I have featured budbud kabog extensively before. First there was the ingredient itself, wild millet, then the many attempts at getting a budbud kabog recipe right, then the “budbud brouhaha” that blew over days after it started, then my own budbud kabog recipe, the tutorial with a Manang Lima, a Cebuana expert and her budbud kabog recipe. I have given them as Christmas presents, get well presents, and well, just presents, period. Then there was talk about including the recipe in a book on kakanin’s, a work still in progress, I gather, and last week, a request from a member of the International Wine & Food Society, Ladies Chapter that I bring some along and say a few words about this wonderful and not often seen kakanin (at least outside of Dumaguete, Mandaue or other parts of Cebu and Leyte/Samar)… I guess you could say budbud kabog has now become one of the icons of this site, along with my other favorite, the older-style ensaimada…
So for the merienda with the ladies, I not only made the original budbud kabog, 
but I made an experimental batch using some good muscovado sugar instead, both versions in the photos here. The result? I LIKED IT A LOT. It seemed a bit firmer and the taste had more depth. I really could eat 2-3 of these in one sitting, easily. While the white sugar version still got a positive response from the guests at the merienda, the brown sugar experiment seemed to work as well. Hmmm, I wonder what other kinds of variations I do…maybe a candy cane twirled version with white and brown sugar parts??? Yum.
21 Responses
MM, try to add shreds of sweetenend langka!
oh, my….MM, i’m happy to reportn to you that the budbud kabog i made last November turned out perfectly the very first time, just by following your recipe! i couldn’t imagine anything else bringing the budbud to greater heights, but i cna imagine the brown sugar giving it a chewier texture and a caramelly undertone…am i right, or just hoping? would pandan or a little ginger enhance it some more?
The candy cane twirled version is a bright idea! Interesting, two toned smooth and chewy combination! Since flavored suman are all around maybe cacao or tea flavored budbud kabog are quite interesting but I’m imagining your yummy budbud kabog with some shredded macapuno.YUM!
Both version of your budbud looks visually perfect and tasty. Keeping them together in twisted style so you get both flavor and look – shooting two birds in one stone. Fantastic budbud fever!
Let us be very imaginative and business minded:
Have you all notice that most of us are becoming highly inventive and creative. Now we have puto, suman and buco pies in different flavours and style. Even restaurants in the Philippines are becoming very innovative nowadays.
I have ideas that we can make into big business:
01) When we open langka or durian, we throw away the whole body and flesh except for the yellow flesh? We can make a big business of the the body and white flesh and put it in a blender and make it into exfoliants.
02) When we eat oranges, dalandan, pineapple, suha or pomelo,watermelon, cantaloupe and more, we throw away the pulp! We can make body splash, exfoliants, oil like Victoria Secret and Bath and Body products.
03) When we harvest ripe banana, we hack the banana trunk and let it dry on the ground, we can dry kiln the body and make it into paper, fabrics and even carpet.
04) We can convert duhat into cranberry type juice.
05) We can make wine, liquor and liquer out of the local fruits we have specially watermelon and cantaloupe.
06) We can have vineyard in cool temperate places like Tagaytay and Baguio and Davao and grow grapes, lemon and even plums.
07) We have to do aggressive marketing about dayap. Our dayap equals Mexican dayap. We can make limonceto out of dayap.
08) We can use macopa and surprisingly make chocolate covered macopa.
There are so many bright ideas that we can always develop
how about chocolate flavored bubud-kabog or would it be nice to include pinipig to make it crunchy or macapuno.
it looks like… well, lets just say it doesn’t look very appetizing…(sorry)
although i wouldn’t mind having some :-) i’m sure they taste super
Nutella!!!
“Budbud” is a Dumaguete City “kakanin” that I really really like and I really really miss! The only trouble is that it is so time consuming that I’ve never tried preparing it here abroad. I checked your old post for the recipe, and sure enough, it involved steps such as coconut-milk extraction, and a lot of stirring, etc., with time measured from the “sweat” of one’s armpits! Of course, if one is into the “slow food” movement, it might be worth all that time and energy.
As for Donney’s comments: “I’m with you, Donney. First, imagination, then realization. I think Bubut’s suggestion of a chocolate-flavored budbud is good. And one need not extract coconut milk from dried coconut. Canned coconut milk is already available in the market, and should shorten the whole process. Great idea, Bubut!
what about peanut butter inside? goodah!
You know, I always make it a point to use muscovado in practically any recipe that calls for sugar. It works all the time!
Hi MM
Am really curious about this millet and budbud kabog and what it taste like. The pics look delightful. I searched at the local groceries here in So Cal (even Asian markets, trader joe’s and whole foods) and can’t seem to find it! Will keep searching…
diet be damned! I can eat ten in a row
I substitute mascobado for EVERY recipe with white sugar. Even leche flan. It’s healthy and much more flavorful!
hahahaha!
i was wondering who you were. you are a friend of mila! i had met you and your wife at the high tea we organized :-) yes the budbud was really good!
kudos,
anne
MM, where can i find budbud kabog? i went to Salcedo market last saturday thinking that it was being sold there but I could not find any . . so frustrating kaayo ba . . . :) childhood memories always come up when I eat that budbud kabog . . . (i’m also from Cebu) :)
Avic, there is a vendor at Salcedo that sells it. Type budbud kabog into my search function and check out all the posts on this matter, I have a LOT of them. Maribel Van Hoven is the one who sells it at the market…
Hi MM, thanks for the tip. I’ll definitely visit Salcedo market soon. :)
It is so exciting to discover more on mascobado thing. Right now i am soliciting help from all of you guys to help me pinpoint all the possible usage of mascobado and its other product form because I am presently making a potential project study on mascobado with possible markets here and abroad.
We have lots of idle lands that grasses robustly grow, hence my idea is to present to my investors how to utilize these areas be productive through their money. But, of course we have to really show them convincible market growth.
Thank you and more power to all of you.
Engr. joe.
I was looking for a suman recipe,particularly this budbud one.My mom doesnt knw the exact measurements as they are use to just tancha tancha lang.I really don’t know that it was budbud,all i know is, its called Suman.I will try to do this as i miss it very much.My mom hails from dumaguette and they are good with kakanins.Everytime my cousins n aunts come to visit us,we always request for this kind of suman.You can use the white and half mix with tablea(chokolate).You can twirl it to make a white and chocolate effect.its yummy.
for engr. jose utrillo…i am interested to your idea…can you give me your number where i can contact you…thanks.