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Bicolano Gulgoria Recipe

unlike the common pinoy version, the bicolano gulgoria counterpart use rice flour, coconut milk & sugar. unfortunately i have yet to come-up with the regional recipe. searched the web to no avail, relatives & friends don't remember either. i probably have to take a trip back to bicol and check with the older generation to get the authentic recipe.

flash back decades ago, my great grand aunt modesta (she's standing & her elder sister dominga is seated), would either prepare "bayukbok" or "gurguria" - my favorite munchies whenever i visit her in the barrio. "lang modes", as i fondly call her, would be in her backyard making her own rice flour. rice soaked in water overnight, drained and then pounded in a large wooden mortar & pestle. sifted in layers of finely woven sinamay (abaca fabric). result is finer than that of packaged corn meal - but courser than processed flour. almost like WONDRA texture.

this mortar & pestle is not the kitchen variety "dikdikan", when i say large...i mean LARGE! in bicol we call the wooden mortar GALPONG-AN. (the pounded rice flour is called GINALPONG/GALPONG or GALAPONG in tagalog region). averagely, the mortar's mouth is about a foot wide & more than a foot deep. the wood pestle is called ÅLO, varies in length & weight. perhaps a meter long to 3-5 kilos heavy, imagine it as a stretched elongated dumbbell. sometimes a pair of pestle is used. these days we call this process "working out in the gym".

(similar to picture from answers.com)

during rice harvest season, young men would line up several large mortars & pound fresh rice to peel off the husk or make "pinipigs" (rice flakes). the sounds of the pounding similar to rythmic jungle drums except these are wooden mortar & pestle. children my age always had the front row, seated in squat positions. giggling whenever a pounder missed a beat. our jaws drop when one shows off by twirling the pestle. watching a native performance of broadway's STOMP generations back.

oops...i got carried away. we're on the topic of gulgoria aren't we?

now back to "lang modes" and her gurguria. she kneads the dough from a mixture of rice flour, fresh squeezed coconut milk with grated "panucha" & dash of salt. rolls into a log & slice thinly to about 1/8". her "kawali" ready with hot coconut oil and carefully slide each slice in. fried til golden brown.

after the gurguria crackers had been drained & cooled, in a separate pot she'd make "arnibal" from "panucha" and at the right moment pour the gurguria crackers in, making sure every cracker is coated then take them all out fast. as it cools shiny frosting forms on the crackers.

to this day, i could not duplicate lang modes' gurguria. i have been experimenting & trying hard to recreate that flavor and guess what? NADA! it's so funny that i ended up with the rice gulguria (see top picture) in odd sizes, because i could not cut the log to keep a round shape cracker. i had to pat each slice as if i was making palitaw - thus the odd shapes.

anyway...i'm still in pursuit of that original bicol "gulgoria" or "gurguria" (we even say it differently in bicol).

to be continued.....

lumpia - ubod ng sarap!

i'm not certain what the english term for UBOD, is it "coconut palm heart" (just like "artichoke hearts")? unfortunately ubod is not often available in asian stores. if ever, they come frozen yet once cooked the color turns greyish. nothing like the fresh ubod we buy at public markets back home.

i recall, a few days before i left the philippines for the u.s., i stir fried some fresh ubod (without meat) & froze them in ziplock bags. did'nt have any problem with customs upon my return. that was years back.

now, when i have cravings for lumpiang ubod, i resort to using substitutes. i discovered 2 kinds of vegetable that can replicate the flavor & texture. ok...close enough. as we say in bicol "pwede pasar".


one is WHITE ASPARAGUS !

seen them in cans, but rarely saw fresh ones in the market.

one day, i saw this vegie on sale at our local produce stand. feeling adventurous, bought a bunch. figured if it did not taste right, i could always make pickles out of it. to my surprise it tasted almost like our ubod. crisp & a touch of sweetness, not as strong flavored as the green counterpart. as the label says: imported from PERU. yup!





















BAMBOO SHOOTS is another.
not the regular canned sliced bamboo shoots. check your grocery produce department if they carry the fresh item.
sometimes they are in plastic vacuum pack. occassionally you'll find them in asian stores soaked in brine.



to be continued....

what ??? paris hilton out of jail ?????

our dogther, chocolate, was so upset when she heard the morning news about paris hilton being released from jail. she run to her bedroom & got to bed, instead of hearing all the crap about the girl who stole the word BITCH from caninedom. paris hilton out of jail means: big competition!

oooh! oooh! ukoy!

it's been summer-like weather here in seattle & some of my friends went for a day drive to the coastal town of anacortes, washington.

during summer months, mom & pop stores along the narrow road to anacortes open for business selling local catch of steamed shrimps, dungeness crabs, oysters and smoked salmon. it's not unusual to encounter a car-load of pinoys in one of these kiosks, buying steamed shrimps for snacking. the flavor of "taba or aligi" in the shrimps head and sometimes cluster of orange colored roes combined with the fresh salty-sweet taste and eating the whole shrimp in thier armor is more of an acquired taste. they're too small to peel off, why bother. yeah...we eat them like popcorns.

my friends brought me 2 lbs of fresh steamed shrimps. ummm, they tasted so good, but i did not eat them all, i saved half and this weekend, used them for my UKOY! not the so-authentic recipe with grated "kalabasa" but as we say in bicol "puede pasar". ukoy is always a HIT! really easy to make.
before you prep your veggies, make sure you have a cup of white vinegar spiced with 1/4 cup chopped garlic, 1 average size shallot (cebollas de bombay) chopped, small slices of yellow ginger, crushed black pepper & 1 tsp salt (or 2 Tbsp soy sauce) . better yet, make a bottle of this vinegar concoction. it stores well without refrigeration. one may purchase a bottle of this vinegar concoction (with "labuyo" peppers) in most asian stores, along the patis & toyo section.

here's what you'll need:
1 lb of mung bean spouts (togé)
1 medium sweet yam (camote)
1 large stick carrot
bunch of spring onions
1 lb tiny unpleeled shrimps
1 lb tofu (toqua)
2 pcks mama sita's palabok mix
1 pckg rice flour
3-4 cups frying oil

the picture shows how i prep the veggies (clockwise): carrot, tofu, chopped spring onions, the mixed veggies, shrimps, bean sprouts and sweet yams. with a kitchen scissors cut off long antennas & the sharp pointed whatchamacallits from the shrimps head. CLICK on the picture to see details.

mix your dry ingredients in a gallon size zip lock bag (rice flour & palabok mix). toss half of the dry ingredients with veggies & shrimps in a large bowl, making sure all the vegies are coated with the flour mixture. save half of the dry mixture for later use.

in a deep flat bottom heavy 6 quarts pot, pour your frying oil. set the stove into high. heat up oil for about 5 minutes then turn stove to medium. why do i use a deep pot to fry? to minimize the splatter. i use a high heat resistant rubber spatula & metal tongs to turn the ukoys. heat resistant rubber spatulas are very user friendly specially when scooping the wet mixture. by all means use your non-stick fry pans and whatever utensils you're comfortable with. chopsticks are also good for picking up the ukoys...if you are really really good at it!

measure 1 Tbsp of the dry mix in a small soup bowl and add 1 Tbsp of COLD water. mix to a cream-like consistency. not too thick nor runny. add a few drops of water if it's thick or add dry mixture if it's runny. then fold in 3-4 Tbsp of the veggie mix. with the spatula, scoop & slide your mixture on the hot oil. spread mixture flat, about 4 inches round sizes of ukoys. you'll probably be able to fit 3 ukoys in a pan/pot.

i'm sure you all know how to fry. that's it!

you may ask: why not mix all ingridients together? i used to, but bean sprouts get soggy in the mix. also, once you fry your ukoy... the bean sprouts separates and floats. you'll end up fishing for those unruly bean sprouts swimming in your cooking oil.

IF you want to mix all ingridients - by all means DO IT! the veggies, dry ingredients & 2/3 cup cold water all together in one bowl. as we say "TANYAHAN"- using your judgement. making sure your mixture has a creamy consistency. not runny nor thick. if it's thick add cold water, few drops of a time. scoop mixture with a 1/3 size measuring cup. pour mixture in your frying oil and spread to about 4 to 5 inches rounds.

sometime back, a friend tasted my ukoy and asked for the recipe. few days later she called and said it did not come out right - limp! unlike what i served her - crispy. she wanted to know what my secret was. what secret? i'd rather share my recipies to "kababayan" so they may carry on our "pinoy" traditional cooking.

I DID! she said, when i asked her if she followed my directions. hmmm... what went wrong, i wondered? we had a run through of all the ingridients until i said rice flour. she said MOCHIKO!

AHA! i was very specific to use RICE FLOUR. not mochiko, not sweet rice, not glutinous rice. i'm sure you all know the difference. mochiko, glutinous and sweet rice are all STICKY variety.

cravings... BULALO

i've had cravings for bulalo since i read my godsis e-mail last week. today, my day off, i decided to fill that void.

got assortment of beef cuts from my "suki" carneceria. there was no actual bulalo cut that included the bone. i settled for the boneless beef shank, some beef tendons & few cuts of beef ribs.

my BULALO RECIPE

i pressure cooked the tendons for about 15 minutes, while the shank & ribs were boiling separately in a large pot.
when the tendons were done, i discarded the liquid & some fat that clung to the tendons. cut them into chunks. likewise, i discarded the broth from the 1st boiling of the shank/ribs pot. i can't bear the sight of those gnarly looking brown froth floating on my broth. i rinsed the ribs & shank, sliced shank meat to serving portions.

in a large stewing pot i boiled about 5-6 cups of water with 2 large onions (cubed), about a teaspoon of crushed black pepper, together with the shank, ribs & tendons. simmered the bulalo for about 30 minutes, then let it to cool.

i removed all the meat & tendons from the pot & refrigerated the stock. all the beef fat settled on top as soon as it got cold, easy to lift off & discard the molded fat.

how would you like your broth in a pool of lard?

i'm ready for my bulalo at dinner time. all my "verduras" had been prep: 1/4 head of cabbage, a bunch of pechay, 4 golden yukon potatoes, 1 large carrot and about 1/4 lbs of "bechuelas" string beans. i prefer an array of colors & texture. your choice of veggies is up to you, except "amargozo/ampalaya".

boil broth (fat removed), add thin slices of ginger - about a teaspoon. potatoes get in first. let it cook for about 10 minutes, add in the carrots & beans then cabbage & pechay. make sure not to over cook cabbage & pechay. add sea salt (or patis) to taste and more fresh crushed black pepper.

bulalo's peppery flavor & cut of meat (shank with bone & tendons) stands out over "nilaga". nilaga simply means boiled.

i arranged the meat & tendons and veggies in a bowl & pour the the hot broth. serve with patis or soy sauce with lemon on the side for dipping.

ummmm yummy.

recuerdos de Tagaytay y Bulalo

an e-mail from my beloved godsister, NONNA,
brought back old memories.

she and her family drove to tagaytay to celebrate mother's day.
she wrote: "We went to Tagaytay for Mother’s Day Lunch last Sunday and it seemed the whole of Luzon and their mothers were there."

"Everyone now seems to drive to Tagaytay at the drop of a hat, for lunch, dinner, merienda or coffee. The whole ridge side is covered with restaurants and all crowded too during week-ends most specially." her e-mail made me feel like i was there at that instant, sharing her experience.

my recollection of tagaytay was a long ride up a hill over looking
a lake and some little donut looking island that was suppose to be a volcano.

my bias, i'm from albay province and MAYON is the only VOLCANO!

tagaytay was cool & windy and hardly any imposing structures around. just acres & acres of pasture land and fruit trees. that was decades ago, i was probably 6 years old, when i attended a yearly event hosted and held at the estate of HEREDEROS DE RUFINO, a "family day" for all thier employees. an era when most companies were family owned and LOYALTIES were rewarded.

unfortunately my "old country soul" longs for provincial ambiance.
i may be living in the past... but it's that "past" that holds my tie to pinas. expats like me need to hang on to those "memories" of the old pinas before it was "mall-ified" and turned into an urban "shoemart-land".

i've never been to tagaytay since.
my godsis description of the new tagaytay is beyond me.
friends who went to pinas and had the opportunity to
visit tagaytay have given it HIGH marks.
maybe on my next visit, i'll check it out too.

she continues: "We couldn’t get into the restaurant we wanted,
nor could we get into the second one we tried.
We finally ended up at a steakhouse, something we were not really
looking forward to — having fried tawilis and bulalo originally on our minds".

her e-mail gave me the cravings.
maybe this weekend i'll cook some bulalo.
no tawilis around here, but i will settle for crispy fried smelts.
set out a "cafe" style dinning on our small patio. eat al fresco!
it's still cold around here so i can pretend i'm in tagaytay.

hmmm yummy! tagaytay here i come.

bicol express ala barrio

during my youth, our town market had one designated day as "sa-ud". town markets in albay province had a special day assigned as "market day". in guinobatan, albay, "sa-ud" is saturdays. vendors come from all over with all
thier goods, such as town specialties, produce, poultries, meats, seafoods, etc. "sa-ud" is always a festive occassion.

well, what's this got to do with my recipe "bicol express ala barrio"? read on...

"mamay inga", my great grandma, takes me with her on market days of either Ligao (now a city) or Guinobatan.
she would buy "badi" (dried salted fish), "tamban" (dried smoked mackerels in bamboo skewers) or "inasal" (dried grilled stingray), occassionally "kulit" (dried grilled shaved carabao skin). always a MUST on market days is "balao" (salted shrimp fries with no added coloring or "alamang" in tagalog).

before the advent of "price by weight" & "plastic wrapper", balao was purchased by "utsaba" (a volume standard - "gatang" in tagalog) and packed in a coned banana leaf, lining an old newspaper. the banana leaf served as a cooler while the outer cover of old newsprint absorbed any leakage. how is that for recyling?

most of "may inga's" purchases were dried or salted because we lived in a barrio without electricity nor refrigeration.
these condiments would last for weeks before the next "sa-ud" day.

except for the "balao" which she stores in a covered glazed clay jar, all dried/salted items were hung on top of the kitchen's expose beam to air dry and coupled with the kitchen heat (when in use) reduce moisture. the high beam was also a deterent for our cats, known to snatch food.

don't get me wrong, "may inga" would also buy fresh fish & meat but they had to be cooked a.s.a.p. when we get home, since we did not have any "ice box" to keep them. we had “free-range/free-roaming” poultries, while eggs & vegetables were abundant in our backyard.

reflecting on my childhood memories,
i came up with some recipies i've learned thru observation & eating.
let me share with you the taste of "bicol express" cooked the barrio way with substituted ingredients that are locally available to me. it may not be as authentic but the taste is just as good.

living abroad, some ingredients can be difficult to find, so i resort to substitution or at times improvise.
as we bicolanos say "mabubuhay sa bakilid", literally means: "to survive on a cliff".

BICOL EXPRESS ala BARRIO

4 lbs jalapeño peppers
1/2 lbs serrano peppers
1 lb smoked or grilled mackerel
3 Tbsp balao/alamang or shrimp paste
2 (18 oz) cans coconut milk/cream
4-6 garlic cloves (crushed)
salt

IMPORTANT:
*wear disposable gloves when working with peppers
*light-up some aromatic candles/incense sticks or heat up some coffee grounds.
*turn air vent fan to the max
(1) remove from peppers: stems, seeds & center membranes and cut diagonally. soak in cold water and drain in a collander, shaking off more unwanted seeds out.

(2) debone grilled/smoked mackerel and cut by hand into flakes or chunks.
(3) use a heavy gauge 4-6 quarts pot, turn on heat to high.
(4) put crushed garlic with about 2 Tbsp of coconut milk in the pot and squash, as the coconut cream boils to near oily.
(5) make sure your vent is on to max & and your candles/incenses are lited.
(6) sauté your balao/alamang with the garlic and add one can of coconut milk/cream.
(7) let mixture boil, stir constantly so as not to stick & burn at the bottom of the pan. add all your your sliced pepper and stir to avoid over boiling.
(8) after the first boil, turn down heat to medium and simmer until liquid from the peppers have thinned out. occassionally stir the coocking peppers.
(9) mix in last can of coconut milk/cream and let boil, then fold in fish flakes/chunks.
(10) simmer until creamy (thick & a bit oily) sauce. add salt to taste.

for more authenticity your "bicol express" needs to be simmered until sauce is thick and "nag latab-latab" or "nag lana-lana", meaning until it sparkles with a glint of coconut oil floating.

NOTE:
**when substituting dried salted fish for grilled mackerel, reduce amount of balao/shrimp paste or NONE at all.
**if you want your "bicol express" with a kick... do not remove seeds & membranes from the peppers. leave it on, be warned:
have a gallon of ice & water ready with your first taste.
**i used some ripe serranos to add color

AFTER YOU'VE EMPTIED THE POT,
DO NOT WASH OFF OR RINSE - MAKE SOME "NI-LINÔ".

after you've emptied the pot with the bicol express, get several scoops of left-over steamed rice "ba-aw" and wipe it in the pan with your laddle. the bicol express residues and scrappings from the pot sides will flavor your rice. add salt to taste. hmmmm! just like stir-fry/fried rice but better, "NI-LINÔ" or "LI-NINÔ" is always a treat.

LINÔ process also minimize your scrubbing/soap/water when you need to wash the pot. back then it was called "tipid" - frugal, but now it's the "IN" thing as in going GREEN. RECYCLE, save the earth! go ORGANIC! anyway, what ever it is...enjoy your this taste of bicol the old barrio way.