Rattan fruit
…because they had been sitting in the fridge for almost a week, I was careful about how I was going to taste them. Strange things happen to fruits after several days even when stored in the fridge. And since it was going to be my first taste of the rattan fruit, I took the tiniest bite. If it had been my fingers rather than my teeth, it would be like pinching with the fingernails. The bite I took was that tiny but it was enough.
Ang asim, maryosep!
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Potted herbs from Market! Market!
When anyone asks me what my cooking “secrets” are, I only have two answers: 1) herbs and 2) spices. I used to be content with dried herbs (convenience and longer shelf life are definite advantages) but after discovering the wonders of fresh herbs, I developed a craving for them.
It started with a packet of parsley [...]
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Malunggay
Malunggay is Moringa oleifera Lamk, a tree with edible leaves and fruits. When I posted my halaan (clams) and malunggay soup recipe last year, there were some comments referring to the fruit of the malunggay. I have been a fan of malunggay leaves for a long, long time but I have never tried cooking nor [...]
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Dreaming of coconuts
I grew up on buko juice. We had three coconut trees growing beside my grandparents’ house and it was only a matter of having someone climb up to pluck the buko when we wanted buko juice. Actually, there’s a story behind the coconut trees.
My father had a basketball court constructed on an empty portion of [...]
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Fresh oyster mushrooms
Until about six or so years ago, fresh white button mushrooms were rare even in the larger and more expensive supermarkets. Although button mushroom was, and still is, my favorite among all other varieties, I could only enjoy the canned version while growing up. Actually, even today, fresh button mushrooms are not as readily available [...]
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Pandan leaves
It’s aroma is indescribable–sweet and nutty, pleasant and soothing. Add a leaf to rice while cooking and the term “plain white rice” loses its meaning. My father-in-law used to grow pandan in a pot in the garden in front of their house. When cooking rice, he would cut off a leaf and put it in. [...]
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Fresh pineapples
Like most tropical countries, fresh fruits flood the market during the hot summer months. While there are fruits that are abundant all year round, pineapples, melons, watermelons and mangoes are traditional summer harvests. There are a lot of horticulture projects aimed at making them all-season fruits but before and after summer, they are not as [...]
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Laurel (bay) leaves
In the culinary world, the term “bay leaf” has a broader meaning than “laurel leaf”. That was what I discovered after reading up on this aromatic spice that is an important ingredient of adobo and most tomato-based stews. Authentic bay or laurel leaves (Laurus nobilis) is indigenous to Asia Minor. In places where the bay [...]
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