Halloween party Filipino-style

This weekend had been quite a busy couple of days. Last Saturday, we had a Merienda Fiesta - themed party which started at 3PM and ended at 9. That's a looong merienda session! On such an occasion my Nanay would usually cook suman and we'd light up candles around the house (to guide the ghosts roaming around at this time). The Merienda Fiesta kept the food tradition alive for me, but we had to forego the lighting of candles because the Wellington winds is cause for concern for sources of fire of any sort. After prayers for our dear departed, we promptly enjoyed the food and the company.

And while we played around with costumes which are inherently not our tradition, the food was certainly very Filipino!

Kawaii food decor

The Japanese are famously known for their cute (kawaii) creations, with fun pastel colours and characters that beg to be bought and collected. Plus they have these mecha which I am a huge fan of. That's what was in my mind when I saw this new shop along Cuba Mall called Japan City here in Wellington. It isn't very difficult to spot, as their display window was brightly festooned with paper lanterns and flowers. There is also such a store which I frequent in Manila that sells nice but inexpensive stuff (I actually bought a couple of small Gundam figures there which look really good yet unobtrusive on your office desk) so I was thinking they might have those here.

Ambrosia

After having a hearty lunch at a friend's house, this was placed on the table in a tub of ice cream. 'Ooooh, guinataan!' I exclaimed. 'Nope, secret!' said Cacay, who made this dessert. Puzzled, I took some in a bowl and took my first bite. It was wonderful. Different textures and tastes happening instantaneously: a crunch, then something soft, then something sweet, and then sour. It was intriguing. We couldn't stop eating. 'It's Ambrosia', Cacay finally revealed. It was a hit with both grownups and kids!

Chicken Macaroni Soup

Chicken Macaroni soup, also called Chicken Sopas, is a hearty soup with chicken, elbow macaroni, and milk as its primary ingredients. We used to always have this at home on Christmas eve. My Nanay would cook a big pot of chicken sopas which we can come back to every now and then when we get hungry from all the excitement and activities leading up to Noche Buena. I can't help but feel warmth and Christmassy goodness whenever I have Chicken Sopas.

This dish calls for elbow macaroni, but in this instance my wife opted for gnocchi (clam-shaped pasta) instead. And we also added button mushroom and chicken liver simply because we have some on hand; these are entirely optional of course.

Bico for merienda

Bico is a traditional Filipino rice cake made with glutinous rice (also called sticky rice) and sweet topping. My wife has actually been cooking bico here at home for a number of times now, as it has become quite a popular treat at gatherings but in place of the brown topping she uses coconut strings instead. I thought I have placed that recipe here, but I could not locate it so I'll dig up some photos to publish here.

This bico was made by a friend and we were among the lucky few who received a share. This is one also has a twist to it: there's langka (jackfruit) pieces in it! This is my first time to taste langka with bico and I quite like it! The topping's sweetness is also just right. I love it.

Nope, no recipe for this one (sorry) but I'll put up the one my wife makes soon.

Halo-halo

Halo-halo is the quintessential Filipino summer treat. The season is not complete without a tall glass of this cool and refreshing delight. Many an enterprising household would set-up temporary stalls to sell halo-halo, some with varying price for regular or special (with leche flan!). Even fastfood chain ChowKing has capitalized on this favourite dessert and is one of their best selling items on the menu.

The literal translation of halo-halo is "mix-mix" and this is what you actually do to it: mix up the crushed ice with the milk and the various layered goodies at the bottom of the glass. This can be quite tricky though, as the crushed ice is usually piled way above the rim of the glass. I get around it by eating off the excess ice (and some of the leche flan and/or ice cream in the process before proceeding to dig through with my spoon.

The most special version I've had of halo-halo is one with these additional items: pinipig, sweetened beans, red-colouring poured on the ice, and topped with leche flan and ice cream. But when Myra and Darryl invited us to their home for halo-halo last weekend, I learned that an even more special version exists: one that's been made and shared with friends!

You can have this special treat at home even when you're not in the Philippines, courtesy of the Asian store and an ice crusher.

KFC Rice

Yup, you read it right. This recipe is based on KFC's chicken. On Fridays, it is customary for families here to buy fish n' chips for dinner. But last weekend we were craving for KFC and so we bought some. However, we ordered lots more than we can handle and so I found myself staring at three big pieces and a tub of gravy the following morning. I thought about just heating it up for breakfast, but just the mention of reheated food for breakfast was making me lose appetite. So what about a chicken omelette? I was not in the mood for eggs either.

Then I thought about adding the chicken AND the gravy directly into the fried rice. The result was extraordinarily goooooood.

Inihaw na Bangus (Grilled Milkfish)

We were in for a treat at a birthday party last weekend when a guest brought bangus (milkfish) for the grill! Imported from the Philippines, and the Philippines' national fish! The smell of milkfish grilling was enough to make my mouth water.

My wife helped in cleaning the fish and I took charge in salting and inserting the stuffing into the cavity. Haven't done that in a long time and I enjoyed it. She also said lemon will make the bangus even more delectable. I integrated that input into this recipe.