Ginataang Langka

My husband is predominantly a fish eater, and we have fish in the house everyday.  Having fried fish means there should be an accompanying vegetable dish, either in soup, stir-fried, steamed, sauteed, or in this case, stewed in coconut milk.

Back when I was a little girl, cooking anything ginataan was a tedious process, primarily because all of the ingredients had to be processed first by hand: the langka needs to be peeled, cored, seeded and then sliced; the coconut peeled, grated and then squeezed for its milk.

Making Ginataang Langka now is  a lot simpler and faster.  Sliced/shredded langka is available from the public market and major supermarkets; coconut milk and cream are now available in cans or in powdered form. 

The best part of it is when it's langka season,shredded langka costs only P30.00 per kilo, which would actually feed a family of six. That's a cheap P5.00 per person!

GINATAANG LANGKA

What's In It?

1 kilo shredded langka (unripe), washed and then preboiled until fork-tender
1 can coconut cream
2-3 cups tap water
1 onion, peeled and sliced
50-100 grams dilis (optional)
3-5 green chili fingers (optional)
1 pork broth cube (optional)
50-100 grams chicharon (crispy pork rind), pounded into small chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
a knob of ginger, pounded
1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
half a head of garlic, peeled and pounded

Kitchen Conjugations

Heat wok or medium saucepan.  Add in cooking oil, and saute ginger, onions and garlic until fragrant but not burned.  Add in half of the coconut cream, stir from time to time until the mixture boils.

Add in the shredded langka, the dilis, pork broth cube and the chilis.  Let boil then pour in water.  Stir to combine and let boil for 3 minutes, then bring down heat to simmer.

Let the mixture simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring from time to time to avoid curdling, until the langka is fork tender.  Add in salt and let simmer for another 5 minutes.  Adjust seasonings if desired.

Sprinkle or stir in the chicharon granules before serving.

Notes:
1.  I use JnEm coconut cream, which costs only P38.50 at South Supermarket (compared to Thai Heritage's P41.00.)  The cream is thicker than that of Thai Heritage.

2.  Shredded langka is best cooked the same day of purchase.  It discolors and spoils in 2-3 days, even when refrigerated.  I have not tried freezing it though.