Laing

Laing is a very popular Bicolano vegetarian dish that is made from the local gabi or taro leaves. The leaves are simmered in coconut cream and then served with siling labuyo or chili pepper. There are different versions of this dish that has sprung up across the Philippines. While some added more ingredients, others have used alternative ingredients.

Most cooks would buy fresh gabi leaves, separate the leaves from the stalks and dry the leaves under the sun for a couple of hours before we can use them. The reason why it has to be dried is to take out the unpalatable texture when you eat them. It's convenient and practical if you buy the packaged dried taro leaves and reconstitute it with coconut milk.

How to Make Laing

Ingredients:

1 pack (3.5 oz or 100g) dried taro leaves

6 cups (3 cans) coconut milk

2 cups (1 can) coconut cream

½ cup shrimp paste (bagoong or balaw)

½ lb. pork shoulder, thinly sliced

5 to 7 pieces red chilies

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

½ cup sliced ginger

8 cloves garlic, crushed

Instructions:

1. Combine the coconut milk, pork, ginger, shrimp paste, ginger, onion, and garlic in a cooking pot. Heat the pot and let it boil.
2. Once the mixture starts to boil, gently stir to mix the ingredients. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to stir once in a while to prevent the ingredients from sticking at the bottom of the cooking pot.
3. Add the dried taro leaves. Do not stir. Let it stay until the leaves absorb the coconut milk. This takes about 20 to 30 minutes. you can gently push the leaves down so that it can absorb more coconut milk.
4. Once the leaves absorb the coconut milk, stir the leaves and then continue to cook for to 10 minutes.
5. Pour the coconut cream in the cooking pot. Add the red chilies. Stir. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes more.
6. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve.