Coconut

Filipinos  have made many  use of COCONUT, from the fruits  to the roots.  The Philippines is  the world’s  leader in coconut production (2007)- COPRA INDUSTRY (used for coconut oil), followed by Indonesia,/India, and  in distant third. Pollachi. Therefore it is  appropriate to pay initial homage to the ever controversial place in Filipinos ranking as 1^st or 2^nd National Tree- THE COCONUT & NUT.

Contrary to the song…..Coconut belongs to both NUTS and FAT/OIL Food Groups based on the parts to be used. As to its versatile properties, coconut has wide range of uses from food to music. You can even be both culinary wise and economically creative using coconut and all its parts. Just like the flexibility, creativity and resiliency of many Filipinos here and back in our home land, you can create anything you can imagine with coconut. So let’s start digging in to all its parts and uses.

The Husk (outer skin,) & Shell (inner  stone). When the coconut has ripened  the  husk  will turn brown (NIYOG). The coconut husk’s very famous function is as “bunot”- an abrasive sweeper and floor polisher. Back in the olden days, you don’t want to be teased as “bunot” - which only means your hair is totally off both in style and fashion. The barber or your father must have rushed resulting  to only  one  layer/length  from the  front all the way to the back.. Coconut shells are also used as bowls, spoons and in the manufacture of various art and craft products.

The meat (NUT). The inside wall is a thick luminous coconut “meat” which is the white and fleshy edible part of the seed. Coconut meat contains less fatthan other dry nuts such as  peanuts, However it is considered mono-saturated fat.(medium-chain) as oppose to majority of nut and vegetable families which are all unsaturated fat (long-chain). Although, 90% of the fat found in coconut meat is mono-saturated, it is healthier than fat found in saturated fat (short-chain) foods such as lard, butter, and tallow . Coconut meat also contains less sugar and more protein than popular fruits such as bananas, apples and oranges, and it is relatively high in minerals such as iron,phosphorus and zinc. When the coconut is still young (green), the meat is thin and tender to eat and the water is delicious to drink. A mature (brown) coconut’s interior meat  is less softer and  less gelatinous than a young. coconut. The meat has thickened and hardened, while the  water has become somewhat bitter.

The milk “GATA”: The coconut milk in Filipino terms  is “GATA” or “Katas Ngungut” in Kapampangan, Squeezing  the grated meat with warm water produces  “Gata” or without water to produce thicker milk “Kakang Gata”. The resulting, white liquid is use by  many Asians to cook dishes like curries, soups, sauces, desserts, dessert toppings “latik”,  Other use as hair conditioner, hair treatment (HOT OIL), “langis ng niyog” and so much more.

The water “SABAW ng BUKO”, & Green Young Coconut “BUKO”: The hollow interior space is filled with air and liquid referred to as coconut waternot to be confused with coconut milk. The water of a young  coconut is very luminous, opaque, sweet (mild) with an aerated feel when cut fresh. Young coconut could contain as much as 1,000 ml liquid.. Coconut water is a very delicious and refreshing drink. It is also believed to aid in the cure of urinary infections and bladder stone.

Other uses of Coconut : Leaves for roof, dust sweeper, broom “walis tingting” and Trunk for fences, makeshift-boats and firewood..

TASTEBUDS & RECIPES

Here are the few of my most requested recipes as promised to friends

SWEET: Coconut Pudding	SALTY & SPICY/SAVOURY: SEAFOOD Pakbet sa GATA
Ingredients: 6 pieces  sliced bread ½  Jar Macapuno Strings 1 cup strawberries 1 egg 1 cup coconut milk 1 cup  sweetened condensed Milk Procedure: Cut bread in small cubes, then toast for 5-10 minutes. Pour it in a round 8-inch glass pie pan. Scoop ½ jar of the macapuno and layer on top of the bread/ Wash and slice  strawberries  and layer on top of the bread. Blend  Coconut milk, condersed milk and eggs together and pour over top of the bread. Bake @ 350F for about 40-45 minutes until bottom is golden brown and dry. Cut in slices and serve hot or cold with refreshing drink. Makes 8 slices. Variations: Can also use  green mango and/or mixed with rhubarb/strawberry sauce.	Ingredients: 1 bag Seafood mix ( or any seafood of your choice) 1 lb  shrimp ½ lb small crabs or big 1 lb large crabs 1 cup  long beans (sitaw) 1 cup  squash (kalabasa) 1 cup  okra 1 can coconut milk 3 Tbsp  Spicy Shrimp paste (Bagoong) ½ medium onion 5 cloves garlic Pepper (optional) 2 Tbsp canola oil Procedure: Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add seafood (all washed and trimmed) and boil for a few minutes. Add Bagoong and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add vegetables according to texture and order of cooking time. Reduce the heat then add coconut milk  and simmer for 3-5 minutes Serve with hot steamed rice Serves 4-6 Variations: Can add curry powder  and lemongrass
SWEET (DRINK): MELON COLADA
Ingredient Ice cubes ½ piece  cantaloupe (cut in small pieces) 1 Orange (Juice freshly squeezed) ¼ c sweetened condensed milk ¼ c coconut milk 2 scoops vanilla ice cream ( optional) ++ water SERVING: Pour in 4 flute glasses and enjoy Variations; Can use Watermelon, Orange  or  Pineapple	Procedure: Pour coconut and condensed milk in the blender. Run for 30 seconds Wash and cut cantaloupe and add to the liquid with orange juice. Run for another 30 secs. Add ice cubes next (Liquid before solids to keep blades sharp). Add ice cream if desired ( also add water/milk) to reduce thick consistency)

Nutritional Information

NUTIENTS per 100 gram Edible Portion (EP)**	Coconut Meat			Coconut Milk
	Magulang	Makapuno	Buko	Water	Gata	OIL
EP (%)	56	74	14	100	100	100
Water (g)	51.9	64.8	80.6	94.4	56.9	Tr
Energy(Kcal )	198	226	102	22	343	895
Protein (g)	3.9	2.4	1.4	Trace	5.5	Tr
Fat (g)	26.1	17.6	5.3	0.2	34.8	99.1
Carbohydrate (g)	17.2	14.5	12.1	5.1	1.9	0.8
Dietary Fiber-Crude (g)	8.7	5	6.6	0	0	0
Calcium (mg)	32	58	10	16	15	2
Phosphorous (mg)	96	59	54	6	100	3
Iron (mg)	1.5	1.4	0.7	0.2	1.6	Tr
Vitamin A (ug)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Thiamin (mg)	0.01	0.02	0.07	Tr	0.02	Tr
Riboflavin (mg)	0.03	0.02	0.04	Tr	0.01	Tr
Niacin (mg)	0.4	0.6	0.9	Tr	0.3	Tr
Ascorbic Acid (mg)	3	4	4	Tr	Tr	0

** The Food Composition Tables 1997 FNRI-DOS

BANANAS

Bananas, our “main ingredient”  in  this issue was born out of fun, inspired by my two high school classmates  Marla Carpio and Via Morris. I have the privilege of  exchanging  information and  getting closer with them because of  modern  social networking communications.  And as promised, I will include the winning recipe in  our taste bud’s segment  and  award the “bragging  rights” to the recipe preferred by anonymous tasters.

The banana is a very well loved staple, second only to rice, which many Filipinos  either  add on to a dish or have as a snack.  Whether it is prepared  boiled, fried,  mashed or used as an extender, banana is very versatile and filling.  Toss this yellow fruit, sliced or chopped on just about anything and a delightful dish will be born. No wonder this  food is the number one choice in many farmers’ daily diets.

The true origin of bananas is found in the region of Malaysia. “Ergo” the Arabic word meaning banana for finger. It is believed that there are currently about 400 different varieties of bananas. The Arabs  were successful in trading ivory along with abundant crops of bananas.  Arabian slave traders are credited with giving the banana its popular name. 

The banana plant is  a giant herb  and not a tree. Bananas that were growing in Africa as well as Southeast Asia were not the eight-to-twelve-inch giants that have become familiar in the U.S. supermarkets today. They were small, about as long as a man's finger. The Spaniards, who saw a similarity to the plane tree that grows in Spain, gave the plant its Spanish name, plantano which we now know as plantain.

History records show that in his campaign in India in 327 BCE, Alexander the Great relished his first taste of the banana, an usual fruit he saw growing on tall trees. He is even credited with bringing the banana from India to the Western world. It was almost three hundred and fifty years later that Americans tasted the first bananas to arrive in their country. Wrapped in tin foil, bananas were sold for 10 cents each at a celebration held in Pennsylvania in 1876 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Bananas and good nutrition go hand in hand. They are great sources of an array of nutrients, with B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, potassium, manganese and magnesium. One banana also provides eleven percent of the daily recommended requirement of fiber. The health benefits of eating bananas also include protection from stomach ulcers and promotion of good digestive health. To combat the harsh effects of stomach acids, phytochemicals stimulate cells in the stomach lining to create a thicker mucus barrier.  Bananas are also a good source of prebiotics - undigestible sugars which provide the nourishment for probiotics. Probiotics are an essential part of our health, defending the body from harmful microbes and improving nutrient absorption. The nutritional value of a banana  also supports good kidney’s health.  The antioxidant and phenolic compounds found in bananas  is believed to greatly reduces the risk of kidney cancer. 

According to the Canada Food Guide, a medium sized banana or half a cup of banana is all it takes to make up one equivalent Food Guide Serving for fresh, frozen  fruits or canned vegetables. 

***Sources:  Canada Health food Guide, About.com., Wikipedia,   Atsuite101.com/banana

TASTEBUDS:

Sweet Drink: Chocolate/Banana.Strawberries Shake

Ingredients:

1 cup  chocolate soya milk

1/2 cup ice

1 banana

1 – 4 ounce strawberry flavoured yougurt

1/2 cup strawberries

2 whole strawberries (garnish)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Procedure:

1. Pour milk, yougurt, banana and strawberries in the blender and puree.
2. Add ice until finely crushed.
3. Pour in stem glass and garnish.

Yield: Serves 2

Sweet Snack: Banana Bread 

(Via Morris’ recipe was compared to Marlo Carpio’s recipe in a very close competition, with the slight edge going to  Marla Carpio’s recipe based on being moist and flavourfull because of cinammon/butter. Thanks ladies for having fun and sharing your recipes for this month’s feature.)

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose or self rising flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 tbsp milk, preferably 2% milk

1 cup sugar

3 ripe bananas 

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Procedure

1. Melt butter and pour into mixing bowl. 
2. Stir in sugar, eggs and bananas (in that order). 
3. Add flour & ground cinnamon to banana mixture gradually.
4. Pour batter into well-greased loaf pans (2) or a 9x13-inch cake pan. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. 
5. Bread is done when toothpick inserted in thickest part comes out clean.

Yield 8-10 servings

 Savoury Entree: Chicken Pochero

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken

1 tbsps. patis (fish sauce)

1/2 cup gingerale/sprite

3 Tbsps vegetable oil

2 small potatoes, quartered

2 medium size bananas ( saba/plantain) cut 2” diagonally

1 small onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup catsup

2 sticks of pepperoni or chorizo

1 tsp whole peppercorns

1/2 cup water

1 can pork and beans

1/2 small cabbage

4 heads of bokchoy, washed and  separated

Procedure:

1. Cut chicken into 2” cubes and marinate  in patis and gingerale for 30 minutes.
2. Bake @ 375F or until golden brown. Set aside
3. Heat oil in a medium size skillet and fry potatoes and bananas . Set aside
4. In the same skillet, saute onion and garlic. Add  chicken, pepperoni and catsup. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  
5. Add  pork and beans, water and simmer for another minute. 
6. Remove  lid, then add vegetables and  simmer for 1 minute.

Yield

Sweet Dessert : Turon Supreme

Ingredients:

3  medium ripe bananas, preferably saba or  2 small plantains

12 small spring roll  wrappers, separated and covered with  clean damp cloth

1 cup jackfruit, cut lengthwise

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup vegetable oil

Sauce:

1/2 pineapple  chunks

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup sugar

Procedure:

1. Bring sugar  and pineapple juice to a boil in a  small sauce pan until thickened. Add pineapple chunks and simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside
2. Pre-heat oil in deep pan.
3. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl
4. Cut bananas into quarter. Remove  each quarter from peel and roll over sugar/ cinnamon mix.
5. On a flat board, lay wrapper, add jackfruit and banana. Roll in to stick securing both ends are properly tucked.
6. Fry wrapped bananas in pre-heated oil until golden brown. 
7. Drain excess oil  from  fried turon by transferring it  to containers with paper towel.
8. Arrange turon  in a platter and pour sauce over. 
9. Serve immediately

Yield: 12 servings

Sweet Dessert: Monkey Business

Ingredients:

3 bananas, latundan variety

3 pieces strawberries, sliced

3 tsps  chocolate spread *nutella or  crunchy peanut butter

3 tsps low fat whip toppings

chocolate syrup

Procedure:

1. Cut banana lengthwise and put chocolate spread on each side and place at the center of the plate
2. On each side of the banana,  arrange 1 piece of sliced strawberries.
3. Scoop 1 teaspoon of whip topping and put in middle of banana/strawberries
4. Drizzle chocolate syrup from  one tip to the end.
5. Serve immediately

Yield: 3 servings