O is for Oh My Gulay
OMG: adobong kangkong with crispy garlic.
Except for the occasional lilikoi juice or seaweed salad, as a teen I rarely ate from the plant kingdom. A "real meal" to me went something like...Spam musubi, noodles, adobo, or sticky bbq. But somewhere along the way, the plant kingdom called. I slowly learned to crave and to cook dark leafy things cooked with lots of garlic. Sauteed mushrooms turn me to mush. After years of ignoring my parents and picking out the little green half-moons from the pinakbet, I finally get how bittermelon is delectable. Oh my gulay. I love those vegetables.
There's a half-truth in the perception that Filipino food is meat-heavy. Yes, our culinary heritage has meaty favorites - from sisig, to lechon, to adobo and more. But these dishes are only a sliver of the spectrum, without the traditional gulay dishes that use just-picked vegetables and fruits. As one of my titas says, "Well of course we would cook with gulay. We just go outside and pick something from the garden!"
I had the chance to taste more of the Philippine's wealth of gulay - some dishes rich in familiar flavors, others new and unexpected. Here are some flashbacks from Jan. 11 foodtripping:
Casarap Restaurant and art gallery, Batangas
Casarap is self-described as a “greenhouse cafe in the midst of a self-sufficient and successful organic farm.” This garden-art gallery-green restaurant was founded by Emma Alday, an environmentalist, slow food advocate and former nun. Located right at the 90 km marker off the National Highway, I estimated a quick 30 minute trip. But we somehow got lost for 2 hours, taking unmarked turns, and caught behind funeral car processions. But that's life, and it set the tone for a laid-back 4-hour lunch in the garden.
Gulay that's easy on the eyes
A charmingly painted sign tells guests to be aware Casarap serves slow food - both in cultivation and in preparation. This salad of edible cobalt-blue flowers, crispy cassava, and tiny pepinos was just one of the gems we finished off, together with fresh halo-halo, coconut ice cream drizzled with lambanog (a local coconut wine). There were many others I hoped to try - including wild fiddleheads in coconut milk - but we learned that reservations must be placed in advance so the ingredients could be harvested to order.
Nipa hut dining at Balinsasayaw Restaurant
Balinsasayaw is a Palawan-style restaurant that has taken root in Batangas, and its my mom and dad's favorite spot. The sprawling, garden-like grounds always seem to be full and bustling. I order a fresh buko (young coconut juice), sip slowly, and wait...
...for our orders to arrive. The vegetarian Palawan Express is the stuff dreams are made of, and its just spicy enough, rich with coconut milk, and subtly sweet from tender vegetables. Like the famous Bicol Express, this dish is studded with chilis and radiates a spicy heat relatively uncommon in Filipino cuisine, something that makes this Bicolana very happy.
Returning to the Bay Area, I already miss the flavors of the Philippines. But I feel inspired to take some of the flavors I've come to love using local-grown gulay. More to come!
Oh My, There's More Gulay:
Oh My Gulay Restaurant in Baguio
Happy Slip Utters Oh My Gulay at 1:25