A scientist in the kitchen

This is my contribution to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp and I will be talking about ferns.

Ferns are part of a group of plants that are seedless and vascular (most of the vegetables and herbs we know are also vascular but produce seeds). Ferns can be found in a wide variety of habitats - from mountains to desert rock surfaces. The part of the fern that are eaten is called the fiddlehead fern - the unfurled fronds of young fern harvested for consumption. In Tagalog, we call these ferns as “pako”. These are usually sold in small bundles and are quite cheap (~$0.06). These are not cultivated but are picked from the forest so this is not really available all year in the Philippines. We usually have them during the wet seasons (like now).

Ferns have been part of many cuisines. In Indonesia, ferns are combined with a spicy rich coconut sauce called Gulai Pakis. It is eaten as vegetables in Japan and Korea. In North American Cooking, Ostrich fern fiddleheads are part of the traditional dish in New England, Quebec and the Maritimes. And, the Canadian village of Tide Head, New Brunswick is the Fiddlehead Capital of the World! In the Philippines, we usually serve this as a salad.

There was a bunch of ferns sold in the market recently so I decided to serve this with the sweet potato dumplings the last time we had family picnic.

Pako Salad

a bunch of pako
1 small tomatoes chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 inch knob ginger, crushed then sliced thinly
freshly crushed black pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup fish paste
1 tbsp sugar

Cut the tender parts of the ferns into 2-3 inch pieces. Discard the woody parts. Bring 2-3 cups water to a boil. Blanch fern for 2-3 minutes then Wash ferns in running cold water. Drain. In a bowl, mix fern, tomatoes and onions. In a separate containers, mix the rest of the ingredients then pour over fern. Serve immediately.

Popularity: 10% [?]

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Hosting last week’s Weekend Herb Blogging was a blast. Thanks to all of you who shared your posts.

This week, I am submitting this post to Cate of Sweetnicks.

Mangoes are in season in the Philippines. Over the weekend we harvested mangoes from our backyard. The mangoes were almost ripe and in a few days, will turn golden yellow. So we had avalanche of ripe mangoes the past few days.

What more can be said about mangoes? Did you know that Spanish galleon trade from Manila to Acapulco in Mexico brought the first seedlings of Manila mango to Mexico? The Manila-Acapulco galleon trade existed for three centuries and exchange goods, spices and cargoes between the two countries. This also facilitated cultural exchange between the Philippines and Mexico. This is also the reason how the cacao, the source of chocolate reached the Philippines.

My recipe for this week is another version of salad with mangoes. This time, to add some pop, I added poppy seeds.

Mango and poppy salad

1 cup ripe mangoes
1 medium size cucumber
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium sized bell pepper, juliened
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Sliced the mangoes and cucumber thinly. Layer the lettuce in a salad plate. Topped with cucumber and mangoes then sprinkle with poppy seeds.

To make vinaigrette: Combine 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 1/4 cup mirin, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp crushed pepper and 1 tsp chili flakes.

Popularity: 26% [?]

I have been browsing at kitchen designs in the last few weeks, well, browsing kitchen designs gives me ideas for my dream kitchen. That is sometime in the future, but for now, I am content with looking at pictures so I could best articulate what I want my kitchen to look like.
One of the gadgets I like is the pot rack (I didn’t know what it was called, until I chanced upon Enclume pot racks). That would really be space saving and the better to show off my pots and pans. And Enclume pot rack accessories such as hooks and chains are also available. One thing though, if I were to have Enclume potracks, it has to be hanged lower as I am barely five feet!
Before I go on and on, here’s my grilled salad to enjoy!

Grilled vegetable salad

This is very simple to make. I paired this with spicy grilled chicken for a simple yet sumptuous meal.
For this salad, you will need tomatoes, eggplant and onions. Slice tomatoes, eggplant and onions. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill over hot coals. Vegetables are done when soft.
For the dressing, mix vinegar, olive oil, crushed pepper, brown sugar. I just estimated the proportions here and checked according to my taste. Add chili flakes and mix well. Drizzle over grilled vegetables or grill on the side.

Popularity: 24% [?]

My university, the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB), is one of the oldest agricultural colleges in the Philippines. The College of Agriculture recently celebrated its 99th Foundation Day early this month. UPLB leads in the production of hybrid vegetables and fruits. Twice a year, a garden show is held to showcase ornamental plants and the latest varietal release of vegetables and fruit trees. Over the years, herbs has been a fixture as well, something I’m going to get my fill of next month. I look forward to this show each year, getting ready to buy plants and seeds that I can plant at home. I got my kaffir from here. Always there is something new to discover and to plant, but there are also old favorites such as orchids and bromeliads I look forward to. I am looking forward to next month’s show (another show is held every October).

Last year, I was able to take a lot of pictures of the flowers in bloom.

Now, isn’t it refreshing to watch these flower blossom? At other times of the year, there are several shops for flower delivery.

For the recipe, I just can’t get enough of the taste of kaffir. Last February, I was in a food festival where Myanmar students cooked this noodle salad. Adding fresh kaffir leaves (sliced very thinly) makes this a very refreshing dish. You can go vegetarian with this dish.

Vermicelli salad (inspired from a Myanmar noodle salad)

250 grams vermicelli
Juice from two lemons
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup ground roasted peanuts

For toppings: Thinly sliced cabbage, chopped scallions, mungbean sprouts, thinly sliced kaffir leaves, egg omelets sliced thinly (optional), chili flakes or sliced fresh chili

Soak vermicelli in water for 30 minutes. Drain water and pour hot water. Drain hot water.Put in bowl. Mix lemon juice, honey, and fish sauce. Add the lemon mixture to the vermicelli and toss well. Add the peanuts and toss again. Transfer to a serving dish. On another plate, arrange the toppings. Each person takes some vermicelli to his plate and adds the toppings according to his taste.

Popularity: 13% [?]