Alagao leaves & Suman Itim of Crescent Moon Cafe
They say money doesn’t grow on trees. But leaves do. Delicious leaves from the Alagao tree.
Food
Mango Kani Lumpia
You’ve probably had mango kani salads and kani fresh spring rolls before. But never did it occur to me to make mango kani lumpia.
Arroz a la Cubana, a la tuna and chopped veggies
Arroz a la Cubana is another Filipino dish with Spanish roots. Typically made with giniling, we made ours with chopped eggplant, carrots, and red bell pepper sautéed with canned tuna until soft and combined.
Cute little Binangkal art
One of the pastries my mom and my Lola Lili would make when I was growing up was Binangkal. They’re delicious Bisaya fried sesame balls.
Buko Ube Pie from Purple Yam
Buko Ube Pie from Purple Yam Malate is pure, unadulterated, fresh buko meat and ube halaya. Order it right away because there is a wait list!
Nilarang bakasi or sour eel coconut stew at Six Sisters, Bohol
It has been a long time since I had bakasi or eel. This Nilarang Bakasi is from Six Sister’s karinderia in Tagbilaran, Bohol.
Fried saba banana
Saba is a smaller and stubbier cousin of your typical banana. And when it’s ripe it’s soft, moist, sweet, and delicious.
Inihaw na hito (grilled catfish)
Near the middle of the central Luzon plains almost 30 kilometers away from the nearest coastline holds within it a specific and delicious fish: inihaw na hito or grilled catfish.
Ube cheese donuts
Ube cheese donuts. The holy triumvirate of words that are seldom combined, but when they are, an angel gets its wings in salted-egg flavor.
Fried lumpia or fresh lumpia?
I’d like to highlight some of the fresh and fried batons of goodness I had this past month.