Saluyot Delightful Cooking

Laing is humble, day-to-day food, which can flame with chili-hotness, or be enhanced into festive food. Its flexibility and down-to-reach origins make it downhome, comforting for Filipinos, yet with room for innovation and daring.

Laing

½ kilo gabi leaves and stalks
2 large coconuts
5 cups lukewarm water, divided
1 tbsp. corn oil
1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1 tbsp. minced ginger
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup diced pork, boiled till tender
1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ cup bagoong alamang
3 siling labuyo, diced

Wilt gabi leaves by hanging upside down in a shaded area. This will take 2 to 3 days. Gabi leaves are ready to cook when they are dry and crisp.

Cut up the gabi leaves, including the stems, into 1-inch pieces. Wash and set aside.

Drain juice from the coconuts and grate the coconut meat.

Add 1 cup of the water t grated coconut and squeeze to extract gata. Strain liquid and set aside. This is the first extraction.

Pour another two cups of water to grated coconut and squeeze again for second extraction. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil and sauté garlic, ginger onions.

Add pork and shrimp. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bagoong alamang and blend well.

Pour in the second and third extractions of coconut. Bring to a boil and lower heat.

Add gabi leaves and simmer for 30 minutes or until gabi leaves and stems are soft and tender. Add the first extraction of coconut and simmer again for 10 minutes or until oil comes out from the cream. Laing is cooked when coconut cream forms white lumps.

Manila Bulletin