COCONUT is one of my favorite ingredients to use from my pantry. From the sweet refreshing juice of the young coconut to the nutty and creamy mature coconut, the number of ways you can use coconut in cooking is infinite. Keep in mind the flavor profiles and I guarantee, you will make awesome dishes.
The first time I tasted coconut in a dish, I was about seven years old and my grandmother had cooked ginataang kalabasa and sitaw. She was a Capampangan, so of course it had aligue in it. When she served it, I couldn’t explain the flavors I was tasting. Since I grew up in the States, we really did not have coconut cream in a lot of the dishes that my mom would make, so when I tasted my grandma’s cooking, it enticed me to learn more about it. The ginataang kalabasa became the dish I would ask my lola to make for me when she could. Then I discovered the other gata dishes, like laing and ginataang alimasag. For this month I will share with you one of my favorite home cooked dishes that my R&D Chemist “Percy” made for me, coconut crab with chili and aligue. I hope you like it and please, if you do make the dish, share it with me, I want to see your pictures!
You can always substitute the crab with shrimp, remember this is just a guide for you to create magic.
Ingredients
1 kg blue crabs
2 pcs. fresh coconut meat (grated)
1 1/2 cup water
50 g oil
100 g squash (chopped)
50 g onion (sliced)
20 g garlic (chopped)
20 g ginger (smashed)
2 pcs. green chili
2 pcs. siling labuyo (chopped)
50 g aligue paste
to taste salt and pepper
- Use fresh blue crab for the best eating experience. Place the fresh blue crab upside down in your chiller for two hours before you use them. This will put them to sleep, so they don’t move around when you prepare them for cooking. Remove the top shell and set aside. Try to save all the juices that will flow out in a bowl. Remove the gills and discard. Cut the crab into four pieces and store in the chiller with the tops and juices.
- Add one cup of water to one-and-a-half cup of the grated coconut. Squeeze the grated coconut for about one minute, or until all the coconut cream is squeezed out. Strain that out and place into the chiller. Place the grated coconut back into the bowl and add the one-half cup of water and squeeze again. Strain that and place into the chiller.
- Place the remaining one-half grated coconut into a heat proof bowl and blow torch it. Yes, torch it until it is browned all over. Take care not to make charcoal.
- In a large pot, add oil and sauté the onions for two minutes try to brown them but don’t burn it. Then add the garlic and ginger and sauté for one minute. Add the kalabasa and give it a toss.
- Add the “second squeeze” coconut milk to the pot. Bring that to a simmer, and once simmering add the crab and the rest of the ingredients except for the initial coconut cream and browned coconut meat.
- After five minutes add the coconut cream and browned coconut meat and bring to a simmer. Once simmering leave it for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Take care not to destroy the tops of the crab shells so the presentation will look nice.
- Plate up and serve with steamed rice. Enjoy.
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