June 27, 2007

Filipino salad US version

Sliced hardboiled eggs, blanched spinach leaves and diced tomatoes are the three primary ingredients in this simple side salad. I described it as a US version because the Filipino version we have back in Manila, makes use of our locally grown green leafy vegetables like "kangkong" (water spinach ) and "camote tops" or what we call "talbos ng kamote" in our language. These are actually the young leaf sprouts or shoots from the sweet potato plant. Both types sometimes just grow wild out there but are also commonly sold in the local markets. We also use salted duck eggs instead of hardboiled eggs. These salted eggs are an acquired taste. My husband, who's willing to try it, found them very salty for his taste. We also use locally grown tomatoes ( similar to heirloom or organic here ) and small native onions. The native onions are quite strong in flavor so a little goes a long way. We usually mix up a dip made from our local "calamansi" or Philippine lemon, a little fish sauce, sugar and pepper to taste. Both types of greens are not available in regular groceries here but may sometimes be found in Oriental stores selling fresh produce in the summertime. Substitutes work well though and in this case, the combination just works great.

sliced double yolk "itlog na maalat" or salted duck eggs
from my cousins from Canada

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