Kapampangan Chows
Tim Tayag checks out some of the more unusual native culinary delights
“Kapampangans”, natives of the province of Pampanga, are known for their talented cooking. Being a full-blooded Kapampangan myself, I can vouch for our kitchen prowess and insatiable taste for exotic food, that borders on the weird. Surpassing the French, we are an adventurous bunch and will eat anything that crawls, flies, or makes weird sounds. Here are a few Kapampangan chows that a re definitely not for the weaker stomachs.
TAGILO
In Tagalog: Buru
In English: Fermented Rice
Ingredients: uncooked shrimp, cooked white rice, salt
How to make:
1. Wash and drain the shrimp.
2. Cook the rice, but make sure you keep it a bit wet by adding more water than usual and thereby breaking the “finger” rule.
3. Add salt.
4. Mix shrimp and rice. This is best done by hand, a clean one preferably.
5. Leave in a clean dry jar then close it making sure it’s airtight.
6. Store jar in a dry place at room temperature. If you’re Korean, bury a hole in the ground and store the jar next to your kimchi.
7. Wait two to three days and it’s ready.
Tim’s Comments: This dish has a distinct, sour taste with the consistency of paste. The more I ate it, the more I liked it. It goes well with uncooked vegetables such as okra, eggplant, or mustard leaves, but it doesn’t go well on a first date. You can also dip fried tilapia or catfish in this sauce.
SUSO
In Tagalog: Kuhol
In English: Snail
In French: Escargot
Ingredients: snails, ginger, fresh ground coconut meat, salt, onions, dilis (small sweet anchovies), taro leaves
How to make:
1. Soak the snails overnight in water to extract the dirt and sand and to give you time to change your mind.
2. Soak the coconut meat in half a cup of warm water and squeeze firmly to get the first cup of coconut milk. This batch should be thicker than the following batches.
3. Soak the coconut meat again in one cup of water. Squeeze out the next cup of coconut milk and repeat for another one and a half cups of water.
5. Place all the batches of coconut milk, except the first, into a wok on low heat.
6. Mix the chopped onions and ginger together with the coconut milk.
7. Mix the dilis.
8. Boil for one hour and put taro leaves and a little salt to taste – dilis are already quite salty.
9. When the sauce has almost dried up, put the snails in, the fresher the better. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Add the first cup of coconut milk.
Tim’s comments: Contrary to popular belief, the French weren’t the first ones to eat snails. Kapampangans were munching on them before France was even discovered. The trick in sucking this slippery mollusc from its shell is to tap the butt of the shell with the handle of a knife to loosen it.
CAMARO
In Tagalog: Aro-aro
In English: Mole Crickets
Ingredients: mole crickets, salt, pepper, vinegar, soy sauce
How to make:
1. In a pan, put salt, pepper, vinegar and soy sauce to your taste.
2. Boil the sauce for a few minutes, but do not stir.
3. Once it’s boiling, add garlic, onions, and tomatoes.
4. Then add the crickets.
5. Stir a bit until they’re smothered in sauce and ready to eat.
Tim’s Comments: Camaro are mole crickets that feed on the roots of the rice plant. Although Disney has turned them into loveable characters, these insects, just like the locust (minus the Old Testament appearance), are considered a pest. But Kapampangans are very resourceful and can turn pests into delicacies, especially during a war. Just try it! You won’t regret it and you’ll be helping a farmer.
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