I have to admit, cooking ampalaya intimidates me, particularly because of its bitter taste quality. And it doesn't help that the critic’s* reviews on my past two ampalaya dishes were not exactly encouraging. "Di pa luto. Mapait pa.” That was his polite way of saying that he didn't like it.
But an ampalaya dish need not be 'un-bitter' to be good according to my officemate, who is an experienced cook. Emboldened by those words, I decided to forge ahead and launch this 21-day veggie challenge with ginisang ampalaya.
The dish turned out pretty well actually, in my humble opinion. I added a bit of chili soybean paste to make it sexy. The pineapple juice chased the heat away.
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| Eat ampalaya and live to be a supercentenarian! This vegetable is a significant ingredient in the cuisine of the of the inhabitants of Okinawa Island, Japan, home of the world's oldest people. |
DAY 2
One of my all-time favorite dishes is ginisang black beans and tomatoes.
I thank my officemate for teaching me this recipe which I absolutely love because it’s a no-brainer: just saute chopped garlic, onions, and black beans, let them get acquainted for around five minutes then add the chopped tomatoes. I remove the seeds in my tomatoes because I don't like looking at them. Sorry, seeds. You know it's cooked when the tomatoes have become a bit soft but still firm.
I thank my officemate for teaching me this recipe which I absolutely love because it’s a no-brainer: just saute chopped garlic, onions, and black beans, let them get acquainted for around five minutes then add the chopped tomatoes. I remove the seeds in my tomatoes because I don't like looking at them. Sorry, seeds. You know it's cooked when the tomatoes have become a bit soft but still firm.
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| Tip: Rinse the beans thoroughly before cooking to remove all the excess salt. |
DAY 3
Camote is a super plant. The highly-fibrous tubers are great sources of complex carbohydrates and anti-oxidants, and the young leaves (camote tops) are packed with polyphenolics, antioxidative compounds that may prevent cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as well as being rich in iron, calcium, vitamins A, C, and B2 (riboflavin), according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
I actually didn't have a plan when I bought the camote tops at the neighborhood palengke. But I knew I didn't want another sauteed dinner.
So I opted for a salad this time.
To prepare the leaves, I placed them in a strainer and poured boiling water over them. Then I put small mounds of spicy bagoong on the tomato slices to add a dimension of color to the dish. No, I’m joking, I just really love bagoong. So I will feel less guilty about the salt, I spilled extra virgin olive oil over the greens.
That's three days down, 18 to go!
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| New rule: Beginning today, I will eat only good-looking food. |
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* To make life easier for me, let’s just refer to my boyps as “C” or “the critic”.
