Favorite Pinoy Merienda---For Breakfast

My mother is a traditionalist. Most of the dishes she cooks for us, she learned when she was younger. I remember the first time I cooked Carbonara at home, she was weirded out because it had white sauce instead of the usual red we have at home. That’s how old-school she is.

But I’m glad that I was never discouraged to cook new things (despite many failed attempts), and so fast forward to today, even she is beginning to experiment on cooking. She even told me earlier today that we should fill the cupboard with different spices and sauces and whatnot so we could use whatever fancies us in the future. Big leap for her.

And speaking of big leap, she really did a big leap in cooking today—homemade palitaw—a classic Filipino delicacy we used to buy only from the resident manlalako during lazy weekday afternoons when we were kids. I remember how much I loved the smell of sesame seeds, how I used to sprinkle my palitaw with lots of white sugar, and how much I loved to chew on this sticky snack. That’s why I really enjoyed eating these today—reminded me of simpler times when I was a kid.

I didn’t get to see her actually make these because I woke up late (as usual), but I know these are made from rice flour (galapong), and you just poach it in boiling water, from which it will first sink—then float back up (litaw) when it’s done.

I absolutely love palitaw. I hope someday I also get to learn how to make traditional Filipino merienda.