Maja blanca (ni Nang Fely)

Nang Fely was my office-mate known to many of us as the old little chancellor. A lovable lady who loves to entertain her visitors with her mouth-watering dessert - maja blanca. Nang Fely now retired, devotes her life as a church volunteer.

I never liked maja blanca until I got to taste Nang Fely's. Of course, Gen's maja blanca which I tasted only a few years back is also as delicious. Now, I do not eat maja blanca unless it uses Nang Fely's or Gen's recipes. For Gen's version, click here. Below, I am sharing Nang Fely's recipe just in case you wish to try it out and invite me in for a bite:


Ingredients:

1 cup corn starch
1 3/4 cup refined sugar
5 cups liquid (consisting of coconut milk, coconut water, evaporated milk. You may add some water to complete the 5-cup liquid requirement)
1 can sweet corn (cream style)
1/2 cup of shriveled meat of young coconut

Combine the first 3 ingredients. Cook over low fire, stirring constantly until thick. Then add sweet corn and coconut meat. Mold and cool.

For the coconut topping, see Gen's maja blanca.

Mmmmm...yum-yum-yum!

Ampaw or ampao (Puffed Rice)

With the price of flour and bread going up and away, we still have alternatives to fill that hungry stomach between meals. Rice is one answer.

Ampaw or ampao is a favorite Cebuano snack. That crunchy, sticky and deliciously sweet Ampao with peanuts made in Liloan, Cebu is so popular that it is even available in various Filipino stores in US, Hongkong and Singapore.

Ampaw or ampao is made from dried cooked rice, usually left-over rice. It is known as rice crispies to others.

The cooked rice grains are sun-dried and fried in hot oil to make them puffy and crunchy. This is a fun snack and can be made for small business venture. This is also a yummy dessert. Here's the recipe:

2 cups cooked rice, dried under the sun for about 4 hours
2-3 cups cooking oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup corn syrup (preferably dark brown)
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter

Heat cooking oil in a deep frying pan or wok. Carefully drop the sun-dried rice and cook until they are puffy. Drain on absorbent paper or paper towels. Set aside.

In a saucepan combine sugar, salt, corn syrup, and vinegar. Boil until it reaches the hard stage, that is about 300 deg F in the candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla extract. Let the butter melt without stirring.

Pour the syrup over puffed rice. Mix well using a wooden spoon until all puffed rice is well coated with syrup.

Pour puffed rice mixture to a greased pan. Allow to cool slightly enough to allow you to hold it with your bare hands. With greased hands, divide the mixture into desired sizes and shape into balls or bars. Wrap in wax paper. Dry the shaped rice puffs under the sun for 1-3 days.

Happy eating and happy selling!

photo from totallycebu.com

Squash Pastillas

Squash is loaded with vitamins, minerals and nutrients. It contains protein, carbohydrates, potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B, and C. Squash contains high potassium, which reduces urinary calcium excretion; people who eat high amounts of dietary potassium appear to be at low risk of forming kidney stones.


The nutrients found in squash are useful for the prevention of other conditions as well. High intakes of fiber-rich foods help to keep cancer-causing toxins away from cells in the colon, while the folate, vitamin C, and beta-carotene help to protect these cells from the chemicals that can lead to colon cancer.

The squash’s antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene also have anti-inflammatory properties that make them helpful for conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, where inflammation plays a big role.

In addition to the fruit, other parts of the plant are edible. Squash seeds can be eaten directly, ground into paste, meal, “nut” butter, or even a fine flour. The flowers, leaves, and tendrils can be eaten as vegetables. Unknown to many Filipinos, squash flowers are found to contain lutein, a plant phytochemical that prevents cataracts.

SQUASH PASTILLAS

1 kilo squash
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon rind

Procedure:
Cut squash into cubes and cook in boiling water until tender enough to mash into puree. Drain off water and cool. Scrape pulp from peel and press through sieve. Measure the squash pulp and add 1/2 cup sugar per cup of puree. Mix thoroughly. Cook over medium heat. Add butter. Stir constantly until thickened. Add lemon rind and continue stirring. Cooking is done if it forms a firm ball in cold water. Turn into a smooth board greased with butter. Level to 1/2 cm. thick. Allow to cool and into desired size. Roll in sugar and wrap with cellophane paper.

Banana Flan

It has been a long weekend. So many chores to do until I stumbled upon a plastic bag containing bits and pieces of papers with recipes scribbled on it. I cannot remember where I copied this. Well, this is just one of them... one of my favorite dessert recipe. I did this last Christmas and my kiddos love it. This is the banana version of mango float. Mango is a seasonal fruit while bananas are always available in the market (in tropical countries like the Philippines) and much cheaper than mangoes. Well here it is........The Banana Flan! Tsong! (photo coming up)

1 tbsp butter
32 pcs butter cookies or Graham crackers (you can actually use slice bread, other types of crackers or cookies)

2 tbsp unflavored gelatin, softened in
1/2 cup water
1-1/4 cups condensed milk
2 cups water
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 banana lacatan, sliced thinly diagonnaly

Grease 9"x9" ovenproof dish with butter. Lay half of the butter cookies or graham crackers at the bottom of the pan. Set aside. In a saucepan, dissolve gelatin with milk, water and eggs. Put over medium heat,stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add vanilla extract. Pour half flan mixture over cookies. Let cool till half set. Layer up the bananas on top of the cookies of graham crackers. Press them lightly onto the flan. Chill and serve. Mmmmmwah!

Bandi (Peanut Brittle, San Joaquin style)

yumsugar.com

Here is the recipe on how to make homemade bandi or Peanut Brittle (San Joaquin style)

San Joaquin is a town south of Iloilo Province. It is known for its bandi that they celebrate annually the Bandi festival to promote their product. Everytime visitors pass by this sleepy town, they would always buy bags and bags of bandi for pasalubong. Just in case you are unable to visit San Joaquin, I am sharing with you this recipe shared to me by Wowa, a bandi maker from this town. Try it out...

Ingredients:

1 cup native peanuts

¼ cup water

1 cup sugar

¼ cup sesame seeds

Materials: 

Plastic cover (the one used for wrapping books) or banana layers (saha sang saging)

Frying pan or wok

Direction:

1.Mix 1 cup of peanuts, 1 cup of sugar and water in the frying pan.

2.Heat and stir for about 15 minutes for the sugar to caramelize and for the peanuts to be cooked.

3.While waiting, wipe some oil on a plastic cover.

4.Remove the frying pan from the heat and pour the caramelized peanuts onto the plastic cover. While wet form into flat round shapes.

5.Leave to harden and dry.

It is preferred that you use banana layers or  the saha sang saging to serve as tray for the bandi to dry because these contain moisture that makes the bandi dry faster. These days, however, they’ve opted for the plastic wrapper for convenience.

Peanut Brittle (family style)

Mmm.. another peanutty story, I mean recipe. This is a very very  simple recipe from my friend. What makes it so delicious is how  light, sort of foamy looking and airy it is and not at all yukky sticky. The secret ingredient is by adding the soda after you remove it from heat.

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

raw peanuts (however many you like)

1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

put all the ingredients, except  the peanuts and baking soda in a wok. Put on medium heat. stirring constantly until all the  sugar dissolves. Then  add the peanuts. Stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in one heaping teaspoon baking soda (make sure baking soda is freshly opened). Now pour out on a greased cookie sheet. Pour the peanut brittle on the cookie sheet, spread out. it will dry quickly. when dry, break to bite sizes. Ayos!

Happy eating!!

Maja ni Gen

Filipinodessert.com I have always loved dessert particularly mga Pinoy dessert. Maja blanca tastes sooo good - the blend of cornstarch, sweet corn, creamy coconut milk with toasted coconut as topping - wow! But this recipe shared by a friend, Generose Quilantang is particularly mucho delicioso. I want to share this with everyone to get a taste of Generose's generosity. MAJA NI GEN  INGREDIENTS: 4 COCONUTS                                                                                                                                                                    2 CUPS CORN STARCH (400 G) 1 KILO SUGAR 1 CAN SWEET CORN CREAMSTYLE 2 CANS EVAP BIG 2 TBSP VANILLA STAR MARGARINE   1ST MIXTURE: COOK AT LOW FIRE UNTIL IT BOILS: 4 CUPS GATA 2 CUPS SUGAR 1 CAN EVAP 1 CAN SWEETCORN (CREAMSTYLE)   2ND MIXTURE: ADD TO 1ST MIXTURE AND COOK UNTIL DONE: 2 CUPS CORN STARCH (400 G) 1 CUP EVAP 1 CUP GATA  TBSP VANILLA   TOPPING: ¼ KILO SUGAR 1 COCONUT GRATED MARGARINE COOK AT LOW FIRE UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN   MOLD AND COOL IN THE FRIDGE.

Holiday peanut brittle

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia

Traditional Peanut Brittle

A traditional holiday classic

2 cups raw  peanuts

3 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. baking soda

Heat and stir sugar, syrup and water in a heavy  saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Add salt. Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage (234 degress). Add peanuts. Cook to hard crack stage, stirring often. Remove from heat.

Quickly, stir in butter and soda. Beat to a froth for a few seconds. Pour at once onto 2 well-buttered pans, spreading with spatula. If desired, cool slightly and pull with forks to stretch thin. Break up when cold.

Makes about 1-1/2 pounds of peanut brittle.