Simple Laing

Laing is a Bicolano dish made up of dried taro leaves, coconut milk, gabi ( taro) with either pork, shrimps , or dried fish.  Bicolanos take pride in this dish together with the other famous and ever so spicy Bicol Express. Taro leaves together with the nutritious coconut milk is such a winning combination. Taro leaves are rich in fiber—for good  digestion, potassium—for maintenance of good blood pressure, vitamin E—for  supple skin, and magnesium—for fighting fatigue. Coconut milk  as we all know now is very healthful because it is rich in lauric acid which is proven to be antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral….Now going back to the laing …  I don’t care much for the addition of dried fish even though  the authentic dish uses dried fish as the major source of flavor. For some reason, I get squeamish with the addition of dried fish in laing. Cooking laing with bottled  bagoong (from the supermarket) as its source of seafood flavor definitely agrees with me.  Bagoong or fish paste when sautéed releases a mild nutty flavor similar to  sautéed canned anchovies. Although I enjoy this  creamy dish very much, it is a relatively  new addition to our family’s meals. I  just started cooking it at home for the past 3 years.  I did not grow up  eating  laing as compared to sinigang or nilaga.  My mother was not  comfortable preparing this dish because of what has been said about the leaves , which when not dried properly, would cause itchiness and allergies. Many years ago, I would just be content eating laing either in Goldilocks or in any Filipino restaurant.

It was not until I became old enough (or just old )  when I realized that laing was such a breeze to make.  The “dreaded” proper drying of leaves was not a problem anymore because dried taro leaves are readily available in most supermarkets nowadays.  A bag of already dried taro leaves is relatively inexpensive, plus you just need a palmful or two    to feed a family of five.  The remaining leaves keep well in the refrigerator, or even at room temperature.

This laing recipe does not contain any meatand or dried fish. I always pair this with fried or grilled tilapia, or with inihaw na liempo or fried chicken.  Since this dish is so tasty yet simple to make, it happens to find itself regularly on our daily meals.

Simple Laing

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, sliced

2 Tablespoons ginger, cut into thin strips

1 or two sili pansigang or finger chili

2 – 2 1/4 cups coconut milk

½  chicken bouillon cube

1 Tablespoon bagoong  or fish paste

2 cups dried gabi leaves (loosely packed), rinsed

1 cup gabi, chopped into 1 ½ inch cubes then boiled until tender

cooking oil

Procedure:

1. In a medium pan over medium heat, heat about 2 tablespoons oil. Saute ginger, onion,  

    then garlic.

2. Add in  bagoong and sauté for a few seconds.  Add in coconut milk, sili pansigang, and  

    ½ chicken cube.

4. When mixture is simmering, add in taro leaves and cooked gabi.. Mix well. Simmer for

    5 minutes or until leaves are tender.

5. Adjust seasonings. You may add fish sauce or more bagoong if you like.