Maja blanca con maiz |
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name(s) | Coconut pudding, Coconut cake |
| Place of origin | Philippines |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Dessert |
| Serving temperature | room temperature, cold |
| Main ingredient(s) | Coconut milk, cornstarch |
| Variations | Maja blanca con maiz. Maja de ube |
Maja blanca (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈmaha ˈblaŋkə] mah-a-blank-ə) is a Filipino dessert made primarily from coconut milk. Also known as coconut pudding, it is usually served during fiestas and during the holidays, especially Christmas.
Contents |
Maja blanca has the consistency of thick gelatine and a delicate flavour, and is creamy white in colour.
As the name suggests, the dessert is of Spanish origin, adapted from the traditional holiday dessert manjar blanco, and is thus related to other similar desserts such as blancmange. The name means "white delicacy".[1]
Maja blanca is also known as maja blanca con maiz, maja maiz, or maja blanca maiz when corn kernels are used in the preparation (maiz is Spanish for corn).[2]
Maja blanca is relatively easy to prepare. A coconut milk (not coconut cream) and cornstarch mixture is heated to boiling over a low flame while stirring. Agar (gulaman in Filipino) can be substituted for cornstarch.[1] Corn kernels, milk, and sugar are also often added, though these are not traditionally part of the recipe.[3] Once the mixture thickens, it is then poured into serving dishes previously greased with coconut oil and allowed to cool. Once firm, latik (browned coconut cream curds) are then sprinkled as toppings.[2]
It is also often refrigerated and served cold to improve the texture.[4]
Maja blanca can easily be adapted to include various other ingredients. Examples include squash maja blanca which uses calabazas (Filipino: kalabasa)[5] and a version of maja maiz that uses butter, resulting in a distinctive yellow color.[6]
Another variation of maja blanca is the maja de ube (or maja ube). It uses ube (purple yam) as one of the primary ingredients giving it a characteristic deep purple color.[7]
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