Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk

By: Mr. Hugh's Kitchen

By: Mr. Hugh's Kitchen

"Laing is a Filipino delicacy originated from the Bicol Region. Bicol is well-known for their love of spicy food and food cooked in coconut milk. Some of their best food are laing and Bicol express. As there are many variations on how to cook laing, this recipe, will show how to cook Bicol’s authentic laing. It is not sauteed, but the ingredients are simply mixed in a pot and brought into a boil until the laing is cooked into spicy perfection. "

Notes1) be sure to use dried and properly peeled leaves, as fresh and unpeeled ones will give itchiness upon eating it. There are ready to cook packs of dried leaves available in the market. But if you prefer to prepare it yourself, be sure to properly peel and sun-dry the stalks and leaves before cooking them.

2) Avoid stirring the mixture too much while cooking. It will prevent the leaves from being cooked evenly. Some say if you constantly stir it, your laing will become more itchy. This is partly true, but the cause of itchy laing is that the leaves and stalks are under cooked. So be careful with this part.

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Serves5

Preparation Time1 hr

Cooking Time1 hr 20 min

Cooking MethodCasserole

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc onion, medium size, chopped
3 thumbs ginger, crushed
3 cups second extract of coconut milk
250 grams pork, chopped into smaller pieces
1 tablespoon salt
3 pcs red chili peppers chopped
2 pcs green chili peppers
3 packets dried taro leaves/stalks
1 cup first extract of coconut milk

Cut the leaves to separate it from the stalks/stem. Shred the leaves into smaller pieces. Put into a bilao and put directly under the sun. Let it dry for 1-2 days.
For the stalks/stems, peel them starting from the thickest part down to the thinnest. you may want to wear gloves or apply oil on your hands while doing this. Taro stalks will excrete sap which could burn your hands and leave dark color on them.
After peeling, cut them into about 1 inch long. If the stalks are too thick, you may cut them into 2 so that they will have uniform sizes.
Put into a bilao and place under direct sunlight. let them dry for 1-2 days.
Place grated mature coconut meat into a big bowl. add 1 cup of hot water and let the coconut absorb the water for about 3 minutes.
Mix the coconut and water with hand and squeeze out the coconut milk. use a strainer to separate the coconut milk from the meat. Gather all the coconut milk into a separate bowl. This is your first extract or kakang gata.