#sea30

Did you know that in UP Diliman, there is actually a store that sells kakanin? Well yes, there is! This kakanin-selling store is a small cart located between UP Cooperative and the Shopping Center.

It is called Belen's Store, named after the owner of the store, Belen Pantanilla. The kiosk has been in UP for more than 40 years. The "tindera" of the store, named Dynavie, said that this was a "pamana" (inheritance) from their forefathers. They don't make their kakanin here in UP but at the owner's house which is located at Laloma, Quezon City. Aside from kakanin, they also sell the usual fishball, okoy, lumpia, and pancit canton.

The rice delicacies that they sell are Puto Bigas, Rice Cake, Biko,  Sapin-Sapin, Palitaw, and Buchi.

Puto Bigas

Rice Cake

  Biko and Buchi

Palitaw

(Photo from left to right) Munggo , Sapin Sapin

  Other non-rice delicacies such as pinipig, ube and munggo.

And so, the next time you get to visit UP, drop by Belen's Native Kakanin! 

We continue on with our search for some of the kakanin shops here in the metro. We found one medium-scale business that sells kakanin in Quezon City. Situated in Suki Market, near Mayon Avenue Corner N. Roxas Baranggay Sta Theresita, Quezon City, is Bing's Native Kakanin and Sushi.

As you can probably tell by their shop's name, aside from kakanin, they also sell sushi! (Wow! Rice really does have a lot of uses!)

Bing's Native Kakanin and Sushi Poster

Bing's Native Yummy Native Delicacies

According to the saleslady, Bing's Native Delicacies, owned by Rowena Mendoza, has been making kakanin for more than 30 years.Their branch here in Suki Market has been going for 6 years. Their first store was opened in Blumentritt, Manila and this is just one of their branches. Most of their kakanin, are just delivered from their main factory which is in Blumentritt. However, they make their large bilao of puto, everyday on their side kitchen.

Can you believe that this whole bilao of puto only costs Php300???

Some of the rice delicacies that they sell are:

1. Rice Cake - their bestseller!

2. Biko (the one in the middle of the picture)

3. Sapin-Sapin - It’s traditionally made of galapong (sticky rice dough) mixed with coconut milk and sugar. This native kakanin usually has 3 layers in it. The first layer is the purple yam, the second layer is made from corn (which makes it yellow), and the last one is left plain.

4.Kalamay Ube - This one is usually made from sweet rice mixed with ube.

5. Akay Akay or Tibok-Tibok - Tibok-Tibok is what they call this rice native delicacy in Pampanga. But in Obando, Bulacan, they call it Akay Akay. This is probably due to a minor discrepancy where in Pampanga they use carabao's milk, while in Bulacan, coconut cream is used. Again, it was made with glutinous rice, or galapong and then mixed with red monggo beans.

6. Suman - Suman is made from glutinous rice mixed with coconut milk and sugar wrapped in banana leaves.

7. Puto - Puto is a steamed rice cake. It has lots of varieties with some adding food color or cheese on top of it. In the picture below, there are many different kinds of puto that are sold in the store.

As was told by the "tindera", these kakanin usually last for 2 to 3 days. There are usually 70-100 people who buy Kakanin on weekends and less than 70 people on weekdays.  

In our next visit, we would be documenting how they make Puto in the big bilao. 'Til the next visit!

This is Ate Rose Anne. She's a kakanin vendor in front of the Good Shepherd Cathedral in Regalado Avenue, Quezon City (near the Far Eastern Univesity).

People selling kakanin in front of a church is very common in the Philippines, especially during the Christmas season. After the Misa de Gallo or the Simbang Gabi, people would buy kakanin like bibingka and puto-bumbong.  

These treats are eaten usually for breakfast. Because those who attend the early morning masses aren't able to cook their own food (the masses start really early - around 3AM), most people would resort to just buying kakanin.

Ate Rose Anne is actually the one who makes the suman that she sells. The Filipino suman is sticky rice or malagkit wrapped in coconut leaves. 

As for the other types of kakanin that she sells, she told me that she imports them all the way from Cainta, Rizal!

Ate Rose Anne also sells another type of suman. This time, the rice cake is wrapped in banana leaves instead of coconut leaves.

Yellow puto!

Small colored puto that looked super adorable in pastel shades.

Sapin-sapin strips. 

She even sells tikoy!

Ate Rose Anne also sells non-kakanin delights like cassava cakes.