Glutinous Rice Cake Popularly Known as Biko in Philippines

Biko or glutinous rice cake is a special Filipino delicacy that is known all over the Philippines. Variations and style of cooking may differ but the result is a mouth watery dessert or snacks. Biko is typically prepared during special occasions like fiestas, Christmas, New Year, birthdays and many other. 

Preparation and cooking is not difficult and the ingredients is very simple. All you need is glutinous rice, coconut milk, brown sugar, and a little salt- this is the basic ingredients of making biko. Some optional ingredients that can be added are egg, butter, margarine, condense milk and anise for aroma. 

Traditional cooking of biko is by steaming rice first in separate pot while cooking the mixture of coconut milk, sugar and other ingredients. The steamed rice is then added to a caramelized coconut cream, mixing it thoroughly until the mixture is sticky and thickened. You can transfer it in a different kind of containers, like bilao with banana leaves or in rectangular dish. Some put toppings such as coconut flakes, latik or caramel. Some even put it in banana leaves and steamed like other Filipino snacks called locally as suman. 

Below is the different style of biko or sweetened glutinous rice,

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biko using sticky black and white rice with latik

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biko with coconut caramel toppings

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Steamed biko in banana leaves

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plain biko style

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biko with coconut flakes toppings

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ube biko

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biko balls

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biko with langka and latik

Especial Rellenong Bangus, Stuffed Milkfish

Rellenong bangus or stuffed milkfish is another delicacy in Philippines. Preparation and cooking need more patience because of many steps to follow but the price...good and special taste. The ingredients are 1 piece big bangus, vegetable oil, garlic, onion, tomatoes, egg, lemon juice, carrots, soy sauce, chopped ham, cooked green peas, pepper and salt. 

The steps will start from scaling the fish and removal of internal organs and gills. Then by using a spatula you can remove all meat inside the bangus skin including bones but dont forget to break the bone in the neck and tail. Boil the meat of bangus for 5 minutes while marinating the skin with pepper, soy sauce and calamansi or lemon juice. Debone the meat of bangus and after that saute garlics and onions followed by tomatoes and carrots. Add the bangus meat, raisins, cooked green peas and ham. Don't forget to add pepper and salt before removing from pan. Transfer in a bowl, add eggs and mix, then allow to reduce temperature before putting the mixture back in the marinated skin. Wrap in aluminum foil with small oil then baked in oven at 400 deg for about 45 minutes. Make boil in hot oil until golden brown before serving.

                                                  part 1of how to make rellenong bangus

                                                   part 2 of how to make rellenong bangus

Rellenong bangus with slice of tomato

Slice of rellenong bangus

Rellenong bangus style from Goldilocks

nice style of cooked rellenong bangus

delicious rellenong bangus

Have you tried to eat Balut or Penoy?

Balut and Penoy are typical street foods you will observed at dawn till midnight. Vendors of this Filipino food are usually seen on the sidewalks, bus stops, road corners, and plaza waiting for their customers. Some did'nt stay in one place but take their basket with them and start offering this food in the street. Its familiar in Philippines to heard shouting outside of your home this words "Baluuuuut!!!"....."Penooooy"!!!. 

Balut and Penoy are fertilized duck embryo that is boiled for half an hour and eaten with a little of salt and vinegar as a snack. Some eats also with rice, and some makes it as "pulutan" with beer or alcoholic drinks. Balut are incubated duck embryo for about 16-18 days while Penoy are dead embro. Balut are thought to be an aphrodisiac, maybe because of its high protein content, calories and good source of vitamins and minerals. Its common to hear this word "balut pampalakas ng tuhod", meaning your knees will become strong after you at balut. 

Balut is also a common food in Southeast Asia. It is called "Kai" in Laos, "Khai khao" in Tailand, "Pong tea khon" in Cambodia, "trung vit lon or hot vit lon" in Vietnam. Although the looks of Balut is not acceptable to some people but the taste is truly delicious. That's why some are eating this delicacy at night without too much light so that they will not see the embryo of duck.

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Balut and Penoy with Itlog ng Pugo for sale in the sidewalk

Balut and Penoy

Image via Wikipedia

An opened Balut

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Penoy on the left (w/ mark) and Balut on the right

Image via Wikipedia

How to eat Balut with your hand

Image via Wikipedia

Balut in Vinegar Sauce

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Fried Balut

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Yummy Balut

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Grilled Balut and Penoy

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Best combination - Beer with Balut

Different Tastes of Longganisa in Philippines

The longganisa is one of the favorite dish by Filipinos especially during breakfast served with hot fried rice and egg. Longganisa has different kinds and flavors depending on where provinces it came from. Lucban and Vigan is known for its garlic taste(derecado type), Guagua is salty and sour in taste, in Cebu are extra weet taste(hamonado type). In Philippines, longganisa can be made of pork, chicken, beef, or even seafoods like tuna.

Basic ingredients includes, ground meat, sugar, salt, black pepper, vinegar and garlic. The extent of taste will depend to the quantity of spices you want to show up. Some extra ingredients can be optionally added such as chili powder, dried oregano, soy sauce and MSG. Longganisa can be made with skin or skinless type. Longganisa is typically cooked with boiling small amount of water together and allowing water to evaporized then cooking further with its own fat until it caramelized. A tip to avoid crumbling is to put it in a freezer for a while before cooking.

Actually longganisa is not a native dish in Philippines, it is originated in Spain popularly known as longaniza. It is also popular in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay but the taste, size and style have each variations.

Here are the different style of servings for "longsilog", a combination of longganisa, sinangag at itlog (longaniza, fried rice and fried egg):

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Longsilog  (Longganisa-Sinangag-Itlog)
Longaniza-Fried Rice-Fried Egg

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Longsilog with sliced tomato

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Image by aJ GAZMEN ツ GucciBeaR via Flickr

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Longsilog from Jollibee Fast Food

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Sliced Longganisa with fried rice and egg

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Image by cbcastro via Flickr

Image by aJ GAZMEN ツ GucciBeaR via Flickr

Longsilog with style

Halo-halo: A Taste of Filipino Dessert

One of the favorite dessert of Filipinos is "halo-halo", a term derived from "halo" meaning mix. This desert is a mixture of different varieties of sweets, evaporated milk and shaved ice.

Favorite combination of ingredients are sweetened red beans, "macapuno" (coconut meat), sweetened "lanka" (jackfruit), shreds of sweetened "saba" (plantain), " halaya" (sweetened ube or yam), "kaong" (sugar palm fruit), "gulaman" (jelly), nata de coco, leche flan, boiled "sago" (tapioca), " pinipig" (pounded dried rice). 

One to two tablespoon of those ingredients are placed in a medium size cup with shaved ice on middle part, with toppings of  "halaya", leche flan, showered with "pinipig", saturating with evaporated milk, a scoop of ice cream on top and presto!!!.. its ready to serve.

Halo-halo is best serve during hot summer as desert or even as "meryenda" or snacks. Because of its popularity, you can easily buy it in small store along the street and in some restaurants in Philippines like Chowking Fast Food and Goto King. 

Image via Wikipedia

Halo-halo from Chowking Fastfood

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Pinakbet: Popular Vegetable Dish in Philippines

Pinakbet is a native Filipino vegetable dish which is made popular by Ilocanos. This is compose of different kinds of vegetables found in tropics sauted with “bagoong isda” or “bagoong alamang” Basic vegetables includes “ampalaya”(bitter melon), eggplant, tomato, okra, string beans, chilli peppers, “bataw” or (parda), “sigarillas”(winged beans), malunggay pod and others.

Some variations can be achieved by using other kind of vegetables such as “kalabasa”(squash) as popularized by Tagalogs. Some use additional of “dahon ng kamote”, patani, kadios or even “kangkong”.

This is spiced by using traditional Filipino spices such as garlic, onion, ginger, salt and pepper. Some add pork or shrimp or even “talangka” (small crabs) aside from bagoong and others preferred to add MSG.

Cooking can be done at about 10 minutes and be careful that vegetables will not overcook. Best served with steam rice and fried fish. Hmmmnnnn....Yummmy!!! *-* 

Below are different variations of this menu.

basic vegetables are included

this one include flower of squash

"bagoong alamang" is used to add  flavor

with fried pork as ingredients