Semi-ripe and ripe tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

For the children of the not so distant past, the first day of March brings on the feelings of sweet anticipation. For one, the end of the school year would only be in a few weeks then the long summer vacation would be in full swing.

Summer, what delight it brings! Days of endless leisure, free from schoolwork and the freedom to do anything the desires of one’s heart! Ah, summer!

I am not sure how today’s generation view the coming of the summer season given the initial ravages of climate change, when summer can sometimes be felt in October or other months. However, children being children, I am sure everyone looks forward to climbing trees laden with fruits. And what fruits we have!

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Mrs. Lillian Lising Borromeo demonstrates how
San Nicolas (Saniculas) biscuits are made for GMA 7’s 100% Pinoy

We’re now irrevocably into the summer season, if the fire in the bamboo grove by the riverbank is an indication. Each year, since I can remember, parts of the riverbank near our house would burst into flames from the dry bamboo leaves. For us children, it was an excuse to stay up late if the fire happened at night and come to school very late the next morning, knowing the teachers would understand how we “watched over” the ‘lipatu’ that might go to our houses while the fire was being doused, hehehe!

Nowadays we still have to be vigilant over the summer months, just like last night. It was the riverbank’s first fire of the season and there might be more to come, even just from the spontaneous combustion of the dry bamboo leaves.

But summer also brings more activities. I look forward to interviewing more, ehem, senior citizens and record their memories of food and tradition. One of the priorities on my list are old breads and biscuits such as galang-galang and masa that were once made at home, sold and eaten on special occasions. You see, many of these are the biscuits of ordinary citizens, the ones that will seldom be found in the annals of history precisely because they are out of the recorder’s radar. They are not the food of the alta sociedad and will someday soon, be lost to oblivion.

Fortunately, many TV shows with a magazine format are now keen on featuring such food. I must’ve witnessed more tapings from different networks in the last two weeks than I have had in my whole life and there seems to be more to come.

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Tuesday evening, I get a phone call from an excited Mrs. Lillian Borromeo. A leading TV network will be taping a segment at her home in Mexico, Pampanga and she needs a few one-pot meal recipes that make use of rice as a main ingredient.

Rice, the staff of life in this part of the world. How very Filipino, how very Asian. We find no difficulty listing recipes and then proceed to eliminate those that are too common and those that require too much effort. The eminent people on the dining table (meaning my mother and aunts) help us with the listing, perhaps giving us a wide range of choices that date back to the Second World War. You can imagine how long a list we had – given the length and depth of history we had collectively, hehehe!

Rice is known to have been present in the Philippines since pre-historic era. From that time to this day, rice is not only an everyday staple, but figures in our major celebrations and rituals.

Rice is such a versatile ingredient that it not only serves as backbone of every Filipino meal but can be found in different forms: as a contrast to savoury food, dessert, snacks and what have you.

For the taping, Mrs. Borromeo and I decided on the classic celebratory biringhe, the less common lelut tugac, the historical quisa and a few others. For today’s recipe, we bring you lelut tugac, which is said to be a restorative for those who are sick since it is rich in carbohydrates and protein.

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