Crispy Kangkong

Kangkong is abundant in our place. I was complaining to Dad
about the kangkong growing in our backyard. It has taken a lot
of space and needed to be trimmed.  Dad says he’d  make some
pickled kangkong  with the trimmings. And I made crispy kangkong
with the leaves.

kangkong is rich in iron and fiber

crispy kangkong

kangkong leaves
cooking oil for frying

batter:  2 Tbsp cornstarch
            1 Tbsp water
            1/2 teaspoon salt
            2 egg whites

dip:      1 cup yogurt
            1 tsp crushed garlic
             paprika
             curry powder

clean the kangkong and remove the stalks (you can reserve
this to make adobong kangkong). pat dry the leaves using a
napkin. set aside.

mix well the ingredients for the dip.refrigerate.

in a bowl, mix the batter ingredients. heat the oil
until very hot. Dip each kangkong leaves in the batter
and deep fry until the leaves turns dark green. drain
in paper towel.

Serve with yogurt dip.

Sharing this crunchy appetizer
to all Weekend Herb Blogging
enthusiasts hosted by Graziana
of  Erbe in Cucina.

Ukoy / Okoy

We always have vegetable lumpia (vegetable spring rolls) during Good friday.

Since it's a no-meat day, tokwa (tofo or soy bean cake) is used. Lunch would

be Lumpiang Hubad (Naked Spring Rolls, a spring roll minus the spring roll 

wrapper hence the name) with sweetened garlic sauce. Leftover veggies would

then be wrapped in spring roll wrapper and fried for supper.

For a change, I tried making Ukoy / Okoy. It's like fried lumpia without 

sauteing the veggies before wrapping in spring roll wrapper. The basic ingredients 

are shrimps, tofu and bean sprout.  I added some carrots, squash (from my uncle's 

farm) and sayote / chayote (Sechium edule)  which we have in our garden.

batter:

       1 cup flour

       1/2 cup cornstarch

       1/2 cup water

       salt and pepper

      

filling:

        1 cup  julienned sayote

        1 cup julienned squash

        1 cup julienned carrots

        1 cup bean sprouts

        1 cup sliced tofu

        1 cup shrimps

oil for frying

      

Make the batter and set aside.  Mixed the vegetables except the tofu.

In a ladle, place the mixed vegetables. Sprinkle the tofu and shrimps

on top. Pour batter just enough to coat. 

Slowly dip in hot oil. Remove ladle and fry until golden brown.

Serve with vinegar and crushed garlic.

WHB #311: Kulawo

I was introduced to Kulawo here in Pila. It’s an eggplant dish
with a smoky coconut flavor. Coconut meat is grilled before
squeezing out the milk to get that smoky taste.  You can
split the nuts first before grilling or grate the coconut
and grill it by placing hot coals on it. . Either way, you’ll get
that rich smoky flavor.

Dad says my grandmother, Lola Angge sometimes use banana heart (puso ng saging ) instead of eggplant.

puso ng saging / bana heart bud

I was able to try it out the other day when Dad harvested
a few puso ng saging. I knew I had to share this recipe to
Weekend Herb Blogging. This week's host is Brii of Briiblog.

kulawo

Grate coconut meat and place in a bowl. Make a well in
the center and place a live coal. Cover with coconut meat to grill.
Repeat the process until the meat turns brownish and smells
burnt. Squeezed the milk from the meat and set aside.

           Slice the puso ng saging into 4 and boil to cook.
Remove water and quickly shred using a fork. Add vinegar,
chopped garlic and minced onion. Season with salt and pepper.
Add coconut milk and mix well.  Serve with fried or grilled fish.

Mango, Pomelo and Orange Salad

This is a Thai-inspired salad I learned from my sister.
She served it to some friends who surprised her with
an overnight stay at Lemlunay Resort in General Santos
City. Her friends sponsored the beach trip (read:
snorkeling and diving which I get to tag along!) as her
despedida before she goes to Thailand for work.

Mango, Pomelo and Orange Salad

large green mangoes
chopped fresh cilantro
dried salted fish
orange slices
pomelo slices
togue (mung bean sprouts)
torn leaf lettuce
crushed or chopped peanuts

1 pc siling labuyo (bird's eye chili )
patis (fish sauce )
brown sugar
dayap juice (local lemon)

Mix patis, brown sugar, siling labuyo and dayap juice. Set Aside.

Shred the mango by holding it firmly in one hand and with a
chopping motion, make slices into the cheek. Slice the fruit
thinly to create shreds. Repeat until all mangoes are used.

Place in a bowl and mix with remaining ingredients except
lettuce. Use small size salted fish like Dulong. If you got
big fish, slice into smaller pieces. Season with fish sauce
mixture. Toss well.

Arrange lettuce in a plate and add mango mixture on top.
Place the salad in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

Ampalaya with Egg

Ampalaya /bitter melon (Momordica charantia) is popular in the
Philippines as an alternative remedy for diabetes. The Philippine
Department of Health has endorsed the use of ampalaya
capsule and tea to maintain blood sugar levels among diabetes
patients.

Ampalaya is bitter in taste hence it is not in my favorite list
of veggies. There are many suggestions on how to cook
ampalaya without the bitter taste. From slicing it thinly,
sprinkling it with salt, squeezing out the juice, blanching with
hot water and no over stirring. I know of someone who keeps
quiet when slicing it believing that the noise will make it bitter.


Ampalaya with egg is a common dish sold in carenderia together
with Ginisang Monggo, Menudo, Pakbet and Sinigang. It's easy
to cook, cheap and nutritious.

Ampalaya with Egg

1 1/2 cup ampalaya, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, slightly beaten
salt to taste

Blanched ampalaya in hot water. Set aside.
Saute garlic and onion in oil. Add tomatoes and stir until wilted.
Add water, simmer for about 2 minutes. Add ampalaya, cover
and cooked for 3 minutes. Season with salt. Spread eggs all
over the vegetables, cooked over slow heat until the eggs are
slightly firm. Serve with hot rice.

Binagoongang Talong

Talong or eggplant ( Solanum melongena) is a favored vegetable
in the Philippines. In the province, it is one of the vegetables
planted in the backyard together with pechay, mustasa and
ampalaya (bitter gourd). Talong is a mainstay ingredient
in pakbet, dinengdeng and sinigang.

Whenever we have excess talong from our backyard,
Dad's favorite, talong binagoongan, is surely in the dinner table.

Talong Binagoongan (Eggplant in Shrimp paste) is a poor man's
version of Pork Binagoongan, replacing pork with talong.

Binagoongang Talong (Eggplant in Shrimp Paste)

100 gms pork fat (optional)
1K talong, sliced diagonally
2T oil (no need if adding pork fat)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
2T Bagoong (shrimp paste)
1/2t sugar
1/2 cup water

Render oil from fat. Remove oil if too many, just leave enough for
sauteing. Saute garlic until golden brown and add onions. Cook
until onions are caramelized. Add tomatoes, cook until softened.
Add Bagoong and stir fry until aromatic. Add talong and stir fry until
talong is well coated. Add water and simmer until talong is cooked,
about 10 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

Sprinkle kalamansi (key lime) juice before serving.






Tortang Talong is another eggplant dish








Buto-buto Nilaga, a hearty dish for cold nights

Ginataang Sitaw (Long Beans in Coconut Milk)

One of the cooking method that I like here in Pila is "tapâ"
or smoked. This is done by smoking the fish or meat using
bunot or coconut husks to make smoke and covering the fish
or meat with banana leaves or cacawate leaves to trap
the smoke.



Often we would have Tinapang Tilapia when we have visitors.
This is paired with Chicken Adobo sa Gata.

Some days, we had tinapang kanduli (smoked catfish),
the fish usually given by an uncle who have a fish pond.

Smoked kanduli is great with steamed kamote tops
dipped in fish sauce and kalamansi.

The excess smoked kanduli we would cook with
Ginataang Sitaw (Long Beans in coconut milk).

Ginataang Sitaw

1 bunch of sitaw (long beans, cut in 2" length)
2 cups coconut milk
1 medium onion, sliced
1 thumb-size ginger, sliced
2-3 smoked kanduli
salt to taste

Bring to a boil the coconut milk, onion and ginger. Add sitaw and kanduli.
Simmer uncovered until sitaw is cooked, stirring occasionally. Served with
rice.

Tomatoes in Coconut Sauce

Here's an easy tomato recipe shared by our neighbor, Aling Elma.
Her father used to cook this for her and her siblings when tomatoes
are abundant during summer.


Boil a kilo of whole tomatoes in 3 cups coconut milk,
sliced thumb-size ginger and salt to taste. Cook until
tomatoes are tender. The tomatoes should have burst
already. Add a cup of coconut cream before removing
from heat. I find it best paired with fried foods. Enjoy!