Classic Maja Blanca Recipe
Maja Blanca is one of the easiest desserts to make. Just mix all ingredients in a pan until it boils and continuously stir until you reach desired thickness.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Origin of the Dish
Maja Blanca is a famous dessert that Filipinos love to make. Its name is originated from the word majas, which is the most popular names in the 18th and 19th century of the Spanish society, who are distinguished with their fashion and sense of style. They are the most favorite subjects of the Spanish painters.
This dessert is actually an adaptation of a Spanish dish manjar blanco (blancmange) but it has become unique that it uses different ingredients like, instead of almond milk as the main ingredient, the Maja Blanca is made of coconut milk.
When is it typically served?
You can never miss this dessert on a Filipino table during family gatherings and special occasions like fiestas, birthdays, holidays like Christmas, among others. This is one of the most famous sought out dessert every after meal and some even skip the meal because of its sweet jelly texture and the complements of its delicious toppings.
Needed Kitchen Utensil to make Maja Blanca
Upon making this dessert you will be needing a mixing bowl, for the mixture of all ingredients before transferring them over to the cooking pot. Use a spatula to continuously stir the mixture until you reached your desired thickness of the dessert. Then once done, turn of the heat and transfer the mixture into the baking dish then sprinkle with your preferred toppings and let it cool for about 10 minutes then let it continue to set in the fridge for an hour. Lastly, use a utility knife to cut the Maja Blanca into serving size.
Maja Blanca’s Primary ingredient – coconut milk.
Maja Blanca is made primarily of coconut milk. Since Philippines is a tropical country, you can see a coconut tree everywhere you look which makes the coconut milk very available as well as affordable.
Coconut milk comes from the flesh of a brown coconut fruit. It has a rich and creamy texture and can be thick or thin it varies on how it is processed or made. Note! Do not confuse coconut milk coconut water. Coconut waters are mostly found on immature coconut fruits. Unlike coconut water, coconut milk does not occur naturally. It is grated coconut flesh mixed with water and strained through cheesecloth. You may do the process once to get a thick milk or twice for a thin milk.
Aside from Maja Blanca, coconut milk is also a common ingredient for other recipes, may it be stew or soup. It is a tasty alternative to cows' milk and not to mention its health benefits which can help in body composition and metabolism.
Interesting fact
Interesting Facts! Unlike the coconut water which is 94% water, the coconut milk on the other hand is 50% water. This vegetable drink contributes to making you feel full and has a high calorie-content.
Tips
One thing that always gets in the way in making the perfect Maja Blanca is when it gets too runny or soupy. In order to avoid this problem, one trick is to mix the cornstarch, sugar, condensed milk and coconut milk together then bring the mixture to a boil, instead of mixing the cornstarch and water at the latter part.
Make sure to use a medium low setting when cooking this dessert. If the temperature on your stove top is too high, it will burn the coconut cream mixture.
The Maja Blanca can last in the fridge for 3-4 days and can still be eaten with the same sweet taste.
Ingredients
- 4 cups coconut milk (Tip: use the kakang gata or the first extraction of coconut milk)
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 350 ml condensed milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 can sweet kernel corn
- 1/2 cup ground peanuts for toppings
- Eden cheese for toppings
Directions
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Heat a cooking pot. Pour in all ingredients except for the starch.
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In a separate bowl, mix water and cornstarch then whisk until the cornstarch is diluted.
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When the coconut milk has boiled, add the cornstarch mixture and stir continuously.
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Allow to cook while stirring until the mixture reaches your desired thickness
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Pour the mixture in a serving tray and flatten the top using a flat tool such as a spatula.
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Allow to cool down then refrigerate for few hours.
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Garnish with ground peanuts and grated cheese on top
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Slice into serving sizes.
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Serve cold and enjoy!
If you are a business-minded person, this is a perfect snack for selling since its ingredients are usually in your pantry already and can easily be bought to any nearby store. Another great advantage of this dessert is the affordability. With a low price, you can already make a lot of serving for one mixture of ingredients which is best for business. You can sell them on school canteen since it's suggested selling price is student-friendly or even online using the social media platform which is the practical way of selling goods nowadays. This dessert can be sold per slice or tub in platter for special occasions. You can even play with it and add ingredients of your choice like your preferred toppings, it could be cheese, ground peanuts, corn or whatever that considerably complements with the dessert. This dessert indeed is a yay and this should definitely be put on your menu!