Posts Tagged "Coconut Cream / Gata"

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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Ginataang Halo-Halo (Mixed Fruits in Coconut Cream)

What is more heartwarming than a bowl of Guinataang Halo-Halo for merienda! There is nothing like this warm afternoon delight. There are versions of this in Chinese or Thai cuisine, but like they say it’s chalk and cheese. Ingredients: 8 cups cold water 4 mature coconuts – grated 6 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour) 2 cups (400 grams) sugar 2 cups diced (1/2-inch) sweet potato (kamote); yellow or purple – blanched in hot water for 10 minutes 1 cup cooked sago 6 ripe saba bananas – cooked with skin and diced 1/2-inch 1/2 cup fresh, ripe jackfruit (langka) – sliced into 1/2-inch squares 400 grams malagkit flour paste – make into 1-inch marble sized balls (to make your own paste, use 300 grams malagkit flour (sticky rice flour) and slowly add 1/2 cup water more or less. It must make a very dense paste looking like clay) Procedure: Place the grated coconut in large bowl. Pour in 2 cups of water on coconut and with hands, squeeze out the juice onto another clean bowl with strainer. Set this aside. Add another 4 cups of water and do the same but use another bowl for the second squeeze. Set aside. Add another 2 cups of water and do the same; place in the same bowl of the second squeeze. In a measuring cup, place cornstarch and add 1/2 cup of coconut milk from second-third squeeze and dissolve cornstarch. In a large porcelain or ceramic coated pot, or glass cooking pot, pour in the second-third squeeze of coconut milk and dissolved cornstarch. Place pot over medium flame and bring the mixture to a boil; stirring frequently. When boiling, add sugar and mix thoroughly; continue boiling. Add the sweet potato, rice flour balls, sago, bananas, and jackfruit. When mixture is slightly thick, about 5 to 10 minutes, add the first squeeze of coconut milk. Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Do not overcook or the fruits will be mushy. Note: Because of the coconut milk, this dish does not keep well. It’s good until the next day, kept in the...

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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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