Meryenda Memories

I remember the warm, sunny rains of Manila afternoons. I remember dribbling my basketball in street puddles with friends in my neighborhood or resting on a hammock tied between two mango trees, the soft wind caressing me to sleep as I swung side to side.

I remember the afternoons my father would bring home poles of fresh sugar cane, knowing how excited I’d get. I’d carefully drag the canes through our airy living room to the kitchen, my dog following the scent against the marbled floor. I would strip the canes, syrup oozing, and cut them into pieces the size of celery sticks. Then I’d take a bowl of the cut cane and plop myself down in front of the television, lounging with my sugar snack. I still remember the sound and texture of the cane fibers against my teeth as I drew the sweetness out.

And most of all, I remember what came next. After these languid moments of idyll, it was time to eat. It was the time of meryenda.

American school kids have afternoon snacks, the English have teatime and, in the Philippines, there is meryenda. This is not dinner or lunch but a meal--as simple as fruit or as filling as a bowl of noodles--eaten after the hottest part of the Filipino day, after the afternoon siesta.

This Spanish-influenced tradition of afternoon relaxation is more pronounced in the provinces of the Philippines where farming is a way of life and rest is required during the peak hours of sunshine. Meryenda is what helps fortify farmers for work at the end of the day.

But meryenda is part of city life too. I would often meet my friends in the late afternoon at a meryendahan (which means snack bar) or one of the corner barbecue stands that would send their inviting aromas throughout the neighborhood.

I came to Los Angeles more than half a lifetime ago and wouldn’t trade my life for anything. But on certain days, when the afternoons are warm and I’m feeling nostalgic, it is my meryenda days that I miss most.

I think of my summer breaks spent with relatives in Bulacan, a province about two hours by car from Manila, where the extreme heat and humidity forced my friends and me to stay indoors or cool off by going to a local river or watering hole for an afternoon swim. We’d pack guavas, green mangoes, starfruit and sweet tamarinds and put them in the middle of one of the inner tubes to create a sort of floating snack bar.

On our return, we’d be greeted with my lola’s (grandmother’s) homemade meryendas made in her old Spanish-Filipino-style kitchen, Capiz shell sliding windows illuminating her face as she stirred a steaming pot of ginatang halo-halo (bananas, yams, tapioca and jackfruits cooked in sweet coconut milk). We would run up the old creaky wooded stairs to a bedroom that had access to a shaded part of the rooftop where we could look out over the rice farms below as we ate our bowls of warm fruit, the wind blowing waves of patterns on the bright green grass beyond the neighboring houses.

Of course, the luxury of living in the city is the abundance of and variety of meryendahan. Many afternoons I would drive to a meryendahan with my friends through the streets of Manila in an open-air Jeepney, one of the many World War II Jeeps stretched to fit 12 to 14 passengers and used as public transportation throughout the city. Clutching my hands tightly on the Jeepney’s handlebars, I’d smell wonderful aromas cutting through the dieseled air. Barbecue. Fried egg rolls. Warm sweet rolls. Empanadas. Pizza and hamburgers, too.

We might stop for pancit (rice stick noodles) or ukoy (crisp squash and bean sprout pancakes) or a bowl of arroz caldo (rice porridge with chicken).

On especially hot summer days, we’d take our meryendas cold. There might be saba (similar to plantain, but shorter and broader in size) poached in vanilla and brown sugar and then topped with shaved ice and milk. And there were several places that served the classic cold meryenda halo-halo, a mixture of fruits with flan, ube (sweet purple yam) and milk, packed with shaved ice and topped with vanilla ice cream. It’s served in a tall glass with a long iced tea spoon for mixing everything together into a wonderful slush. (Halo-halo means mix-mix.)

But none of my meryenda experiences can compare to the times I’d walk with my mother through an open-air market to our favorite row of meryenda snack bars. We’d make our way past whole pigs hanging, listen to the scrape-scrape of fish being scaled and catch a whiff of fresh cilantro. Then we’d arrive at the row of little meryendahan, each seating maybe five to six people.

I remember squeezing my way through the adults standing with their bowls of soup to get my portion of Aling Ever’s sopas. She had the best sopas ever--next to mom’s, of course--rich from stock and cream. My legs would hang from the bench and swing freely between spoonfuls of pasta. At the center of the bowl would be a mass of meatball almost the size of a matzo ball. I would usually save this for last. Soothed, I would rub my stomach as I left her bar, with my mother guiding me forward. I was stuffed.

Rommel Delos Santos, a former Times intern, is studying at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Rice Porridge With Chicken (Arroz Caldo)

Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

3 thin slices ginger root

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 2-inch cubes

1/2 cup sweet rice

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

12 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons fish sauce

Pepper

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

* Saute ginger, garlic and onion in oil in nonstick soup pot over medium heat 5 minutes. Do not brown. Add chicken and saute until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add sweet rice and long grain rice and saute 2 minutes.

* Add chicken broth, fish sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes. If porridge is too thick, add more chicken broth.

* Serve with chopped green onions and pepper to taste.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 294 calories; 1,105 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber.

Squash and Bean Sprouts Fritters with Large Tiger Shrimp (Ukoy)

Active Work and Preparation Time: 55 minutes

SQUASH

1 1/2 pounds kabocha squash, unpeeled

3 carrots

1/2 cup baby dried shrimp

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 pound bean sprouts

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

* Wash and quarter squash and remove seeds. Coarsely grate squash and carrots in food processor or with hand grater. Transfer to large bowl and add baby dried shrimp, shrimp, bean sprouts, green onions, salt and pepper.

SAUCE

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1/2 cup vinegar

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon pepper

* Combine soy sauce, vinegar, onion, garlic and pepper and mix well.

BATTER

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 1/2 cups water

Oil for frying

* Combine flour, salt, eggs, cayenne and water and mix thoroughly.

* Add batter to Squash and mix well. Form into palm-size 2-inch-thick fritters.

* Heat 1/4 inch oil in skillet over medium heat. Fry fritters until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

* Spoon Sauce over fritters.

About 15 palm-size fritters. Each fritter: 143 calories; 1,031 mg sodium; 63 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.44 gram fiber.

Banana Egg Roll with Strips of Jackfruit (Turon)

Active Work and Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Saba, a Filipino version of plantain, is traditionally used in this recipe and can be found in Asian markets. But, as my sister pointed out, regular bananas can be used; they just produce sweeter banana egg rolls. Jackfruit, a sweet, yellow-fleshed fruit, is sold in 20-ounce cans or 14-ounce jars preserved in syrup and is readily available at Asian markets. I prefer the taste and texture of the jackfruit in jars. You will need only six sheets of lumpia wrapper, a Filipino-style egg roll wrapper, for this recipe; the rest can be stored in a plastic food bag and frozen for future use.

3 bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, then halved again crosswise

1 (16-ounce) package egg roll wrappers

1 cup jackfruit shreds

6 tablespoons sugar

Oil for frying

* Place 2 slices banana in center of each egg roll wrapper. Place jackfruit on bananas, dividing evenly among wrappers. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over bananas.

* Fold sides of wrapper and roll. Moisten edges of wrapper to seal.

* Heat 1/4 inch oil in skillet over medium heat. Fry egg rolls in hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

6 servings. Each serving: 243 calories; 114 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.43 gram fiber.

Macaroni Chicken Soup With Pork Meatballs (Sopas)

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

This soup is one of my favorite meryendas, especially on cold rainy days. Variations include omitting the meatballs and adding thin slices of hot dogs or chunks of chicken, depending on regional tastes.

MEATBALLS

3/4 pound ground pork

1 small onion, diced fine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

* Combine pork, onion, salt and pepper. Shape into golf ball-size meatballs and set aside.

SOUP

2 skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, cut into thin strips

1 small cabbage, coarsely chopped into 1-inch squares

14 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 pint whipping cream

1 (1-pound) package large elbow macaroni

* Bring chicken with water to cover to boil in small pot. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes. Remove from water and set aside to cool. When cool, shred meat and set aside. Discard bones.

* Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add meatballs and slightly brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes. Add onion, carrots and cabbage and saute 3 minutes.

* Add chicken broth, pepper, fish sauce and cream and bring to boil. Stir in macaroni and simmer 15 minutes. Add more pepper and fish sauce if desired. Serve hot. Macaroni tends to soak up liquid, so add more broth and cream and adjust seasonings when reheating.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings: 483 calories; 1,295 mg sodium; 88 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 0.77 gram fiber.

Beef Barbecue Sticks

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours

The advantage of this recipe is that is can be done a day in advance. The meat should marinate for at least 1 1/2 hours for an intense flavor. If less time is allowed, the flavor will be obvious but less intense.

1 pound top round, cut into strips 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long

6 or 7 bamboo skewers

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup 7-Up or Sprite

1 clove garlic, minced

* Skewer 2 beef strips as flat as possible on each bamboo stick.

* Combine sugar, soy sauce, pepper, 7-Up and garlic in bowl. Pour evenly over beef skewers. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 1/2 hours.

* Grill or broil until marinade caramelizes at edge of meat, about 2 minutes per side.

12 to 14 skewers. Each of 12 skewers: 74 calories; 355 mg sodium; 16 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0 fiber.

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Bowls in Arroz Caldo photo on cover and photo, above left, from Frank McIntosh Home Section, Saks Fifth Avenue, Pasadena. Mat from Salutations Home, Brentwood and Pasadena.