Culinary Tour Part 2: All Time Favorite Filipino Snacks You Shouldn't Miss!

For many Filipinos, a day isn’t complete without taking in-between meals. I couldn’t agree more for I also eat snacks called "merienda" after siesta time during the weekend, hahaha. 

Chef Grace's Cassava Suman. 

And that’s only because I feel less guilty about eating more than my usual diet when I'm in my home sweet home. I strictly eat 3 meals a day when I'm at work because of my busy schedule. 

During this stay at home (lockdown) period due to COVID-19, I have been really inspired by my niece’s, Grace, interest in cooking and how much fun she’s having with it. It’s as if she has started learning home economics without realizing it. For those who missed Grace’s version of Filipino Legacy Dishes, check the Culinary Tour Part 1. 

Here is another visit to Grace’s kitchen and this time I'll feature some of the popular snacks in the Philippines. 

1. Palitaw

Palitaw or Dila-dila. A Filipino delicacy

Palitaw is one of the simplest yet one of my favorite native delicacies in my country. Palitaw is also called flattened rice dumpling or cake and is very easy to prepare and cook. Originally, it is made of ground sticky rice (bigas na malagkit), but as an alternative, some use glutinous rice or any rice flour soaked in water – a mixture that is called galapong. Galapong is formed into a small flattened circle or oval and cooked in boiling water.

Grace’s Filipino-American version of Palitaw topped with the traditional grated coconut, sugar, and sesame seeds.

Once cooked, the galapong is removed from the boiling water and coated it with fresh grated mature coconut (niyog), sprinkled with sugar and pounded peanut (dinikdik na mani) or sesame seeds (linga) and served on a banana leaf, which is the traditional way and common in provinces; otherwise it is simply served on a platter. The toppings may vary depending on the available resources and innovativeness of the cook.  

My mom's other version of Palitaw. Steamed ground sticky rice dipped in melted panutsa (crude sugar or jaggery or molasses from sugar cane) 

How did it get its name? Basically, the galapong sinks once put in the boiling water, but when it’s cooked, it emerges from the bottom and floats (the Tagalog word for it is litaw). Thus, its name Palitaw was derived from the way this delicacy is cooked. In some parts of the country though, people call it with a different name. I grew up in Isabela Province and I remember hearing the term dila-dila instead of palitaw. According to my Lola (grandmother/abuela), it was called as such due to its similar shape to human tongue, which is dila in Tagalog.

2. Okoy or Ukoy

Okoy or Ukoy is a popular Filipino snack, appetizer and even an entrée. Okoy is simple to prepare and cook just like other Filipino snacks. Originally, Okoy's primary ingredients are baby shrimp and cornstarch or flour batter. However, its simple recipe was gradually improved by adding different ingredients which you can easily grab from your kitchen. These are vegetables like mung bean sprouts or togue, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, cabbage, banana blossom or puso ng saging, onions or scallions and so on. Once the mixture is ready, the pancake-shaped batter is deep-fried and served with vinegar.

The little chef is cooking Okoy / Vegetable Fritters

There's not much information about the dish’s origin, but according to Gloria Chan-Yap, a Filipino linguist, the dish’s name, Okoy, came from the word Hokkien read as o+kue which means 'cake made from taro'. The Hokkein is a dish somewhat similar to Okoy, both of them being deep-fried and shaped like a pancake, but the dish is made from taro and minced pork which is completely different from the ingredients of Okoy.

Grace's Filipino-American version of Okoy or Vegetable Fritters paired with vinegar and garlic dipping. 

3. Suman 

Steamed Suman ready to eat. This is perfect for a snack or breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.

Suman - How many kinds of suman have you tasted? Basically, when you see a treat rolled in banana leaf that is within an array of native delicacies, that is, no doubt, suman. There are lots of suman around the Philippines: sweet, bland (needs sweet toppings or dips), and even salty. It is believed that the first version of suman was made up of rice and was tasteless and served with sugar.    

Ready to cook Suman wrapped in banana leaf. 

Cassava Suman (Kamoteng Kahoy Suman or Sumang Balinghoy) is just one of the various types of suman. And cooking it is as easy as ABC. Cassava Suman is already sweet as it is a mixture of grated cassava (balinghoy or kamoteng kahoy), coconut milk, and sugar. It is then rolled in elongated tubes made of banana leaves and steamed until well done.

Cassava Suman or Sumang Balinghoy is a delicious 'merienda' or snack perfectly partnered with a cup of coffee. It can also be a good breakfast as an alternative to bread. :) 

This is how Cassava Suman or Sumang Balinghoy look like.

Although there is no concrete evidence, suman is claimed to be an original rice cake recipe of the Filipinos and already part of the culture long before the colonial period. Moreover, Filipinos' most common staple food and important crop is rice. 

Grace's Filipino-American version of Sumang Balinghoy or Cassava Suman

Other suman types are: suman de lihiya, binallay (served with latik sauce), balisungsung (triangular shaped and has a salty taste), sumang moron (its mixture contains chocolate and is popular in Tacloban, Leyte and Davao), suman sa ibos, and tupig (grilled version of suman which originated in Pangasinan). 

4. Pansit is Filipinos’ most celebrated dish and always present in birthday celebrations. It is always associated with birthdays because this dish is believed to endow longevity to the celebrant. According to the oldies, its long noodles represent long life. I always hear this whenever I attend someone’s birthday party.  

Pansit Malabon 

The colorful and attractive Pancit Malabon. A signature dish of the Filipinos

Pansit Malabon is a type of pansit or stir-fried noodles. It is characterized by its thick rice noodles and easily recognized by its yellow-orange sauce made up of shrimp broth and crab fat. The dish is made attractive with the tasty toppings: pork cutlets or slices, slices of hard-boiled egg, napa cabbage, chopped onion spring, different kinds of seafood such as shrimp, squid, mussels, clams, and crushed chicharron (pork rind crackling).   

Grace's Filipino-American version of Pancit Malabon

Pansit Malabon, as its name suggests, is an original dish of Malabon City which is located in the metropolitan area of the Philippines. 

5. Sopas 

Grace's Filipino-American Chicken Macaroni Soup with hard boil egg. Yummy! 

Sopas is a classic comfort food for the Filipinos. An all-time favorite and commonly served during cold or rainy days, sopas is a creamy soup made up of elbow macaroni, shredded chicken (it can also be beef or pork), vegetables (such as cabbage, carrots and, bell pepper), and evaporated milk. These ingredients make the soup rich and creamy.  

The dish is a Filipino version of the American chicken noodle soup which was introduced to the Philippines during the American colonial era. But its name was derived from the Spanish word sopa or soup. 

Chicken Macaroni Soup or the so-called Sopas in the Philippines. 

So there you have it. I hope my foreign readers will include these snacks in their list of must-try dishes in the Philippines.J I guarantee you’ll enjoy it. Until next time.

Watch out for the 3^rd part of the Culinary Tour.

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Author's Notes About Culinary Tour