Biniribid in a Comfortable Corner

An Afternoon Delight with Comfort Food.

Talk about comfort food, and a flurry of images seize the mind. At times, the craving for comfort food becomes so intense especially if the comfort food being craved for is not readily available elsewhere.

I was back home in Legazpi City last February 29, 2020 and early that Saturday afternoon, as the car moved along Peñaranda Street, I wound down the window to look for the Biniribid vendor sulked in a comfortable corner. And there she was, my favorite vendor. Come a bit later and she would be gone, like some fleeting presence that disappears as quickly as her sumptuous afternoon snack. I hurriedly got off the car and walked towards her to get this childhood favorite. Biniribid is one comfort food that makes every trip to Legazpi City complete. 

Biniribid with a cup of coffee. Photo by Bhong Odal

Biniribid tastes best when eaten while still hot. It is of purplish color owing to the rice used – a combination of maragadan (purple rice) and white glutinous rice. The maragadan gives this local delicacy a certain delightful texture not achieved if someone were to fake it with a purple coloring added to the white glutinous rice. The latter method is used (and frowned upon by foodies) as a last resort when maragadan is not available. A Bicolano friend  once told me that maragadan is produced in limited quantities in rice fields, but this variety is quite noticeable in the rice fields as they have longer stalks compared to the ordinary white rice variety and have purplish grains when ready to be harvested.

Maragadan (purple rice). Photo by Vincent Nguyen

It was a fun light moment, with cravings of comfort food satisfied by mass consumption of biniribid which tasted even more heavenly with a ice cold Coke as I sweated away the smouldering afternoon heat.

And who would have known that it was to be my last taste of biniribid for a few months now, with the Covid19 pandemic setting in and locking down everyone wherever they were by mid-March. While people movement had eased somewhat this June, still the cross-region border controls and quarantine measures are so strict as to dissuade travel even when there is a legitimate need.

Long periods of isolation amid this pandemic made me looked forward to the day when Covid19 is nowhere to be feared and get-togethers would be allowed once more. In case that happens, I will invite a few friends on a weekend afternoon singing memorable songs as someone plays the piano, while we help ourselves to servings of biniribid in a comfortable corner.

DID YOU KNOW THAT

• comfort food evokes the nostalgic and the familiar, and gives the consumer of the food a general sense of well being. 

• comfort food that is radically changed in taste, color, and preparation often evoke opposition from its main consumer who prefers to have it in the usual, familiar way comfort food tastes, looks or smells.

• die-hard fans of certain comfort food insist on certain types of ingredients, manner of cooking, or way of preparation not just to preserve their memory of the food, but more importantly to allow the same experience of delight when consuming the food.

• what is classified as comfort food is when the tongue consumes it with familiar gusto, as opposed to exotic food which is for the adventurous.at heart, and often requires some time for a consumer to have a liking or acquired taste.

• that comfort food is a function of culture and collective memory – what is considered comfort food by a group of people may be exotic food to others.

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BINIRIBID
Twisted Rice Delicacy

(Recipe by Noel Perdigon originally published in the book Metro Cuisine, Cosmopolitan Finger Foods, reprinted with permission from the publisher – UP Alumni Association Singapore)

Deep fried Biniribid. Photo by Noel Perdigon

Ingredients

400 g ( 1 lb 2 oz) white rice flour

100 g (3 ½ oz) purple rice flour

375 ml (1 ½ cups) water

125 ml (1/2 cup) coconut cream

200 g (7 ¼ oz) brown sugar

100 g (3 ½ oz) fresh coconut meat, diced finely

Oil for deep frying

250 ml (1 cup) water for caramel

Procedures

1.

Put both white and purple rice flour into a mixing bowl, then add coconut cream and slowly pour in water, stirring to make a dough.  As it clumps together, knead it together with your hands. The dough should have a smooth, slightly sticky consistency. Divide the dough into 10 portions.

2.

Cover bowl of dough with a damp cloth while you shape each biniribid. Spread sugar on a flat plate. Heat oil for deep-frying in a wok.

3.

Roll each dough portion into a ball, then into a long, thin log about 15-20 cm long. Roll log into sugar, coating it with a thin layer all over. Fold log into half, twisting as you fold, to form a triple twist.

4.

Immediately deep-fry biniribid, turning a few times, until golden brown and caramelized. Transfer to a colander to drain. Fry biniribid in batches to avoid crowding in the oil.

5.

In another pan, combine 1 cup water with the brown sugar. Stir until sugar is fully dissolved and bubbling. Dip each biniribid in caramel to coat it evenly, and transfer to a tray. Serve warm.

Tips & Techniques

• You may also insert finely diced pieces of coconut meat between the twists of dough, making sure they are evenly distributed and tucked in well – they will burn if exposed.

• If fresh coconut meat is not available, small pieces of nata de coco may be used instead.

• Unrefined sugar chunks, called panutsa in the Philippines or gula Melaka may be used instead of brown sugar. Crush them to powder before using.

• Biniribid is even tastier when served with Philippine Barako brewed coffee, ginger tea (salabat) or with Philippine Tsokolate Eh (Philippine hot chocolate), or on a very hot afternoon, with ice-cold Coca Cola!