Vegan and Lovin’ it

Another favorite Pinoy merienda, ginataang halo-halo. All-vegan and can be enjoyed hot or cold, any time of the day. Let me share with you how it’s done:

INGREDIENTS:
Galapong
1 cup sago
4 pcs saba banana
1 pc sweet potato (depends on you if you want more)
4 pcs ripe jackfruit (langka)
3 cups water
2 1/2 cups pure coconut milk
1/4 cup brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
Shape the galapong into small circles and set aside. Peel and chop up the saba banana and the sweet potato. Chop up the jackfruit into thin strips. Pour the water, coconut milk, and sugar into a pot. After a few minutes, put in the sweet potato, after 1-2 minutes, pour in the galapong balls. Once the sweet potato is almost done, put in the rest of the ingredients. Stir constantly. Turn off the heat and serve hot or set aside to cool down and then put in the fridge.

Palitaw, or in some provinces “Dila-dila”, is one of my favorite snacks. Morning, after meals, or afternoons, it doesn’t really matter. It’s not always readily available where I live, though, because it spoils easily when it’s out of the fridge too long. Today I decided that I will have my palitaw, no matter what. So I went to Sta. Ana market and bought the ingredients. I watched a video of how to make palitaw waaaaay back when I was a kid, while watching Batibot. It looked pretty simple and guess what? It is very simple. Let me share with you how:

INGREDIENTS:
1 bag of Galapong
sesame seeds
sugar
niyog

INSTRUCTIONS:
Fill up a pot with water and boil. When the water is already on a rolling boil, scoop up a spoonful of galapong, shape it into a ball and then flatten it so that it becomes shaped like a tongue. Make 4-5 pieces and drop them one by one in the boiling water. When the palitaw surfaces, use a slotted spoon to fish them out of the pot. Roll the newly-cooked palitaw on niyog and set aside. Repeat these steps until all the tongue-shaped galapong is cooked. Roast the sesame seeds (without oil) on a pan. When it’s already brown, set aside in a container. Remember to let the seeds cool down first before mixing the sugar in because (like what happened to my first batch), the seeds will melt the sugar and you’ll have to redo it. Sprinkle a bit of our sesame-sugar mixture on top of your palitaw. That’s it! Pretty simple, huh?

Probably one of the hardest things for me to avoid when transitioning to a different lifestyle is the craving for sweet things to eat. I’ve always had a sweet tooth and was always partial to creamy desserts. In any case, Aljude and I went to Quiapo this morning and came across a vendor selling langka (jackfruit) for a very cheap price. We bought 1/4 kilo of it, and a bag of its seeds. Oh, it was so sweet and succulent, you wouldn’t believe it. I boiled the seeds, like how my father used to when I was young. He would boil and peel them and we’d eat them while watching TV together. I like the seeds because they taste a bit like chestnuts, but sweeter.

Jackfruit is low in fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is high in manganese and vitamin C. It also has phytonutrients like lignans, isoflavones, saponins that have many health benefits including anti-cancer, anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-ulcer, etc etc. It’s also a good source of protein and is rich in potassium which can help regulat blood pressure.

A very healthy dessert that statisfies my sweet tooth.