pronounced ti-tee-zas. what can i say chamorro month has put me on a nostalgic chamorro-foodkick.  i went to a friend's house for a birthday party and then impulsively bought corn flour at the grocery store.  this led me to this week's adventures in tityas.

there are droves of versions out there and this week i took the liberty of experimenting with titiyas, the guam version of tortillas.  they are not quite a tortilla but more of thin flat bread.  the plain version is traditionally made with all purpose flour and coconut mlik.  there is also a sweeter variation traditionally made with fresh shreds of young coconut.  a friend had tipped me into using actual tortilla flour (specifically, the white flour version called harina preparada) but this week i also explored a gluten-free option by using corn flour, or masa harina, found in the hispanic food aisle. both are available at walmart.  a tortilla press would make the job easier but i found that forming balls of dough and then flattening with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper to be just as effective.  this could also create a larger size, rather than the size of an 8" tortilla press.  titiyas are delectable lathered with butter but are most often served with the ever-popular chicken kelaguen, a recipe fit for it's own entry.

recipe:
2 1/2 cups flour of your choice
1 cup cream of coconut (trader joe's has an excellent canned product)

for manha titiyas, add
2 tablespoons coconut strings (macapuno, from a can)

1. Combine ingredients to form a firm dough
2. Press to preferred size until as thick as pancake
3. Heat generous amount of butter on a flat pan or gridle pan over medium high heat
4. When the flattened dough is ready, dust with flour before putting on the heated pan
5. Glide the titiya around the pan until it absorbs the butter
6. Leave unturned until browning bubbles form
7. Turnover to cook the other side

i really did not feel a need to add sugar or milk as many other recipes have suggested.  the gluten-free option was my preferred choice because it provided the best balanced flavor.  when i was working a summer job at 16, my chamorro coworkers would bring spam kelaguen and corned beef simmered in onions as a comfort-food snack.  this always reminds me of that.

there is not flat bread equivalent in filipino food that i can think of.  we were instead raised on pan de sal as our poor man's bread.  titiyas are the easiest staple to make and the added ingredient of cream of coconut gives it the perfect richness.

march is chamorro month.  it is the month we commemorate guam's discovery day on the first monday in march, among other notable dates in honoring our native people.  growing up it used to be a week-long celebration that culminated into the university of guam's charter day celebration... but now it has evolved into a month's long array of festivities.

it was a yearly ritual throughout all my years in school - we dressed up in island attire, hosted visiting artisans and woven crafts, and binged on coconut candy and bunelos aga (banana fritters)!  the best part was singing along to live performances by jesse bias. one quick sidebar: i also learned all my catholic schoolgirl prayers in chamorro and to this very day...i can still recite most of the our father and hail mary.

my parents worked for the government of guam where we were easily integrated into all the local splendor!...especially the food.  it was the one true commonality that was obvious to me: that filipino food and chamorro dishes were frequently one in the same. a distinct difference for me is that i could actually speak tagalog fluently and foolishly made the assumption that I could one day speak the local language. having been born and raised in guam, i do identify myself as a guamanian moreso than filipino.  beyond the food, the brown skin, the spanish colonial influence there is that deep-rooted pride of where i am from rather than who i am. 

i hope to have a followup entry attempting to make coconut candy.  i very clearly remember the curly-haired and burly custodian lady, slaving under the unforgiving sun with beads of sweat threatening to drip into that batter she worked with just her hands. before winchell's donuts were the staple, these were the donuts i craved.  it meant frequent and laborious a trips to the neighborhood mobil gas station by bike and me barely making it home before that grease-infested, slimy little sandwich bag was emptied. i'm also including the recipe for maruya, the filipino version of banana fritters.  they are more pancake-like but the result is just as satisfying. the donut tree at the julalale shopping center in hagatna would be the place to get hot and fresh maruya.

bunuelos aga recipe:

2 bananas

2 eggs

2 c flour

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1. Mash all the ingredients together into a sticky dough

2. Deep fry over medium-high heat.

3. Drop equal portions into the batter until the dollops turn into quasi-ball shapes.

4. Very important!: remove from fryer as soon as they turn dark brown and fluffy. 

The longer you keep them in they become like sponges holding in the oil.

Traditionally these are dipped in maple syrup but I prefer them dusted with powdered sugar.

maruya recipe:

2 bananas

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Mash ingredients together and pour batter into a shallow frying pan (not deep fried!) of medium heat, similar to that of an omelette.  

2. Roll over fine baker's sugar and serve.

as you can see maruya is so much simpler but both are great ways to make use of those ripening bananas !

i've also been meaning to try either with rice flour and coconut milk as a gluten-free option.