Budbud is a Visayan term for suman. So "budbud" = "suman" and "suman" = "budbud".
Tanjay City of Negros Oriental is known for its delicious budbud/bodbod.
The budbud of Tanjay always come in pairs in a full embrace. Big or small in size, it retains the same signature taste that you can only find in Tanjay City.
So when you visit the town taste and bring with you the famous tender, chewy, completely moist, sweet budbud as pasalubong to complete your trip.
If properly and patiently cooked, the budbud of Tanjay will last for about a week unrefrigerated due to the antibacterial properties of the coconut oil.
In making budbud sa Tanjay is very similar to budbud kabug. The only difference is the use of white, long grain glutinous rice and the final method of cooking is boiling instead of steaming when making budbud Tanjay.
Here's a recipe of Budbud Kabug.
Budbud Kabug
(Yield: 100 pieces)
adapted from Cultural Cuisine's recipe
* for budbud tanjay and malagkit, you just need to use glutinous rice instead of millet. Also, instead of steaming, you have to boil the budbud if you are preparing budbud tanjay
INGREDIENTS
• 3 grated mature coconuts
• Warm water for extracting
• Water for washing millet and for steaming
• 2 cups millet (glutinous rice, if you're making budbud tanjay/malagkit)
• Banana leaves for wrapping
• 3/4cup sugar
• 2teaspoons salt
PROCEDURE
Preparation stage:
1. Grate tow of the mature coconuts to get the meat and add 2 cups of warm water to the meat. Extract the mild manually and pass through a piece of cheesecloth. After the first extraction, add another 2 cups of warm water to the grated coconut meat and extract again.
2. Repeat the process until you have 6 cups or more of coconut milk. You can mix the first and second pressings together but set the third pressings aside in case you'll need it in the latter part of the cooking.
3. Wash the millet in two changes of water. Drain and set aside. If using fresh banana leaves, cut off the mid ribs and run each half of the leaf over fire to wilt the leaves and make them pliable for wrapping.
4. Tear leaves into 6 inches in width until you have about 100 pieces. Do not use leaves which have tears in the center. Set these aside and cut them into tiny strips to use for tying up the budbud in pairs.
5. Using coconut meat from where you extracted the milk, wipe each piece of banana leaf so that the leaf wrapper is clean and oiled from the residue of the coconut meat.
Cooking stage:
1. Add salt to 6 cups of the coconut milk and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. This process will thicken the milk. Once it starts to slow boil, add the washed millet. Stir constantly until the millet starts to cook, making sure that the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan to form a crust. It has come to boil when you see bubbles of steam coming out from the mixture like a slowly erupting volcano.
2. Add sugar and salt and mix well. The color will become a darker yellow. Continue stirring constantly until cooked, about 30 more minutes. The suman is already cooked and can be eaten. Set aside for wrapping.
Wrapping and final cooking stage:
1. Put a heaping tablespoon of the cooked millet onto the center of a cut piece of wilted banana leaf.
2. Gently form the millet into a 5-inch log with a diameter of 1 inch. You can do this by rolling the mixture in the banana leaf without having to touch the millet mixture. Once you have the rolled mixture into shape, tighten the roll and fold one end and then the other. Do this until you have finished all the millet
3. Put two pieces of suman together with the flaps facing each other. Tie both ends with the cut-up leaf string. Repeat with remaining pieces.
4. Place all the paired suman in a steamer with enough water to steam the suman for an hour. The suman should be steamed from the very start when you put the water in the steamer. The suman is ready when the color of the leaf changes from light green to dark green. Minimum time is one hour of steaming. The traditional way of eating this suman is with mango and hot chocolate.
(Total time: 2-3 hours)
Enjoy your budbud Tanjay. Match it with a cup of fresh hot chocolate and ripe mangoes.
TRIVIA: Did you know that a song was composed about this native delicacy? Ang Budbud sa Tanjay was composed by Mr. Andrews Calumpang because he was inspired by the fondness of the Tanjayanons have of their budbud. The melody is light and festive that you would sway your hips, move your arms and shoulders to the beat.
Ang Budbud sa Tanjay
Ang budbud sa Tanjay lami gayud kanunay
Mahalot,mahagkot maayo nga idulot
Ang budbud sa Tanjay lami gayod kanunay
Sa tanan nga panahon lami kaayo kan-on
Chorus:
Nindot nga usapon lami nga tagamtamon
Pilit nga hikapon lami pagtulon
Bus-ok kanunay apan mo pilay-pilay
Igsakto ang gidak-on dili ka sum-oron
Ayyyy.....
Ang budbud sa Tanjay lami gayud kanunay
Igsakto ang kagahi,timplada nga malami
Ang budbud sa Tnajay lami kanunay
Dili gyud makatagbaw,dili gyud makabalaw
Garbo kanunay ang budbud sa Tanjay.
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photos/source/reference:
Negros Oriental FB page
www.tanjayanons.com
www.orientwind.com
