Merienda de Prayle

File:Merienda De Prayle.jpg

Merienda De Prayle

Article by: Jilianne

The Merienda de Prayle, also known as "Kinilaw na Bangus na may Kesong Puti," was one of the essential dishes back then. Of course, to make the pretend party plausible, the ladies would offer a feast for the gentlemen. This dish originated from the Bautista Clan and is still available at the Ilustrados in Intramuros.

Dez Bautista, an artist, historian, and food specialist headquartered in Malolos, has teamed with Ilustrado to provide thorough instruction, understanding, and supervision of the offerings. He descended from the respected and well-known Bautista clan in Malolos, where numerous heirloom delicacies emerged. His ancestral home in Malolos is a famous historical site that was rebuilt in 1877 after being erected in 1855, and it remains a neoclassical masterpiece today.

Origin

Merienda de Prayle, a regional dish, is cooked using milkfish or bangus, both plentiful in Malolos, Bulacan. A Bulakenyo dish that Jose Rizal, our national hero, and the friars, or prayles in Spanish, enjoyed eating during gatherings.

To persuade them to join the La Liga Filipina, Jose Rizal allegedly used to visit triumvirates like Jose Bautista, Manuel Crisostomo, and Vicente Gatmaitan. According to tourism official Rolly Marcelino, they frequently pretended that these meetings between Rizal and the triumvirates were social gatherings, with the women acting as lookouts and stationed near windows, ready to alert the men anytime civil guards passed by. Furthermore, according to neighbors, the friars adored eating the bangus, as mentioned earlier, dessert for merienda. As a result, it was given its name.

Ingredients

• Bangus (milkfish)
• Ginger
• Onions
• Vinegar
• Calamansi (lime)
• Kesong Puti

Procedure

1. Filet or cut off the milkfish's meat from its skin.
2. Slice the meat into smaller pieces and set aside.
3. In a bowl, put together the sliced ginger and onions.
4. Add vinegar and calamansi and mix well.
5. Pour the mixture into the sliced milkfish meat.
6. Let it sit in the mixture until the meat turns white or lasts 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Slice the kesong puti the same size as the milkfish meat.
8. Once ready, stuff the milkfish meat between two slices of kesong puti and tie it with leaves like a musubi.
9. Add sliced lime and onions on top.

Recipe from: Chef Gelo Guison (GMA: iJuander 2022)