Sunday, November 2, 2008

Lasang Pinoy-Sundays: Halloween

These are the Halloween food I grew up with---palitaw and suman or biko. Palitaw, muase in Ilonggo, is a small flat rice cake topped with grated coconut mixed with sugar (or muscovado) and toasted sesame seeds. Suman, popularly known as biko, is another sticky rice recipe cooked in coconut milk and muscovado. I mastered making palitaw one summer vacation when I was about 12 and there was nothing else to do. That summer, aside from palitaw, I also learned how to make lanson (from cassava) and linupak (from boiled banana). Palitaw is actually very easy to prepare---just drop scoops of galapong (batter of sticky rice) into boiling water. Flat disks would float when they are done.

The palitaw on top was my dessert at Via Mare last weekend, and my mother cooked the yummy biko this afternoon.



More Lasang Pinoy treats at SpiCes.

20 comments:

 gmirage said...

Oi, i like palitaw...I actually like cooking it than eating hehe. Mukhang busy ka talaga sa work, di bale, find time posting pa din, visit ko lagi. Ingat always!

Anonymous said...

weekends too as i was growing up was all about these yummy rice cakes! you made me miss my weekends back home:(

Sidney said...

Happy Halloween, Miranda!

Keith said...

I remember a woman coming out of a dressing room, and saying "I feel like a suman"! I have had many treats like the ones you described, but no one makes them here in Rededing. Like one restaurant in San Jose caled "Ang Sarap"

Though I have met a few Pinoy in the streets. I should ask more questions. I have one website wherre an inspired blogger here in the states shows many traditional recipes.... I am cravbi9ng bistek and rice right now... I really ought to cook more.

escape said...

how can i forget palitaw! super sarap

escape said...

who would not miss palitaw! i really like it. tagal na nung last ko na kumain nyan.

Panaderos said...

Palitaw and biko are two of my all-time favorite Filipino desserts. The only other thing I love is puto binan. Put all three before me and I'm in heaven. :)

Anonymous said...

Yummy! Too bad palitaw and biko are quite hard to come by in this part of the world... :(

Thanks for reminding me how good these are!

Anonymous said...

oh my gaaaaaaaad! palitaw. alas nuebe ng gabi, san kaya ako makakahanap niyan ngayon? bigla akong natakam. hahaha. diyan ako pinaglihi, btw. :) yum yum.

Webradio said...

Good food for Halloween...
Have a good day Miranda !

♥peachkins♥ said...

The palitaw looks yummy...naku,sobrang mahilig ako sa palitaw..

Mine's here and here

Happy La.Pi.S!

Unknown said...

@ peachkins: masarap nga lalo na pag may kape on the side.:D

@ webradio: thank you!

@ pao: ano kaya ang effect sa paglilihi sa 'yo sa palitaw? :D may kilala ako pinaglihi sa siopao...kaya daw her cheeks are like siopao.:D

@ pinky: you're welcome! tingin-tingin ka na lang.:D

Unknown said...

@ panaderos: type ko rina ng puto...pero puto manapla (it's a town in negros) na may palaman na keso. saraaaaaaap!

@ dong: may palitaw sa via mare everyday. don ako pumunta when i crave for native delicacies.

Unknown said...

@ keith: i sometimes say that coming out of the dressing room, but it's more of "i look like suman!":D these treats are easy to prepare. you just need to dedicate a bit of time for cooking.

@ thank you, sidney. i hope you had a fun halloween, too!

@ ces: growing up, it was always my job to think of merienda in the afternoons. after we got tired of bicho-bicho, ibos, alupe, etc. i started cooking merienda. my concoctions were critiqued by the whole family pero ubos pa rin kahit anong pintas nila.:D

Unknown said...

hi, gizelle! kasi madali lang gawin ang palitaw, parang bilo-bilo lang. thanks for visiting!

mhel said...

I love biko. My mom used to make this recipe during my childhood days. Ah, I miss my beloved Mom.

Dennis Villegas said...

the biko looks greaaat! i like it so much, although quite fattening

Unknown said...

hello, dennis! i ate the last crumbs of biko this morning, then walked it off at the mall during my lunch break.:D

Unknown said...

hi, asian traveler! in my mind, biko and Halloween go together, then my mother and biko. i only eat my mom's biko. i'm sure your mom would love to cook you some when you come home.

Anonymous said...

i love kakanin! whenever we go to via mare, we make it a point to order palitaw and puto bumbong (bungbong?) with grated quezo de bola. i'd like to make palitaw, too. my only problem is the galapong. :(