Exotic Viands

 Foods I enjoyed to have for lunch or dinner are more  exotic than you think.

PINANGAT - A special Filipino dish, ingredients are wrapped with taro leaves. The ingredients are cooked (saute') first: garlic, chopped onions, shredded ginger, lots of ginger, minced pork, shrimps, dried fish, coconut cream and stuffing for the taro leaves, simmered in coconut milk until its cooked in a big wok. You can add spices if you want. So much work to make this very unique, exotic food.

PASTRY - Sweets made from ube haleya (root crop similar to sweet potato, purple yam). The sweets (hopia) above are made from combination of ube and jackfruit. Not a viand but a dessert.

MACKEREL - usually had macky in hot coconut milk with veggies such as bittermelon, eggplant and squash, onions, ginger and garlic. Don't forget the spices, salt and pepper.

PINAKBET - mix veggies sauteed with pork.

PINAIS - all ingredients are wrapped in a leaf called "ispangil" known only in Quezon province in Philippines. Ingredients such as chopped shrimps, chopped young coconut meat, garlic, onions, salt. Once wrapped with ispangil, you still have to wrap the "gift" in a banana leaf and steamed the whole gift package until its cooked.

No wonder why we consumed so much rice at home. The exotic viands can make you eat more steamed rice.