The meat or fish component of the dish is known as the kagikit. It is usually shredded beef or chicken. The meat is cooked similarly to adobo (but without the vinegar). It is first boiled until tender, then allowed to cool before shredding them into little strips. Garlic and onions are sautéed in a pan and the shredded meat is added after the onions turn transparent. Soy sauce (or oyster sauce), black pepper, and salt to taste are added and allowed to simmer until they evaporate. Palapa or chili pastes are also traditionally added since Muslim Filipino dishes are almost always spicy.[3][4][5] Shredded grilled fish can also be used; usually katipa (walking catfish) or dalag (common snakehead) mixed with coconut meat.[1][6][5] Pastil is halal food, and thus pork is never used.[5] Such non-halal variations of pastil are called by other names, such as binalot, to prevent confusion and to preserve the pastil tradition.
The white rice is mixed with a little bit of glutinous rice so it can maintain its shape. The mixture is steamed normally. The banana leaves are wilted over an open flame to make them pliable, then the inside surfaces are slathered with oil. The rice is then placed on the leaves shaped as a thick cylinder with a strip of the meat filling extending along the length of the rice or covering one side of the rice. The leaf is then wrapped around the mixture with the ends tucked inside.[7][8] The Maranao version of the dish, pater, is usually made with turmeric-infused rice (kuning) which gives it a bright yellow color.[5]
Pastil is traditionally served with vegetables soaked in vinegar as a side dish, like cucumber or togue (mung bean sprouts), to neutralize the saltiness of the kagikit. A hard-boiled egg may also be included to complement the meal. It is usually eaten with coffee or sikulate (hot chocolate) for breakfast or merienda.[1][2][9]Pastil are commonly sold by restaurants and street vendors in Muslim communities in Mindanao and throughout the islands, for example, General Santos hosts several restaurants serving this with side dishes, while in Taguig, they sell this as a cheap snack.[2][1] In Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, and Northern Mindanao, restaurants or food stalls that specialize in the Maranao version of pastil (pater) are called "pateran".[5]
Similar dishes
Pastil is similar to the northern Filipino meat binalot dishes, but it differs in that it uses shredded meat or fish fillings, rather than regular meat dishes.[1][2]
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