Pinoy Delicacies

Here are some of the filipino delicacies I cooked few weeks ago.

Pichi-pichi is a traditional Filipino dessert. It is made with grated cassava or cassava flour, pandan water and sugar. Steamed then rolled in grated coconut. Pichi-pichi is a very soft, gelatinous texture. I have seen pichi-pichi of different colors.

pichi pichi
1 1/2 cups pandan water
2 cups grated cassava
1 cup sugar
2 pandan leaves
grated coconut

To make pandan water boil 1 3/4 cups of water with 2 pandan leaves. Let boil until reduce to 1 1/2 cups. Let cool. Discard pandan leaves.Add sugar, mix until dissolved. Stir in grated cassava and mix well. Pour into mold.(I used small size muffin molds) steam until the mixture becomes translucent for about 35-40 minutes.Remove from mold. Coat in grated coconut.

Espasol is a cylinder-shaped Filipino rice cake originating from the province of Laguna. It is made from rice flour cooked in coconut milk and sweetened coconut strips, dusted with toasted rice flour.

espasol
3 1/2 cups toasted glutinous rice flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cup toasted grated coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Combine coconut milk and granulated sugar in a cooking pot. Boil. Lower flame to simmering. Add toasted grated coconut and vanilla to coconut milk mixture. Add 3 cups toasted rice flour, and stir continuously. Mixture will become thick. Continue stirring until mixture becomes quite dry. Take care not to burn the mixture. Remove the mixture from heat, and transfer to a board dusted with the remaining toasted rice flour. Flatten mixture with a rolling pin to 1/4 inch thick and cut into small rectangular pieces. Roll in the rest of the toasted rice flour then wrap each piece in wax paper.

Ginataang Halo-Halo (Fruits and Root Crops in Coconut Milk) Everytime I visited my family I always asked my mother to cook this for me. This is the ultimate childhood comfort food of mine. It is a mix of fruits and root crops and my favorite "bilo-bilo". Bilo-bilo is made from glutinous rice flour, mix with water then shape into tiny balls. It's the Ube (purple yam) that gave the color.

ginataang halo halo
4 plantain banana, peeled and cut into small pieces
300 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into small pieces
300 g ube (purple yam), peeled and cut into small pieces
100 gm fresh jack fruit, sliced into thick pieces
4 cups coconut milk
2 cups coconut cream
1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup cooked tiny sago (tapioca pearls)
2 pandan leaves
1 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup water

For "bilo-bilo" mix the glutinous rice flour and water in a mixing bowl. mix well until you reach a dough-like consistency. With your hands, shape the mixture into small balls. Repeat until you have used up all of the dough. Set aside. In a big pot, bring coconut milk and pandan leaves to boil. Add in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the purple yam, and sweet potato and simmer for 3 minutes. Add banana, jack fruit cooked sago, "bilo-bilo" and coconut cream. Simmer for another 4 minutes or until the purple yam and sweet potato are almost cooked and bilo-bilo float. Serve hot.