Ginataang Labong sa Alimango

Bamboo Shoots and Crab cooked in Coconut Milk

Our neighborhood magugulay (vegetable vendor) drops by twice or thrice a week.  Yesterday he had fresh bamboo shoots - already boiled and sliced!  As he says - ready-to-cook labong... 

Although he said he had already boiled them, we boiled them again, in rice washing water until it was tender (but still crunchy!!!).  Then came the question on how to cook them.  Another lively debate... Lola liked them with saluyot (jute leaves in English), A-te likes gata (cooked in coconut milk) and hubby wanted a piece of crab (and no saluyot)!  Well, majority (read as:  hubby the boss) wins and the shoots were cooked in coconut milk with crab!

about 700 grams  labong or bamboo shoots, boiled
and drained
1 small crab (about 350 grams by weight), cleaned and chopped into serving pieces, or use talangka (small shore crabs)
5 to 7 thin slices of  ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups thick coconut milk
2 to 3 pieces siling labuyo (bird's eye chili)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute ginger, garlic and onion until fragrant.  Add the crab and stir-fry briefly.  Pour in the coconut milk; when the coconut milk is hot (not boiling), add the labong.  Throw in the chilis and season to taste with salt and pepper (I used about 3 large pinches of sea salt).  Let the misture simmer, stirring occasionally.  Recheck the seasonings and when done, serve immediately!  This dish is perfect as rice topping!

XO Crab Sotanghon

When A-te J bought crabs from the wet market the other day, we had a lively debate on how to cook the crabs...  I wanted the saucy, milky dish like the one at Fuk Yuen.  Hubby wanted the spicy Singaporean-style crab.  Lola wanted just plain steamed crabs.  A-te wanted the dry, stir-fry type.

We ended up with this variation that used X.O. Sauce.

This is really the same recipe as before, with 2 changes - we omitted the pork and added 1 heaping spoon of XO sauce!   The XO Sauce gave the dish a bit of a kick and an enhanced flavor profile.  The omission of the ground pork was good too since the crab flavor was better (no interfering flavor?)

Hubby said this was the best version yet!

Yummmmmmy!

Singapore-style Chili Crab

Whenever we are lucky to have fresh, live crabs, my favorite dish to cook is crab sotanghon.  But this time around, I asked hubby his preference and (I shouldn't have asked since I know) he wants crabs very spicy, Singaporean style.

I "extended" the dish by adding suahe (live shrimps), but scaled the recipe to half.

For this particular dish, I used the recipe in this book...

found on page 19

It was really, really spicy!  But delicious!

Not My Usual Crab Sotanghon

The usual crab sotanghon (mung bean noodle) that I cook (and that hubby likes) is a creamy, saucy concoction.  This time, however, circumstances forced me to stray from the usual.  The culprit?  The absence of a crucial ingredient.

The result?  A different, but still delicious, dish!

The recipe:

300 to 400 grams sotanghon, softened
1 kilo crabs, cut up (cleaned)
4 to 5 thin slices of ginger
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, sliced
3 stalks leeks, sliced, white parts separated from green parts
350 grams ground pork
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 liter chicken stock
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon sesame oil
salt, pepper and chili flakes, to taste

Saute the ginger in hot oil.  Add onions, garlic, and the white part of the leeks.  Stir fry a few seconds and add the pork.  Stir fry until almost cooked.  Add the crabs and mix around a few seconds and season with oyster sauce and soy sauce.  Add the chicken stock.  Season with salt and pepper (and chili flakes, if desired).  When the stock boils, add the sotanghon.  Swirl in the beaten egg whites.  Let simmer until the sauce is fully absorbed by the sotanghon.  Toss with sesame oil (adjust seasonings, as needed).  Serve hot, garnished with the green part of the leeks.