Ah dessert. It’s one thing I’m not too keen on—a travesty, friends would insist. I wasn’t born with a sweet tooth and while I eat cakes and pastries as a snack, I almost never eat it to cap off a meal.

But even if I decline dessert a lot, there are still a few sweet treats I never turn down. Still, a fruitful visit to Salcedo Market gave me something to photograph for Lasang Pinoy – Sundays’ Dessert theme. In the form of a delightfully rich, yet plain looking butter cake.

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When you say Filipino food, one of the first dishes to come up is Adobo. For non-Filipinos, it seems to be the one dish that is synonymous with Filipino food. And why not? With its tempting salty-tangy flavor, it’s not a dish that’s easy to dislike, no matter what flavors your palate is used to. So it’s only proper to include an adobo-centric bento for Lasang Pinoy’s Make your Own Bento challenge, right?

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This latest round of Lasang Pinoy is something I really look forward to because it puts one thing close to my heart in the limelight. Bento! I thought that it would be an easy round for me because of the topic, but surprise! Between trying to find the time to bento and finding a Filipino food concept, I was pretty stumped! My firm resolve to join (not to mention a commitment I made to this round’s host, Ajay) pushed me into preparing two lunches for the event.

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Jose Rizal, our national hero, is surrounded by a large body of stories. But more than the tales about his bravery and about his writings, it was the stories about his childhood, when he was merely young Pepe, that I liked to hear when I was a kid. About how he wrote his first Nationalistic poem when he was 8. About how his mother told him the story of the moth who got too close to the flame. And about how he invented Champorado (chocolate porridge).

Legend has it that young Pepe, in an effort to turn his day-old rice into something more delectable, poured a cup of tsokolate eh (Spanish hot chocolate) on it. Of course, the story is much debatable. Day-old rice is loose and a bit dry and tsokolate eh, no matter how thick it’s prepared, just won’t create a porridge-like consistency.

Still, it’s a nice story, and when posed with the Lasang Pinoy 21: Cooking for Heroes challenge, I figured that a freshly cooked bowl of Champorado would be an interesting dish to serve Dr. Rizal. Alongside a few pieces of tuyo (dried fish) of course.

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Here’s another stab at Lasang Pinoy: Binalot! This time, a Lumpia that’s healthier but no less yummy. (Lasang Pinoy is a Filipino-themed cooking round-up, done ala Is My Blog Burning? For my other Lasang Pinoy 20 entry, check out the previous entry, Lumpiang Shanghai.)

Growing up in Sta. Ana, Manila, one of our favorite meryenda (midday snacks) was Pancit Palabok and Lumpiang Prito from the Sta. Ana Market. We’d buy the pancit from our suki since my Mom and her siblings were kids. The lumpia, we’d buy from the store beside the Pancit Palabok vendor.

I loved that lumpia. Fried to a golden crisp, and stuffed full of bean sprouts. Unlike the other vendors, her lumpia was only an inch in diameter, making it easier to eat for little mouths. Plus, because it was thinner, you get more lumpia wrapper crunch with every bite, versus the 2-inch thick lumpia of the other stalls.

Because it has been years since I last visited the Sta. Ana Market, here is a rough recreation of her Lumpiang Prito. It’s probably a pale copy of the one I grew up with, but it was enough to satisfy my hungry cravings. So until I get the chance to reconnect with my childhood home, I’ll be happy munching on Lumpiang Prito from my current home, making new memories of happy eats and even happier times.

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There’s a line that goes, there’s no Pancit Canton in Canton, nor Lumpiang Shanghai in Shanghai. Regardless of the misnomer, the lack of authentic Shanghai origins should never stop anyone from enjoying a good Lumpiang Shanghai.

Lumpiang Shanghai, more commonly known as Spring Rolls, are deep-fried “dumpling logs.” Made of ground pork, shrimp, and veggies, the resulting mixture is put on Lumpia wrapper. It’s then rolled and fried until crisp and golden brown. Commonly served with sweet and sour sauce for dipping, Lumpiang Shanghai is popular as finger food, or with rice. A mix of savory flavors and crisp textures, it’s one dish that’s always welcome, whether it be a fancy party, a fiesta, or an everyday meal. This is one Binalot (wrapped) dish that’s sure to please.

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When I hear fiesta, memories of feasts long past flood my mind. Despite growing in the city, I have been exposed to many fiestas because my Lola (grandmother) would put a fiesta feast together every May 12, in honor of Sta. Ana’s patron, Nuestra Senora delos Desamparados (Our Lady of the Abandoned).

Fiesta prep would begin days before, with my Lola’s sisters and brother lending a hand to make Ube Halaya (Yam Pudding?), Atsara (Pickled Mixed Veggies), Leche Flan and other things they could cook ahead.

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