The dry noodles are shaped into blocks and packaged in plastic. It’s been said that this is traditionally done under the sun over stones, but the commercial way of doing it is to use oven or furnace heat. Although its translation means “rock noodles”, it is actually a type of noodles from the town of Bato in Camarines Sur. It is made of flour and heat-dried. To smooth the top of the maja blanca after you’ve poured it into the serving dish, use an offset spatula.Pancit Bato – The history behind this name has nothing to do with stones. Canned coconut cream is available in the baking section of major supermarkets.īe sure to use thick-bottom pans so the coconut milk does not burn. If using the canned variety, choose the ones labeled coconut cream-this comes from the first extraction. For this recipe, use the first extraction, or you can also use canned coconut milk. It’s thicker than the second extraction of coconut milk. *Kakang gata is the first extraction of coconut milk from squeezed coconut meat. Transfer granules to a clean bowl and use as topping for the maja blanca.įor more tips, recipes and stories, visit author’s blog: and Facebook fan page: Follow on Twitter tips: Let mixture simmer until the liquid has evaporated and tiny brown granules form (the oil will separate from the granules). In a thick-bottomed, wide pan, heat the coconut milk over low heat, stirring constantly so the bottom does not burn. If desired, top with the latik, then chill until firm before serving.įor the latik (coconut granules) topping:ġ c coconut milk (kakang gata- see tips)* Pour mixture into a serving dish and smooth the top. Strain the mixture into a thick-bottomed, wide pan or casserole, then add sugar.Ĭook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and becomes almost solid, around 20 minutes. Latik topping (optional, see recipe below)Ĭombine cornstarch with coconut milk and evaporated milk.

For information and reservations, call 7937000.) (Bicol Food Festival is part of the lunch and dinner buffet of Café Jeepney, Hotel InterContinental, until Sept. Here’s a recipe given by Pacao and Cabanela for one of Bicol’s popular desserts: maja blanca, made with-what else-coconut milk. Perhaps because the pineapples are smaller, the sugar is concentrated, making the pineapples very sweet.īicolanos use these pineapples to cook dishes such as pininyahang alimango (crabs in pineapple) and pininyahang manok (chicken in pineapple).ĭuring the launch of the festival, Daet’s Mayor Tito Sarion distributed boxes of a unique Bicol delicacy: pilipiña, a pie made with pineapple and pili nuts, which is another crop Bicol is famous for. Pacao explains that when she cooks laing, she avoids stirring the mixture so that the leaves don’t give diners an itchy throat.Īlso on the menu, in one way or another, is a pride of Bicol: the miniature pineapples that grow abundantly in Daet. Then there’s the ever-popular laing, native gabi leaves cooked in coconut milk and chilies.

Spices help keep Bicolanos warm when the weather gets cold (as it often does).Ī typical Bicolano dish also being served in Café Jeepney’s ongoing food fest is the Bicol Express, diced pork cooked in hot chilies, coconut milk and balao, a less salty and tamer version of bagoong. Many use copious amounts of coconut milk and hot, spicy chilies, which is understandable since coconuts are a major crop in this region. While pancit bato may seem obscure, other Bicolano dishes are more familiar. The dried noodles are cooked with generous amounts of hearty ingredients that include fish balls, quekiam, shrimps, pork, chicken, cabbage, green beans and bell peppers. The volcanic rocks being very hot, they dry the noodles quickly and keep them from getting spoiled easily.Īlthough the noodles are dried only in Legazpi and Albay where the volcanic rocks are scattered, they’re sold all over Bicol. Part of Hotel InterContinental’s ongoing Bicol Food Festival, pancit bato is named after the method of making the noodles.Īccording to guest chefs Maria Pacao and Jonathan Cabanela, the noodles are dried on volcanic rocks originating from Mayon Volcano eruptions. So does pancit bato mean stone noodle then?Īctually, it’s one of the most intriguing dishes being served in Café Jeepney’s lunch and dinner buffet spreads.

Literally, that could mean a rock noodle dish-not rock as in rock and roll, but rock as in stone. Pancit molo and pancit luglug may sound familiar, but what in the world is pancit bato?

Pancit bato in bicol