Biko for Merienda

I took a break from hunting down snails to celebrate Father's Day... We had a good time so sorry for this late post. I would just want to share what I did when father brought home some of his glutinous rice  from the farm. 

Biko is a popular Filipino snack item. It is sold in the market areas, canteens and even in popular malls. I love to have it with a hot chocolate drink made from cacaos in my yard. But, you better watch out for the calories if you are on a diet.

It is so easy to cook but rarely do people make them at home. Lucky I have two spinster aunts and a mother-in-law who all make biko during special occasions.

OK, without much ado... here's my own version of biko....

INGREDIENTS: 

1 kg                 glutinous rice

1/4  kg            brown sugar

100 grams    muscovado

1/4 cup          water

2   pieces       large coconuts (pureed) or 4 cups coco milk

orange zest

dash of salt

banana leaves (optional)

Boil the coco milk.

be sure to lower down the fire when you see milk solids building up....

do this so that you won't have burnt toppings latter...

you would want to achieve a golden brown latik...

next to add is the muscovado... 

If you don't have muscovado, you can just add brown sugar or simply white sugar. I like to have muscovado because it is healthier and it adds color to my biko.

then the brown sugar and the 1/4 cup of water....

Let it simmer for a few seconds then sprinkle some orange zest. 

 Most people don't add this ingredient but I've learned to do this from my mother-in-law whom I consider "biko queen". Give it a try to add a little bit of flavour and punch to your biko...


add a dash of salt to somehow neutralize the sweetness. 

when the mixture is quite thick, be sure to set aside some for your toppings later...


time to add in the glutinous rice....

give it a good mix until it turns into this....

cover the pan with banana leaves to make it more fragrant... 

you can skip it though if you don't have one in your area...

let it sit in very low fire  for about 10 minutes so that your biko can absorb the fragrance of the banana leaves...  

After that your biko will be all set!


But if you have hungry bosses around like my son and his newly-found best friend....

                you'll be lucky to have time to plate your biko into a more scrumptious look like this...

Yep, he invited all of his other friends and the following day they came back for more... Unluckily I only have one serving left because my father brought home plenty for my brother at the farm... 


Hope you'll try this Filipino snack... :)

How to Control Snails : Ash Method

Ash is not only good for your compost but is also a proven natural way to control soft-bodied pests like snails and slugs. So far, this is my favorite anti-snail since we have plenty in our home. Firewood is widely used for cooking in the Philippines since LPG prices have soared these days.

So if you have these in your kitchen or fireplace, one way to feel less guilty about polluting Mother Earth is to bring them back to the soil and control your garden pests the natural way.

                           First, collect it in an old can or whatever container you have.

Using an old ladle, spread the ash around your plants.. You may sprinkle them if you like...

Continue spreading until you have encircled the plant so that those pesky snails can't cross.

Pros:   Ash will make your plants healthier since it is a good source of lime, potassium and other trace minerals.

           Good if you want to grow pink or purple hydrangeas.

Cons: Too much ash can burn your plants.

           It raises the soil's pH which is not good if you are growing azaleas, blueberries and gardenias.

Finally, you should bear in mind that ashes are only good snail deterrent when it's fresh. 

                             Guaranteed this snail will be dead in just a few hours...

But since it's been raining cats and dogs here in the Philippines, perhaps you too will feel sorry for the fate of these string beans...

But don't lose hope, sprinkling ashes during summer months would be great.