and it was a screaming good time. the five year old finished first but was the kulelat (bottom) scorer...he didn't mind at all, he had so much fun. the winner was the score-keeper so we teased him no end.
we cooled off at home, ordered take out, Chinese of course, and i brought this out of the refrigerator, quickly toasting some thawed grated coconut.
maja blanca is a popular afternoon snack lumped in the kakanin section of my memory ...one of the items my ma or lola (grandma) would bring home as uwi (take home gift) from the wet market. this is what my ma and i came up with years ago when she came to help with birthing the youngest. in trying to figure out how to make our version of tasty maja we tried to guess at how to set it properly. maja is originally made with rice flour but i much prefer the corn-y version. with the use of agar-agar powder and substituting vegetable or canola oil for greasing the pan or mold, or lining the pan with a sheet of washed and gently warmed banana leaf, it could be a palatable dessert dish to bring to a vegetarian pot luck...
maja blanca maiz
grease the pan (i used an oblong pyrex dish, 7 & 1/2 " by 11") with butter.
mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup cornstarch. whisk in 1 cup water slowly until well blended.
boil 1 14-15 oz. can of cream style corn and equal amount of coconut milk together in a saucepan. whisk in 3 tsps. of agar agar powder and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
whisk the sugar, cornstarch and water solution again to ensure no lumps, then gradually stir into the corn and coconut milk. stir occasionally and simmer 5 minutes more.
let cool slightly then pour into prepared dish. chill in refrigerator until firm.
slice on the diagonal and serve with toasted coconut.
*schatzli! this is for you...though i haven't tried using agar agar or gelatin for the classic white maja, i think you'll like this. not too sweet.
to substitute powdered gelatin, dissolve 2 packets of Knox in 1 cup cold water stirring until dissolved, then add to boiling coconut milk and corn mixture.
