Traditional Seafood Recipes From Mindanao

Fish and seafood have been part of the Filipino diet. As an island-nation, we take pride in the variety of what we can harvest from our seas.And because of it’s freshness, we would normally respect these produce by using traditional way of cooking like grilling (sugba) and curing (kinilaw).

Here are some recipes that go beyond sugba and kinilaw. It uses herbs and spices that is unheard of in other parts of the country.
(The following recipes featured in this week’s Bandehado are extracted from the forthcoming cookbook, Salusalo: Celebrating Philippine Culinary Treasures.

Published by the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc., headed by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and Mons Romulo as Editor-in-Chief.  Photography by Stanley Ong, food styling by Sandee Masigan, recipe head notes and research by Tracey Paska, copy editing by Bimbo Santos and creative direction by yours truly.

With more than 100 heirloom recipes from the families of the spouses from various parts of the country were shared, making this book an essential part of every Filipino family’s kitchen.)

Linutlot No Kotipa Woy Ow-an
Recipe by North Cotabato
Rep. Nancy A. Catamco

The Lumad culinary traditions of Mindanao are relatively unknown outside of the region, but for the indigenous tribes of Mindanao, such as the Manobo and the Bukidnon, their cuisine reflects the bounty and flavors of their environment. Linutlot refers to the method of cooking food, like fish, chicken or bakbak (frogs), in young bamboo tubes over an open fire.

Ingredients
Kotipa (catfish), cubed
Ow-an (mudfish), cubed
2-inch piece of ginger, sliced
6 shallots
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic, crushed
6-8 lemongrass stalks, divided into 2 tied bundles
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Young bamboo tube, open on one end
Procedure

Combine kotipa and ow-an with ginger, shallots, tomatoes, garlic, one bundle of lemongrass, vinegar and salt. Stuff bamboo tube with fish mixture and seal open end with the other bundle of lemongrass.

Lay bamboo tube over an open fire and grill until surface is charred, turning to cooking evenly on all sides. When done, split open bamboo tube in half and serve with steamed rice.

Piarin A Seda Ago Bodi
Recipe by Lanao del Notre Rep. Aliah Cimafranca

Maranao cookery reveals an affinity with Indonesian cuisine in its use of such herbs as langkawas (galangal), tanglad (lemongrass) and sili, and in flavoring pastes like palapa, made with native scallion bulbs called sakurab. Also omnipresent in many dishes are kalawag (turmeric) and coconut, both for its gata and papar (unpressed grated meat). Many of these delicious elements come together beautifully, in this fish and fish roe curry.

Ingredients
1 coconut, grated
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons turmeric powder
1 cup palapa
Siling labuyo to taste
1/4 cup grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole lapu-lapu or 4 lapu-lapu fillets
1 cup bodi (fish roe)
1 head pechay, added only in the last 5 minutes of cooking (optional)

Procedure
Spoon grated coconut meat onto a large piece of cheesecloth. Gather edges together and, while holding it over a bowl, begin twisting and squeezing.
Squeeze as much as possible, producing about 1/2 cup of kakang gata (coconut cream). Pour into a separate container and set aside.
Transfer pressed coconut meat into the bowl and gently stir in warm water. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until water is fully absorbed.
Repeat cheesecloth procedure, yielding about 1 cup of gata (coconut milk). Discard pressed coconut meat.
In a saucepan, simmer gata with turmeric powder, palapa, siling labuyo, ginger and salt. Add fish and continue simmering until cooked thoroughly.
In a separate pan, fry bodi. When done, add to spiced gata. Pour in kakang gata, add pechay, and season to taste with more of the above spices, if desired.
Stir in additional gata if curry sauce if needed to achieve desired consistency. Simmer until pechay is just wilted.
Serve with steamed white rice.
(Tip: For easier extraction of gata and kakang gata, use a potato ricer, available in specialty cooking stores, to squeeze the grated coconut.)

Buntaa
Recipe by Agusan del Norte Rep. Marie Therese Fortun

The original name of this Butuanon delicacy is binuntaan, which may be derived from the word binunutan, meaning to pull out. The moniker fits, as the recipe calls for extracting the succulent meat and fatty roe, or aligue, from female crabs.

The tasty filling left over after stuffing the shells are wrapped and steamed in banana leaves like suman, which are then served alongside the crabs.

Ingredients
2 to 3 kilograms of live alimango, preferably female
Shredded buko from 5 to 10 young coconuts
2 heads of garlic, minced and divided
3 onions, minced and divided
1/4 cup grated or minced ginger
5 chili peppers, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt
Banana leaves
Coconut milk
2 cups cubed kalabasa

Procedure
Freeze crabs overnight. Wash very well, then split apart the top and bottom shells. Discard gills and other inedible parts, and set aside crab meat, aligue and both halves of cleaned crab shells.

Combine buko, crab meat and aligue, half of garlic, two-thirds of onions, ginger, chilies and soy sauce, and season with salt to taste. Stuff cleaned crab shells with buko mixture and close securely with string.

Wrap remainder of buko mixture in banana leaves, forming rectangular packets, or suman, tied with leaf strips. Arrange crabs in a large pot, place suman on top and scatter remaining garlic and onions over them.

Sprinkle with salt and, depending on size of pot used, pour in enough coconut milk to come about two-thirds up the sides. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until crabs are done.

Remove cooked crabs from the pot and bring leftover coconut sauce back to a low simmer. Add cubed kalabasa, cooking until they become soft. Turn off heat and mash kalabasa with a fork to thicken the liquid, or ladle into a blender and process to make a sauce. Serve crabs with the sauce, buko-aligue suman and steamed rice on the side.

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