Two Homey Recipes

Gata Sitaw and Okra with Dried Seafood

I love gata. I love adding it into different recipes and it always makes it taste a little bit more special. This is just sitaw (yardlong bean) and Okra braised in gata. I grilled some dried squid and dried fish and added it into the stew for added smokiness and flavor. With lots of white rice, this is sure to be a winner!

250g sitaw, cut into 1-inch lengths
200g okra, tender parts only, cut stem end
250mL gata (coconut milk)
onion
ginger
grilled dried squid
grilled dried fish
salt (only if fish and squid will not be salty enough for you)

Boil coconut milk with ginger and onion. Add grilled seafood. Allow flavors to meld. Add vegetables and cook until crisp-tender. Serve hot.





Kilawin na puso ng saging

I'm not very sure why we call this "kilawin" when we actually cook both the banana heart and the resulting salad...maybe because it's primarily flavored with vinegar. But anyway, it's a great side dish for salty things like dried fish.

1 large banana heart, quartered (take away all the red layers, leaving only the pale yellow colored core. Quarter the core)
2 cups vinegar (I use tuba vinegar, but my mom used to use Datu Puti, so whatever vinegar you use)
salt/vetsin
garlic
onion

Boil banana heart until tender. The color should change to a somewhat gray color. After that's done, douse with cold water and take away the central ridge (the core that hold the "leaves" and blossoms together. All you should have left should be the blossoms and the "leaves" of the banana heart. Using your hands, mash them all up and squeeze out the sap. Repeat this step twice to make sure all sap is gone.

Season the squeezed out banana heart with the vinegar and salt and vetsin. Heat up a pan and sautee the garlic and onions. Add the banana heart mixture and stir until it absorbs the oil. Taste the mixture. If it's too sour, add some salt. Serve with dried or fried or grilled fish.