a taste of manila.

not really reviews but a little visual guide of some of the things i ate and drank whilst in manila last week. most of these restos are in the greenbelt area as i was without transportation, but as far as neighbourhoods go, mine is pretty darned good for food. all in all, pretty good stuff. maybe something here will entice you to seek it out :)

*(best viewed if you click through to the flickr page with notes or click here)*

top row: green mango salad, "green legs" green mango and dalandan shake, corned beef brisket sinigang, grilled galunggong (mackerel scad), all from sentro; rogan josht and vegetable biryani from bollywood.
second row: steamed seafood curry, sticky rice and mango, prawns wrapped in vermicelli, and lemongrass and ginger cooler from people's palace.
third row: pako fern salad with salted duck eggs, lengua, bicol express vegetables in coconut milk from abe's.
fourth row: fresh lumpia ubod (heart of palm wrapped in crepes), lumpia filled with a spiced garbanzo mixture, from abe's. kani crab and lettuce salad, tofu steak with brown enoki mushroom and spinach from sugi.

*(best viewed if you click through to the flickr page with notes or click here)*

top row: lampone raspberry sorbetto, stracciatella chocolate chip gelato, nocciolo hazelnut gelato from gelatone by pagliacci; kaffir lime, labuyo chili pepper dark chocolate, and orange pandan creme brulees from m café; custard tarts from lord stow's bakery; ping pong cocktail with lychee fruit, passionfruit juice and absolut vodka, vanilla ice cream with shots of espresso and amaretto and biscotti, from people's palace.
second row: muesli with fresh mango and banana, tarragon ice tea, chocolate ensaymada, sophia sugar-free chocolate mousse dessert, chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream and orange sauce from bizu.
third row: chicken with cashews, fried prawns, assorted dim sum, and sautéed asparague from president.
fourth row: artichoke and spinach fondue, hummous (chickpea), tzatziki(yogurt/cucumber), melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant/tomatoes), and htipiti (roasted pepper/feta) dips, greek salad and chicken shishkebab from cyma estiatorio.
fifth row: one tea of many, assorted dim sum (including very good xiao long bao soup dumplings, pineapple fried rice from zhongnanhai chinese bistro.

check them out.



abe's
g/f serendra circle, fort bonifacio, taguig
856.0526.

bollywood bistro and bar
3/f greenbelt 3, ayala center, makati
757.3536.

bizu patisserie
g/f greenbelt 2, ayala center, makati
757.4749.

cyma estiatorio
g/f greenbelt 2, ayala center, makati
729.4837.

gelatone
2/f greenbelt 3, ayala center, makati

lord stow's bakery
market!market! fort bonifacio, taguig

museum (m) cafe
g/f greenbelt 4, ayala center, makati
757.3000.

people's palace
612 g/f greenbelt 3, ayala center, makati
524.6770.

president restaurant
ongpin street, binondo, manila

sentro 1771
2/f greenbelt 3, ayala center, makati
757.3940.

sugi
g/f greenbelt 2, ayala center makati
757.3678.

zhongnanhai chinese bistro
g/f, greenbelt 2, ayala center, makati
758.1111.

fruit vendors, binondo, manila, philippines.

the barefoot contessa's carrot cake cupcakes.

carrot cake cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting, from my most favourite member of the ford and carter administrations, ina garten (office of management and budget, 1974-78). they were good--moist, spicy, good balance of sweet frosting to not-so-sweet cake, but i didn't find these carrot-y enough, even though i added an extra cup of grated carrots more than the recipe called for. however, they made a darn tasty spice cake. if you decide to try these, be careful with the cooking time--the 10 minutes at 400˚F then 35 minutes at 350˚F was excessive; i'd go with 25 minutes at 350˚F all the way, or the prescribed 10 @400˚F, then 10-15 minutes at 350˚F. use your intuition or the force, young cupcake warrior, and the cake universe will be yours.

lunch at proa.

i was a little upset when the little mom and pops store in front of ypao beach in tumon closed down; it was one of the few truly local touches in the mostly touristy part of town. i am however, appeased by the fact that the restaurant that took over the space, proa, is locally owned and operated, and features island-inspired food. also, proa (btw, the name comes from a type of sailing vessel) took what was a rather dark and dingy space, and made it over into a lovely, bright yet calm dining room.

the menu is quasi-continental with a guam touch; i don't really know what that means, but it sounds better than it's sort of american, it's a little european, it's not really asian, and there are things about it that really guamish. truthfully, a cursory glance at the menu yields nothing too adventurous or exciting--the pay-off is in the execution. everything is expertly prepared, plated well, fresh, tasty, and consistently so.

we started with the soup of the day and barbecued chicken quesadilla with roasted tomato salsa and buttermilk ranch dressing. i was a little wary about this because i'm not a big fan of ranch dressing, especially if it's a commercial prepared product. however, the grilled quesadilla had a good amount of lean chicken and not so lean cheese within, and although the amount of tomato salsa given was meager, it packed quite a bit of flavour. the dreaded ranch dressing was very light--it seemed more like a lightly spiced crema than salad dressing, and it helped to lighten and cool the dish. the soup that day was pumpkin which had a nice full-bodied flavour of squash, but without a heavy creaminess; perhaps made with pureed pumpkin and some sort of stock instead of relying on a lot of dairy product.

on one occasion, we tried two of the three sandwiches on the menu: a soft-shell crab in a cornmeal crust, and a sirloin beef burger with mozzarella and fried egg. both were served with a mixed green salad and a generous amount of house-made shoestring potatoes, which were lightly salty and exceedingly tasty. crunchy, not too greasy, addictive. the soft-shell crab was a little overwhelmed by the cornmeal crust, but the crunch was a nice foil to the creamy crabby innards and soft kaiser roll. the burger was very good--beefy, moist and tender, with the flavour enhanced by a bit of runny and sunny egg yolk and buttery melted mozzarella.

a good portion of the menu is devoted to barbecued/chargrilled items: the burger, chicken, ribs, and shortribs. island-style barbecue is a relatively simple process of marination in a soy sauce-based marinade and a reliance on charcoal or wood, not gas. proa does a very good job of chargrilling items; the meat is tender, not overpowered by the marinade, and smoky, not burnt tasting.

there is only one fish entree, a steamed fish with green beans, tomatoes and balsamic dressing in parchment that is light and tasty, but in order for me to think of proa as a more "pacific rim" type restaurant, i'd like to see more fish and seafood options. also, i'm told they will be opening up a bakery, but there is only one official dessert on the menu, a tasting plate with strawberry creme brulee, orange chocolate chip cookies, panna cotta with a mango sauce, and a coconut encrusted banana fritter. the strawberry brulee is particularly appealing--a fresh strawberry is halved and topped with a dollop of custard and sprinkled with sugar, then either run through a broiler or blowtorched until the sugar caramelizes in a thin, brittle crust. it is obviously not the standard ratio of dairy to fruit, but i like the berry's advantage: a nice combination of fresh and sweet, crisp and juicy. the panna cotta and banana add more tropical goodness to the plate and are much lighter on the stomach and palate than one might think, but there is an odd commercial? artificial? flavour to the chocolate chip cookie; however, they are so small that it's not that offensive.

proa opened late last year, and it seems to be quite popular already. the prices are very good (most entrees are under $10), the quality and service are consistently good. i look forward to seeing this little restaurant establish itself as a true local spot on the tourist track.


proa
at the ypao beach main entrance,
tumon.
646.7762.

dreaming of cake.

i had an itch to do a little baking, but ended up doing a lot. i originally started with a few cookies from "baking: from my home to yours" by dorie greenspan; although her cookie recipes are very good, and they turned out well, i don't think i'm a cookie kind of gal. i asked you what i should bake, and boy, y'all responded.



acornbud turned me onto hawaii's version of a dream cake, which is layers of chocolate chiffon cake with a whipped cream frosting and decorated with chocolate curls. i had never heard of it, or most likely, mistook it for a black forest cake (it looks remarkably like the popular devil's food white out layer cake from that dorie greenspan book i previously mentioned). as i normally do when it comes to hawaiian-style recipes, i turned to betty shimabukuro's "by request" column, which produced this gorgeous not-so-little cake. having never had a dream cake before, i don't know how it compares to others, but i found it to be moist, light in texture, but rich in flavour and therefore ono all the way.



another thing i hadn't heard of previously was chelsea buns, as requested by miss saffron. chelsea buns, i've read, are similar to cinnamon rolls only made spicier with with the addition of a little bit of lemon zest in the dough and cardamon. i went ahead with a mod of my favourite cinnamon roll recipe, with the addition of the zest in the dough, currants, golden raisins, cardamon, two kinds of cinnamon and muscovado sugar in the filling.



fluffy, golden, tender, fragrant, and yet not too sweet. perfect, really, for any time of day, and not so heavy that you'd want to take a nap after consumption of one. after two or three, however....



no one suggested it, but i swear somehow akatsukira's, saffron's, or bowb's culinary adventures influenced my decision to make a victoria sponge. depending on what you read, the victoria sponge grew from either queen victoria's hunger for a little somethingsomething in the afternoon because apparently luncheon menus had become quite meager, or because she was encouraged to host tea parties as civic duty. whether borne from low blood sugar or civic pride, a traditional victoria sponge is not actually made from a true sponge cake which does not incorporate any fats within the cake; it is made by sandwiching two butter sponge cakes (obvs sponge cakes with butter in the recipe) with layers of jam and heavy cream (clotted or double cream, i imagine). for my victoria sponge, i decided to use a traditional sponge recipe, as most recipes i found for butter sponge involve self-raising flour which i didn't have, and because my family prefers an eggier, dryer cake (is that a somewhat specific asian upbringing thing? umami and i seem to think so). the recipe i used is tricky as the only leavening is the whipped egg whites, and darned if folding in the yolks and the flour isn't the biggest baking b***h i know, but it's worth the effort if you like a bit of a freak out and a fluffy, eggy cake.



i sandwiched the cakes with a layer of mango jam, far too many sliced, superripe philippine mangoes, and an extra-generous slather of whipped cream to make up for the lack of fat in the cakes. too much fruit and cream=somewhat unattractive presentation, but also =incredibly tasty cake.

j said that this is exactly the cake he wants at his wedding so yay! that covered zarah maria's suggestion of a wedding cake. next on the list: anne's suggestion of an ube cake or sans rival, anthony's somewhat perplexing request for a shaped german cake without a hole, robin's lemon or orange cake (might have to actually request a recipe for the orange crunch cake from betty), and maybe throw in a tall cake for saffy as well.

**

chelsea buns

the dough:
1/2 c. water
1 c. whole milk
3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. sugar
5 1/2 c. white flour (plus extra)
2 packets/14 g SAF instant rise yeast (not sure how other brands will perform)

add water, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla together. in another large bowl, mix the lemon zest and dry ingredients. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture in. using a wooden spoon, stir everything until it forms a wet, sticky dough. keep stirring until the mixture has pulled away from the side of the bowl. tip the dough out onto a floured surface and with floured hands, knead the dough (adding flour if necessary) to shape it into a manageable ball that is still flooby and a bit sticky. place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and allow to double in size in a warm place. punch down, divide the dough in two.

the filling:

2 tsp ground cardamom
5 tsp ground cinnamon (whatever kind you want to use is fine--i use vietnamese cassia and ceylon "true" cinnamon)
1 c. firmly packed muscovado or brown sugar
1 c. softened unsalted butter

mix all ingredients together.

1 c. (each) golden raisins, currants, or any dried fruit of choice

shaping:

using a lined half-sheet jelly roll pan as your guide, roll and shaped a ball of dough to fit the size of the pan (i think it's 18"x 13"). spread half the filling mix (although i tend to use less--YMMV) onto the dough, leaving about an inch on one "long" side clean. sprinkle dried fruit over the filling. tightly roll the dough up lengthwise to the clean side, then use your fingers to pinch the dough seam closed. cut the dough into 12 equal portions (or whatever you can get out of it), arrange the pieces in a greased rectagular 9"x13" pan. repeat with the second ball of dough. cover pans and let rise until doubled.


bake in a 335°F oven for 20-25 minutes.

drink more pea-protein derived liquor!

(none of these people are the saipan blogger)

props to the saipan blogger for his self-described 0.15 seconds of fame as an extra in this sapporo draft one advert. as he says, it's not really beer, but "beer flavored liquor made from pea protein." mmmmmm. sounds, um, tasty. kanpai!

you make me feel like dancin'.

there's nothing like a little leo sayer reference. besides baking. i feel like baking. any requests?

the onion is always greener

name that fruit!: surinam cherry 500.

spring has sprung on the isle, the flowers are in bloom, and the fruit is ripe on the trees--even on those that were previously thought to be barren. my parents have had this surinam cherry tree in their yard for years, i suppose a nod to their days in new jersey (in the heart of soprano-land, whee), and the giant cherry tree we had out back. however, i don't think this one ever fruited until now.

the surinam cherry--eugenia flora L. to her friends--was one of those many plants brought over to the islands by the portuguese explorers, most likely from goa, maybe by way of south america, as it is sometimes known as brazilian cherry. i believe the chamoru/local name for this is pitanga (although it's usually just called "cherry" pffft), but i can't seem to find the tagalog/filipino name for it, as it does not seem to be common in the philippines. certainly, it's not so common here that everyone knows what it is, but if someone had one in their backyard they remember the fruit, which is bright orangey red when young and a deep sanguine red when ripe, thin-skinned, and juicy, with a core of tiny resinous yellowish-white seeds in the middle when immature, which rather miraculously becomes a recognizable pit upon ripening. a very attractive fruit; surely if this was in the garden of eden, we might be in less trouble today. the flesh is similar to that of the more commonly known cherry, but the flavour is not; frankly, even after eating more than a handful of these, i'm not sure exactly what the flavour is. it it vaguely reminiscent of cherry, but only because its skin is a bit tart but the rest is mellow sweet. it almost tastes like a bell pepper to me, but with a different finish--not so much bitter and spicy, but tart and slightly tomatoey. the fruit is best left to ripen on the tree, when a mere touch will bring them down. supposedly a sprinkle of sugar will intensify the flavour, and make a good substitute for strawberries. my friend bill makes these into a brilliant jam, i'm told. i'll have to ask him for the recipe, once this tree comes to full fruition.

lobster banh mi.

i haven't graduated to baguettes yet in my breadmaking endeavours, but i have been making longer shaped rolls. these are perfect for little sandwiches, especially vietnamese-style banh mi, which use french-style bread. i love the flavours and textures in banh mi--the crusty, airy white bread, filled with sweetened vinegar-marinated julienned carrots and daikon radish, crunchy cucumbers, cellulosey cilantro sprigs, the tiniest bit of creamy butter or mayonnaise, and whatever filling you like. typically a strong paté or other pork product is used, but almost anything is permissable--tofu, pork skin, cold cuts, meatballs, fried eggs....

this particular one was inspired by one of chef mario batali's entrees in "iron chef america" mango battle: a homemade french roll was split in half, spread with a tiny bit of mayonnaise, and filled with sweet lobster meat, marinated julienned carrots and daikon, cucumber slices, cilantro, and a slice of grilled mango. chef batali also added thin slices of char siu pork, but i am currently abstaining from most meats, so i omitted it. the sweet, warm mango made a fine addition on its own. i don't really keep a house where leftover lobster might be found, but blow me down, there it is. shrimp or prawn meat are tasty and similar substitutes, but grilled chicken would work just as well.




marinated veggies for banh mi

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar of choice
1/4 cup sugar of choice
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup julienned daikon radish
salt, to taste

combine the water, vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. leave to cool, then add the julienned vegetables and salt to taste. refrigerate for at least half an hour, but ideally overnight.



banh mi recipe seafood vietnamese iron chef batali sandwich

roll with it: from baguette to pandesal and back (eventually).

it was maki who introduced me to that popular no-knead bread recipe; i enjoy a bit of mild pummeling, so it's not for me. it did get me thinking about bread making again, which i used to do on a fairly regular, fairly obsessive basis. i do bake bread occasionally, but have avoided the simplest, yet trickiest one for me: french-style baguettes. i could make very good ones, but the decade i spent away from regular bread baking has made me lose my touch. practice is all it really takes, but it really does take a lot of practice.

imho, the best dough for baguettes is the simplest: hard wheat flour, salt, yeast, water. obvs technique is the key. i still haven't perfected the richard bertinet kneading technique which calls for a wetter dough and a lighter touch, but i'm working on it. one of the things that bertinet recommends if you are a beginning bread baker is that one should try making little rolls or shapes instead of a whole loaf the first time. i was sceptical of this--i thought why not have one big failure instead of a dozen little ones?--but having done it, i concur with mr.b. the dough is easier to work and shape properly, the moisture in the bread dough is wicked away quicker in the smaller masses (which makes for a better crust and overall texture), and it takes less time to cook, for the anxious and excited amongst us.

*

around the same time i read maki's post, i read my cousin's post on a pandesal bakery in the manila 'burbs of marikina. supposedly they make "authentic" pandesal, which, as sassy says, could be the national bread of the philippines if the philippines had such a thing. the name literally translates to "bread of salt" (pan + de + sal), but almost every version i've had has been sweetish, not particularly salty, and frankly a little meh. neither here nor there--either too soft or too hard, too sweet or just bland. marketman lamented that true pandesal is difficult to find these days; the product of the 'fifties and 'sixties, according to marketman's sister, had a "hard crust, tender airy crumb and...It must have that distinctive crack down the middle." (i imagine that it probably tasted better too.) i found a photo of the pan de amerikana version, but it looks much like what can be found elsewhere. not as soft and spongy as commercial varieties have become, but my gut feeling is that it's not what the spanish or portuguese brought over back in the day. wiki saved the day with an excellent pandesal entry on the probable history complete with ingredients, which funnily enough are the basis for a good french baguette: hard wheat flour, water, yeast, salt. hm.

so, out came the pans and bowl. 500g of flour, 350g of water, 10ml of yeast, 10ml of salt. first, the yeast was dissolved in 100ml of water and left to bloom for 10 minutes. all ingredients then combined and kneaded to make a soft, elastic dough which should be allowed to double in a warm place. like guam, because it doesn't take an hour to do that. dough punched down, divided in half and formed into logs, which are cut with a sharp knife into equal pieces; each piece is placed cut side up on a baking sheet, and again, left to double.

a crispy crust that shatters is easy enough to get with a little steam during baking. the bread bakes in a 475˚F preheated oven--just slide the pans into the hot oven and use a spray gun filled with water to mist the sides of the oven and the tops of the bread with at least 10 squirts. close the oven door, leave for 5 minutes, then mist again. baked for another 15 minutes, the rolls should be golden brown, with a crunchy crust and tender, airy crumb.



hey it works :)

i don't actually know if this is really like the pandesal of the past so here are some questions for you, if you don't mind. has anyone out there tried traditional pandesal? does this look similar? and is it actually, um, salty in taste?

and for the french bread eaters out there, what is it that you look for in a good baguette?

3 good reasons why one should consider bentou

bentou/bento/o-bento: boxed meals, usually lunch, as envisioned by the japanese, but not necessarily japanese in itself. let this great o-bento essay and the bento bloggers explain. i've totally hopped on the bentou bandwagon and here are three reasons why.

1. relatively economical: it's a good way to use up leftovers, and by bringing lunch to work, you save from not eating out.

2. theoretically healthier: because there's a certain amount of aesthetics involved and they are manually assembled, one would hope you'd think about what goes in the box and into your stomach.

3. PORTION CONTROL!

*

ah, resources: cooking cute, lunch in a box, 毎日のお弁当.

**

yesterday's bentou was ebi-don, breaded prawns in egg, with sautéed onions, green onions, and seaweed, and seasoned with dashi, mirin, soy sauce and a little sugar. this used leftover panko-crusted fried prawns, but make free to use leftover tenpura or beer-battered prawns, or heck, any leftover seafood or plainly cooked meat available. cooked on relatively low heat, the egg takes on a savoury custard quality that is a soothing blanket for the bed of rice it covers.




ebi-don

2 previously cooked breaded or battered prawns (roughly 1/4 lb)
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
butter and/or oil
1 stalk of green onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup of reconstituted wakame seaweed (or cooked, well-drained spinach)
1 cup dashi or any soup stock
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp (not helen) mirin
1 scant tbsp brown sugar
2 large eggs (or 3 small ones), very lightly scrambled

sautée the sliced onion in a small amount of butter and/or cooking oil until just translucent. adjust the temperature of the stove to medium low. combine half the green onion, all the seaweed, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar with the eggs in a bowl. add the egg mixture to the onions in the pan. as the eggs cook around the edges, push the cooked portion towards the center of the pan. place the prawns in the center of the pan and push into the egg mix gently; continue to move the eggs inward or on top of the prawns. when the eggs have mostly cooked, turn off the heat, and cover the pan with a lid; leave for five minutes. the residual heat will cook the rest of the egg. garnish with the remaining green onion. serve on top of a bed of rice, with pickled daikon radish.

*

more of my bentous here....

reason #4: whimsy allowed in homemade lunches, apparently

of bread and breakfast.

there's nothing i can tell you about breakfast that an animated, all-singing, all-dancing, jaundiced loogy can't tell you better:





as mr. loogy says, you may not have the time for a well-balanced meal in the morning, but a little something is better than nothing. lately i've been craving breads and starches (i blame breadbar), so although these aren't the healthiest breakfasts, they are substantial, relatively economical in time and money to prepare, and oh-so-very tasty.



fat tuesday meant pancakes, so i had to have them. my favourite ones are more like the crepe variety than the flapjack/hotcake one; these were delia smith's basic pancakes with lemon and sugar. i substituted powdered sugar for the caster sugar as a topping, but otherwise a straightforward, simple recreation. the light sugar and fresh lemon liven up the tender 'cakes, which don't sit heavy in your tummy all day.



although this granola breakfast bread (eighth recipe/message) from marion cunningham's "the breakfast book" is a yeast bread, it surprisingly quick to prepare (although i did bake it the night before). the bread is like muesli in a loaf, made with whole wheat flour, corn meal, and granola. although the granola mostly blends into the dough, the nutty and fruity bits add texture and flavour, alongside the corn meal and whole wheat flour. (note: i did substitute graham flour for the whole wheat flour as that was all i hand on hand)



marion cunningham wrote that she had a slice of this toasted almost every day for breakfast, and i can see why. the crust is crunchy and crispy when made into toast; the innards are soft crumbed--almost like a muffin--cereal-scented, and eager to soak in lashings of butter and jam. i will definitely make these again, if only so i can fulfill a crazy desire to bake 52 loaves of bread this year, following mary jane's example...hopefully....



i don't keep the best stocked fridge (unless you count bath and beauty products), so sometimes creating a meal can be challenging. i had a few odds and ends of various cheeses, including some leftover queso de bola from the holidays, edam, gouda, cheddar and fontina; i took a page out of market manila and grated them all down, added a tiny bit of minced garlic, freshly ground pepper, diced pimientos, and a smidge of mayo to create a zesty cheese pimiento spread. a dollop of this was spread on rye crispbread and run under the broiler until browned and bubbly. sharp yet creamy, spicy yet mellow. crispy, tart apple wedges were the perfect foil for this.



another meal that was borne from economy (and actually, "nancy silverton's sandwich book") has turned out to be a favourite--paper thin slices of white mushrooms arranged carefully on top of thin slices of sourdough wheat bread, drizzled with olive oil, and grilled in a panini press. sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, this very simple open-faced sandwich is light in texture, but heavy in fungal flavour (snort). but you know, in a good way.



easy peasy, and a nice way to start your day. also, a good way to keep the creepy timer (yes, that's the "real" name of mr. loogy) from coming back to chide you o'er your food habits (although he has some other, helpful suggestions of which you might want to take note).

happy valentine's

a little mod love for some mod love led to this. thank you matt from abstract gourmet for finding the video for this obscure but lovely little ditty--and happy valentine's day to you all.

"i don't know why, i went missing."

hello kids! just back from a very whirlwind visit to los angeles. unfortunately, it wasn't a culinary inclined sojourn, but there were moments (believe me, there were moments). they will be chronicled, as ever, on my la blog, so sit tight, relax, and the blog will begin again shortly.

icy treats.

it is no wonder that ice-based treats are popular in the philippines--the average yearly temperature is 26.5°C (79.7°F), and 85% humidity is not uncommon. whether you are in the city or in the provinces, for the most part (unless you're lucky to live high in the mountains), you take a shower in the morning and step out immediately feeling like you need to take another shower. you are pretty well aware that you live in the tropics.

the most popular of the ice-based treats is probably halo-halo (literally "mix-mix"), a non-specific but fairly colourful mix of preserved fruits and beans, milk , and ice served in a tall glass. the name comes not only from the array of ingredients, but also from the idea that you mix everything together so you get a milky, sludgy, icy drink. (a note about the milk in halo-halo: evaporated milk is typically used because it is rich without being too creamy, and can be used sparingly; also, when it is mixed with the ice it dilutes to a regular milk consistency and flavour.) it is often served as merienda, but equally as popular as a dessert. or, a dessert at merienda :)

i've just come to learn about guinomis, another icy confection, which i'm told is a popular lenten repast, probably because it has less ingredients than halo-halo, and is also dairy-free. why, why, whyyyyy hadn't i known this before?! the creamy white expanse you see is from coconut milk, which covers a combination of nata de coco (a fermented but non-alcoholic coconut water gel), sago or tapioca pearls, pinipig (toasted rice flakes--the older sibling of duman), and a palm sugar syrup. the whole thing is served in a tall glass as well, covered by a tiny mountain of shaved ice. i absolutely love the non-dairyness of this; the coconut milk is creamy, but not über-thick with actual cream. it is not overloaded with too many flavours so you can really taste the caramel of the palm sugar syrup and the toasty rice flavour of the pinipig, which permeates the liquid. the nata de coco and sago/tapioca provide a nice, chewy texture against the flurry of quick melting ice flakes.

in fact, the ice that is used in these desserts is quite important--the finer the better. it is much finer than crushed ice, or even snow cone ice; japanese kakigori, malaysian/singaporean ice kachang, the southeast asian cendol and hawaiian shave ice have the same consistency. there are machines that can produce this fine ice, but for my money, i usually turn to a hand-held ice shaver. it works like a wood plane--the bottom has a long blade that is run across the surface of a block of ice; the resulting ice shavings are collected within, like a tiny bank of snow.

it usually takes about two of these little caches for one serving of halo-halo or guinomis, which really takes no time at all, once you get a rhythm going. it also seems to be more satisfying than just pressing a button or swirling around a handle on a machine; perhaps it's that little extra effort that makes it all the more sweeter. this particular type of shaver is still quite popular in the philippines, and is still made there; we've had ours for thirty years now, and it hasn't failed yet. if you are stateside and looking for one, this mainland company sells a similar one.

also quite fashionable these days is a specialty of our family province of pampanga: white halo-halo. it is basically the same as regular halo-halo , only it contains monochromatic ingredients. the most famous example of this is from a restaurant in the town of guagua called razón's; they use only leche flan (a baked milky custard), and saba bananas boiled in a palm sugar syrup. another popular variation has little milky candies in it--pastillas de leche or yemas--and not much else. i prefer the razón's version, which i make at home, with the addition of (colour-free) nata de coco or kaong (sugared date palm nuts) for a little texture.

winter wonderland in a glass.



technorati tagged! philippines filipino dessert merienda

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