Monday, March 17, 2014

Inutak and Vanilla Ice Cream -- perfect summer merienda!


You'd think that they would have given such a  delectable dessert a better name.  
Inutak (in english, utak means brains hence the addition of the prefix in- translated literally means brained)  has its origins from Pateros and Taguig.  It is a native kakanin made of finely textured ground malagkit (sticky glutinous rice) liberally cooked with generous amounts of gata or fresh coconut cream.



My Pateros friend Adel  introduced me to this ambrosial dessert many years ago, when I visited her at home.  She told me it is called inutak because that's what it looks like.  Since it is baked until a golden brown crust forms on top, it does somehow look like brains ... this is what your brain would look like after you ate a lot of inutak!
 It used to be harder to source this delicacy  (I'd always have to drop broad hints to get Adel to bring me some)  but now, thanks to a few entrepreneurial ladies, it has come into the mainstream and can be found in most malls and markets.  



People say that it is best eaten hot but Adel taught me that eating inutak with vanilla ice cream is the classic and traditional way -- and that is how I have enjoyed it ever since.


 I found a vendor from Pateros at my AANI week-end market who had inutak over the week-end.
Vanilla ice cream with soft, melt in your mouth inutak creaminess, so decadently good!
Just the perfect thing to have on a  warm Sunday afternoon.
Thank you Adel for introducing me to this (along with abnoy and penoy) ... this post is for you!

No comments:

Post a Comment