LP 24: Loco Over Coco - The Round-up

We went crazy over coconuts last February for Lasang Pinoy!

As an event-ender, here is the round-up of entries for LP 24: Loco Over Coco : a sumptuous buffet of coconut-based dishes. We have a complete array of creations, from drinks, to traditional and inspired dishes, to fabulous desserts.

But before we take our fill, let us first, as an ice-breaker, get into a discussion about coconuts, which may be a strand of our DNA, according to first-time LP participant Kathleen, of Kathleenbell.com, Massachusetts, USA.

How about turning on Da Coconut Nut Song for our background music? Courtesy of our friends Maricar and Grace, also first-time LP contributors and who have previously done a whole series on coconuts at Filipina Soul, USA.

Then let’s take a tour of our very own Coconut Palace, which highlights the ingenious ways we can use the tree of life, with our tour guide Bursky, of At Wit’s End, Manila.


Ready for a toast to the coconut? Cheers!





Lambanog with Guava Juice

Paoix, One Filipino Dish A Week, NYC, USA






Let’s warm up then to the buffet. For starters, we have bread and soup.



Pan de Coco

Dhanggit, Dhanggit's Kitchen, Provence, France






Corn & Crab Soup

Gay, A Scientist in the Kitchen






Followed by two incredible salads, both by Marketman, of Market Manila, Manila.





Ubod and Parmesan Salad








Ubod Ensalada







Hope you didn’t fill yourselves to bursting yet, because we have just arrived to the main entrees. And first in line, no less, is the famous fiery dish, Bicol Express, with accompanying Laing. Both dishes in two variants!




Bicol Express

Franco, Mariko, Monchu, Table for Three, Please, Manila










Bicol Express

Robert, Filipino Food Lovers, Missouri, USA








Laing

Joey, 80 Breakfasts, Manila










Chard Laing

JMom, Cooked From The Heart, USA




Don’t like it hot? Try chopsuey with coconut meat.




Pinoy Buko Chopsuey

Ut-man, Overseas Pinoy Cooking, Abu Dhabi, UAE






Then we have seafood in coconut milk.



Catfish in Coconut Milk

JMom, Cooked From The Heart, USA





Shrimps in Coconut Milk and Tomato Sauce/Coconut Story of My Life

Mira, Random Thoughts, Mira's Web Journal, A Moment to Exhale, USA







Tuna in Coconut Cream

Shai Coggins, Creative Geek Living, Australia









Kona Kampachi With Coconut, Apples, Ginger and Basil

Cia, Writing With My Mouth Full










Ginataang Alimango

Anneski, Kitchen Conjugations, Philippines


Hope you left enough room for dessert. For we have incredibly marvelous ones!




Buko Halo

Grace, Kitchen Journal, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia










Bucayo Squares, Almond BucaJoy

Oggi, I Can Do That!, VA, USA








Maja Blanca
Cooking with the Fruit of Life

Maricar, Grace, Filipina Soul, USA







Coconut Custard (Leche Flan with Coconut Milk)

Sassy Lawyer, Pinoy Cook, Manila









Favorite Ginataan

Nini, Pan de Panda, Manila








German Chocolate Cake

Simple Pleasures, Sweet Tooth , Manila











Tropical Bombe

Manggy, No Special Effects, Manila








Guintaan - a warm Pinoy dessert for the cool HongKong winter

Ragamuffin Girl, Food Frenzy, Hong Kong








Mini Coco Pies
13 & 1 Ways to Enjoy Coconut
Anatomy of a Disaster

Em Dy (first to submit, congrats!), Pulse, Manila









Buko Custard Pie

Babette (Kusinera sa Amerika), Not Another Blog, USA









Pastillas, my contribution to this month's Lasang Pinoy.







And that ends our amazing smorgasbord, hope it didn’t leave anyone wanting!

It had been an honor hosting this event and rounding up all your entries. My hats off to all of you, and as they say in Pinoy, thanks a lot, coconut!

LP 24: Pastillas

Pastillas in Pangasinan is not the pastillas de leche that is so well-made in Bulacan. Pastillas refers to a candy that is wrapped similarly in wax paper or glassine, rectangular in shape, and white in color. It is also similarly sweet.

But while biting into the pastillas in the Tagalog region is biting into velvety smoothness, the Pangasinan pastillas is textured all throughout. Because the pastillas in Pangasinan is actually a bukayo - made with grated coconuts, candied with white sugar.


Be that as it may, it is not the stringy, or hard, or chokingly sweet bukayo that is so familiar to all Filipinos all over the archipelago. I would venture to say that this is the highest form of bukayo, in its most sophisticated version.

It is soft, a pillow of softness because it is made up of grated coconut, the meat not kinayod. The candied coconut has a consistent mouth feel - enough texture to be chewy, enough sugar to be crunchy, and made in such size that it just cleanses your taste buds of the flavors of your recently eaten meal, yet not so sweet that you can reach for more without feeling any guilt.


This is the favorite dessert, served on the house, of most seafood restaurants in the province, particularly and including the chain favored by the present president of the republic when she visits Pangasinan. The practice was originated by the first popular seafood house in Dagupan City, Siapno's, which has sadly closed shop.


Pastillas is made in Dagupan City, but can be found in the numerous puto kiosks lining the provincial road by the side of the town auditorium in Calasiao. Because of the low sugar to coconut ratio, it does not keep well - a maximum of a week in the refrigerator, and it turns rancid. Delivery to Calasiao is made about three times a week, and it is not found anywhere else outside of the province.


I have tried making this bukayo, but I haven't perfected it in time for Lasang Pinoy, so the recipe would have to come later. In the meantime I still source my bukayo pastillas in Calasiao.

Siapno's (not related to the owners of the restaurant) is the brand I like best when it comes to bukayo pastillas. It sells real well, so most of the time the other brands are the only ones left for sale.

There is now an ube variant, but it is more of an ube-colored version than an ube-flavored one. The original is always the best.

This is an entry to Lasang Pinoy 24: Loco Over Coco, which I am hosting for the month of February 2008, with the theme coconuts.

And with this post I am closing the event, but entries will still be accepted. Please send me the link to your post/s by email at sweet(underscore)bucaio(at)yahoo(dot)com, or at the comments section of this post or the LP24 announcement, or at the round-up which I should be able to publish within the next few days.


A big, coconutty thanks to all who participated, and hope to see you again in the next LP events!