To månha or to coconut? That is the question
In July, I met a husband-wife duo at The Valley of the Latte.
They had been on island for almost two months for work and had another year and
a half to go. I was excited to talk to them about Guam food since we were gathered
at the table for lunch. I gave them the star apples that I had in my bag, picked
from one of the Valley’s trees. I also had many conversations with my family
about island life. Thus, the inspiration for this piece, sharing recipes while
helping visitors identify local produce:
To månha or to coconut, that is, to choose a jelly-like coconut, or a
mature coconut. Today, we’re going to månha, pronounced mun-ha. And lucky girl
I am, my dad, Paul E. Lujan, Sr., always has månha for me.
The coconut is thought to be one of the ancient foods of
Guåhån, or foods that were brought to Guam by our first settlers, the ancient
CHamorus. If you have flowering coconut trees in your yard, you’re one lucky
human! You get to witness the
development of the coconut from just-pollinated, to månha, through full
maturity. According to my dad, the stages of growth of the coconut in CHamoru
are:
1.
Daddek (da-deck) – tiny in size; no fruit or
coconut juice
2.
Aplok (a-plewk) – small; light green husk; no
fruit but it does have juice
3.
Månha (mun-ha) – medium; darker green husk than
aplok; has developing fruit and juice; soft inner shell; good for desserts
4.
Ma’son (ma-suwn) – large; husk begins to yellow;
firmer fruit than månha but not as hard as niyok; good for kelaguen
5.
Niyok (knee-dzuk) – greenish-yellow and browning
husk; fibrous fruit with juice; hard inner shell; good for making coconut milk
Once you see the flower pod of the coconut tree open and
baby coconuts forming, you’ll need to wait six to eight months for them to
become månha. Each flower pod develops into a rack or bunch of coconuts, and is
called a rasimu in CHamoru, pronounced ra-see-moo. When selecting månha, look
throughout the coconut tree. Compare rack to rack as the coconuts on each rack
will be in the same stage of development. That is, you will not find an aplok
and a ma’son on the same bunch. Compare the color of the racks, looking for the
middle shade of green. The aplok will be lighter, the månha a little darker
green, and the ma’son beginning to yellow. Be sure the husk of the månha is
smooth; the shape of the månha is more round compared to oblong. When you shake
the månha, you should hear lots of liquid sloshing. At this stage of growth,
there is more juice inside the coconut compared to fruit. As such, månha, in
the coconut-growing lands around the world, is also referred to as drinking
coconut and jelly coconut. That said, there are several varieties of coconut
that grow on Guåhan, including those with an orange husk…
If you don’t have coconut trees in your yard, but your
neighbors do, you know, perhaps bake them a chocolate frosted chocolate cake
and offer to trade. You might also find månha at the local farmer’s markets
like the one along the back entrance of the CHamoru Village, the Dededo
farmer’s market, fruit stands around the island, and village night markets.
Falling coconuts are dangerous so be careful if you are
cutting it off a tree, eh, don’t stand or park under a coconut tree with
coconuts either. A long stick with a blade at the end, or gaole in CHamoru,
pronounced gow-lee, is the tool used to harvest coconuts and other fruits. Dad
says it’s best to use a dull blade when picking månha because you might damage
the other månha with a sharp blade. There are also dwarf coconut trees with low
hanging fruit so you may not need a gaole. Try to leave about six inches of the
stem on the månha so it’s easier to hold while making the initial cuts into the
husk. For your first time, it’s safer to have an experienced coconut picker
show you how to use a gaole if one is needed, otherwise cut and get out of the
way!
Here’s
a link to a video on how to pick and open a young coconut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLSgbEtaDk8
A quick Google search nets a limited number of young coconut
recipes including the Filipino young coconut pie or buko, and a few versions of
young coconut jelly or pudding. For CHamorus, we go above and beyond with our
beloved månha. We’ve got åhu or young coconut dessert soup; apigige’ or grilled
månha and cassava wrapped in banana leaf; sweet tamåles or tamales made with
månha that’s mixed with cassava or taro; månha titiyas or young coconut tortillas;
and månha pie topped with meringue.
This is all fine and dandy, but how do you get to the center
of the månha? You’ll need a sharp machete, a large cup, and the edge of
something sturdy. If you’re a bit leary for your first time, watch the video
linked above, or once the CHamoru Village opens, check out the månha vendors.
The first thing to do is to make a spoon from the husk. Next, poke a hole
through the flesh, take a couple gulps then drain the juice into a cup.
Finally, cut the månha in half and scoop out the fruit. One of the best things
to do with fresh månha is to collect the fruit and juice, add a little sugar if
it’s not as sweet as you like, fridge for several hours, then enjoy straight
from the cup after a day in the sun.
GUAM
YOUNG COCONUT TORTILLAS or MÅNHA TITIYAS
I remember when Chode first sold månha titiyas in the 1990s.
In fact, I still have the original plastic bag the titiyas came in. This recipe
was inspired by that deliciousness, and by Marissa Borja’s interview of Robert
Camacho and Gina Salas of Island Food Products. They graciously shared their
commercial recipe to which I experimented for a homemade version. Månha titiyas
is excellent for breakfast, for snack, and for dessert. This recipe makes about
5 titiyas.
Ingredients
Set 1
1 cup or 237.5 grams mȧnha fruit
½ cup or 188.5 milliliters coconut milk
2 tablespoons or 57 grams unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup or 150.5 grams granulated sugar
Set 2
1 ¾ cups or 217 grams name-brand, all-purpose flour like Gold
Medal or King Arthur
Set 3
Coconut oil or your choice of oil for the pan
Tools: medium bowl, 10 pieces parchment
paper, ½-cup measuring cup, pastry brush, tiny bowl, cooling rack, 2 large
dinner plates that barely have a ridge on the top and bottom
Directions
Cut the parchment pieces into squares or rounds the width of
your griddle pan. Set aside.
Preheat the griddle pan to somewhere between medium-low and
medium heat, about the numbers 7 to 8 on the face of a clock.
Pour the månha, coconut milk, butter, and sugar into the
medium bowl and mix well with your hand. Squeeze the mȧnha pieces together to break
them up. Most of the pieces will dissolve into the titiyas as it cooks although
you’ll have a few visible pieces in each titiyas. If you are using canned
månha, give the pieces a rough chop. There should still be grains of
undissolved sugar in the final mix.
Add 1 ¾ cups of the flour and combine well. If 1 ¾ cups of
flour makes your batter thicker than thick pancake batter, leave out the last ¼
cup. DO NOT ADD ANY MORE FLOUR. If the batter is still loose, add the last ¼
cup. The batter should be a not-too-thin and not-too-thick pancake batter.
Place one sheet of parchment on top and in the middle of one
plate.
Scoop the batter out of the bowl with a ½-cup measuring cup.
Use a small spoon to scrape the batter out of the measuring cup and onto the
center of the parchment.
Place another sheet of parchment on top of the batter.
Put the second plate on top of the parchment. Gently and evenly
press the sandwich together. It should spread the batter into a perfect circle that
measures 8 inches in diameter. The batter should be about 1/4 inch thick.
Brush the griddle liberally with oil so that the titiyas
doesn’t stick to the paper. Grease the griddle pan every other time you put a
new titiyas on it.
Cook till lightly browned on one side. It should take about
2 minutes. Flip to the second side. Adjust your heat, if necessary, so that the
second side browns slightly.
The parchment may stick to the titiyas because we are using
a little bit of flour relative to liquid. If so, place the cooked titiyas on a
cooling rack for 5 minutes. Gently peel the paper away from the titiyas. You may
need to use your fingertips to get started then place your palm directly
against the paper and the titiyas, peeling the paper away with the other hand.
Keep the titiyas in a tortilla warmer. Line the tortilla
warmer with an opened napkin then place a piece of wax paper on top of the
napkin. The edges of the napkin will keep the edges of the tortillas from
getting wet as they cool. Or you can keep the titiyas sandwiched between wax
paper and two damp kitchen towels.
These titiyas freeze, thaw, and reheat very well. I normally
quadruple the batch so I can stash some in the freezer for months to come.
Here’s a link to my Guam månha titiyas recipe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa1J-8SEfEc&t=23s
*First appeared in the Guam PDN September 2021
Paula Lujan Quinene
Enjoying CHamoru food in a fasting lifestyle.
Reach out to Paula at pquinene@gmail.com
Paula’s home on the web is – www.PaulaQ.com
“Guam Mama Cooks” on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
Author of A Taste of Guam, Remember Guam, Conquered, and Stormed
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