A scientist in the kitchen

It’s summer in the Philippines, summer vacation for students and teachers and is usually the time for scientific conferences. One of the conference I would hopefully attend is the annual convention of the Philippine Society for Microbiology which will be held in Boracay. Yup, beaches, seafoods and microorganisms all in one go. The venue is at the Boracay Regency Beach Resort and Convention Center.

I’m already looking at possible accommodations - at the venue itself, a condo hotel or in on of the many private cottages that dot the island. Though I’ve got to finish the abstract first to ensure I’ll attend.

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In the Philippines, it is common to make pickled papaya as a side dish or condiments. We call this atsara. Grated papaya is pickled in a pickling solution of vinegar and sugar. Sliced bell pepper, ginger and carrots are usually added but these are usually added for color. Some would add raisins which I particular dislike.

Ginger adds flavor, though, and I like the pickled ginger more than the papaya itself. Most of the traditional Filipino dishes I’ve learned are usually by asking my elders how to cook particular dishes. While atsara is a traditional Tagalog dish, we usually don’t make them at home as it is usually easily available from the market. For recipes such as these, I usually turn to an old Filipino cookbook called “Philippine Cookery and Household Hints” where traditional Filipino dishes are discussed. This is one old book I have read since I was in grade school.

What set me off to making atsara was the bunch of ginger my mom harvested from the garden. Papaya is also readily available in the backyard. So now I make my version of atsara. The day I was going to make the atsara, my mom mentioned that one of siling labuyo (birds-eye chili) plants was bursting with chilis. This gave me the idea to add chilis to atsara to get a hot and spicy pickled papaya. I’ve got to act fast and harvest them, otherwise the chicken would beat us to them. Chilis are particularly attractive (and perhaps tasty) to the native chickens growing in the backyard. I added a stalk of lemongrass but the ginger flavor was overpowering so I couldn’t taste any lemongrass flavor at all.

Anyway, here’s my version of the atsara – sweet, spicy and hot!

Papaya-Ginger Atsara

1 ½ cups grated green papaya
½ cup ginger julienne
1 stalk lemongrass, cut crosswise (optional)
Siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili)
1 cup cane vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp salt

Put vinegar, sugar and salt in a pan and bring to a boil. Let simmer till sugar has melted. While the pickling solution is boiling, press the grated papaya to remove liquid, wash with water then press again. Wash a handful of siling labuyo. Put the rest of the ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, till solution is reduced to half. Cool and store in a jar. You can place the jar at room temperature away from direct sunlight. I prefer my atsara cold so I keep them in the ref.

Atsara goes well with fried or grilled meats, something you can easily take on a picnic with you. Just imagine, grills and pickles on a sunny day, so put the saddles on your horses and go to your picnic spot and enjoy a great food pair!

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This post I am sharing with Andrea’s Grow Your Own Event for March, 2008.

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This is my third Taste and Create entry and joining this event has really been an eye-opener for me. I have been paired with food lovers from across the world with dishes vastly different from what I am used to. I mentioned before that Filipinos eat rice as THE carbohydrate source so potatoes usually form part of the dish rather than as a dish in itself. I have been trying to expand my taste for potatoes thus from my Taste and Create partners I have looked at the many ways of eating potato.

For this month, I was paired with Kate of The Clean Plate Club. She has a lot of baked goodies but then, baking is not really my forte. So instead, I chose her potato pancake recipe just in time for Easter breakfast. I followed her recipe and served it with hotdogs and fried rice. Now, potatoes and fried rice? Basically I treated the pancake as a side dish to go with the hotdogs. Something new to introduce to my family. It tastes great, much like eating french fries and lends itself to many possibilities. Call it weird perhaps, but at the back of my mind, while taking a bite of the potatoes, I was mentally adding cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar to make sweet dessert. Or perhaps add some spices to make a savory side dish? Hhhmmm… I can’t wait to make these variations. Or this could go well with with grilled sausages on a perfect Easter Sunday… just put the sausage on the grill, put on the grill cover and cook your potato pancake at the same time!

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I must admit that Filipinos don’t drink wine that much. It is usually served during special occasions such as weddings and birthdays and perhaps during Christmas and New Year dinner. Until recently, the availability of Italian wine importers brought us easy access to wines. Mind you, the more acceptable wines are usually the sweetish type. Me? I’ve been fascinated with wines, not so much for drinking but for cooking. I’ve read a lot of recipes that call for white or red French wine in stews, pastas and seafoods. It does make the dish better flavored. I especially enjoy wine tasting in grocery stores, take note of the wines I like, and when I get the chance, get a bottle or two.

Perhaps because we don’t grow grapes here in the Philippines that we don’t have wine in our cuisine. We do have a lot of fruit wines, from mangoes to pineapples. I have yet to try them though, as they are not often available in the local stores. To learn more about wines, I rely on an online wine guide.

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