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Have you tried Ginataan? How about binignit?

I am writing here about one of the famous dessert “The Ginataan in Tagalog Binignit in Bisaya”. It is  one of famous dessert in the Philippines!

Made most especially during All Souls Day and All Saint’s Day. You probably wonder what’s that event I’m talking about? Really it’s the day to remember and honor the people that close to us who passed on. It’s on November 1st (All Souls Day – they said for the adult that died), November 2nd (All Saints Day – for the young one that died). It’s one of the big holidays here in the Philippines. People will gather in the graveyard of the loved one. Some even stayed in the cemetery overnight or the 2 day event. Some offer food for the loved one that died. I think to some of you that are from abroad that lived here already and experienced the event, I’m sure you’ve observed that people will be staying at the cemetery overnight having a party. Big restaurants even put kiosks near the cemetery. I’ve seen Pizza Hut, Greenwich Pizza, Jollibee and others have booths there. Those cola companies sell there too.

Ginataan - Binignit

Ginataan – Binignit

But one of the desserts that almost every Filipino household has during that event, that would be the ginataan or binignit. I know it is present in my family. But in every family the recipe of the ginataan and binignit will not be the same. I know for certain in my household there are certain ingredients that I don’t and won’t include and that would be the taro root, ube and squash. But with other household that might be their favorite. So really to each his own. LOL. I will be sharing with you our recipe.

“The Bayoy-Martin Ginataan/Binignit Recipe“

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups coconut milk
  • 8 cups of water
  • 2 cups of brown sugar
  • 1/4 lb langka (jackfruit) julienne cut
  • 4 pieces of banana (Saba here in the Philippines) (plantains) cut into cubes
  • 3 pieces of sweet potato (kamote) cut into cubes
  • 1/4 lb landang (palm flour jelly balls in English, not sure what you call that in Tagalog))
  • 1/2 lb of ground sweet rice (glutinous rice balls)
  • 1 lb sago (tapioca pearl or tapioca balls) different colors (red,green, blue, beige, yellow & white)

Procedures:

  1. To make the glutinous rice balls, moisten the rice flour with water just until it sticks together. Roll the dough into 1/4 inch balls.
  2. On the side, boil water for the sweet potato and banana to be cooked. It is better to cook it separately so that it will be quicker.
  3. First put around 8 cups of water in the pot(big pot preferably) and let it boil. Then gently drop around half cup of sweet rice or regular sweet rice will do and the sweet rice dough balls, let it simmer until the rice becomes soft and the sweet glutinous rice balls will rise on top when its cooked.
  4. Next, put the palm flour jelly balls (landang). When the landang softens put the coconut milk about 4 cups and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Then, put the one cup and a half of sugar, stir, add more sugar if needed. Keep tasting until you reach your desired sweetness. Then, add the rest of the coconut milk and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. Next, drop the tapioca balls and let it continue to simmer for 10 minutes and keep stirring it, so that it will not stick to the bottom of the pan since the coconut milk makes it thicker. Then put the jack-fruit and let it simmer for maybe 5 minutes, then put the pre-cooked banana and sweet potato and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste again if its the sweetness you desired. if lucking add sugar before it cools down. Enjoy!!!

What’s the food that you are preparing during the All Souls/All Saint’s Day? Ginataan? Binignit? It might just be for us here in this part of the country. This might not be so famous in your area. Would like to hear if this is one of the fave in your family? What you guys do during that day? Feel free to share here.

Have a good visit to the cemetery. Stay safe too. Many people drink there too. I’m not talking just drinking pop though. You know what I mean?

Cheers!

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It’s almost Valentines Day!

Valentines Day is just around the corner. Some of our readers here might be single and writing/chatting to a Filipina here in the Philippines. You might want to give an impression to the lady here (they called it pogi points). It might be a good idea for you to give something to the lady you are getting serious with online.

To get started, remember showing that you care by giving her gifts. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It will make her happy that you really take the time in planning it.

Valentine's Day is approaching!

Valentine’s Day is approaching!

If you need good advice on what to give to your loved one here in the Philippines. Here are some simple and affordable gifts that you will show to your lady that you care enough for her:

  1. Sweet surprise: selected baked good cookies and put in the box or in the basket.
  2.  Chocolate: Different kinds of chocolates (imported or local brands) it can be in the baskets or in a beautiful box that she can use for decorations or storage after munching the chocolate.
  3. Jewelry: Fashion jewelry, pearl jewelry or the real one that will cost more, some are very expensive.
  4. Stuffed animals like teddy bear, puppy, dolphin, monkey and others, or a stuff heart shape pillow and other nice stuffed products.
  5.  Photo Album: A pictures of you and your lady inside together, or if you didn’t meet up your lady yet in person maybe a collage of her pictures and yours in the album.
  6.  Flowers: Different kind of flower arrangements  to chose from either simple arrangements and affordable, in a vase or a bouquet. If you want fancier  arrangement then it will cost you more.
  7. Nice printed shirt with hers and your face, or a mug or a plate.
  8. Maybe a puppy or a kitty.
  9. Camera: Lots of good and affordable cameras nowadays.
  10. Cellphone or Tablet: Same as above, you can buy cheaper and affordable cell phone and tablets. Take note: electronics gadgets are way expensive here in the Philippines than the West.

Hope that some of the ideas that I mentioned above help a lot to those still thinking of what to give to their loved one here in the Philippines. Sometimes it’s hard to give when you don’t have any idea in mind.

We have a company that will deliver to your love one here in the Philippines. If there is anything that you want and it’s not on our site feel free to email us what you want and we will send you an invoice for it. I don’t usually mention our other site here, but I was asked from our reader here privately for a good gift for his/her loved one. That’s one of the reason why  I wrote this article.

To some of you here that uses our company “Thank You” so much for the patronage. We really appreciate you guys’ business. Again feel free to let us know if there is anything you want that it’s not on our site.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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My homemade pumpkin-kalabasa pie!

I am giving you now the recipe for my pumpkin-kalabasa pie, Feyma’s style. It’s really a simple recipe. You also just need another local ingredients here in the Philippines. The main ingredients would be the kalabasa (a local squash). You can buy the Kalabasa in any malls  here. Of course a good and cheap kalabasa can be found in the palengke (public market). At least there you can really choose the size of the kalabasa that you want. We are so choosy with ours. We want it the outside will be on the almost orange side. It means the kalabasa is ripe and good to cook for the purpose of making pie.

Pumpkin Pie in the Philippines

Pumpkin Pie in the Philippines

My niece Glenda is the expert of choosing ripe kalabasa, since her parents, they had a whole farm of it. She’s trained by her parents to harvest and choose the ripe one. So when it comes to buying our kalabasa here, I am sending her. Now our helper is good too. But I am learning in that department. I’m kind of good on doing that now too. :-) I’ve seen butternut squash here in some of our malls. But I am not using that for my pie. It’s more money than the kalabasa. So for sure we will never use butternut squash.

“First job before making the pie is to make the squash (kalabasa) puree”:

 

Pies galore

Pies galore

To boil the squash:

  • 1 whole ripe squash (kalabasa) – cut into cubes
  • Pinch of salt
  • Brown sugar

Procedures:

  • Wash the kalabasa and peel off the skin. Make sure to not leave any of the skin and the seeds and the stringy fibers before cutting into cubes. If skin not properly remove it might give a bitter taste. And it will ruin the taste of your pie.
  • Put water to a big pot and put a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
  • Add the kalabasa to the boiling water and cook for about 40 minutes or until its tender when pierced with a fork.
  • Puree the kalabasa in a blender, or food processor or in a food mill or with a hand held blender or potato masher or by hand. Giving you too many options there. LOL
  • Let it cool. Save the extra for kalabasa bread, cookies or a pancake.

                                       

                                               ***** Kalabasa (squash) – Pumpkin Pie *****

 

Thanksgiving fun isn't complete without pumpkin pie

Thanksgiving fun isn’t complete without pumpkin pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2  cups pureed kalabasa
  • 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup evaporated milk (Alaska, Alpine & Angel brand or other brand is good too)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of allspice
  • A pinch of  ground cloves
  • A pinch of ground ginger
  • A pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
  2. In a mixer: combine the squash, brown sugar, cornstarch, egg, milk, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Mix until combined and smooth (might have to use strainer to make sure it’s not lumpy).
  3. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven for an hour or more, or until when you insert in the middle of the pie with toothpick it comes out clean.

Let it cool before serving. When serve put whip cream on top. Yummy for your tummy. :-)

Have fun eating. Maybe you will make kalabasa pie for your Noche Buena.

Merry Christmas To All Of You LIP Family/Reader!!!

 

 

 

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My homemade yams!

Another recipe that we made here in the house during Thanksgiving, using local ingredients is Yams. In the States they use sweet potatoes for the yams. Here in the Philippines we use the camote (similar looks to the sweet potato in the USA). Growing up here in the Philippines, we cooked the camote in lots of ways. Like slicing the camote into round sort of thin slice, maybe like around quarter of an inch, fry it until tender then add sugar. Other ways is just by boiling it and it can be substitute as a rice, eat with fish kinilaw (similar to sashimi). Really good to have that dish eating in the beach. Other ways of cooking is by boiling and mashed it and add sugar and wrapped it with lumpia wrapper and fry. All the dishes that I mentioned were really good but the yams is really something else. Its so good.

The holiday table

The holiday table

Feel free to share here some of your sweet potato/camote recipe.

***** Homemade Yams (Sweet Potato) Recipe *****

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs camote
  • 2+ cups brown sugar (Keep tasting until it comes to the sweetness you desire)
  • 2 cups marshmallow
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 – 1 cup of butter (eyeball if needed more)
Yams at left, and other holiday food

Yams at left, and other holiday food

Procedures:

  1. Peel and quartered the potatoes. Boiled water in a large pot and add a  pinch of salt. Boil the camote for 20 minutes or so, or until the camote are no longer crunchy; when its cooked. Drain just a little of the water. Not all to avoid dryness. Mash it with the potato masher and add the butter and the sugar. Keep tasting and add more sugar and butter if needed. Put like 1/2 cup of the marshmallow and mix to the mixture.
  2. Butter the bottom of the 8 x 8 Pyrex oven dish. Pour the camote mixture to the dish. And put the rest of the marshmallow on top of the mixture.
  3. Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until brown. Really keep an eye for not to get burn.

***** Wondering if marshmallow is readily available here in the Philippines? Definitely yes. Almost all the malls carry it. If one mall is out, usually the other mall has it. Here in Davao one place that you will always see marshmallow is at Baker’s Basket, along Mabini Street, Davao City. Not far from Central Bank. Just near MacArthur Highway.  S & R carries them too. *****

We do cook yams not just during Thanksgiving. Sometimes on some other occasions too. We are addicted to yams I guess. Ha ha ha.

Have fun eating you guys. Happy Holidays!!!

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Christmas is giving to the less fortunate here!

Well Thanksgiving is over. Time for us to think now of the Christmas shopping. We are so lucky that we can buy even just a few presents for our kids and give some to our friends and family. Living here now for 13+ years, I’ve seen people – too many people here struggling to buy food for their Noche Buena for their family. It’s really sad but that’s the reality here.  Noche Buena – A Filipino tradition for midnight dinner for the whole family on Christmas Eve.

I think you probably read here how we started the first Martin family tradition of giving away. We were just sitting on our office in our house one Christmas eve many years ago. Bob said to me that “Hon, I don’t feel the Christmas spirit here because I think I don’t feel the cold weather“. We kind of just smile to each other. Then after awhile he told me what if we will buy something like burgers from McDonalds and cookies and juices and candies from the grocery stores for the homeless people here in the city. So I called up McDonalds if they can provide me with 200 burgers and I will be picking it up in a few hours. I told them of my purpose for the burgers. They were so happy and so helpful that they said yes they will get it ready for me. They told me too that they will get some of the burgers from there other branches of McDonald here in the city. They also provided me with plastic bags so that I can put some of the other goodies in it. So we headed out to town and found homeless people in the city.

Then later we the headed towards Diversion Road and found so many beggars on the road. My goodness our burgers were gone immediately. But it was really fun giving away to them, since they’re not expecting it. We did it for a few years from our very own money. Of course it’s just limited since the funds were only ours and not so big. Until later when LiP was born. Bob started asking here from you guys our readers if you guys can pitch-in. And you guys did without questions. Now we got the LiP DRIVE. So really thankful that you guys did. We can now give out a lot and so many less fortunate people can put a smile on their faces.

There is somebody in need
What beautiful kids
More people need help
At the truck
Mrs. Santa Claus hard at work
The spirit of Christmas
A real poor family

I’ve encountered too many events during our giving away. A few of them really remains in my heart and it really humbles me. And it also taught more lessons to my kids. One of the events that stuck in my head was this event: A few years ago when we were giving out near BUDA (the Davao/Bukidnon border). On the way, we stop by at the road side because we saw an older lady, with her I think her daughter or a grand daughter. It’s really hard to say, she might just be looking older because of harder life. She’s getting ready to ride her horse, we stopped and and said hi to her and the little girl. We greeted her Merry Christmas and started handing her some food for the Noche Buena and some goodies for the little girl. She was shocked and didn’t know what to think, she just started crying and she said that “you guys are the angels sent from above” because she said she was praying for miracle because she didn’t know if they will have food for that night. You know what, tears were rolling my eyes and I know Bob too upon hearing her say that. Our kids saw it and I could see their sadness for the lady’s struggles but happy that at least they had food for the holidays. To be honest, It even brought tears to my eyes until now when remembering that day. Really we hear too many stories similar to that lady when we went out giving. Our kids really enjoyed doing it. They like to go to a little remote area and give there because those people never expect somebody like us to go there and just give. It’s good to give to people you don’t know and they are not expecting to get anything from anybody that day. The smiles and the sparkles of their eyes are priceless.

It’s been a good thing that we did give each year here. Our kids really know that too many poor people live here. I could tell by just watching them that they really care also for the poor people here. Our kids always look forward on every giveaway. They help out packing the stuff. It’s really a team effort by all of us. If you can help again this year, please send an email to: [email protected] and you will get full instructions on how to donate. Thanks to all of you that contribute.

We give 100% of all your donations to the less fortunate people here. I know that all of us struggles with the hard economy right now, but if you have some extra money, that amount can really feed to one of the poor family here in the Philippines. We are so grateful for your sacrifices too. More people will contribute, more people will have food for their Noche Buena. We can put a smile to the faces of the people here, the children especially.

From the bottom of my heart “THANK YOU SO MUCH” for helping our cause. To our LIP Family, I’m forever thankful to God for you guys.

A Merry Christmas to you all!!!

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