For this, we go to the storm-tossed islands of Leyte and Samar, periodically brought into our collective consciousness because of devastation wrought on their many places by typhoons. But Leyte is also home to the hardy Warays, they with their aggressive nature and can-do attitude. And this collection of recipes will also provide testimony to the region's other outstanding qualities.
TAMALUS
1 cup finely ground raw peanuts
3-1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon atsuwete
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water
1 cup malagkit flour
1/2 kilo pork liempo, cooked and thinly sliced
6 pieces banana leaves, wilted and greased (14"x15")
Cook peanut in water for 40 minutes.
Sauté atsuwete to extract color.
Remove seeds and brown garlic and onion.
Add peanut, vinegar, one teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Cook until peanut sauce is thick enough to spread.
Add the remaining seasonings to the water and mix flour to form a ball of dough.
Divided equally into two portions.
Put one portion on a banana leaf and roll out with a rolling pin.
For a rectangle 10"x5x1/8.
Steam 5 minutes.
Remove carefully from hot steam with a turner.
When cool, slip dough on another leaf.
On the dough, arrange half of the pork and top with peanut sauce.
Fold dough neatly and spread top with peanut sauce.
Wrap with a piece of banana leaf and tie securely with a string.
Repeat the same procedure with the other half of the dough.
Steam for two hours.
Before serving, divide each tamalus into 5 slices.
LELANG
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1/2 cup fresh shrimps, blanched and shelled
1 cup cubed boiled pork
2 cups shrimp juice from pounded heads of shrimps
1 cup munggo sprouts (togue)
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups sotanghon, soaked and cut 2" long
1 cup water
1/4 cup green onions
Dash of pepper
Sauté garlic, onion, shrimp and pork.
Add shrimp juice.
Cover and allow to boil.
Add togue and cover.
Cook 10 minutes.
Season to taste.
Add sotanghon and cook 5 minutes longer.
Add one cup water and bring to a boil.
Just before removing from fire, add green onions and dash of pepper.
Serve hot. Serves 6.
LAUOT-LAUOT
2 cups coconut milk (second extraction)
1 cup dried dilis
1 tablespoon bagoong alamang
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cubed squash
2 cups sliced patola
1 cups cut kangkong stems (1" lengths)
1 cup cubed okra
1/4 cup red pepper
2 cups kangkong leaves
2 cups alugbati leaves
1/4 cup sliced tomatoes
1/2 cup pure coconut milk
Heat second extraction of coconut milk with dried dilis and bagoong.
Cook 10 minutes.
Season with salt.
Add squash and cook 3 minutes.
Add patola, kangkong stems, okra, red pepper, leafy greens and tomatoes.
Cook 4 minutes.
Add coconut milk and remove from fire as soon as it boils.
6 servings.
EGGPLANT PAKSIW
1 cup pure coconut milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon peppercorn
2 teaspoons salt
6 pieces medium eggplant, whole
Place all the above ingredients in a saucepan except eggplant.
Bring to a boil and stir to avoid curdling of coconut milk.
Add eggplant and cook 15 minutes.
6 Servings.
BOCARILLO
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 cups grated coconut
1/2 cup evaporated milk (undiluted)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon kalamansi juice
Mix sugar and grated coconut.
Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
Add milk little by little, mixing thoroughly.
Add slightly beaten eggs; continue mixing over moderate. Heat.
Flavor with kalamansi juice.
Remove from fire and drop by teaspoonfuls on wilted banana leaf or wax paper.
Yield: 50 pieces.
BINANGOL
3/4 cup shredded raw gabi
1 cup rich coconut milk (e medium coconuts)
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 clean medium coconut shells (4-1/2" dia., 2" high)
1/2 can (1 oz.) full cream condensed milk
4 egg yolks
Wilted banana leaves
String for tying
Mix first three ingredients and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, constantly stirring.
Lower heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
Add condensed milk and cook over low heat 20 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
Fill each coconut shell with mixture.
Make a well in center and drop raw egg yolk.
Cover top with tuber mixture and spread until smooth, very close to brim or shell.
Cover whole shell with two layers banana leaves and tie securely with strings.
Steam half an hour.
12 servings.
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Saturday, July 16, 2005
Recipes From Western Visayas - Region VI
The western portions of the Visayas take us to the islands of Panay, Guimaras of mango fame, part of Negros, and Romblon more noted not for its cuisine but things like its marble.
While the main ingredients may all look too familiar, such as pig's feet, bangus, and chicken, the different ways that the dishes are put together reveal the artistry and resourcefulness of the peoples in this region.
Thus a menu like Chicken Binakol introduces us to the use of a bamboo tube in cooking.
PORK TINOLA WITH BANANA HEART & GREEN PAPAYA
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1/4 kilo spareribs, cut into serving pieces
4 teaspoons salt
3 cups rice washing
2 cups sliced banana heart
2 cups sliced green papaya
3 cups sili leaves
Sauté garlic, onion and spareribs.
Season with salt.
Add rice washing and let boil.
Add banana heart, green papaya and cook 8 minutes.
Add sili leaves and cook 2 minutes more.
Serve hot.
LASWA WITH PINAKAS
3 cups rice washing
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1/4 cup sliced tomatoes
6 pieces dried pinakas (fish), washed
2 cups cut sitaw (2" lengths)
2 cups cubed kalabasa
2 pieces eggplant, sliced diagonally
2 cups alugbati
Combine first three ingredients and bring to a boil.
Add pinakas and cook 3 minutes.
Add sitaw, kalabasa and cook 2 minutes.
Add eggplant and alugbati.
Cook 4 minutes more.
Serve hot.
TINUM-ANAN
1 kilo pig's feet, cleaned and cut into serving pieces
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup young guava leaves, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon garlic
Dash of pepper
2 cups water
Guava leaves for lining
Banana leaves for wrapping
Combine all ingredients except water.
Let stand 20-25 minutes.
Line saucepan with guava leaves and set aside.
Wrap pork mixture in banana leaves and place on top of guava leaves in the saucepan.
Add water, boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer until meat is tender.
Serve hot.
BANGUS NILAGPANG
1 medium bangus, cleaned, salted and broiled
3 pieces tomatoes, broiled
1 small onion, broiled
2 cups boiled water
1/4 cup cut green onions
1 teaspoon salt
2 pieces siling labuyo, crushed
Flake broiled bangus coarsely; remove bones.
Slice broiled tomatoes and onion.
Mix with bangus.
Add boiled water and green onions.
Season with salt and siling labuyo.
Serve hot.
CHICKEN BINAKOL
1 small chicken, cleaned and cut into 6 serving portions
4 medium potatoes, pared and quartered
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 cup sliced tomatoes
2 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 fresh bamboo tube (1 node, 12" long 4" diameter)
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1 bundle tanglad (lemon grass) sufficient to close end of tube
Mix all ingredients and put inside bamboo tube.
Close open end with tanglad leaves and place over live coal in a diagonal position to prevent dripping.
Turn bamboo at 5-minute intervals.
Cook 45-50 minutes until chicken is tender.
BAYE-BAYE
2 cups pinipig
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups butong (young coconut), grated
Grind toasted pinipig
In a bowl, mix ground pinipig, coconut water and sugar.
Blend well and add grated butong.
Divide into serving portions.
Wrap each servings in banana leaves or wax paper.
Chill before serving.
CHICKEN WITH BANANA UBAD AND KADYOS
1-1/4 cups fresh kadyos
1 small chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 cups water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
4 teaspoons salt
2 cups thinly sliced banana ubad
4 pieces tanglad leaves
Boil kadyos and chicken together until tender.
Separate chicken from kadyos and set aside.
Sauté garlic, onion, tomatoes and boiled chicken.
Season with salt.
Add kadyos and broth.
Let boil.
Add banana ubad and tanglad and cook 10 minutes more.
Remove tanglad leaves before serving.
While the main ingredients may all look too familiar, such as pig's feet, bangus, and chicken, the different ways that the dishes are put together reveal the artistry and resourcefulness of the peoples in this region.
Thus a menu like Chicken Binakol introduces us to the use of a bamboo tube in cooking.
PORK TINOLA WITH BANANA HEART & GREEN PAPAYA
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1/4 kilo spareribs, cut into serving pieces
4 teaspoons salt
3 cups rice washing
2 cups sliced banana heart
2 cups sliced green papaya
3 cups sili leaves
Sauté garlic, onion and spareribs.
Season with salt.
Add rice washing and let boil.
Add banana heart, green papaya and cook 8 minutes.
Add sili leaves and cook 2 minutes more.
Serve hot.
LASWA WITH PINAKAS
3 cups rice washing
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1/4 cup sliced tomatoes
6 pieces dried pinakas (fish), washed
2 cups cut sitaw (2" lengths)
2 cups cubed kalabasa
2 pieces eggplant, sliced diagonally
2 cups alugbati
Combine first three ingredients and bring to a boil.
Add pinakas and cook 3 minutes.
Add sitaw, kalabasa and cook 2 minutes.
Add eggplant and alugbati.
Cook 4 minutes more.
Serve hot.
TINUM-ANAN
1 kilo pig's feet, cleaned and cut into serving pieces
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup young guava leaves, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon garlic
Dash of pepper
2 cups water
Guava leaves for lining
Banana leaves for wrapping
Combine all ingredients except water.
Let stand 20-25 minutes.
Line saucepan with guava leaves and set aside.
Wrap pork mixture in banana leaves and place on top of guava leaves in the saucepan.
Add water, boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer until meat is tender.
Serve hot.
BANGUS NILAGPANG
1 medium bangus, cleaned, salted and broiled
3 pieces tomatoes, broiled
1 small onion, broiled
2 cups boiled water
1/4 cup cut green onions
1 teaspoon salt
2 pieces siling labuyo, crushed
Flake broiled bangus coarsely; remove bones.
Slice broiled tomatoes and onion.
Mix with bangus.
Add boiled water and green onions.
Season with salt and siling labuyo.
Serve hot.
CHICKEN BINAKOL
1 small chicken, cleaned and cut into 6 serving portions
4 medium potatoes, pared and quartered
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 cup sliced tomatoes
2 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 fresh bamboo tube (1 node, 12" long 4" diameter)
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1 bundle tanglad (lemon grass) sufficient to close end of tube
Mix all ingredients and put inside bamboo tube.
Close open end with tanglad leaves and place over live coal in a diagonal position to prevent dripping.
Turn bamboo at 5-minute intervals.
Cook 45-50 minutes until chicken is tender.
BAYE-BAYE
2 cups pinipig
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups butong (young coconut), grated
Grind toasted pinipig
In a bowl, mix ground pinipig, coconut water and sugar.
Blend well and add grated butong.
Divide into serving portions.
Wrap each servings in banana leaves or wax paper.
Chill before serving.
CHICKEN WITH BANANA UBAD AND KADYOS
1-1/4 cups fresh kadyos
1 small chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 cups water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
4 teaspoons salt
2 cups thinly sliced banana ubad
4 pieces tanglad leaves
Boil kadyos and chicken together until tender.
Separate chicken from kadyos and set aside.
Sauté garlic, onion, tomatoes and boiled chicken.
Season with salt.
Add kadyos and broth.
Let boil.
Add banana ubad and tanglad and cook 10 minutes more.
Remove tanglad leaves before serving.