#GINATAANG LANGKA WITH SHRIMP PASTE HOW TO#

Not to mention, if you don’t know how to handle and prepare raw jackfruit, the process can be cumbersome and at times frustrating. Even Asian grocery stores that usually have fresh jackfruit cannot guarantee they will have good quality ones. Interestingly, in the Philippines canned jackfruit is almost unheard of! It’s like saying canned broccoli -who does that?! But of course, here in the San Francisco Bay Area, fresh unripe jackfruit can be hard to find. The same thing goes for green unripe jackfruit. Sure, they may be a dollar or two more expensive than canned ones but I’m willing to pay the difference. It turns out my neighborhood Asian grocery stores carry 100% fresh coconut cream and coconut milk at their frozen section. But if I cannot find fresh coconut milk, I buy my preferred brand of canned coconut milk, Savoy, which has the least additives. Personally, I rather risk seeing curds forming than sacrificing the quality of my dish. The canned versions have additives, stabilizers, and preservatives. Although canned versions are more convenient, they don’t taste as great as the fresh ones. With the canned versions, you don ‘t have to worry about curds forming. In the US and in other parts of the world, you can conveniently buy coconut milk in a can and coconut cream in a can. If it forms curds, you have to mix your cooking vigorously which can be painstaking. Filipinos usually use the light version first and pour the cream last so the soup or sauce won’t form curds. The second extraction is the coconut milk or “ gata“. The first extraction is the cream or “ kakang gata“. You can walk down to your corner market and by request someone will extract the coconut milk right on the spot. In the Philippines, they don’t have that problem. It is all about the quality of your coconut milk. The secret to making a great “Young Jackfruit in Coconut Milk” is not the meat broth or any bits of meat for that matter. Speaking of which, I adapted this recipe from my aunt, tita Nita.

In fact, my aunties would always cook this dish for me when I visit them. But if you make it at home, you can make it vegan and still keep its traditional essence.

If you didn’t know the recipe, you would guess it took hours to make! It is perhaps one of the simplest Filipino dishes because all you have to do is simmer the jackfruit in coconut milk with seasonings.Īlthough it seems very vegan-friendly, this dish usually has bits of pork, shrimp, fish, or shrimp paste. Yet, the result is extremely satisfying, rich, and comforting. “Young Jackfruit in Coconut Milk” involves very few ingredients and simple cooking methods.

Ginataang langka with shrimp paste