Laing Pasta with Prawns

Last updated on November 8th, 2018 at 11:45 pm

Everybody thinks that Laing or taro leaves in coconut milk can only be eaten with rice, think again. Say, try it with pasta or noodles!

Ingredients

  • 1 pack linguine pasta; cook according to package directions
  • 8 pcs prawns; deveined and shelled
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • 1 cup laing; cooked
  • ½ cup cream
  • Kesong puti or white cheese; grilled then cubed

Procedure

  1. Cook the linguine pasta according to the package’s direction; set aside.
  2. Season the prawns with pepper and salt and drizzle with olive oil. Cook prawns until they turn into pink; set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, heat the laing (see below for the Laing Recipe) with the cream, season it with pepper and salt. Toss it or top it over the cooked linguine pasta. Top it with grilled white cheese and prawns.

Laing

In Philippines, taro is commonly called gabi. A very popular dish for taro that originated from Bicol region is called Laing. Its main ingredients are taro leaf and stem cooked in coconut milk and salted with bagoong or fermented fish or shrimp. Moreover, because it is a dish from Bicol region, it must be with spices like red-hot chilies such as siling labuyo or “Bird’s Eye Chili”.

Taro is commonly seen at Southeast Asia. A tropical plant grows as a root vegetable because its starchy corm is edible. Its leaves can be edible too, which is considered staple in Oceanic, Asian and African cultures.

The taro plant cannot be eaten when raw and it is considered poisonous due to its calcium oxalate crystal content know as raphides. If the leaves will be cooked, it can decrease its toxic content especially when added a pinch of baking soda. Another method of minimizing toxic in the leaves will be soaking it overnight. It is recommended to drink or use milk with Taro. Taro leaves must be eaten cooked to avoid high calcium oxalate, which can be a cause of kidney stones.

Ingredients

  • 25 pcs gabi or taro leaves; shredded and dried
  • ½ kl pork; diced
  • ¼ cup shrimp bagoong
  • 5 cloves garlic; minced
  • 2 pcs red onions; chopped
  • 2 T ginger; minced
  • 5 pcs red hot chilies or labuyo; sliced
  • 1 cup coconut cream or kakang gata
  • 2 cups coconut milk 
  • ½ t MSG or vetsin
  • 2 T oil
  • 1 t salt

Procedure

  • In a pan, sauté ginger, garlic and onion
  • Add the pork and cook until tender
  • Mix the gabi leaves with the pork
  • Add in the coconut milk and bring it to a boil and continue simmering for 15 minutes
  • Add in the chilies, salt, bagoong and MSG
  • Simmer for another 5 minutes
  • Pour the coconut cream and simmer until the cream releases oil
  • Serve it hot with the cooked linguine pasta.

The Food Diary

I am pure-blooded Pinoy food enthusiast who happen to be an aficionado for good food and great experiences.