FLOWERS FOR IMA

Mothers' day

It was Saturday. The next day May 8, the world would be celebrating a special occasion called Mother's Day. At work that morning, there were seven of us seated at a long lunch table--six middle aged ladies and a young man in his early 20s. Our conversation topic centered on Mother's day and what this young man would give his mum on this yearly celebration.

"None," he replied and added that he had no idea what else his mom wanted or needed. His mom, by the way, is a famous artist in New Zealand and according to him had been given the honor of knighthood by the Queen and is now called a 'Dame'.

"Give her flowers," I suggested. "A decent arrangement of roses from flower shops here would cost  a little less than a hundred dollars."

"Or if you want something affordable, there are flowers at the supermarket," Vanessa, the lady seated next to me seconded. 

"Bring her breakfast in bed," Sue, the lady seated at the head of the table suggested.  "It doesn't have to be something pricey, even simple things like doing something for her would please any mum," she added. 

The young man did not respond to any of our suggestions, which I took to mean he was thinking about them.  

But that conversation and my own suggestion reverberated in my thoughts.  "Give her flowers." That was something I haven't done and would love to do next Mother's day for my own mother.  

Honestly, I first thought about that--giving flowers to my mother--a long, time ago. Until one occassion triggered that deep thought of the absent-minded-me. That was during the early 90s and our Publisher/Boss was having another idea for a new weekly magazine in Pilipino language. So, Tess, Glo and I were asked to come to her house in Wack-Wack for a brainstorming session. 

In the middle of that meeting, the Boss' daughter arrived with a bunch of flowers in her arms. (If I remember right, they were white lillies.) The younger woman apologized for disturbing the meeting, then approached her mom to give her a kiss and hand the flowers she was carrying. 

I saw the old woman's face glow with delight as she took the bouquet of flowers from her daughter. Her eyes were glowing and the smile on her face clearly showed her pleasure with her daughter's love and thoughtfulness. 

The Boss then excused herself, sprang from her seat and disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she was back at the meeting table carrying a tall, crystal vase. Our eyes focused on her while she carefully arranged the flowers in the vase filled with water. With a wide grin on her face and a gentle touch on the flowers, she blurted out "so beautiful!". Satisfaction and pleasure was marked clearly on her face when she moved towards her working table and carefully placed the flower vase on top of a pink doily. Facing her daughter who waited for her, she planted a kiss on the younger woman's cheek before bidding her goodbye.
  

That scene left me thinking to myself. Would my own mother appreciate flowers too? Would she be delighted as well to receive flowers on Mother's Day or even on her birthday? Our mother was not used to receiving flowers from us her children, but flowers would be something different for her to receive. 

I resolved to buy her flowers on the next Mother's Day. Unfortunately, several Mother's Days passed by since then and even her birthdays came and went but no flowers were bought by me for our Ima. 

Then all of a sudden in 1998, with nary a goodbye, she slipped away, leaving all ten of us, her children and a few grandchildren behind. 

Finally, I was able to bring her flowers for the first time on Mother's day in 1999. They were beautiful white roses which I tearfully arranged on a simple vase and carefully laid on her tomb. Sadly, she was not able to see the flowers I brought for her. And I did not get to see her face light up at the sight of flowers, nor did I hear her thank me for them. 

I would have traded anything in this world that day for that last chance to hear our Ima call my name, see her face light up and smile at me as I bring her flowers on Mother's day. 

Happy Mother's day to all mothers. And to everybody who still have their mothers around today, treasure them. You never know when you won't be able to hear her call your name again. 

Buskers all over

An elderly couple giving smile to passersby

Shortly after I arrived in New Zealand and my husband started showing me around, I would always notice buskers in big and small cities and sometimes even in small towns. I was curious about them and they never failed to fascinate me. 
On occasions when David would go to Wellington for business meetings, I would sometimes tag along and he would drop me off to where there were shops I could indulge in my "retail therapy". To buy time, I either walked in and out of shops or just sat on the park observing people moving round and about. I could not control my hand clicking the camera when birds flying and landing on the park pick up bits and pieces of some people's snacks or lunch they shared with their feathered friends. 

One of my favorite hang-outs was Cuba Mall in Wellington. It seemed to be one of the favorite places in the city for buskers. Let me tell you first that Cuba mall was not like the SM malls of Manila, which were huge, multi-story buildings full of shops and people. Rather, Cuba Mall was a stretch of road where there were lots of shops on both sides.

I remember an instance when my eyes caught sight of something new in that spot of the mall where there used to be an empty space. There stood what looked like a newly-built monument. The 'statue' was that of a young man, tall and lean, donning a suit and a hat that I recalled seeing from photos of men from a generation ago. The whole thing was the color of bronze-y, muddy brown and was glistening under the mid-day sun.

Seeing that there were a handful of people milling about it, I took a cursory look, then a second glance. It was then that I noticed something unusual about the 'new monument'. The 'statue' in it was standing on a one meter by one meter platform and at the foot of the 'monument' was an opened overnight bag (containing some tools used by a builder or a carpenter) with the same bronze-y, muddy brown color. When somebody from the crowd waved his hand on the face of the 'statue' some of the girls around started to giggle. A cheeky bird perched on his hat and other passers-by started doing their bits to distract the 'statue'. Another woman readied her camera and shouted, "Smile please!" That was when I saw his eyes moved! He was not a statue! He was alive! A real person busking as a stone monument! When onlookers started clapping their hands, I also clapped mine. Why, he was able to deceive me for a few minutes! Unbelievable! He looked like a real bronze monument to me! I was kicking myself though, for not bringing my camera and not being able to take a photo of that amazing busker!

Two oldes doing their music

I have since then made it a point to always bring my camera whenever we go out of town. But it was always awkward approaching buskers and asking them if I could take their photo while performing. The few shots I took of them, I would say, were not as satisfactory as the talents on display. 

The 11 year old girl playing violin with a fan.

Another one that really captured my fancy was a young girl we saw at Alexandra in the South Island. She must be around 10 or 11 years old and she was making really beautiful music with her violin. Written on a piece of paper on the violin case at her feet was her reason for busking: 'fund raising for a school trip'. After dropping two gold coins on the violin case at her feet, I asked her if I could take her picture. She said yes, so I did. And then an elderly woman who just could not keep her amazement to herself dropped two or more gold coins onto the violin case before giving her the thumbs up sign.

Honestly,  my fascination with buskers started when I was just starting as a beat reporter for a weekly tabloid in (sigh!) 1982. Title of tabloid was Morning Free Press. Unfortunately, there was no press freedom back then. The publication was closed immediately when the Conjugal dictators reigning in the coutry accused the publisher and his staff, including me of being "pro-communists." Anyway, that's another story I am willing to tell later. 

Back to our topic, let me tell you about the first busker I met while doing my job as a newspaper reporter back then. On the right side corner at the entrance of the Santa Cruz Church in Manila (where I used to go to hear mass on Sundays), I would always see this man dressed in white shirt and khaki shorts with a white 'good morning' face towel on his shoulder. He was propped up on a square piece of wood with rollers underneath it, that enabled him to move around. He looked clean despite the fact that rain or shine, he was always exposed to the fumes and dust and grime on the streets of Manila. He had no hands and no feet. Birth defects, I learned later when I had the chance to talk to him. He suspected that his mother tried to abort him while still a foetus. But he never voiced out his suspicion to his mother, he said. His lower limbs stopped at his mid-calves and looked like stumps where legs were supposed to be. His arms were stumps from one or two inches from the elbows down. And to make matters worse, his empty eye sockets were mere slits on his face. It was a tough role assigned to him by our Creator. But he refused to be a burden, he said. So at a young age, he started to look for ways he could earn a little to get by. He learned to play the harmonica by pressing the instrument in between his stumps of arms and bringing it to his mouth. An empty tin can encased on his left leg stump was used to tap on the ground as accompaniment to his harmonica music. Church goers and passers-by would drop coins onto his second tin can that was conspicuously placed in front of him. Some other days when he felt like the people giving alms were tired of him, he would stray from his favourite post and would play his harmonica within the vicinity of that area. He could not stray far for obvious reasons. With the kindness of other people and his music he managed to get by on a daily basis.

The second time I talked to him, I was with a photographer who took snapshots of him while performing. Pity that I did not keep any for myself. To this day, I am reminded of him whenever I see buskers around. Whatever happened to him after my interview with him, I have absolutely no idea. But one thing I was sure of, he was a brave man who lived to the challenges of his role in this world.

Hearty Smoked Fish chowder

Nothing beats fresh vegetables when it comes to good cooking. However, chopped, frozen veggies are sometimes practical, especially if you're pressed for time and you just can't be bothered preparing the ingredients--chopping, dicing, slicing, etc.--which is very time-consuming.

This smoked fish chowder was one of those recipes I saw on "Food in a Minute" (a one minute advertorial program to fill gaps between programming), which got me interested. However the recipe required for a packet of ready to cook frozen potatoes, capsicum and onions. Stingy me, would rather use fresh veggies (some of which may come from our garden), rather than buy the more convenient packets of frozen goodies. So I peeled, diced and sliced equal amounts of potatoes, capsicums and onions. Plus, I altered the quantity in the ingredients as the original recipe was meant for 4 - 6 people. I do not like using butter so much, so again, I used substitution--olive oil instead of butter. I'm sorry, I could not tell the difference in taste had I used butter, but there probably isn't much difference.

The picture may not have done justice to the taste of the dish because I took the photo in a rush before dinner, but David and I find it really nice. He asked me to do it again soon.

Hearty Smoked Fish Chowder

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 leek, trimmed, rinsed and cut into 1 cm slices
1-2 stalks celery cut into 1 cm slices
1 tbsp flour
1 cup vegetable stock or water
3-4 pieces medium size potatoes
1 piece onion
1/2 cubed red and green capsicum
1 cup frozen sweet corn
250 g smoked fish fillet, skinned and flaked
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped celery leaves
1 cup of milk
1 tsp (optional) grated lemon rind

Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the leek and celery until tender, but not brown. Stir in the flour and cook over a low heat for 1 minute or until frothy.

Gradually stir in the vegetable stock and milk, stirring continuously as the sauce thickens.

Add the cubed potatoes, green and red capsicum and onions. Add sweet corn. Simmer gently stirring regularly until the vegetables are hot and tender

Stir in smoked fish, herbs and lemon rind if using. Season as wished.

This can be divided into four servings for small appetites.

Crispy Vegetable Rolls

After three days my mung bean sprouts were ready for the harvest and for the wok. I don't know why but even after years of making this lumpiang prito, there would always be excitement and a feeling of satisfaction as I look at the pile of just-rolled lumpia on my kitchen table ready for frying and freezing. Moreso, if they were rolled properly and they are in uniform sizes.


Here's how I did them:

Lumpiang Prito
(Vegetable Spring Rolls)

250 gms ground pork
500 gms mung beans sprouts
1 medium size carrot (grated)
1 good size sweet potato (grated)
1/2 small cabbage (shredded)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch (for sealing)
soy sauce to taste
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Vegetable oil for frying

Heat oil in a big enough wok, saute garlic and onion till fragrant. Add ground pork and cook until pork loses its raw color. Add the chicken stock and boil for five minutes. Add the grated sweet potato, carrot and shredded cabbage, Cook till veggies wilt then add the mungbean sprouts. Cook for five minutes more, turning the veggies to make sure they don't go soggy.
Remove from heat when veggies are cooked. Transfer into a colander to cool and drain.

Dissolve cornstarch with a little water, bring to the stovetop and heat, stirring until it thickens. This can be used instead of a beaten egg to seal the spring rolls.

Separate the spring rolls skin and cover with a damp cloth to prevent from drying. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the skin about two inches from the bottom corner, then fold it over the filling and roll upwards encasing the filling. Fold in the corners and press down firmly to seal, creating an envelope. Moisten the left and right corners of the skin with the cooked cornstarch and seal. Repeat with the remaining filling and skins.

Using a deep fryer or a deep work, heat the oil until almost smoking and begin frying your lumpiang prito until they turn golden brown.

Drain with paper towel.

Vinegar Dip:

In a small bowl, combine half a cup white vinegar, 4 cloves or more garlic (crushed), half a teaspon ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Mung Beans Sprout

David loves crispy vegetable spring rolls (lumpiang prito) dipped in ketchup. Sometimes, he prefers Mang Tomas Sarsa ng Litson, while I am a vinegar dip (made with white vinegar, lots of crushed garlic, a little salt and black pepper) fanatic. I make lots of these and freeze them in packets of 10 pieces, ready for when he wants something crispy for lunch.

I am quite choosy with the mung bean sprouts I put into my vegetable spring rolls, though. I prefer them when they are just two or three days old--when the beans are still in their 'button' stage and the 'tail' is just about a centimeter long. At this stage, the sprouts have a nutty texture and are more preferable than the fibrous texture of long "tailed' sprouts. So I grow my own to make sure they are in the right stage of growth when I need them.

Mung beans are definitely one of our comfort foods when we long for the warmth of home. Unfortunately, they are high in uric acid and at a certain stage in our lives, we just have to accept that we could no longer indulge in 'ginisang munggo' every Friday. Not to worry though, we can still have 'lumpiang prito' since there other ingredients to it other than mung beans sprouts. With all that uric acid talk, mung beans are still a good source of Vitamins A, B, C and E, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Amino Acids.

If you want to start sprouting your own, here is how to do it:

First you have to have a bean sprouter. Mine is made of plastic--round, three layered. The first and second layers are transparent and there are small openings on the side where water drains so the beans are not swimming in water. The third layer catches the water that drips from the first two layers.

If you are like me who prefer more beans than roots: Rinse the beans and drain them every 8 to 12 hours for two to three days.

For long roots: rinsing and draining should be done in 4 to 5 days.

Apulung minuto king Arayat National Park

"Pagnasan kung tuki ka

Batyawan te itang bunduk ning Alaya

Kareta ding batu manukluwanan kata..."

                                     - Indung Balayan (Arti Santa Rita, Kapampangan Ku CD)

  

Nung mipasyal kayu Mt Arayat National Park kening milabasan a pilan bulan, siguru apansinan yu ing makadismaya nang hitsura ngening kasalukuyan. Ing buri ku sanang ikutang, ninu na ing mamalakad king Mt. Arayat National Park?
Apat a beses neng tinuki keng pamanuli ku Pampanga i David. Pero e ke pa aturung magsalitang Tagalog o kaya Kapampangan mu man anya Inglis mu ing balu 
nang sabyan. At e ne pa ikit ing kabilugan na ning balen kung tibuan. Anya ing tauli ming pamanuli binalak ku talagang maglambat kami Santa Rita, ban kanita apasyal ke kareng lugar a pagmulalan keti Pampanga.

Ing mumuna nang diling buring akit, alang aliwa nune ing bunduk Arayat. Prumeru ya pamung minuli Pilipinas, apansinan na neng David ing bunduk Arayat a mayayakit ketang tiknangan nang matas a hotel king Cubao, Quezon City. Anya ginagad yang sinaling mapa ning Pampanga king National Book Store, Cubao. Karin, ikit na nung makananung miras king San Juan Baño, ing baryong sasakop keng entrance paukyat king Mt Arayat National Park

December 30, 2008, alas kuwatro na ning gatpanapun inyang miras kami San Juan Baño. Menibat ke Santa Rita, dinalan ya ing sasaken ming karag-karag a jeep king Mexico kaibat Santa Ana bayu miya ikit itang arkong ating makasulat - "Arayat Malaus Ta Pu". Adwa keng pulu katao ketang kilub ning jeep--labing apat a anak a mangalati, edad apat anggang labing apat at anam a makatuwa.
Palub king parke adwa lang arko nung nukarin makasulat ing lagyu "Mt Arayat National Park" deng abungaran mi. Muna kung apansinan ing mangabakbak a pintura karetang adwang arko. Tahimik, at alang tao ketang gate a makabuklat. Mapali, malisangan at maalikabok. Misumangid ating adwang tanaman a mengalagas na bulung pauli ning malanging gabun at angin.

Kalagpas ning jeep karetang adwang arko linto la ring apat a kelalakian at metung a babae. E ku ikit nung nukarin la menibat. E la karagulan a katawan detang lalaki. E la mikakandayu edad  s--iguro atilu keng 30 anyos o mahigit. E marayu keng limang talampakan at limang pulgada ing katas da. Paka-salol lang putut at sinelas a goma. Itang kabud babae, bilugan ya at makuyad ya buwak. Kulang lang metung deng ipan na keng lalam at makasulud yang malutung kamiseta, kule asul a korto maki bulsa king arap at gulut at lawe ku, maskup ya ing salol na. Ating makakuwintas a ID kaya pero balamu e ne buring ipakit malapitan.

Tinakiki la keng jeep ming sasaken. Mipakirut ku pa inyang bigla na la mung sinalambo keng jeep a sasaken mi ding atlung lalaki. Sinabit la king estribo, itang metung pa keta naman gilid na ning driver at itang kabud babae, sinabit neman ketang passenger side nung nukarin makalukluk ya i David.
"Tsa-beinte pesus balang metung a katao," nganang sinabi ning babae.
"Ali, treinta pesus balang metung!" masiyas nang salabat nitang metung karetang lalaking makasabit king estribo anyang apagmasdan ne i David. Inisip ku iya ing tatalakad lider na ning grupu da.
"Aba, ninung tutu kekayu?" ngakung mengutang, medyo mesora ku king kagarapalan dang asal at pamagsalita. Mataram ya paglalawe itang lalaking balamu lider, anya medyo mipakamakama ku. "Basta, treinta balang metung," masiyas nang sinabi.
Kaibat nang memilang kareng pakalukluk keng jeep, sinabi nang 480 pesus ing bayaran mi. Mayap namu e ya masyadung biyasa keng kuwentahan. Binye ke ing metung a Ninoy at sinabi kung karela ne ing sukling beinte pesus. Pero matsura naku aiisip tungkul karening lalaki.

Menguldas kami ngan kaparada na ning jeep ketang masalilung a gilid na ning parke. Bandang kailli nung nukarin migparada ya ing jeep, ikit ko retang mengalumang kubu-kubuan a ilib. Siguru, manayun la reta anyang bayu lang gawa at marakal a mag-piknik. Ngeni, lupa nong mengapaburen at e na malyaring gamitan. Keng arapan mi, ating metung a swimming pool nung nukarin atin limang anak a mangalati magtampiso keng danum.
Manibat king kagulutan mi, atin pang adwang lalaking dinatang. Maibug kung mapuput anyang pelibutnan da kaming miyasawa. Pamilitan da keng mukyat karetang eran a matas. "Karin akit yu ing malagung view na ning bunduk. Ala kong akit keni lalam," nganang sinabi nitang lalaking lider da kabang makalawe la mu reng aliwa. Malangi ing tonu nang magsalita. Balamu utusan na kami pang tuki keng buri nang malyari. "Tara na! Dakal ko pa akwang letratu karin," ngana pa nitang metong anyang apansinan ne ing kamerang dadala ng David.
Miglalawe ku ketang direksiyon a tuturu da. Mangalabung la at mangatas ding tanaman dutung a ikit ku keng misusumangid na nitang eran. Masukal at madalumdum. Menalakad ku buwak kayagnan na ning aisip kung matsurang eksena. Aganaka ku pa ing ababasa ku keng diyaryo keng internet, deng miyaliwang tau pangidnapan da at patubus maragul a pera. Makananu nung mabisa ke ping manik? Makananu nung marok la palang tau rening kasabi mi? Makananu nung atyu na kami ketang babo, kaibat bigla rang sinabing "E kayu malyaring magbaba anggang e kayu mamiye maragul a pera!" Mengilabut ku. Telanan keng masalese i David, pota bigla reng abitan. Pero lalu kung mengilabot anyang aisip ko reng anak kayabe mi. Agyaman dakal kami karela, puro no man anak a mangalati reng abe mi, makananu nung panasakitan da la deng pangunakan ku nung ala kung aibie pera? Ay rugo.
Kakabug naku salu, pero e ku bisang payalata lalu na kang David. Pepaliwanag ku kaya ing buri dang malyari detang lalaki, pero siyempre, eku sinabi ing kutub ku uling makarine kaya nung matsura ing maging karanasan mi keng kanakung balen.

"Pilan mong minutu bayu tamu miras ketang babo?" ngakung mengutang, agyaman e ku interesado.

"Saguli mu."

"Makananu kasaguli?"

"Siguro, metung oras ati ta na ketang babo."

"Ay, rugo…ali na. Maina no reng tud ming miyasawa, e mi na agyu ing matarik a ukyatan. Saka e ku bisang mabengi. Siguru muli na kami mu. E bala nung mesayang ya man ing kekaming biaje papunta keni."

Kasabi kung muli na kami mu, pengulait ko reng anak at pepasaken kung pasibayu king jeep. Tinerku la at migtaka. Ala la pa kanung ikit keng pasyalan a ita. Bakit kanu kasaguli ming mumuli. Tunggal-tunggal, ginulut la retang lalaki at e ku no ikit nung nukarin la migbanda. Melakwan ya itang babai makalawe kekami kabang kukusad ya ing jeep paluwal king parke.

Malaut na ing pilai na ning jeep, makanyan man eku pa mu rin mikuldas a salu. Malyap la pa mu ring maglalawe reng kanakung mata. Makananu nung ati lu mu pala keng gilid-gilid detang lalaki, kalupa nandin at bigla na lamung sulput manabat pala keng pagluwal mi? Nung malyari ya mung sulapo ing jeep, siguro, sinabi ku na keng driver mi ing pasulagpon ne ing sasaken mi ba keng agad milako karin. Inyang abatyawan miya ing boundary ning Sta Ana, karin ku pa mu mipangisnawang saldak. Pepasalamat keng Diyos at alang nanu na mang matsurang milyari kekami.

Pero siyempre, mekaramdam ku naman lungkut. Agya mung keng isip ku, menyawad kung tawad king Apung Guinu keng pamanisip kung marok tungkul karetang kabalen ku. Pero nung ikayu ing atiyu keng kabilyan mi at makanyan ing milyari, nanu kayu isipan?

Buri ku sanang sabiyan, nung ibilang deng metung kareng pasyalan Pampanga ing Mt Arayat National Park, sana naman ayusan de at linisan mu man bang kanita maglupa ne mang tune pasyalan. Metung pa, sana deng mamalalay kareng turista, biyasa lang makipagsalitang maayus at medyo malume kareng mamasyal. Matsura ing meging karanasan mi ketang lugar a ita at e na ku siguro magbanda pa karin. Lalung e ke irekomenda kareng kanakung kaluguran.

Makanyan man ing milyari, mayap a aldo pu kekayu ngan, Kabalen kung Kapampangan. 

                                                                      

Ampalaya

For the past weeks my body was signaling that I had been indulging in too rich food. The sign? I was craving for bitter melons. I don't know why, but after having rich and greasy food day after day after day, I would always want to eat bitter melons. This stemmed from our belief that eating something bitter will help purge the system of any impurities. Problem was, bitter melons are not common in the area where we live. So it's been weeks since I started craving for this bitter veggie. Last week I was so desperate that I asked David if we could check that Asian food supermarket in Petone, some thirty minutes drive from our place to see if they had any. The store did carry it, albeit frozen and the label was marked, 'product of Vietnam". Oh well, ampalaya from anywhere else in the world will be just as bitter and good. I was happy to bring home a packet of three pieces, cleaned and pitted.

I decided I would do 'relyenong ampalaya' since it's been ages since I last had this dish. So I stuffed two of them with cooked minced meat, rolled them in batter then shallow fried them. With ketchup and steaming white rice with, I had a feast! David did not like bitter melons so I had them all for myself.

Here's how to do relyenong ampalaya if you are interested:

Ingredients:

2 -3 pieces ampalaya cut in half or quarter (depending on the length of your ampalaya)
batter (1 egg, 1 cup of flour, water)
Oil for frying
Ketchup

Filling:
1 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/4 kg minced pork
1/4 kg (or less) shrimps, shelled, chopped (optional)
2 tbsp raisins
salt and pepper to taste
1 small carrot shredded (optional)
2 tbsp of chives chopped


Boil the ampalaya pieces until half-cooked. Do not overboil as this will make them soggy.

Meanwhile, heat oil in wok and sautee garlic and onion. Add the minced pork. Add shrimps. Stir and make sure pork is no longer pink. Add carrots and raisins. Add chives just before removing from heat.

Dry the ampalaya and stuff them with the cooked filling. Coat them with batter then shallow fry them. Just before serving, cut each piece into 1 inch slices then serve with ketchup.

Just remember when seasoning whatever you're cooking, go by your taste. Adjust any ingredient or alter if you must to suit your taste.

Quest for Bittermelons

Market by the river


When I feel like I am consuming too much of too rich foods, my body would crave for ampalaya (bittermelon), thinking this bitter veggie is some kind of a detoxifying agent that would rid the system of stored grease. I love this bitter veggie thinly sliced then sauteed in lots of tomatoes with cubed pork and shrimps, which we call "lagat apalya" in Pampango. A simpler version of this, "guisang apalya", is sauteed in tomatoes and then lightly beaten eggs are added to it. On special occasions, we would prepare "relyenong apalya", which is blanched whole bittermelons, seeds removed and then stuffed with cooked pork mince, coated in light batter then shallow fried. Served sliced with tomato ketchup and steaming white rice.

Too bad, the bittermelons I planted last summer did not do well, struggling to even sustain their leaves. Needless to say, not a single fruit was produced this year. Now, I am hoping against hope that they would survive the cold this winter in the hothouse so I've been trying to keep them alive by keeping them watered and protected as best as I could from the cold.

Bitter melons can be bought thinly sliced, vacuum packed and frozen in an Asian store in Petone (a 35-minute drive from our place). But no thanks, because frozen veggies turn very soggy when cooked, not to mention watery, and therefore, have lost most of their nutrients and taste.

So when a friend mentioned that ampalaya are on sale at a flea market in Lower Hutt every Saturday, I eagerly looked forward to visiting that place. The Riverside Market in Lower Hutt is quite far from where we live, so we have to have another purpose for going to that place. We had the opportunity last Saturday, when another friend from Porirua, invited us over for her housewarming party.

It was the first time I had been to the Riverside Market in Lower Hutt where all sorts of freshly-harvested fruits and veggies were on sale. Veggies were in green and yellow plastic crates loaded from big trucks. Vendors were mostly Chinese market gardeners, selling their produce. Noticeably, a lot of buyers were Asians, some were Maoris, a few Pakehas and the rest were Pacific Islanders.

Looking around, I was amazed at the sizes and shapes of fresh greens on sale--familiar veggies and ones that I only know by name through books and magazine. I have never seen white radishes so biggg, each one weighed at least two to two and a half kilos! Or potatoes as big as an infants head! There were the more common veggies like cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, squash in different varieties, watercress, spinach, carrots, big pechays they call "pak choys" here, chinese cabbages (ones we call pechay Baguio back home), and just any other leafy greens you may want to find.

BUT not a single bittermelon in sight!

Wandering around a bit disappointed for not finding bittermelons, my face lightened up seeing freshly-cut lemon grass being sold by a Chinese gardener! Just recently, I bought a jar of lemon grass in a jar but was not so pleased with the preserved herb. I have actually given up hope of finding fresh lemon grass here, and now! I did not have second thoughts about buying a bunch--five roots with a few leaves in them--for two dollars!

Last summer we harvested sweet corn from our garden, and since then have been thinking of "Guisang Sale Manok", a chicken soup my mother would always cook when there were freshly-harvested corn. But then I was not confident about using the lemon grass in a jar, so I did not bother. Then too, I found sayote, which they call chocos here. Most of the days now are wet and cold, so what could be more comforting than steaming chicken tinola?

I took advantage of that trip to go and visit a new store that sells Asian foodstuff. I felt a bit sad to find a bag of rice labeled "Thai Jasmine Rice" and below it in open and close parenthesis, Milagrosa, mabango, clearly, a Philippine rice variety, that is now being exported by Thailand to other countries. Back then, our neighboring ASEAN countries learned how to properly cultivate and propagate rice from us through oour Rice Research Institute. Now they have become self-sufficient and are even producing export quality rice while we are now importing low-quality rice from them.

Lasang Pinoy 17: Salted Eggs

This topic about eggs really got me egg-cited. Eggs, are no doubt a perfect food. An essential ingredient in every kitchen, they are inexpensive, available at any time of year, nutritious, easy to prepare, and can be added to just about anything you're cooking.

Growing up in a farm, my siblings and I have lots of fond memories about eggs. The most vivid and probably exciting was that of "stealing" them from the nest (made from old baskets we call kaing, in Pampango), while the hen was still incubating them. Another one was discovering ducks' eggs under the haystack, or in a dark corner of the barn concealed under rubbish, or under piles of used bamboo poles where predators, meaning, dogs and children, wouldn't notice. Likewise, finding tiny quail eggs in equally small nests nestled in between rice stalks in the middle of a rice paddy, really thrilled us. But what was amazing for us as children then was my father showing us how to cook eggs in a different way--wrapping them in clay and throwing them in a bonfire. After a few minutes, when the clay had dried and had visible cracks, the egg inside was ready.

And of course pleasant memories about how eggs are used in Filipino foods also abound, like the sinful leche flan during town fiesta or Christmas season, the soft and still warm bibingka topped with salted eggs and grated coconut meat during the misa de gallo, spanish omelette in the morning and of course, balut, penoy, red, salted eggs, etc. etc.

Indeed, there are endless ways we could prepare eggs, but for this Lasang Pinoy 17, I would choose salted eggs.

Food we grew up with would always have a special place in our tummy, you know, so even the nicest and yummiest pasta dish would not beat the satisfaction you get from eating salted eggs, ripe fresh tomato, slices of green mango and steamed rice wrapped in fragrant banana leaves.

I remember, the last days of classes during my primary school years were always fun. Our teacher/adviser would tell us to bring our lunch to school so we could all have lunch together inside the classroom. I normally would have lunch at home on ordinary days because school was just a few minutes walk from home. Aside from that, I felt miserable eating a cold meal during lunch time. For that "special" last day of classes, I would bring my lunch to school, which would often be steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves and at the center of it was a shelled salted egg and a very ripe, fresh tomato. If I was lucky and pico mangoes were on sale, I would buy one from the public market on my way to school.

As a teen-ager, the salted egg also figured in our picnics with friends, especially if the invitation was sent on a short notice. Salted eggs were always available, they do not spoil easily, were easy to prepare and very cheap compared to meat, so they would almost always be included in our picnic baskets.

Some two months ago I chanced upon huge geese salted eggs at a farmers' market here and didn't think twice about buying two because for several days prior to that I had been craving for salty eggs with ripe tomatoes. The eggs were huge, probably twice the size of a medium-sized hen's egg. Not satiated with just two, I decided I would try doing them myself so I asked from among my friends for a recipe for salted eggs. I got one and this was what I used for my salted eggs using chicken eggs.

Salted Eggs

1 1/2 c Rock salt
4 c Fresh water
12 Fresh eggs, preferably duck eggs


Bring water and rock salt to a boil. Let cool. Place eggs in a crock or glass jar. Cover the eggs with the salt-water mixture. Let stand in a cool place for 21 days. Remove eggs from salt bath and store them in the refrigerator if not ready to use immediately. Yolks should be a bright yellow-orange color and quite firm. The white should be slightly cloudy and still runny. Eggs without a firm yolk should be discarded. To hard cook, cover with fresh cold water and simmer for 20 minutes.

Maybe I was too excited or too anxious that the recipe would not turn out right, or the eggs would become overly salty, so I tried one after 15 days. The egg yolk was allright, it had a nice color to it, the white was not too bad either, but it was not as salty as the ones commercially sold. So I waited six more days and the result was satisfying. Needless to say, I had a feast!

New Zealand grown ampalaya

I finally had bittermelon fruits from the vine I planted October last year. Actually, this was the last one. I picked three others some weeks ago and was quite pleased, but not too happy about them as they are so tiny compared to the bittermelon we grew in Pampanga. But since it's autum and the temperature has gone really low these days, I worry that the frost would beat me to my bittermelon so i also picked some of the leaves. These will be nice in sauted mung beans soup later this week. Well, semblance of food from home.

Pancit Bihon with Bittermelon and sardines

I chanced upon some ampalaya (bitter melons) in one of the Chinese stalls at the Riverside Farmers' Market last Saturday and decided to buy a piece which cost me three dollars. I had given up hope of producing my own ampalaya this year because to this day, the bitter melon vine I planted last October (which I kept well-watered and well-fed under the hothouse), hasn't produced any single fruit. It was a well-looked after plant, maybe even "spoiling" it with organic fertilizer once a week and making sure it is protected from any predator insects. In return, it grew lush, healthy leaves and the vine has almost filled the length of the hothouse. I was excited seeing its first bud burst in January, although it was quite late considering that it's been four months since I planted it. I anticipated to pick the first bitter melon fruit in February, but to my dismay, the first bud which was just about an inch long, turned yellow just as February was about to start. There were lots of buds that sprouted since then, but the same thing happened - they wilted just as soon as their flowers dried. Not a single fruit survived. And autum has set in, meaning colder temperature which the ampalaya wouldn't like. So last week, I picked all the young leaves and cooked them into a bitter soup with lots of tomatoes in it.

Anyway, I decided to use the bitter melon I bought in a recipe called, "Pancit Bihon with Bittermelon and sardines" or "Pancit Bihon Maki Apalya at Sardinas" in Pampango. You probably have not heard of this dish, but this is one pancit recipe from our barrio whose main produce back then was bitter melon. It's a farmer's recipe. It's something my mother would prepare as soon as the first few fruits of our bitter melon plants are ready for picking. These first few fruits, which develop near the base of the vine are called "bungang pun" in Pampango or first fruits. These are plump and short and are not too bitter. For farmers back then, the sardines is the most readily available ingredient, especially if you live far from the market place. Toiling in the farm from sunrise to sundown gave little time for us then to do our shopping (which would have to be in the next town) as vegetables are a very demanding crops. Sardines and bihon can be bought from the neighborhood sari-sari store at a very cheap price, whereas, if you wanted shrimps and pork to go with your bittermelon, you have to go to the next town's producer's market.

To cook this dish you will need:

1/4 kg bihon
1/2 kg ampalaya sliced thinly
1 tin of sardines
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 cup chopped tomatoes (optional)
1 medium sized onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste
1 cup water

Soak bihon in tap water until soft. Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic, onion and tomatoes. Pour the sardines then add water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bitter melon. Boil until bitter melon has turned a nice green color. Remove from the pan. Add more water if needed, then add the bihon. Cover the pot until bihon is cooked. Return the sardines and tomato mixute into the pan and mix well. Serve warm.

Salted eggs

I found these huge, salted geese eggs at a farmers' market in Lower Hutt last Saturday. I was so pleased because for days, I've been craving for salted eggs.

Nostalgia. The last days of classes during my primary school years were always fun. Our teacher/adviser would tell us to bring our lunch to school so we could all have lunch together inside our classroom. We normally had lunch at home on school days because school is just a few minutes walk from home. Aside from that, I feel miserable eating a cold meal at lunch time. And because there were no jollibees yet during those days, students' lunches would almost always be steamed rice with deep fried bangus belly with ripe, fresh tomatoes, or fried chicken/pork chop, adobo chicken/pork, etc. It was proper food, you know. Nothing from fast foods. Some years, I would have steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves and at the center of it was a shelled salted egg and a very ripe, fresh tomato. If I was lucky and pico mangoes were on sale, I would buy one from the public market on my way to school, or else, I made do with the indian mango.

The salted egg also figured in our picnics with friends, especially if the picnic was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. Salted eggs were always handy - they do not spoil easily, are easy to prepare and very cheap compared to meat.

Food we grew up with would always have a special place in our tummy, you know, so even the nicest and yummiest pasta dish would not beat the satisfaction you get from eating salted eggs, ripe fresh tomato, slices of green mango and steamed rice wrapped in fragrant banana leaves.

Stuffed Marrow

Zucchini and marrow

Last year, we had a bumper crop of golden zucchini and we tried several recipes using this. We made zucchini pickles, zucchini fritters, zucchini and mint soup, zucchini this and zucchini that. This year, we decided that we want the green one. Zucchinis are fantastic to have in the garden - they are easy to grow and need little attention. But not when they have begun fruiting because the zucchinis seem to grow vigorously and could become marrows overnight.
Two weeks ago, we noticed an overgrown zucchini and so allowed it some more days of sunshine before we decided to pick it. David suggested that we stuff the marrow and bake it like we did with the yellow marrow last year. The recipe is called Stuffed Marrow which was from the book "The Cooks' Garden" by Mary Brown, Helen Leach and Nancy Tichborne.
For this recipe, you will need a large vegetable marrow (1.5 kg). Cut it evenly in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds and the soft pulp inside.

For the stuffing:

1 small onion chopped
2 tbs butter
250 g mince
60 g fresh mushrooms chopped
1 tb chopped parsley
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
50 g soft breadcrumbs
freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 small egg
2 tbs butter, melted

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onion and saute for a few minutes. Add the mince and mushrooms and continue to cook until browned. Remove from the head. Add the remaining ingredients except for the melted butter. Mix thoroughtly with a fork.


Pack the stuffing carefully into the marrow. Place in a large roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Cover with a piece of foil. Bake at 190 degrees. A large marrow will need 1 1/2 hours and a small one will need 45 minutes in the oven,
Serve with Neapolitan sauce.




Neapolitan sauce
250 g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 tb cooking oil
1 tsp chopped basil or parsley

Saute the tomatoes, garlic and seasoning in oil for a few minutes. Do not allow the tomatoes to become pulpy as the fresh taste will be lost. Add basil or parsley and serve with the stuffed marrow.

This sauce also goes well with spaghetti and topped with grated cheese.