Suman sa Morón

This is the third time I made this kind of suman and unlike the previous two [inedible] suman sa moron, this recipe I adapted from here is the best and most probably the most authentic. I'm not from the Visayas region where this type of suman comes from and didn't have them back in the Philippines either. But I can honestly say this recipe makes the most delicious and very soft suman with a strong smoky chocolate flavor (from Antonio Pueo tablea) and this suman is now on our list of all-time favorite Filipino treats. I can't stop eating them; they're great as a snack and for breakfast with barako coffee or hot ginger tea.

Suman sa morón is a cigar-shaped two-toned rice cake made with both glutinous and regular rice flours cooked in coconut milk, sugar, chocolate, and peanuts, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for an hour. The recipe has julienned cheddar cheese added to the chocolate portion but I omitted it. I don't know the exact amount of chocolate to substitute for the tablea if you can't find them in your area. You can start with 8 ounces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate and just eyeball the color and texture, taste the cooked paste, and adjust to your preference.

Suman sa Morón
½ cup glutinous rice flour
1½ cups regular rice flour
4 ounces whole milk
½ cup sugar
½ cup fine muscovado (raw) sugar, or more to taste
8 chocolate tablea, softened with 2 tablespoons hot water
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups coconut milk, divided
julienned cheddar cheese, optional
banana leaves, cut into 8 x 10-inch pieces
about 4 dozens 5-inch long kitchen strings

• With a wire whisk, thoroughly mix the 2 types of flour and divide equally into two parts.
• In a non-stick wok, place one part of the rice mixture, add the sugar, whole milk, and 1 cup coconut milk. Stir until blended and cook, constantly stirring, on medium heat until thick. It will be lumpy but will become smooth as it thickens. Transfer into a plate and let cool.
• In the same wok, place the rest of the flour mixture and add the remaining one cup coconut milk, muscovado sugar, chocolate, vanilla extract, and peanuts. Mix well and cook over medium heat while constantly stirring. Turn off the heat when mixture starts becoming oily and is smooth. Transfer into a plate and set aside to cool.
• Pass the banana leaves over stove flame to make them supple.
• Take a heaping tablespoonful of the chocolate mixture and place on the banana leaf wrapper. Sprinkle a little cheese, if using, before rolling with the banana leaf covering the mixture and roll into a ¾ inch thick rope. Take a heaping tablespoonful of the plain milk mixture and do the same process. Place the two ropes side by side and roll to form a thicker rope with the two colors fused together.
• Roll the banana leaf to wrap tightly and tie a string at both ends to secure.

• Repeat the process until all of the two mixtures have been rolled and wrapped.
• Steam in rapidly boiling water for 1 hour.

best eaten when hot with a cup or two of strong barako coffee

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine. Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

Suman, October's theme, is hosted by Sheryl http://crispywaffle.com/ and Divina http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Chocolate Nougat

I've been busy studying reading the most comprehensive and engrossing non-fiction book I have ever owned, ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas. I kid you not, browsing through the book feels like I'm a student reading a textbook and preparing for an exam because it's meant to teach. The book is divided into 4 categories and 22 chapters, 942 pages in all with additional 87 pages for conversions, baker's percentages, temperature conversions, glossary, references, formula index, and subject index.

These are the 4 categories:
Part 1: Introduction, 43 pages, a chapter on historical perspective and current opportunities on bread and pastry and a second chapter on food safety and sanitation in the bakery, which are all must-read.
Part 2: Bread, 251 pages
Part 3: Viennoisserie, 93 pages
Part 4: Pastry, 591 pages

At the start of each chapter are objectives and brief introduction or history and at the end of every chapter a summary, key terms, and review questions.
example:
Part 4, Chapter 18 Petit Fours and Confections
Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to

• define the classical categories of petit fours and the characteristics of the items.
• describe the contemporary categories of petit fours and to be able to make a selection of them.
• define the properties of saturated and super saturated sugar solutions and to be able to make them successfully.
• make a selection of sugar confections including crystalline, noncrystalline, aerated, and jelly.

While I'm not a newcomer to candy making, I'm not an expert either and this book will probably make me one after I am finished reading it and if/when I'm done making all of the formulas which might take forever. The first I made from Part 4 Chapter 18 is Chocolate Nougat because I've never had chocolate nougat before. The chocolate in the recipe is called chocolate liquor which should not to be confused with chocolate liqueur. The glossary section defines it as "the product of the whole cocoa bean after it has gone through the initial production process and can be turned into cocoa powder and cocoa butter, can be sold as unsweetened chocolate, or can be further processed into dark or milk chocolate".

Glucose is available at candy/cake supply shops or you can get Wilton's but this brand is 3x more expensive. I used Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Baking bar. The candies came out perfect, not too hard nor too soft, have the right amount of sweetness and crunch from the nuts, and the chocolate flavor is rich without being overpowering. I love it!

Chocolate Nougat
adapted from ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas
1 pound ½ ounce sugar
3¼ ounces glucose
5 ounces water
10 ounces honey
2 ounces egg whites
¾ ounce sugar
3½ ounces chocolate liquor
5½ ounces blanched hazelnuts
7 ounces blanched whole almonds
2½ ounces pistachios
2 sheets 8 x 11-inch rice or potato paper

• Line the bottom of an 8 x 11-inch pan (or metal frame if you have one) with a sheet of rice paper.
• Toast the hazelnuts and almonds in a 275°F oven until golden. Turn heat down to warm (100°F), add pistachios and keep them in the oven until needed.
• In a medium heavy bottomed stainless steel pan, cook the first sugar, glucose, and water to 302°F. When the sugar mixture reaches 248°F, start cooking the honey (in a small stainless steel pan). Cook the honey to 266°F.
• Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with the ¾ ounce sugar. Slowly pour the honey onto the whipping egg white. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the hot sugar syrup.
• When full volume is reached, add the melted chocolate and mix until blended. Add the warm nuts and mix until incorporated.
• Transfer into the lined pan and smooth out if necessary with a buttered rubber scraper. Press the second paper on top of the nougat. Leave on the kitchen counter to set. When nougat has cooled, cut into desired sizes.

My next project from the book is Laminated Brioche. I can't wait to make and share them with my readers.:-)

Food Friday Sautéed Vegetables

green and purple yardlong beans, cherry tomatoes, and edamame beans

End of season vegetables from my garden: green and purple sitaw, cherry tomatoes, and edamame. I sautéed them in garlic, shallots, fermented anchovies (bagoong monamon), and a little chopped crispy pork rinds (chicharrones). Simply delicious.

Baked Empanada Kaliskis

Empanada kaliskis (fish scales) has been in my 'to make list' for as long as I can remember but even after getting a recipe with the procedure on how to make the layered dough (thanks again to Maricel) I was still hesitant because of the work involved and the dreaded deep-frying. A reader renewed my interest when he suggested making the Italian sweet pastry sfogliatelle into a savory one just like empanada. After reading both recipes and the one from Malta, pastizzi, which are all remarkably similar, I tested a small batch. Although I wasn't 100% successful in rolling the dough paper-thin and the empanadas don't have the thin layers of these ones, I still think it is worthwhile because they came out flaky, tender, and delicious.

How to Make Empanada Kaliskis Dough
5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cold lard or butter, diced
1 tablespoon rock sea salt
1 cup water
4 tablespoons sugar, more or less to taste
3 egg yolks
filling of choice

The following is Maricel's complete procedure for mixing and shaping the empanadas. The thickness of the slices is not specified; 1-inch thick is okay. I didn't soak the slices in oil, I brushed the dough with melted lard, sfogliatelle style, before rolling into a log. I baked the empanads in a 400°F oven for 40 minutes, brushing them with melted lard every 10 minutes to open up the layers.

Cut in lard to flour until cornmeal in texture. Dissolve salt, sugar and egg yolks in water. Add to flour. Knead until smooth, adding up to ½ cup of flour if dough is sticky. Let rest 10 minutes. Using a rolling pin or pasta maker, roll until dough is paper thin. Roll jellyroll fashion around a piece of fresh coconut tingting until desired diameter is reached (bigger diameter for bigger empanadas). Be sure to roll tightly. Pull out tingting. Cut into crosswise slices. Soak in oil for 30 minutes. Roll out each slice on a piece of banana leaf using a center-out, center-out motion until circle widens. Invert onto another piece of banana leaf. Roll dough trimmings thinly. Put trimmings on top of inverted rolled, oiled dough. Add filling. Fold in half. Seal edges by twisting and turning. Deep fry in hot oil. Flush with oil to make scales open.

filled with flaked chicken pork adobo