Fresh Palapa
The raw, uncooked form of the Maranao condiment: sakurab, ginger and chilli pounded together and eaten the same day. Sharper and hotter than the cooked version, because nothing has been mellowed by heat.
- Time
- 20 mins
- Serves
- 8
- Steps
- 7
- Ingredients
- 5
Method
- 01
Trim the sakurab bulbs and chop them finely. If using shallots, use the white parts of scallions mixed with shallot to get closer to the real thing.
- 02
Peel and finely chop or grate the ginger.
- 03
Pound the chillies with a little salt first, so they break down before the softer ingredients go in.
- 04
Add the ginger and pound again, then the sakurab, working everything into a coarse, wet relish.
- 05
Stop while it still has visible texture. Pounded to a smooth paste it loses the bite that makes fresh palapa worth making.
- 06
Stir through the turmeric and season with salt.
- 07
Eat the same day, spooned beside hot rice or grilled fish.
Cooking Tips
- A mortar and pestle gives a coarse relish; a blender turns it into a wet puree, which is not the same thing.
- Pound the chillies first with salt - the salt acts as an abrasive and breaks them down faster.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Sakurab grows mainly around Lake Lanao and is hard to find elsewhere. White parts of scallions plus a little shallot is the usual substitute.
- Reduce the chillies freely. Traditional palapa is very hot.
What to Serve With It
- A spoonful beside rice, grilled fish or chicken. It is a condiment, not a dish on its own.
Storage and Reheating
- Raw palapa is meant to be eaten fresh and keeps only 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
- To keep it longer, fry it off - that gives you the cooked palapa instead.
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