Binallay Recipe

Binallay or Binalay is a Kakanin from Ilagan, Isabela Province. It's made from ground galapong and steamed in banana leaves. It's served with a caramel sauce made from Pantusa and Latik.

As a Filipino living in the US I don't get exposed to the many many different kinds of Kakanin in the Philippines. I actually stumbled upon this delicacy on Reddit. Shout out to r/filipinofood! Someone posted that they were eating some kind of suman even it's not Holy Week anymore.

Upon further research I found out that it's called Binallay and that it's a tradition to eat it during Holy Week in the Cagayan Valley Region in the North East of Luzon.

It's actually quite a religious food. For some that take fasting seriously this is the only meal that they get. The rice portion of the kakanin symbolizes the body of Christ and the sauce it is served with acts like his blood during crucifixion.

I know!!! So intense. But I think it's so important to know these backstories of all the food we eat. Many think it is a symbol of sacrifice and self-denial to just eat Binallay for a week.

Now I believe it's available to eat all year round, just don't forget the origins when you make it.

Ingredients

So this recipe is a 3 parter.

Part 1 is making crispy Latik. To make that follow my Latik recipe. You will need the crispy curds to make the sauce. In the recipe card it will just be listed as Latik that has already been made.

Part 2 is making the sauce.

Pantusa / Panucha - This is a Filipino palm sugar. You can buy it from your local Filipino grocery store. It's essentially palm sugar. Pantusa is sold with two solid pieces in the pack. You will need one whole piece for this recipe. If you can't find it you can use muscovado or brown sugar. You will need 2 cups.

Coconut Milk - Use 1 cup of Coconut Milk to help melt down the Pantusa.

Part 3 is making the rice. This is what you will need:

Glutinous Rice Flour - You will need 2 cups.

Coconut Milk - Coconut Milk is preferred, but you can use any milk you want or even just water. You will need 1 cup.

Coconut Oil - After making the latik you will have left over coconut oil. You will need that to brush the coconut leaves with. So don't throw it away.

Banana Leaves - This recipe makes 12-13 Binallay, so you will need 13 pieces of banana leaves that are about 6x6 inch squares. You will also need thin strips of banana leaves to use as a tie to keep the banana leaves from unraveling. To make that just rip some strips following the lines of the banana leaves.

How to Make Binallay Sauce

Remember you need to have the Latik ready before making the sauce. Please follow this Latik recipe first.

How to Wrap and Cook Binallay

Now for part two. I actually enjoyed this part. The sensory feeling of the dough is quite nice and the repetitive nature of wrapping the Binally is quite relaxing.

How to Serve Binallay

From what I can see there are two ways to serve Binallay.

The first way to serve it, is to cut it into small pieces and place on the plate.

Then you add as much sauce as you want on top. This makes it easier to eat.

Another way to serve it is to leave it on the banana leaf. It helps from sticking on a plate.

Then you drizzle the Binallay with sauce and you can slice it as you wish.

How to Store and Re-Heat

You can leave the Binallay on the counter still wrapped in banana leaves for up to 2 days. Use the microwave to re-heat on high for 1 minute to get super soft again.

Alternatively you can also re-steam for 5 minutes on high.

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