Seems that getting 3-week holiday a year in NZ doesn’t mean I get to choose as to when I can take it. Businesses close down for Christmas and New Year so it’s sort of a compulsory holiday for me. Buti na lang I’ve been good and Santa gave me a round trip ticket to Beijing. And so I went off that morning on Boxing Day. About 10 hours to Hong Kong and a 4-hour connecting flight to Beijing, another 30-minute drive and voila! I am back in our old home in the city. And what a wonderful treat! Biko prepared by good ole Tita Glo – leftover from their Noche Buena.
No recipe this time. Easy to cook she says… glutinous rice, coconut milk, brown sugar, what else? Ahh I have to do it myself before I can share how it’s done. Hope it will be soon.
No tale to tell except that each bite of biko feels like being home once again.
Happy New Year!
This post is another entry for Lasang Pinoy 22 – Rice to the Challenge, hosted by JMom.
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.
My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.
Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! It’s great to hear that you managed to take a break and head off to Beijing for the holidays! I hope Cean is with you there now . . .
This biko reminds me of my childhood days in Isabela – practically growing up with it! It’s something we would always have during the Christmas holidays and almost every important occasion. It is one of the very popular Pinoy rice desserts that I really love.
Yay! Biko! I love it! but I haven’t really tried making biko. I havent braved myself to make it myself. Maybe one day I’ll try… I can tell from the picture, it must be nice! yummy!
I absolutely love biko, though I’ve never made it myself either. Glutinous rice, coconut milk, and brown sugar are all it takes? I might have to give it a try.
YUMMMY!!! Hindi ako nagka-time mag-biko over the Christmas holidays waaah…. Bagay naman s’ya sa Valentine’s di ba?
Mike, merry xmas to u too! yup it was really great to be back in beijing again. Sarap ng bakasyon. Cean is with me now…
Grace & Burnt Lumpia, i haven’t done one myself too. tita glo’s biko was really good
Oo naman Stef, bagay pa din sa valentine’s ang biko. pwede siguro gawin sa lalagyan na korteng heart