D' Adventures of Alexa & Audrey

I've been busy lately...

Liver update

Blood extraction. It's been sort of a regular ritual for me. However this time instead of a creatinine count, I'm having a SGPT test to check my liver condition.

Painful? The only pain I felt was from my backpocket (P350!).

Laing for five

I'm on my second week of low protein, low salt, semi vegan, semi junk food diet. This morning I had ginisang sitaw and rice for breakfast, ginataang puso ng saging for lunch, and two small packs of Boy Bawang and a bar of Gardenia chocolate buns for meryenda.

For dinner, I decided to treat myself by making Laing, a Bicolano delicacy mainly made up of dried taro/gabi leaves in coconut milk or gata.

Here's the ingredients:
- 1 supot of dried laing leaves (I bought 2 plastic bags at StarMall Las Pinas)
- 2 gratted coconuts (or you can buy those unsweatened tetra packs, about 3)
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 2 small red onion, minced
- Lots of luya, maybe mince one which is the size of your hand
- 2 pieces siling pangsigang
- 1 small pack hibi (maliliit na hipon)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- About 5 strips of pork with lots of fat (just for taste)

Instructions:
Heat pan and place meat. Add a small amount of water to extract fat. If the water dries up and konti lang lumabas na mantika, add a little oil and and make gisa(hhwhatttt? Sorry nakalimutan ko english nito eh.. ah Sauté pala, hehehe) the bawang, sibuyas and luya.

While this is happening, ask your Lola to place the coconut meat in a deep bowl, pour in a cup of hot water, then have her extract the gata by making piga(like a pigsa) the meat till her kili-kili becomes red.

[pic ni Lola]

Note: if you don't have a Lola to help you, too bad ;P.

When the onion caramelizes or becomes transparent, add gata. When it simmers add the hibi, sili, laing leaves and pour gata ng nyog into pot. Let it simmer with frequent stirs para hindi masunog ilalim.

By this time my Mother arrived and tasted it (Mother:"Pweh! Walang lasa!"). She suggested I add more ingredients:

- Alamang
- a small amount of Magi Meaty Seasoning (Nyahahaha, secret weapon!)

Add alamang in small portions to taste. Be carefull not to put too much though. The laing should be ready when the oil starts to come out.

I didn't taste it anymore as there's no point (it was already 8PM), and I had already made a mess in the kitchen, much to my Lola's chagrin (Lola: "ANOOHH BAAAHH!! ISA LANG NELUTO MO ANG KALAT-KALAT MOOHHH, 'LIS DYAN!!).

Over diner, I found out that the laing is OK.

Here are the reviews:
- Pam: "Lasang laing nga! Pero hindi masarap.."
- Mother: "OK sya(sabay inom ng tubig)"
- Lola: "Hmmph, ang kalat-kalat mo magluto!"
- Yaya: "Masarap kuya(Good girl, me increase ka sakin next month)"