Laing is a term used for a traditional Filipino vegetable dish cooked with coconut milk. The usual recipe calls for gabi (taro) leaves. But since I didn’t have any at my disposal, I substituted them with camote tops (sweet potato leaves and shoots) from our Good Food Co. basket.
INGREDIENTS
0.25 kg camote tops
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium red onion
2 tbsp bagoong (shrimp paste)
1 cup coconut milk
3 pcs siling pangsigang (finger chilis)
1/2 cup pork menudo cut*
1 tbsp cooking oil
*I used 1/4 kg of minced pork for this recipe since we didn’t have any pork menudo cut. I also added tomatoes, just because.
PROCEDURE
- Prepare your ingredients. Remove the leaves from the camote tops and discard the stalks. Chop the garlic cloves and onions.
- Begin heating the oil over medium heat in a small pot. Sauté the garlic and onions. When the onions start to caramelize, add the pork menudo cut. Reduce temperature to low heat. To boost the flavor of the meat, you may add star anise (more on this later).
- Once the pork has started to cook, pour in the coconut milk. Stir until you see a thin layer of oil coming out of the coconut milk, then add the bagoong and the camote leaves. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes until the liquid is reduced to about 80%.
- Add the sili pangsigang and simmer for another 5 minutes. Best served with steamed rice.
Now, why would you want to add star anise? This is something I’ve learned from Heston Blumenthal, owner of the three Michelin star restaurant–The Fat Duck–in the UK.
He explains:
What particularly appeals to me about star anise is the way it helps intensify meatiness in a dish. If you’ve ever wondered why humble Chinese spare ribs taste so meaty, even though they don’t actually carry much meat, it’s the star anise in the spice marinade. Chinese five spice usually contains star anise, Sichuan pepper, cassia, clove and fennel (which also contains anethole).
I prefer to combine star anise with lightly caramelised onions, and use this as the basis for a meat braise or sauce. The combination produces sulphur compounds that bring out the meat notes of a dish. As a rule of thumb, half a star anise to one large onion is about right. Thinly slice the onion and brown it gently with the spice in butter, oil or fat; it’s vital to get some caramelisation on the onions. Then add any other ingredients before putting in the meat.
But be careful. If you use too much star anise, it’s all you’ll end up tasting. You have to treat it with respect, just as you would any other big-flavoured spice or herb.
(via The Guardian)
It’s a fantastic tip really. James and I have done it countless times already. Why don’t you try it on for size?
