Binangkal (Sesame Seed Balls)

I love Binangkal!

For those who are not familiar with this Filipino "bread," Binangkal  can be described as fried, sesame seed flour balls. It is popular in the Visayas and (some) Mindanao regions in the Philippines. If you haven't tried them, you should! They're a very tasty and filling snack.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

Sesame seeds

Oil for deep frying

Directions:

Heat enough oil for deep frying. 

Mix the flour and baking powder

Add the brown sugar. 

Add the milk and mix well. You may have to add more flour or milk to get the right consistency. 

Form into balls and roll in sesame seeds.

Fry the binangkal until golden brown.

Let the binangkal cool before storing in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Banana Cue

Many happy memories of my childhood is tied with banana cue. I remember that many of us kids in the neighborhood would watch Nang (Manang) Sinta cook banana cue in her usual spot across from Divine Word College in Tagbilaran City, Philippines. I don't know what her secret is (because we all saw how she cooked it), but, to this day, I think she has the best banana cue I've ever tasted!

Well now, on to my foray into banana cue making....

Ingredients:

This recipe is so simple that all you really need is some bananas, brown sugar, and oil for deep frying. For the bananas, I use plantains or burros, whichever is available. Oh, and don't forget the sticks or skewers or cues (Just a side note here: the skewers resemble the cues used for pool or billiards, hence the name banana cue, or so I've heard).

Directions:

Heat the oil in a deep fry pan. To get that perfect caramelized coating on all your bananas, it is best to cook all of them at the same time, so use a big-enough pan.

Add the brown sugar (enough to coat the bananas you prepared).

Once the brown sugar starts to melt, add the bananas. If you see the sugar rise up to the surface of the oil, you know it's time to add the bananas. Keep stirring to evenly coat them.

Take the coated bananas out of the pan, making sure you remove the excess oil, and skewer them.

And lastly...though they look delicious fresh out of the pan, be careful, they're HOT! :)

Puto Maya (Glutinous Sweet Rice Dessert)

Puto Maya is an easy-to-make Filipino dessert made of sticky sweet rice and coconut milk. To me, this recipe brings back memories of early morning breakfast right after Simbang Gabi (dawn mass celebrated beginning December 16th).

 

Ingredients: 

2 cans Coconut milk

4 cups Sweet rice (white 

1 cup Sweet rice (red/black)

2 tbsp Ginger paste

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a pot or saucepan. You may add some sugar to taste or add a bit more ginger paste. Cook over medium heat on stove top. Be sure to occasionally stir the mixture to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to lowest setting. Let the rice cook through. May be served hot or cold.

Usually paired with steaming sikwate (cocoa drink) and topped with bukayo (shredded coconut cooked in brown sugar), puto maya is delicious pretty much any time of the day. Today, I just sprinkled a bit of sugar on top.

Siopao (Meat-stuffed Steamed Bun)

Yummmm!!! I just had 3 (!!!) of these delish buns. Although I didn't make these (my mom did), I will definitely learn how to make siopao soon. The secret's in the dough...

For this particular recipe, ground pork, Chinese sausage and boiled egg were used for the stuffing.