(Small Celebrations) Black Sesame Palitaw and Coconut Milk Cacao

The weather is being very odd lately, from extreme heat to unusual rain. Some nights are extremely muggy, while a few are chilly and perfect for sitting in the garden with a blanket. We have no indication of Christmas coming except that the days are really short now.

So we've begun easing the holidays in slowly. One way is by rediscovering kakanin, or rice snacks, and a hot drink. We've learned to keep portions small, or else it's usually too much for everyone to finish. Palitaw is a good way to go about it, because it is made from glutinous rice flour, and cooks in boiling water. And cacao-- well, cacao is a great hot drink at any time of the year. Here's a recipe for two:

Black Sesame Palitaw

200 grams glutinous rice flour
enough water to form the flour into dough
A pot of water
Coconut sugar
Raw black sesame seeds
Grated meat of half a coconut

Combine the glutinous rice flour and water and form into a dough. We find that the amount of water varies according to what flour you use. The dough should be firm and pliable, not sticky.

Shape into balls, then smush with your palms. The size can vary according to your preference. Smaller ones are good for parties, because people can just pop them in their mouth. Put these into a pot of boiling water, around two at a time so they don't stick to eat other while floating around. When they are done, they will float to the top. Hence, the name palitaw.

Have a bowl with the grated coconut meat ready. After draining each palitaw, throw it lovingly in the coconut meat, imagine how nice that must feel. The meat will stick to the palitaw. Coat it well. Coconut meat makes you feel a little bit better about the fact that you're eating a glob of flour.

Sprinkle your serving plate with coconut sugar. Lay the palitaw on top of the sugar. Then sprinkle them with black sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature. Don't keep it for days. It goes bad after a day.

Coconut Milk Cacao

Two handsful of grated coconut meat
Some water, enough to make two cups
Four cacao tableas (we used the Subasta one, which is the best for us)
Coconut sugar

Combine the coconut meat and water. Squeeze some of the milk out.

Strain the milk into your cacao-cooking receptacle. We use a Turkish coffee pot, but you can use a saucepan. On medium heat, simmer the milk then add the tableas.

Use a batidor or a wire whisk to mash the tableas and mix the whole thing when it gets hot. Whisk it madly. Like you are creating a vortex to get to another dimension.

Serve in small cups, put coconut sugar to taste.

*You can get raw black sesame seeds, coconut sugar, and cacao tablea at the shop. The rest is easily spotted at your local palengke.

(Small Celebrations) Simple Snacking

Simple snacking. For 30 pesos, you support street vendors who act as the final capillaries bringing nutrition into the city, you get no plastic, no junk in your body.

(Food) The Ritual of Cacao

When the day was still and cool, I whisked together some Subasta tablea, carabao milk, and mascobado sugar for something to sip in the garden. We need some sacred time and space before we venture out into the world.

Three separate plant and animal species, molded into three products by human process. From pure tastes of rounded nuttiness and bitterness (cacao), "bodily" and silky (milk), and dark caramel (mascobado sugar), a cup came together that was, for lack of a better analogy, like a symphony.

So smooth, flowing into the mouth like a deep and still river. Tasting like a strong, silent warrior, confident and precise in his solitary practice. If human beings have anything to be proud of, it is our aggregated history of agriculture and migration that leads to a perfect cup like this.

(More Subasta tablea coming this Friday. It runs out fast. You know a good one when you see one, folks.

(Small Celebrations) An Italian Dinner

We've become friends with one of our market customers, an Italian named Sergio. He and his wife had us over recently for a fantastic, home-cooked dinner. We ate, talked, drank wine, and laughed until 2AM (he has many interesting stories from his work in Sudan, Mogadishu, and Somalia).

One great thing about having a shop is meeting fantastic people and sharing stories and food wtih them. In the end, Sergio made us our Daguma Range robusta in a moka pot-- the best cup of it we'd had. Everything tastes better around a happy table.

(Small Celebrations) A New Kitchen Floor

Finally after some months of being open, we have put tiles on our "kitchen" floor. We chose white plain tile, like an old bathroom. When the grout and tile cement were drying, we had to use a wooden "bridge" to get things from behind the counter. We also had to toast bread outside the shop.



Thank you to Cecil's posse, who did a great job. Tiling is an area of the highly skilled. It is a hypnotizing art!