Lotus_in_Sampalok_LakeA great man once said, "Be a lotus." Which means, no matter how ugly, how evil, and how sinful everyone around you might become, do not allow yourself to be stained.  A lotus remains beautiful even as it lingers in the filthy waters of the pond.  Don't be contaminated, do not be influenced by worthless means, remain radiant among the shadows of darkness.  Be a lotus.  It has to start with one, to fill the pond with more.
Cooking Kulawo (Eggplant in Grilled Coconut Cream) [Unfinished] PDF Print E-mail
About SanPabloCity - Culture
Thursday, 18 September 2008 10:36
Does anyone know the real/official name of that delicious ulam we call "kulawo"?  I'd also like to challenge you to share your recipe for this amazingly zesty and healthy dish, in English please!

Here's my version using eggplants instead of the heart of banana:
  1. Take a dried coconut and get its meat using a grinder or a scraper;
  2. Get a bag of charcoal, preferably those made from coconut shell because they make the right kind of heat;
  3. Start a fire on the charcoal until their embers glow a nice orange hue;
  4. Take the scraped dried coconut meat and gently put them directly on the glowing embers;
  5. Using a thong, take some of the glowing charcoal embers and put them on top of the scraped coconut meat effectively sandwiching the coconut meat in between glowing charcoal embers;
  6. Put on a grill about 2 inches above the glowing charcoal embers;
  7. Put eggplants on top of the grill and cook for 10 minutes;
  8. Turn eggplants every 2 minutes so that they get cooked evenly;
  9. Appreciate the smell of the coconut meat being burned/charred, I grew up with the smell of copra and I like it!
  10. Take eggplants from the grill and put them on a plate to cool off;
  11. Remove the grill;
  12. Using a thong, remove pieces of charcoal covering the charred coconut meat;
  13. Gather charred coconut meat and put them in a bowl, don't worry about getting some ashes along with them. Be careful with the coconut meat, they can be very hot!
  14. Get another bowl, we will use that to hold the juice that will be extracted from the charred coconut meat;
  15. Get a strainer and/or a cotton cloth to use as a sieve for the coconut meat;
  16. Get a handful of the cooled-by-now-but-still-warm coconut meat and wrap them in your cloth sieve;
  17. Squeeze the clump of cloth with the coconut meat inside to extract the coconut juice that smells like copra, gather the juice in the second bowl;
  18. Repeat squeezing the coconut-filled cloth sieve until you can't get another drop out of it;
  19. Discard the dried-out coconut meat, you can use it to fertilize your garden!
  20. Get another handful of the not-yet-squeezed coconut meat and put it in the cloth sieve again;
  21. Squeeze and extract the coconut juice into your second bowl until you've gone thru all the coconut meat;

This is a lot harder that I thought it would be...  To be continued!

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 September 2008 13:58