Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Babingka...

Yesterday I made a babingka to go with our lunch. It's a traditional Filipino dessert. If you look up the recipe, you'll come across dozens of variations. Some have cassava root and some have banana and amazingly, some have shredded cheese! The universal ingredients, which seem to appear in all the recipes are: eggs, coconut flakes and rice flour.

I would ask my mom for her recipe, but she does not like to share them. If she does... one must beware! Sometimes she'll change things up, so that the recipe doesn't turn out. She smiles from ear to ear and says, "See, I told you! No one makes it as good as me. Not even you!"

For my babingka experiment, I made sure to toast the coconut. I think toasted coconut is probably one of my favorite smells (and tastes) – nutty, sweet, tropical. Mine didn't turn out quite the way I had expected, but it was still good. Somehow it divided, forming a thicker and denser layer at the bottom and then a caky fluff on top.

No one complained though. This was what my plate looked like shortly after I took the first picture.

6 comments:

Alice said...

Oh my gosh I had to laugh about your mother sabatoging recipies so they don't turn out! What a hoot!

This looks interesting and very delicious!

kate mckinnon said...

I can tell you that it is insanely good. And that I am glad I am going on a trip while half of it is still uneaten!

reiko said...

YUM!! Love bibingka. It's one of the first things I look for when I go to a party. You should try looking for a butter mochi recipe, it's very similar.

Stacie Hoo said...

Looks yummy! My Grandma had a set of dishes with that very same pattern. Makes me miss her. : )

Rose said...

Aww... mean mama :P Your babinka looks so yummy! Haven't attempted it yet. I'm slowly working Filipino cooking into my regular cooking. Especially when I miss the dishes I grew up with. However, I too cannot ask my mother. Once, when I made arroz caldo (a chicken and rice porridge), I asked her for her recipe because mine, while good, didn't taste like Mama's. I would ask, "How much ginger?" And she would reply, "Oh. Just a little." "How little?" I would ask again. And she would say the same thing. Silly Mama. :)

Unknown said...

mmmmmm bibingka! i can't agree with you more about the toasted coconut smell :)