Every food is a story

Passport & Plate - Tambo-tambong (Sticky rice balls in coconut milk)

Philippines | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 3 photos

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked tapioca pearl (sago)
2 cans (13.5 oz) coconut milk
2 cups water
3 cups glutinous rice & 1 1/2 cups water (to make rice balls)
1 large sweet potato, cubed
3 large commercial bananas (saba/plantain/cardaba/bobby) , sliced or cubed
1 cup jackfruit, strips
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

Thickener:
1/8 cup water & 1/8 cup glutinous rice (Note: depends on how thick you want your tambo-tambong)

How to prepare this recipe:

Prepare the rice balls by combining glutinous rice and water until a dough is formed. Take about 1/2 tablespoon of the dough and shape it into a ball.
Set aside.
In a large pot, combine 1 can of coconut milk and water. Stir occasionally until it boils.
Drop in the dough (rice balls).
When the dough starts to float, add the sweet potatoes and cook until half-cooked.
Add bananas and continue cooking for 4 minutes
Add the jackfruit, 1 can of coconut milk, tapioca pearl, sugar and thickener.
Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly thick.

*This dish can be served hot or cold. It could be a snack (merienda, smoko, in between meals) or dessert ( quite filling but really nice)

The story behind this recipe

"Once upon a time, there was once a queen who ruled a far away kingdom. Day after each full moon, she would call upon all her people to gather and celebrate her kingdom's abundance with a particular dish. People from all walks of life would travel the distance and bring humble ingredient of different kinds; jackfruit with its sweet ochre flesh, sweet potato unearthed from the fertile soil, bananas carefully ripened by the golden sun and crystal white sago pearls reminiscent of the rain that nurture the land.

The legions of strong men would then extract milk from the fruits of the coconut palms towering the whole of the kingdom while the maidens would gently pick the ripened grains of the fennel. Others would start pounding glutinous rice alternately on a wooden mortar and pestle creating a rhythm like a beating drum. The children would then circle round the queen, as she carefully guides them to make mini rice balls out of the glutinous rice dough with their fragile hands.

After preparing all ingredients, the queen would gather them on a massive pot, and with her touch, she would serve up a dish, so heavenly and sweet that nobody else from the kingdom can duplicate. She would then sit by the people and they would eat together until their hearts content.

It is believed that this practice pleases the Gods and continuously showers them bounty, blessings and protects the kingdom from ever falling apart. From generations thereafter, they kept the tradition and they called it "The feast of the humble tambo-tambong".

This humble dish represents my childhood reminiscent of my village and how I grew up where food did't only mean nourishment but a vital platform where culture and tradition are passed from generation to the other. As a child, I would listen to the elders with their unending stories as I make those rice balls one after the other. And now every bite I make of the dish, I get connected with my family, community and identity where I am proud to belong.