Highlights
- Femi Ferraras runs a food blog on Instagram and Facebook called Cooking Tita.
- Cooking was intially her way of saving money.
- She shares her ice buko, iskrambol and mango-pomelo sago shake recipes.
"I started an Instagram food blog, Cooking Tita, in 2018. We just moved to our own place in Murrumbeena then," food blogger Femi Ferreras shares, adding, "We were on a tight budget so we cut costs by cooking at home and bringing packed lunches to work."
Femi admits that these cost-saving strategies evolved into an entertaining meal-planning activity that she looked forward to.
Filipino food blog
"I started going to the market and grocery every Saturday and do my cooking every Sunday. I was taking a lot of food photos to keep myself entertained and created a food page."
Her food page grew organically and Femi found herself honing in on the cuisine she loved the most.
"I decided to focus on Filipino food. It's such a joy to recreate food that reminds you of family, friends, and childhood. When you live in a foreign country, you heart longs for familiarity and memories that take you back home."
Femi Ferreras Source: Femi Ferreras
Some of the familiar Filipino food she chose to recreate and share are ice buko, iskrambol and mango-pomelo sago shake.
Ice Buko with Munggo
"Ice Buko is a Filipino childhood favorite especially for 90s kids," Femi shares.
Ingredients:
Ice Buko with Munggo Source: Femi Ferreras
1/2 cup cooked red mung beans
2 cups coconut water
1 cup thickened cream
1/2 cup condensed milk
Fresh coconut strings
Procedure:
1. Combine coconut water, thickened cream, and condensed milk in a bowl.
2. Fill popsicle mold with about 1-2 tbsp cooked beans and coconut strings.
3. Pour the milk and coconut mixture into each mold.
4. Cover with foil and make a small slit in the center to insert the popsicle sticks.
5. Freeze overnight.
6. Before consuming, thaw for few minutes before unmolding.
Iskrambol
"I remember after class, we would go out to get snacks. Our favourite was the Iskrambol sold as street food and contained in buckets. They would put a lot of hard chocolate on top and a lot of milk powder. There was so much milk powder, it would make me cough!"
Ingredients:
Iskrambol Source: Femi Ferreras
4 cups shaved ice
2 tbsp sugar or condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp banana extract
Drops of red food colour
Procedure:
1. Combine evaporated milk, banana extract, and sugar or condensed milk in a bowl.
2. Add few drops of food color until you achieve your preferred color.
3. Add the shaved ice and mix thoroughly.
4. You may layer the ice mixture with chocolate syrup and powdered milk.
5. Top with your favourite toppings such as chocolate syrup, powdered milk, and candy sprinkles.
Mango-Pomelo Sago Shake
This shake is one of Femi's recipes for samalamig or sweet, cold street beverages that typically contain jelly, pearls and other ingredients.
Ingredients:
Mango-Pomelo Sago Shake Source: Femi Ferreras
1/2 cup cooked sago
30 ml coconut milk
250 grams chopped ripe mangoes
300 ml fresh milk
2 tbsp white sugar
1 cup crushed ice
50 grams pomelo pulp
Procedure:
1. In a blender, combine coconut milk, chopped mangoes, fresh milk, and white sugar.
2. Blend in high speed until smooth in consistency.
3. Add the mango mixture with crushed ice and mix well.
4. Assemble cooked sago, pomelo pulp, and mango and ice mixture in a glass.
5. Garnish with more pomelo pulp.
