MANILA -- With Christmas hours away, the mad rush to cook food delicacies like "ube halaya" is now in full swing among old-time Malabon residents.
Cooking "ube halaya" is a tough work and is only appreciated by those who literally see the dish prepared and cooked before their very eyes, in the toasting heat of charcoal or wood fire.
The cooking process takes two to three hours to complete.
Ingredients of this Yuletide delicacy consist of "ube" (yam) white sugar, cheddar cheese, margarine, eggs, coconut milk, and heapings of condensed milk, said Dr. Bienvinido Nepomuceno, a retired professor from the Mapua Institute of Technology, who has made it a tradition to cook the delicacy during Yuletide Season.
"Halaya" is made by peeling and boiling first the "ube" until it softens like rice porridge.
Nepomuceno said when the "ube" is in that consistency, persons-in-charge of cooking this dish will then cool it down before hauling to the "gilingan" (grinders) to make it more of a liquid consistency.
Upon reaching this stage, the white sugar, eggs, margarine, cheese, coconut milk, condensed milk ingredients are mixed in purple batter. Mixing, depending on the cook, can take as little as ten minutes or as long as 30 minutes for the traditionalist who wants all ingredients to blend properly.
After the religious stirring, the mixture is then placed on a huge basin-like container and placed atop a fire feed by charcoal, coconut husk or even dried wood.
In this period, stirrers are deluged with bits of "halaya" themselves as this dish has the uncanny habit of popping-up or erupting up when just about done, scalding them with hot "ube".
Once the "halaya" is cooked, it is then placed in aluminum containers or "laneras" where they are cooled down to room temperature.
Containers are then put inside the refrigerator for storage and taken out to be eaten by relatives and loved ones during the "Noche Buena" and "Media Noche" feasts or distributed as gifts during Christmas or New Year's Day reunions. (PNA)
