of him making the pineapple jam that filled many of the flaky crusted pastries in his case. it takes him four to five hours just to peel the pineapples, never mind cutting and cooking them down in a giant cauldron. one jam making session makes just enough for four days' worth of sweets, so on top of his duties at the stall, he must go through the day-long process for the jam alone, at least twice a week. it is worth it--the fresh flavour of the pineapple still evident under the caramelization, just a tiny bit tart and not too sweet.

although all the pineapple jam filled pastries were lovely (the one with salted egg yolk and jam was especially interesting), i think his top creation would be the mini-egg custard tarts. the crust is impressively flaky, with a silky, light egginess within; you can easily eat one or two in seconds flat.

or three.

market macaron merienda.

one of my favourite stalls in salcedo market is la cuisine francaise, which sells a very nice assortment of homemade french specialties like patés, quiches, apple tartine, pissaladiere, some lovely stews, ratatouille, and some kicking lasagne (not french, but darned good). i generally skip the majority of their baked goods because there are so many other bakeries around, but this time i picked up these absolutely ginormous macarons, one of the almond, and a chocolate one. i used to have a steady date with the macarons at bizu, but lately they haven't been up to par--always a little stale, a little sad, and the taste of some of the flavours seems to have changed. i had my doubts about the market macarons--at a little more than six inches in diameter, they are about 5 times the size of an average macaron, and maybe ten times the weight. whatwhatwhat?! robyn had a photo of maison du chocolat's version of a large macaron, which she called "the monster that eats babies" one; if that's the case, then these are the universe in which the monsters roam.

the flavour of both were excellent--not too sweet, real almond flavour coming through the almond one with a marzipan overtone, the chocolate one was a little malty, with not-overpowering ganache within. the outside had a much thicker crust than your average macaron, and the innard of the cookie was soft, almost bready. i've made macarons before, but i can't imagine that the batter i used for the small ones would turn out like these in larger scale. it seems like perhaps there is more flour or something stabilizing the meringue. if you look at the photo below, maybe you can see what i mean...?

does that look like an average macaron to you? it almost seems like a cross between a macaron and the savoiardi/ladyfingers i made for the strawberry charlotte. lighter, slightly spongy, but with that nice meringue crust and a bit of chew. if anyone has any pointers/suggestions on how to make the monster macarons, please let me know!

impromptu visit.

when will this monsoon season ever end? i was about to go mad with the sound of horrid rain, day in, day out...so i hopped on a plane, bound for manila, just for the weekend. even though it was overcast there really wasn't any rain to speak of (stupid or otherwise), but there was a nice cooling breeze. perfect for a stroll through saturday's salcedo market, again. just some scenes from the village:

katuray and bagbagkong, edible flowers


caimito (star apple), lanzones, chico, sampalok (tamarind), and bananas


cotton candy floss vendor


"dirty" ice cream


barbecued pusit (squid), hito (catfish) and bangus (milkfish), pork


roasting chestnuts


guess we know what fidel's up to these days.

happy halloween!

i saw these pumpkins at salcedo market the other week. pumpkins aren't common in the philippines, especially the decorative variety. although, i'm pretty sure someone's going to try to eat these....

it's saturday so it must be salcedo.

i am nothing if not predictable about my routine in manila. i usually take the friday flight right after work in guam, and arrive in makati just before most of the restaurant kitchens close. saturdays start early with a couple errands, and then off to the market at salcedo village.

predictable, but considering the variety of food and produce available, not exactly boring. and not particularly expensive either--the current rate of exchange is about 49 pesos to the US$1, so i can usually get a great meal and enough fruit for the weekend for about US$5. la-la-love a (relative) bargain, baby.

i was looking at photos from produce markets at tableau vivante and she who eats, and thinking that i'll never get such gorgeous artichokes nor delicate tulips here, but then again, i don't think frost damage is ever really a concern for the local crops, either.

and it never fails, i always find something new. spices 'n flavours run a stall there, with a small but fairly intensive selection of their merchandise. i picked up a small tumbleweed of dried oregano, and a packet of kasubha (Carthamus dentatus Blanco), which is similar to saffron but not (used much the same way, though); it was there i noticed a steel bowl filled with these almost coal-like fruit fossils labelled "black lemons."

preserved lemon, certainly, and a little interrogation of the shopgirl revealed it is from india, but no recipes were offered. has anyone ever used black lemon? does anyone out there know how? anyone? anyone?

bueller?


tagged! manila makati philippines salcedo produce market

manila: merienda.

much like siesta is considered an integral part of spanish culture, merienda--a mid-day snack--is integral to filipino culture. yes! how i heart a land where food is so important that 3 meals are not enough. traditionally, merienda is taken as a mid-afternoon repast, but a mid-morning snack is equally as acceptable (or as bowb or saffron might put it 'the second breakfast.') merienda can be anything from a small item to a full-fledged meal; there is nothing unacceptable as a merienda item, although some foods are traditionally considered so, like freshly baked bibingka or a hot pandesal bun--literally "bread of salt," (but really, much, much more than that)--straight from a pugon, a wood-fired clay oven, along with a cup of hot coffee or tsokolate. also, to some people, if there isn't a pile of steamed rice involved, then it's just not a meal, it's merienda. on this last jaunt, i definitely had my share of merienda, which ranged from the traditional to the not-quite-so, the snack-sized to um, a full fourth meal. shhhh.

one of the 'second breakfasts' i had was from an omnipresent coffee house chain, seattle's best (i have more or less abandoned the 'bucks because they no longer carry coffee jelly--although, fabulously, wendy's offers it as an add-in to their frosties). this SB has coffee toddy--cold-brewed coffee--which imo, is the best kind of iced coffee. if made correctly, it is smooth, rich, without the usually bitterness and not as acidic (as i mostly drink stupendous amounts of coffee black, this has saved my stomach from eating itself alive). this was accompanied by a somewhat filipino-ized coconut macaroon, which was more like a cupcake made from dessicated coconut, condensed milk, and the barest minimum of flour. the cake was quite moist and achingly sweet, but very coconutty and also surprisingly light in texture. its sweet milkiness complemented the strong black coffee nicely.

as i was out and about for most of the weekend, i ended up having afternoon merienda instead of full luncheons; one of my favourite things is fresh lumpia ubod (pictured above), made with grated and sautéed fresh hearts of palm, wrapped in an eggy rice flour crêpe, and served with chopped peanuts, a generous amount of minced raw garlic, and a sweet soy-based sauce. the flavour of the lumpia itself is delicate, and is more or less a spectacular vehicle for the raw garlic and sauce, but the crêpe and palm heart filling more than substantial for a light meal. try eating one of these, then shopping at a beauty counter. the saleswoman you breathe on will never forget you.

far more filling is a chinese-inspired staple, lugaw, or rice porridge. i went to a rather old-school café, via mare, which served up this behemoth bowl of rice porridge topped with fried tofu, fried wontons, pig's ears, tripe, salted egg, adobo flakes, green onion, and served with patis (fermented fish sauce) and fresh calamansi lemon. mix everything together, and be prepared to spend the rest of your afternoon wondering what might be in the next bite.

along the way, i'd pick up a couple of smaller items, like polvoron, which are a little crumbly biscuit made from toasted flour, dried milk, sugar, and a variety of different flavourings--anything from butter, toasted rice, to coffee and cookies and cream. these are odd little things that are not unlike that cosmetic powder that turns into cream; they crumble like dust on your tongue, but are smooth and moist all the same. freakishly addictive.

also freakishly addictive is baye-baye, a regional specialty made with coconut water, coconut, and sugar. and um, something. these are both grainy and chewy at the same time, and neither particularly sweet nor coconutty. i cannot figure them out. i'm not sure i like them, but i ate more than one of them, and not just for curiosity's sake. i picked these up from the salcedo market, along with some chicken-filled empanaditas that were so tasty i ate them before i had a chance to take a photo. the little turnovers (you can just see a peek of them on top in the cardboard box) were the thinnest, flakiest pastry surrounding a fine paste of chicken, carrot and raisin, a sweet and savoury combination often found in the philippines. some people (like myself) get to hate it after awhile, but then sometimes begin to miss it when the whole raisin issue no longer becomes one. the empanaditas were very, very good and worth seeking out.

little turnovers seemed to be a theme as we picked up more empanaditas at the blue kitchen later in the day. although i have passed by this food shop many times, i had never stopped until i read marketman's profile. true to their idea of using native products in western culinary traditions, there were quite a few old-fashioned baked goods with tropical fruit incorporated. we tried a mango shortbread bar and mango-filled empanaditas, both of which used a buttery short crust and lots of dried mango (for a more intense flavour). a little too sweet and rich for me, but that's why they are little :)



i am not a big fan of the whole kettle corn thing (or popcorn overall, actually), but let me tell you, chef tony's popcorns are seriously. THE. SH*T. so good it's profane--always crispy and light, not too sweet, not too salty, not covered in gloopiness nor oiliness. all the flavours seem to be based on the kettle corn sweet and salty concept, even the pesto popcorn. yes. sweet pesto. sweet jeebus, you are saying, is this one of those girl things? yeah maybe. so what. is it really a merienda item? when you eat a whole bucket of it, it is.

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dang, this is a long post.

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it was only when i started to listen to a lot of older ska and rocksteady records when i realized how many chinese immigrants had settled in jamaica. chinese workers began pouring in during the 19th century, and many of the esconced families have been in jamaica for generations (hey, naomi campbell's dad is chinese-jamaican. i had no idea.) a decade or so ago, a prominent chinese-jamaican family, the chan/chin fees, brought to manila their version of the empanada, the patty/pattie, a savoury turnover of flaky crust surrounding a spicy beef filling. there are several shops that sell these, but i think the best are from the original, quite aptly named de original jamaican pattie shop. they are easily portable, and actually perfect for the 'foodwalk'--although the spicy filling is quite juicy, it is thick enough not to drip out, and as you walk, the tender flaky crumbs fall to the ground.

speaking of portability, mcdonald's is encroaching onto mos burger territory and offering rice burgers--beef patties or fried chicken fillets sandwiched in between two grilled rounds of pressed and formed rice, and brushed with a soy sauce and sprinkled with black sesame seeds. do you know i'd never been in a mcdonald's in the philippines until that week? there are so many food options, that scottish restaurant (as man that cooks sneers) was never really a priority (speaking of local options, does that hamburger place, tropical hut, still exist?). however, i am a fan of the mos rice burger, so i wanted to check it out. this one doesn't quite compete, but it's decent enough. the chicken version is much better than the beef burger, and is the only product on the menu that uses whole pieces of chicken instead of processed extruded chicken, or whatever it is that they normally use. the rice is a bit mushy but holds together well--perhaps it could benefit from some extra whole grainy-ness or even brown rice. however, there is a nice little bundle of lettuce and red cabbage thrown in there for texture and colour.

wow. i am getting sort of hungry now. and, hm, it's right about merienda time here, i wonder what i can scrounge up this time....

update 24 october: hey, hobbits and bavarians know of the second breakfast!