Ampalaya and Sardinas (Bitter Gourd with Sardines in Tomato Sauce)

I used to hate "ampalaya" or Bitter Gourd in English. It is also called "amargoso" in some parts of the Philippines. Ampalaya is usually served thinly sliced with beaten egg (like a veggie scrambled egg stir-fry) or sauteed with beef slices and then drenched with a thick oyster sauce-based dressing.

What changed my mind about the ampalaya? My friend and neighbor Elena had a vegetable garden and she grew ampalaya there. She kept trying to give me ampalaya fruit which I constantly refused, recalling my childhood days of being forced to eat the bitter vegetable. She assured me that her ampalaya wasn't that bitter and with proper preparation, most of the bitterness would be gone anyway. I changed my mind and accepted several ampalaya fruit. It was wonderful. And not bitter at all.

The ampalaya dish I made today for breakfast is Ampalaya and Sardinas (Canned Sardines in Tomato Sauce). The sardines I used is of the Ligo brand (I think the most popular canned sardines in the Philippines). You can get for a buck here (which means it's probably 40 to 50 cents back in Manila.

So on to the recipe.

RECIPE

1 medium-sized ampalaya
1 can of sardines in tomato sauce (any brand will do, even the spicy one)
1/4 cup rock salt
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil

1. Wash the ampalaya, cut the ends off and then cut in half. Using a spoon, scrape the inner white portion of the fruit (that has seeds in it) until you come to the firm green flesh. Cut into thin slices, pile into a bowl and mix thoroughly with rock salt. (This will leach most of the bitterness out of the sliced ampalaya). Set aside.

2. Get a wok or pan and set over medium fire. Add the oil and when it is hot, add the garlic and fry until golden-brown. Then add the onion slices and stir-fry until the onion is translucent.

3. Wash and rinse the ampalaya slices. Drain and add the ampalaya to the pan. Stir-fry everything for about 2 minutes.

4. Open the can of sardines and dump everything into the pan. Add about a can of water (use the empty can for measurement) and add that to the pan too. If you like, break up the whole sardines into little pieces. Stir everything and let simmer.

5. When the sauce has reduced to half, the dish is done. Turn off the heat and serve with rice.



This dish is usually served for lunch but like what i said, I had it for breakfast. Well, brunch technically since I woke up late (almost lunchtime). Ampalaya is rich with iron and is usually prescribed to persons with anemia. It is also promotes digestion. Recent studies are now looking to ampalaya extract to help combat HIV infections. Now if that is not enough for you to try ampalaya, I don't know what will. All I know, my brunch this morning was really mighty tasty. And healthy too. ;)

Making Deokkbokki (Korean Ricecakes in Red Pepper Sauce)

Deokkbokki is a popular street snack in Korea. You can find it almost anywhere there is a food cart. Most food sellers have a hot plate of deokkbokki in its fiery red sauce, simmering away. Deokkbokki is basically long rice sticks cooked in gochujang (korean red pepper paste). The basic ingredients also include slices of fish cake, leeks, onions and sometimes whole boiled eggs.

Korean kids usually buy it in a paper cup (costs about 50 cents) and eat it with a toothpick (which they use to stab the deokk (rice cake) and shovel it into their mouths. The first time I tasted it, it was so hot that it brought tears to my eyes. But kids here are so used to the spiciness that it doesn't faze them a bit. I have to drink two gulps of water before I can eat another rice cake.

I finally had a chance to learn how to make this snack when hubby's school hosted an post-Christmas party for the kids. Stella, the school's secretary, showed me step-by-step on how to fix deokkbokki. I can't believe how simple it was. She had to fix large amounts of deokkbokki for the school event so I'll include measurements in ( ) for those who want to fix a regular amount of it.

In a flat-bottom pan, add the following (1 cup) julienned cabbage, (1/2 cup) sliced leeks, (1 tbsp minced garlic) and (about 2 cups) water. Turn the heat up to medium and let it come to simmer.

Add about (2-3 tbsp) gochujang. This is red pepper paste and can usually be found in Korean grocery stores or Asian food marts. If you need some, email me and I'll send you some authentic homemade gochujang. There's a large jar in my fridge and I swear this stuff lasts forever.

Next is a very important step, the sugar. Yes, deokkbokki has some sugar in it, this is to counter the gochujang flavor. Add about a (tablespoon or two) of sugar.

Last is beef bouillion powder. Stella says that this is optional since one can use plain salt and pepper. I used about (1 tbsp) of beef bouillon powder. Stella also added a smidgen of MSG (I know some of you are cringing about this but I use it too). You can omit this too, if you prefer. Mix everything up and continue to let it simmer.

Now cut the deokk into 2-inch pieces and the fish cake into 2X3 inch slices. If the deokk you bought is fresh (like what is available here for me) you can simply add the pieces to the pan. If they are packaged and bought from the supermarket, you would need to soak them in hot water for 5 minutes and then drained before adding to the pan. You would need about (4 cups of) sliced rice and 2 cups sliced fish cakes. Add both the rice cakes and fish cakes to the pan ( that would be simmering by now). Mix everything very well and let simmer until the sauce has reduced and become sticky.

Taste the sauce before turning off the heat. See if it needs more salt, more sugar. Or if it is too sticky, add more water to it. And if it is too watery, just let it cook a little longer. To avoid using beef bouillon, I suggest using vegetable or chicken stock. And deokk or rice cake doesn't only come in long thin tubes. Some shapes are thin oval slices, long big tubes (the size of water hoses) and even fun shapes like snowman figures. You can use any shape you want. And optional ingredients also include slices of shitakke mushrooms, sliced carrots, broccoli, etc.

Next time, I'll post another deokkbokki recipe, only this time, the sauce is soy-sauce based. :)

Ginataang Langka (Jackfruit in Coconut Milk)

This recipe reminds me so much of home. "Langka" or Jackfruit is a very common fruit in the Philippines. The fruit and the seeds are used in a variety of desserts, most notably in "Halo-Halo" and "Guinataan". The whole unripe fruit (peeled of course) is used in savory viands like "Ginataang Langka" or Green Jackfruit simmered in coconut milk.

This side dish is very rich and creamy and is a perfect foil for fried pork or fried/grilled fish. Make sure that the unripe or green jackfruit is peeled when you buy it or peeling it means a lot of sticky sap on your hands, cutting board and clothes. My grandmother used to oil her hands, knife and cutting board when she cuts unripe jackfruit. This helps get rid of the sticky sap easily (the sap also causes an unremovable stain on clothes).

One easy way is to get canned unripe jackfruit. I found one in a foreigner food store in Geumhang (about 30 minutes away by bus). The canned green jackfruit cost about $3.50 and is from Thailand.

Recipe
1 can of green jackfruit or 2 cups of peeled, fresh unripe jackfruit
1 can coconut cream or 1 packet of coconut powder mixed with half cup of warm water
1 cup of coconut milk or 1 packet of coconut powder mixed with 1 cup of warm water
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 cup of cooked sliced pork
1/2 onion, sliced
1 smoked fish or dried fish, boned and flaked
1 green chili pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce

1. If the jackfruit is fresh, cut into bite-size pieces and cook in boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes until tender. If your using canned, just slice into 2 inch bite size pieces.

2. In a wok or deep pan, turn up the heat to medium and add the oil. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add pork and stir for about 2 minutes.

3. Add the jackfruit to the pan plus the cup of coconut water. Let cook until it starts to simmer.

4. Add the flaked fish and fish sauce. You can substitute 1/2 tbsp of rock salt if you don't want to us the latter.

5. Add sliced green chili peppers to the pan and continue to simmer until it reduces to half the amount.

6. Add the coconut cream at the end and just let it simmer for a minute and then turn off the heat.

Serve hot with rice and your choice of pork or fish.