Pasig Food Heritage: Rediscovering the City’s Puto’t Laksa

One woman is reviving the tradition with her own version that introduces a present-day twist.

October 15, 2026

Overhead view of a white bowl filled with spicy orange-sauced noodles, minced meat, sliced pickles, greens, and melted cheese; hearty, vibrant dish. — Have you heard of puto’t laksa before? [PHOTO: Pat Mateo]

Some of the most unlikely pairings produce surprisingly harmonious results. In the case of Pasig’s puto’t laksa, a sweet, chewy rice cake finds its savory, unexpectedly delightful match in a hearty stew of vegetables and coconut milk.

The Pasig Meryenda Older Generations Remember

Typically eaten as meryenda (and/or breakfast for some), this Pasigueño treat was popular back in the day but has become harder to find in recent years. Enter Prieto’s Kitchen, a local purveyor reviving the tradition by making their own version of the delicacy.

Owner Ammy Prieto fondly recalls how, in her youth, she and her

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Patricia Baes

Author

Trish thinks too much about everything—truth, existence, and what to have for dinner. Her early love of experimenting in the kitchen, coupled with a desire to better her relationship with food, led her down the rabbit hole of food media and writing. After graduating with a Psychology degree from UP Diliman, she sharpened her writing skills (and expanded her appetite) at a couple of food websites, where she covered cooking, restaurants, food history, and culture, and ate her way through Manila’s pulsating dining scene as staff writer and eventually as the publication’s food editor. Food, for Trish, is as much a source of pleasure and fuel as it is an outlet for creativity; a medium through which stories can be passed on; and a way to connect with others. And putting her musings into words lets her narrow the gap between her food geekery and background in the social sciences.

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