For sure each of us has experienced being told to eat our vegetables when we were still kids... even being told to eat squash to make our eyes shine bright and beautiful.
Squash, or kalabasa in Filipino, is a vegetable that can and is cultivated around the country whole year round. Kalabasa is a good source of vitamin A and B, phosphorous and calcium.
Until now, I don't like eating kalabasa unless it will be cooked as "lutik".
"Lutik", "linutik" or "linutik na kalabasa" is an Ilonggo vegetable dish made with mashed squash in coconut milk. It is also known as "ginataang kalabasa".
You can eat it simply as it is or you can add optional ingredients like shrimp, crab, string beans, malunggay and many more you like that can add flavor. You can also garnish it with spices like basil, parsley, salt and pepper.
Lutik
Ingredients
• 1 medium-size squash; seeded and cubed
• 1 onion; chopped
• 3 cloves garlic; chopped
• coconut milk (gata); first and second squeeze
• 3 tomatoes (optional)
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• salt and pepper
Procedure
1. To prepare the coconut milk. For the first squeeze, put 2 tablespoons of water and squeeze the coconut milk out of the grated coconut flesh. You should have about a cup, reserve the milk. For the second squeeze, put 2 cups water and squeeze out the grated coconut flesh again, this time you should have about 2 cups of coconut milk. Discard the coconut flesh.
2. Heat pan, pour in cooking oil.
3. Saute onion until it becomes translucent.
4. Add garlic until browned and fragrant.
5. Optional step: add tomatoes; stir fry until the flesh is crushed and soft.
6. Add the cubed squash and second squeezed coconut milk. Let it simmer and stir occasionally in about 5 minutes until the squash becomes tender.
7. Season with curry powder.
8. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
9. Mash half of the squash in order to blend as soup.
10. Add malunggay and first squeezed coconut milk.
11. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
12. Serve hot. Enjoy!
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photos/source/reference:
www.thehouseofqueens.com
flavoursofiloilo.blogspot.com
