The secret to ‘pinangat’ is in the folding of leaves

Tag : Nut Oil

MANILA, PhilippinesThe Mayon Volcano rises majestic as soon as youapproach Albay whether by land or air. At one point, you seem to becloser to it and yet you see that its not the perfect cone aspictures have shown. The tip is jagged, there are smoke vents onits side, cracks here and there, and the cone has ridges from lavaflows every time it erupts.
As you move from town to town the volcano travels with you,sometimes placing itself dead ahead, sometimes disappearing for awhile and then reappearing where you dont expect it. I thought Iwas the only one who looks for it every morning on waking to knowif it shows itself in full or is hiding behind white gossamerclouds. But then my host said his grandfather always drank hiscoffee looking at the Mayon to comment on how it looked thatmorning, every morning.
Its not the first time Ive witnessed such awe and reverence for amountain. Mt. Banahaw in Quezon also dominates the scenery. Itspresence is felt keenly as well by the people who live at its foot.
The Mayon Volcano is so identified with Bicol province. And thefood you get there is also identified with the place. Mention gabi(taro) and pili and you know those are Bicol ingredients you arereferring to. And somehow when food spiced with chili is cited,Bicol is what comes to mind.
Camalig in Albay is the place to go to for its famous pinangat. Thegabi packets are held together by strips made of coconut fronds. Aloop at one end signifies the pinangat is safely mild; no loopmeans it has enough chili to make it hot.
Pinangat makers
Benny and Bing Padriquela are one of the pinangat makers who supplythe restaurants in Camalig. They had finished making the batch ofabout 60 pinangat that morning but were gracious to show me anywayhow every packet is made.
In their kitchen, a seesaw-like contraption was in the middle ofeverything. It turned out to be a coconut milk press called ipisanthat can process the volume of coconut cream needed for the amountof pinangat they churn out, an average of 120 pieces a day.
Benny showed how the ipisan works. A bundle containing gratedcoconut with some water is placed underneath one end of a lever ona container made of tin. He steps on the other end then jumps onit, keeping his balance by holding on to a wooden bar. The leverthen presses on the bundle and from it the coconut cream isexpressed which is caught in a pail. It looked like fun and so Itried it. My first jump brought me back to my seesaw days when thethrill was the feeling of flying and then almost falling off.
Bing demonstrated making the packet. She said she mixed the recadobeforehand made of coco milk mixed in with chopped native ginger,lemon grass, some salt and pepper. Two to three gabi leaves make upeach packet and into that goes the recado, chopped gabi leaves andsome chopped pork. The art is really in the folding of the leaves.
Camalig pinangat are big pieces. Ive seen other pinangat that aremuch smaller, neater looking. When the packets are cooked, whitishclouds of cream form outside. Those give a preview of the rich andcreamy treat that awaits the buyer.
Pili trees all around
The first time I went to Bicol, Naga, to be precise, I asked myBicolano friend where the pili trees are located. She laughed andsaid they were all around me.
And so it was on my last visit. I cant seem to recognize the treewith or without its fruit.
The fruit I learned to eat in Manila when Beth Romualdez invited soshe could educate me on just how Bicolanos cook and then eat it.She instructed that water should be boiled and the fire has to beturned off then the fruit soaked in until it softens. The fruit hasto be taken out right away or it will harden. The fruit covering ispeeled, the flesh is removed from the nut then dipped in cuyog orsalted small fish.
In Daraga, Albay, we had grilled swordfish (malasugue) belly forlunch and with it the pili fruit and cuyog, the necessarypartnership. Next day, the pili nut shell that remained after thefruit was eaten is cracked and its still green nut tasted like afirmer squash seed.
In Gubat, Sorsogon, a bottle of pili nut oil was brought out. Theoil doesnt come from the nut but from the fruit, pressed just likeolives. I wonder how many fruits were needed to make that one tallbottle. It smelled and tasted like pili. I dont know how it willcompare to other salad oilsolive, grapeseed, walnut. Becausevirgin coconut oil is difficult to make into a dressing since itsolidifies, maybe we can make a go of pili nut oil.
Also in Gubat, the traditional sweet called conserva, pili nutmixed with panocha wrapped in a leaf, was demonstrated. I was toldthat without the leaf, the conserva wont taste the same. A bit ofsweetened pili tasted right after the cooking convinced me.