Dubbed as the food heritage of Leyte, binagol is a Filipino steamed delicacy made of mashed taro corms, brown sugar, condensed milk, egg yolks, and fresh coconut milk. Fried or roasted peanuts — whole or slightly chopped — are sometimes mixed into the dough for that fragrant roasted flavor. Binagol, a Visayan word, means, “to put in a coconut shell,” reason the thick, chewy concoction is placed in a half of a coconut shell (bagol), wrapped in banana leaves, and tied around with a twine after it has been cooked.
To cook, combine in a bowl 2 cups shredded taro, 2 cups brown sugar, and 450 ml coconut milk; blend well. In a pan, put the mixture and cook over medium flame 5-6 minutes while stirring. After 6 minutes, reduce the heat and continue stirring for another 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add a can of condensed milk; keep stirring for 20 minutes more. Fill the half coconut shells with the cooked mixture. Make a well in the center of the mixture and drop a raw egg yolk in each shell. Cover the top with the cooked mixture and spread evenly, making sure the coconut shell is filled to the rim with the mixture. Wrap the filled coconut shell with wilted (over medium flame for a few seconds) banana leaves and securely tie around with a string. Place the filled coconut shells over a steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Serve as a dessert or snack. Perfect as pasalubong (a special gift when one comes back from visiting another place) too.
