• Description

Vernacular Names: mala, sili

Parts utilized as vegetable and availability: fruits, shoots, leaves

Cultivated/Foraged: planted, gathered

Habitat: homegarden, farm

Availability: all year round; wet season, August

Other uses: Anti-highblood; induces farting, good for the heart, business (livelihood)

Dishes:tinola, law-uy, ginata-an, adobo

Puso sa Saging

Ingredients

Banana blossoms
oconut milk
vinegar
salt
ground black pepper
mantika (cooking oil)
red onion
garlic
jalapeno or chili pepper

Procedure

1 . Saute garlic and onion in cooking oil till caramelized in medium heat.
2 . Add banana blossoms, stir and cook for few minutes.
3 . Season with salt and ground pepper to taste.
4 . Add pepper and vinegar. Simmer for 5 minutes in low heat.
5 . Add coconut milk, stir and simmer till liquid thickens.
6 . Remove from heat, transfer in a serving fish and serve.

Tinonuang Gulay

(Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Cream)
Brgy. Asinan, Matanao, Davao del Sur

Ingredients

• 1 pc large corn or mais, kernels scraped off the cob (Zea mays)
• 1 cup horseradish or malunggay leaves (Moringa oleifera)
• 1 cup bamboo shoots or dabong, preboiled and chopped (Bambusa sp., Gigantochloa sp.)
• 1 pc small to medium taro corms or bisol, peeled and cubed (Colocasia esculenta)
• 1 cup jute or saluyot leaves (Corchorus olitorius or C. capsularis)
• grilled fish or inihaw na isda, flaked
• coconut cream or gata from 1 large mature coconut, 1st (thick) and 2nd (thin) extractions separated
• salt
• 1 stalk lemongrass or tanglad, crushed or scored
• 1 pc medium head shallot or sibuyas
• 1 thumb ginger or luya, crushed
• 4-6 cloves garlic or bawang, crushed
• Chillies or siling labuyo for heat, chopped

Procedure

1. Boil water in a sauce pot. Drop tanglad, sibuyas, bawang, luya, chillies and scraped corn.
2. Continue to boil until the stock is fragrant with ginger and lemongrass, and the corn is tender.
3. Add dabong and bisol (taro).
4. Add salt and boil for 3 minutes.
5. Add flaked fish and salt season to taste.
6. When bisol and dabong are tender, add the coconut cream and stir.
7. Add saluyot and boil for 1 minute more.