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Ginataang Banagan
Sunday, April 22, 2007
During our stay in Tabugoc, one particular food which caught my attention is ginataang banagan. Banagan means lobster. I have tasted ginataan with any kind of seafoods - shrimps, lobster, crabs, etc.- but the ginataang banagan as they call it, is really one of a kind. It is no match to the seafoods served at Gloria Maris or in any other restaurants serving seafoods.
Bicolanos are known gata (coconut milk) lovers. They cook almost everything with gata - fish, meat, seafoods, and even vegetables. Being a Pangasinense, I rarely eat anything with gata when I was a kid. My parents did not serve any main meal with gata except the ginataangmalagkit which I will post in the future. The first time I tasted ginataang seafood (seafood cooked in coconut milk) was when I was having a vacation in my aunt's house in Laguna (Tia Asela). That was when I was still in college studying in UST for my pre-med. It was also there where I learned how to cook ginataan.
Being married to a Bicolano made a ginataang dish ordinary for me. Since my maids are all Bicolanas, we always cook regularly with coconut milk. And my family loved it!
For this dish, it is important to prepare first the gata. The second extraction is put in a big pan and allowed to boil while stirring occasionally. When boiling add the seafood. In this dish, they used lobsters and crabs. When the seafoods are done then add the vegetables. They used squash in this dish. Back home, my husband uses upo. When the vegetables are done then add the kakang gata (first extraction). Then add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to make it a little sour and for best results, strain a few pieces of pre-boiled kamias. You can also divide 1 crab into two while still simmering so that some of its fat mixes with the sauce making it more delicious. That's it! So yummy! As Dora, the explorer says...Delicioso!
Name: Amelyn R. Rafael,MD Home: San Fabian, Pangasinan, Philippines About Me: Family Physician, and Associate Professor (Clinical Anatomy and Medical Physiology) See my complete profile
