Lenten recipe: Kare-Kareng Gulay with Crispy Calamares
MANILA, Philippines — It's Lent, and you have to observe the rites that go with the season.
This includes abstaining from meat on certain days of the 40-day period. It’s easy if you love fish and seafood just as much as meat, because you can always turn to fish and seafood and not feel deprived.
Days of abstaining from meat, which is every Friday and especially on Good Friday, do not have to be boring for your palate. You can whip up delicious dishes, such as Seafood Kare-Kare or Kare-Kareng Gulay.
Mama Sita’s suggests cooking — and serving — Kare-Kareng Gulay with Crispy Calamares.
Kare-Kareng Gulay with Crispy Calamares
Ingredients:
For the Kare-Kareng Gulay:
2 tbsps. cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc. red onion, sliced (40 grams)
6 pcs. long green beans, cut into 2” lengths
10 pcs. bokchoy, cleaned and sliced, stems separated from leaves
1 1/2 cups water (375 ml.)
1 pouch Mama Sita’s Kare-Kare Mix
1 pc. eggplant, sliced and fried until golden
1/2 cup bagoong (shrimp paste) (optional)
For the crispy calamares:
1 kg. squid, cleaned, stomach removed
2 pcs. calamansi
1 pouch Mama Sita’s Palabok Mix (57 grams)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup (250 ml.) oil
Procedure:
1. In a medium pan, heat oil and sauté garlic and onion.
2. Add long beans and bokchoy stems. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes or until tender.
3. Add Mama Sita’s Kare-Kare Mix. Stir until mix is completely dissolved.
4. Add bokchoy leaves and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add fried eggplants. Top with crispy calamares. Serve hot with shrimp paste (optional) on the side.
6. To make crispy calamares, rinse squid and drain. Cut into rings about 1/4–inch thick. Squeeze calamansi over squid. In a bowl, combine palabok mix and cornstarch and mix well. Roll squid lightly in the palabok-cornstarch mixture, and deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain off excess oil on paper towel.
*Makes 3 to 4 servings.
