When the Living is Easy

The sea was very close to where I grew up in Cebu.  So close was the pier to our house I could hear the deep and lonely blast of a ship’s horn late at night as it got ready to leave port.  If I imagined hard enough, I could hear the ship’s porter’s warning call, “pwera besita, pwera besita”.

With such close proximity, it was only natural for my parents to bring us to the popular public black sand beaches of Talisay (famous for pinasugbo- bananas dipped in dark and thick sugar glaze) or brown sand beaches of Liloan (famous for whirlpools and rosquillos- a round, scalloped edge sweet biscuit) in the summer. 






 In the 1970s, when barges made it possible to cross over, the white sand beaches of Mactan Island became our favorite summer playground. 







As we grew older and as the nearby beaches started to get crowded and parceled off into private resorts, we ventured farther north- Danao, Catmon, and Bantayan.  

Or farther to the south—Argao, Santander, Barili.  Just to name a few favorites.

The sea was never far away even as my mother hauled us all to my grandma’s farm up in the mountains of Leyte during Holy Week visits.  There was always days spent down at the shores of some beach, islet or mangrove.

Marriage and having kids of my own did not change this summer preference.  My son and daughter got into the swim of things as soon as they were perceived old enough to swallow salt water.

And so it was and continues to be. The pull of the sea is too powerful to ignore.

---xoxoxox---

Last week, my grown-up kiddos and I joined my sister, J, her daughter N and my brother A for a short seaside reunion.    We splashed in the clear and cool waters as the sun did it’s best to roast us. 

 

And as the sun slowly sunk in the horizon and the tide receded to very low level, we found ourselves locked in our own world as we combed the shoreline in search of elusive sea creatures and shells.

We only reluctantly headed for the house just as glow worms flickered in the nooks and crannies of the rock formations.

Just as fire flies seemed to be racing up to the top of the coconut trees.  Just as the black sky slowly filled up with a gazillion stars.

For three days, we let the sea pull us in.

---xoxoxox---

More often than not, it is during the Holy Week that my kids and I find ourselves by the sea.  The long weekend affords my kids to be away from work to soak up the easy life.

And as recently experienced, Holy Week would not be complete without Binignit.  Many vendors with small make-shift stalls or tables along the road side were doing brisk business selling the basic Binignit ingredients.

This is the Visayan equivalent of Luzon’s Guinataang Halo-Halo.  This is a sweet coconut stew of root crops (camote, gabi, ubi), banana (plantain variety) and jackfruit.  Visayan versions call for landang  while Tagalog versions call for sago (tapioca pearls) and sticky rice balls (bilo bilo).

Interesting enough, landang is not used or found in the Luzon area. I have tried and failed to find it in the local markets of Manila.  It is sourced from the Buli or Buri palm and goes through a tedious process.  In a nutshell, you chop down a mature Buri palm tree; scrap the insides of the trunk; pulverize and soak in water until it’s time to strain the resulting muck. This is dried up before breaking into smaller bits.  About half a cup cost P20 for the premium variety.  A steep price to pay to give Binignit its distinct flavor and added chewy texture.

But enough of this information and on to the recipe.  A recipe so similar to the Guinataang Halo-Halo but a world apart in taste.  If you get your hands on some landang, be pulled into the delicious experience as I had and will continue to be.

Binignit

Ingredients (depending on your preference, you may add more of one item and leave out the other/s)

1 pc white gabi (taro root), cubed

½- 1 cup sugar

2 pcs yellow camote (sweet potatoes), cubed

1/2 tsp salt

1 pc ube (purple yam), cubed

½ - 1 cup landang

4 pcs ripe Saba (plantain), cubed

3-5 pcs ripe Langka (jackfruit) -- optional

½ cup canned coconut cream ( or pure coconut cream from 2 grated coconuts)

3 cup coconut milk ( made from: ½ cup canned coconut cream + 2 ½ cups water or after squeezing the cream from the 2 grated coconuts, add 3 cups warm water and squeeze the resulting milk out of the grated coconut)

Cooking Instructions:

Bring to a boil the coconut milk and drop in the cubed bananas in coconut milk. Lower to a simmer. When banana is slightly tender but not quite cook, add the gabi, camote, and ubi. Continue to simmer.  Add sugar, salt, and landang. Stir to incorporate.

Add Nangka (if using) then continue to simmer until all ingredients are tender but not mushy.

Add the coconut cream. Continue over low to medium heat for a minute or 2.  Do not boil or liquid will curdle. Taste and add more sugar or water as needed.

Serve hot.