Vegetables / Gulay

Sigadillas sa Gata (Winged Beans in Coconut Milk)

Sigadillas Sa Gata is one of my favourite comfort foods. Sad to say that I only discovered it the last ten years. There’s this restaurant in Robinson’s Manila, called Mangan (translated from Pampango – to eat) that serves it and where I found out that it existed. I suppose that long ago when I first tasted sigadillas, the cook didn’t blanch it therefore it was acrid (mapakla!) and I didn’t bother to like it. Sigadillas is seasonal because you can’t find it all the time. When you slice it, into pieces crosswise, each slice looks like a butterfly; maybe that is why it was called the winged bean. Ingredients: 250 grams sigadillas (winged beans) – trim off about 1⁄4-inch from both ends, then slice horizontally, about 1⁄2-inches, the beans to look like little stars; set aside, ready to be blanched 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 teaspoon crushed garlic 1⁄4 cup sliced onion 1 tablespoon bagoong alamang – fermented shrimp paste 1⁄2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk 1 siling mahaba (lady finger chilli) – sliced into very small pieces Procedure: Sigadillas have to be blanched before they are used. If one does not blanch the sigadillas, it will have an acrid (mapakla) taste. To blanch the sigadillas, bring to a boil about 4 cups of water; when boiling, placed the sliced sigadillas in the water for 2 minutes. Remove from fire, drain in colander, and rinse with cold water. Let drip and set aside. In a medium saucepan, place oil and heat over medium low fire. When the pan feels hot, place garlic and onions in pot and sauté till the onions are translucent. Add the bagoong alamang and sauté for 1 minutes then pour in the coconut milk. Turn down the fire to low and bring the mixture to a low simmer for 5 minutes. Then put in the chilli and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste the mixture and adjust to your liking; you can add fish sauce (patis), and/or freshly ground black pepper. Now put in the blanched sigadillas and continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the mixture; sigadillas must still be crunchy; do not overcook. Serve while hot with steamed...

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Filipino Style Mango Chutney

We also have our very own style of chutney. It is served with Bringhe and other curry dishes. The difference in the Indian style chutney is the mango itself and no other spices. With the Filipino chutney, manibalang (half ripe), carabao mangoes are used and only salt and sugar are added to it. I learned how to make this from our assistant cook, Helen Manao. Helen was a very diligent cook. She learned how to read and add from us. I would see her sweating it out trying to add up the market list and then I learned that she didn’t know how to read and do maths. Over the years, with lots of effort and sweat, she finally did learn and even became a business woman on her own right. She has gone to heaven and this recipe is in memory of her. Ingredients: 4 kilos yellow-green half-ripe (manibalang) carabao mangoes – dried strips must come up to 500 grams 1 piece yellow (ripe) carabao mango – peel off skin with potato peeler and coarsely grate meat into a glass bowl or plate; set aside 2 1/2 cups (500 grams) white sugar 1 1/2 cups water 4 teaspoons sea salt coarse Procedure: Peel off the skin from manibalang yellow-green mangoes with a potato peeler. Slice the mangoes with potato peeler too. Place the sliced mangoes in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Sprinkle the salt all over the mangoes and mix well. Leave in the salt for 2 hours, mixing occasionally. Drain salt water well from the mangoes and place in a bilao (native bamboo tray) or baking tray. Spread out evenly on bilao and sun dry. It may take a few hours to two days, depending on the sun’s heat to dry. It must not be too dry nor still soggy. The mango strips must still have some moisture left. In a medium sized stainless steel or fire-proof cooking sauce pan, over medium-low heat, place the grated ripe mango, water and sugar. Bring the mixture to a slow boil. About 5 minutes. Add the semi-dried yellow-green mango strips and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Turn down the flame to low simmer and stir constantly until the candy thermometer registers 200ºF (90ºC). Turn off fire and bottle immediately. Leave off cover till cool and then cap. Serve as an accompaniment to Bringhe or any curried...

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Gulay na Ubod (Sautéed Heart of Coconut Palm)

The first time I tasted young ubod was in Bacolod. Ubod is the heart of the coconut palm. In Central Luzon, killing the coconut to harvest it’s heart is not done. Usually when the coconut palm has reached it’s low productive state, is when the heart of the coconut is harvested because to harvest it’s heart, one must kill the coconut. In the Visayas, coconut palms are planted just for it’s heart; it’s main intention is not the fruits for harvest. The difference in the heart is the sweetness and tenderness compared to a very mature coconut palm. Ingredients: 1 kilo ubod (heart of coconut) – sliced julienne against the grain and soak in buko juice 2 tablespoons finely crushed garlic 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup cooking oil 1 tablespoon tajure (salted/fermented bean curd) 250 grams small shrimps (school shrimps) – steamed, peeled and cubed 250 grams pork belly – boiled till tender and sliced into 1/4-inch by 1-inch strips 1 buko (young coconut) – the water to be used to soak the sliced ubod and the meat sliced julienne 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper 1 tablespoon sugar Procedure: Using a wok, over medium heat, saute garlic in oil till light golden tan. Add the onions and continue to saute till the onions are translucent. Put in the tahure and mash into the garlic/onion mixture. Add in the pork belly and shrimps and saute for 1 minute. Put in the ubod, drained from the buko juice, and simmer covered for about 30 minutes or till the ubod is tender; make sure you toss the mixture every 5 to 10 minutes to prevent burning the bottom. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Taste and adjust and serve. Note: You can serve this dish as it is or you can make Lumpiang Sariwa...

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Lumpiang Sariwa (Spring Rolls)

The lumpia (spring roll) is favourite, not only by Filipinos but also by other nationals that have tasted it or whose cuisines also have a version of it; like the Chinese or the Vietnamese. This version needs a lot of time in the kitchen since even the wrapper is home made; but believe me it’s worth the effort. Mom would always serve it for special occasions like her birthday or Dad’s. I remember the times that my uncle, Ernesto O. Escaler would order from me, just the wrappers, so that he could make Crepe Suzette with them. The secret of the Lumpiang Sariwa Sauce is using the drippings from the cooked vegetables. If you are pressed for time, you can also serve this without the wrapper and use the lettuce as a bed on serving dish. Lumpia Ingredients: 1/2 cup cooking oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 250 grams pork belly (liempo) – boiled in water till tender, sliced into very thin strips (1 1/2-inch long, 1/8-inch wide and 1/4-inch thick) 500 grams heart of coconut palm (ubod) – slice Julienne, against the grain and soaked in water or coconut juice 250 grams small shrimps or prawns – steam, peel, cut into cubes 500 grams blue swimmer crabs (alimasag) – steam, peel or 1 cup of canned or frozen crab meat 2 pieces of tokwa/tofu cakes (firm type) to make 1 cup – cut into 1/4-inch cubes 500 grams cabbage – sliced julienne (remove the white pith, you need just the green part) 1/2 cup cooked garbanzos (chickpeas) – remove skin 1 1/2 cups jicama (singkamas) – peel and slice julienne 100 grams snow peas (chicharo) – remove thread and slice julienne 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 iceberg lettuce – remove center and using fingers, tear into 3-inches wide and 4-inches lengths; soak in water for 20 minutes and drain 20 pieces of Balat Lumpia wrappers Lumpia Procedure: Using a large wok, over medium-low fire, pour the oil in wok and saute the garlic till a very light golden tan. Add the pork, shrimps/prawns, crab meat, tofu and ubod. Cover, turn fire to low and simmer for 15 minutes; tossing and turning every once in a while. Add cabbage, garbanzos, singkamas, snow peas, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Return cover, still over low fire, simmer for another 15 minutes; mixing every once in a while. Remove from heat. Using a large colander, drain the mixture, collecting the drippings. Set aside to cool. Lumpia Sauce Ingredients: 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 tablespoon finely crushed garlic 2 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons brown sugar or grated panocha (firmly pack) 2 tablespoons corn starch – make a paste by adding 2 tablespoons...

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Laing (Dried Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk)

The Bicol region is known for their coconut milk dishes and this is one of my favorites. I also consider it a comfort food. In Western countries, you can find the dried Taro (Gabi) leaves in the Asian supermarkets. In the Philippines, the Gabi leaves are found in the wet markets and sometimes, the stalks are still included. There are some tales about some Gabi leaves that if it’s not the right variety, it can cause an itchy throat. So better ask the vendor if it’s the right one. I also remember that the leaves must be very dry that is why it uses so much water and coconut milk to cook. I put in water and not pure coconut milk to cook it because it can be too rich if it’s pure coconut milk. Ingredients: 1/4 cup cooking oil 2 liters (8 cups) water 1 cup coconut milk 1 tablespoon crushed garlic 2 cups onion – chopped 1 tablespoon ginger – finely sliced julienne (like matchsticks) 1/2 cup bagoong alamang guisado – sautéed shrimp paste – give it a quick rinse in water and drain well 500 grams pork belly (liempo) – sliced into tiny pieces 1/4-inch by 1-inch strips 120 grams dried taro leaves (gabi leaves) 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes or 2 lady finger chili (siling mahaba) cut into little rounds 3 cups coconut cream – from the first squeeze of coconut or boxed coconut cream salt to taste – start with 1 teaspoon Procedure: In a cooking pot that can hold around 12 cups, place over low fire. Pour in the cooking oil and saute the garlic and onion till the onion is translucent; around 8 minutes. Add the ginger, bagoong, and pork slices. Stir around for 2 minutes. Pour in 8 cups of water and 1 cup coconut milk. Add the gabi leaves, chili flakes or siling mahaba and stir to just mix the gabi leaves. Cover the pot and let simmer for 1 hour over low fire; do not stir. To prevent it from sticking, with a spatula, slide around edges to bottom of pot. Pour in the 3 cups of coconut cream; again use spatula to just blend in cream. Simmer for another 30 minutes or till the mixture becomes oily and the coconut cream is slightly coagulated. Taste and season with salt, starting with just 1 teaspoon. Serve with steaming hot rice. Note: This makes a good pot of Laing for 8 to 10 persons. You can freeze this in smaller portions for serving later. Thaw and reheat. You can make it more spicy by adding more chili; that is up to you. This is a mild version. You can also...

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Salsa Ana (A Vinagretta Sauce)

Salsa Ana (A Vinagretta Sauce)

Ladies Lunches bring out my creative juices, thinking of what new dish would titillate my friends’ taste buds. On one such occasion, I needed to come up with a salad cum sauce. A few days before the intended Ladies Lunch, I had some left over salted red eggs, intense tomatoes, and rocket leaves. The light bulb in my head brought me back to the time my mother used to make vinagretta sauce. This vinagretta has nothing really to do with what is known as vinaigrette dressing; which is the vinegar, mustard, oil, salt and pepper dressing. The only common ground my mother’s vinagretta had to do with the vinaigrette is that it had white palm vinegar, oil, salt and pepper but the rest was the famous Kapampangans love for sauces. Mom’s vinagretta had tomatoes, salted red egg, onion, and pickle relish, plus the palm vinegar (sukang sasa), salt, pepper, and sugar. My mind went again on its hundred a minute spin. What if I jumble it in a different way and the result was just awesome! A salad cum sauce. You can eat it as a salad or use it as a sawsawan for grilled or fried seafood or fish. Best friend forever Marja says, “it’s good even with just rice.” Ingredients: 500 grams tomatoes (my preferred varieties to use are kumato or intense tomatoes, but your favorite variety will do) – seeds removed, then diced 2 salted eggs (aka red eggs) – peeled, cut into tiny squares ½ to 1 half ripe (aka manibalang or not quite ripe) mango – chopped into tiny cubes 1 cup finely chopped onion ½ cup horseradish – diced a little smaller than how you diced the tomatoes 4 cups coarsely chopped rocket greens Procedure: In a large serving salad bowl, mix all the ingredients except rocket greens. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors of the different ingredients to blend with each other. When ready to serve, arrange the rocket greens on top. Let your family or guests add the rocket according to their preference, and they mix it when they serve...

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