BEBincA! Getting those layers right is a LOT of work

If you’re wondering about a typical Goan desert, you’ve got to try Bebinca.Where do you get it? Besides at Bibingkinitan (a food kiosk in Karama where you get the Philippine variety called at one of the home-style coastal eateries like Treat and Eric’s in Karama. What’s so special about it? Well, for one, you’ve got to appreciate the effort that goes into preparing this dish. It’s not the same as whipping up a caramel custard, or setting jelly with grapes and sliced banana, or any of the other short cut deserts you’ve nailed!

A multi-layered cake of flour, eggs, coconut milk and sugar, bebinca is an exercise in patience, and is also bit of an acquired taste (our way of telling you that not everyone takes to it immediately — or ever). Painstakingly made, bebinca can have as many as 24 layers! A more manageable seven layers though is more common. One of our favourite, if not especially glamorous aspects of the dish, is that it’s not quick to spoil. You can keep it in the fridge for weeks! We’ve tried this. Pop bebinca leftover from a party into the microwave for 10 seconds, and eat a week’s calorie’s in one shot! Make no mistake, bebinca is rich. People with cholesterol or heart issues ought to have not more than a sliver. But since those who love it can’t stop at sliver, refrain. Nibble instead on a piece of heart-friendly dark chocolate. Made with, like we said, flour, sugar, eggs, coconut milk and ghee, Christmas in Goa has to have this star dish on the spread. Treat in Karama offers bebinca quite similar to versions you would find in parts of Goa. Or swing by Eric’s for a bite of Goa and its desserts. The Mario Miranda art on the wall at Eric’s does much to transport you to a sweet spot. Letters? Feedback? Complaints? Recommendations? Write to us! nivriti@khaleejtimes.com