MAJAraaaap!



It is a common practice among Filipino to share food to the neighbors whenever there's an event in the house. For instance, two of our neighbors shared some food to us last week, one is celebrating a kid's birthday and the other is commemorating the "40days" of an old woman who passed away recently. It is interesting that in both occasions, they prepared Maja Blanca, a traditional Filipino delicacy which is of Spanish origin. Perhaps because it one of the easiest to cook and only needs a few ingredients. 


It is said that Maja Blanca is adapted from Manjar Blanco or Blanc Mange, both of which are European milk-based desserts. 


Homemade Manjar Blanco
from www.hispanickitchen.com/profiles/blogs/the-versatile-summer-dessert


Manjar Blanco 


Blanc Mange


"Maja" means "pestle" in Spanish while "blanca" means white. My guess is that the name probably came from the process of getting the milk from the cooconut. Maja Blanca is also known to some people as Maja Blanca con Maiz or Maja Maiz because Filipinos have added corn kernel as an ingredient.


It's been a long time since I last cooked Maja Blanca. I learned the recipe from my aunt in Bicol who taught me how to cook it when I spent my vacation there in 2008. It's one of the best Maja recipes I've ever tasted, promise! Unfortunately, I lost my copy of that recipe. Thanks, to Ms. Google, I found one online and just made some adjustments to it.


For the ingredients, I used the following:


½ cup coconut milk
1 can corn kernel
½ cup sugar
¾ cup cornstarch




Unlike other Maja recipes where the coconut milk is boiled first before putting the other ingredients, my Tita's recipe only involves mixing all the ingredients in a saucepan. Then, I boiled it under slow heat. Just a reminder, you have to constantly stir it so that it will not stick to the pan and also to prevent lumps.



After boiling, I poured the hot mixture in a mold and allowed it to set. I sprinkled cheese on top but you can also serve it with the traditional latik.



Share it with your family and friends because this Maja Blanca is more majaraaaap when shared with other people. :)