Hello Hive-friends! Today I’m sharing my own version of laing, a well-loved Bicol dish made with taro leaves and coconut milk.
I hope you’ll enjoy it. There are so many different ways to cook laing — this is my simple take, based on what I picked up from my late father, who used to be the cook in our home. My mother wasn’t really into the kitchen back then — she had her own passions while we were growing up.
Ingredients & Measurements:
- 100 g dried taro leaves
- about 20 g ginger (sliced into thin strips)
- 30 g chopped red onion
- 10 g chopped garlic
- 20 g dried dilis
- 20–25 g dried hibe
- 30 g sautéed bagoong
- 2–3 pcs green chili (chopped)
- 800 ml coconut milk (from 2 pouches — first half used as thin milk, second half as kakang gata)
- 2 tablespoons of cooking oil for sautéing
Preparation :
The night before cooking, I first soaked the dried gabi leaves in a bowl of water and added a splash of vinegar — a small trick I use to remove that itchy feeling laing is known for. By morning, I drained and rinsed them thoroughly then set them aside. With the leaves ready, I started working on the rest of my ingredients: I sliced the ginger into thin matchsticks, chopped the red onion, the garlic, and cut up a few green chilies. After that, I measured small handfuls of dried dilis and hibe, and scooped out a spoonful of sautéed bagoong. The coconut milk, I used an 800 ml pouch — I poured in the lighter, thinner part first for simmering, and saved the thick kakang gata to finish the dish.
Cooking:
Heat a little oil in a pot over medium heat.
Add the ginger and sauté until fragrant.
Stir in the chopped onion and cook until it softens.
Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.
Add the dried anchovies and cook until they start to crisp, then toss in the dried shrimp.
Pour in the thinner coconut milk (about half of the 800 ml) and bring it to a gentle simmer.
Lay the soaked taro leaves on top without stirring, pressing them down so they soak up the liquid.
When the leaves have softened and most of the milk has been absorbed, stir everything together. Add the shrimp paste and the chopped green chilies.
Pour in the thick coconut cream (the second pouch) and let everything simmer on low heat until the sauce turns creamy and slightly oily. Once the gabi leaves are soft and the coconut milk has reduced, your laing is ready to plate
Here’s my finished laing — creamy, soft, and cooked just the way I remember it growing up.
Serve it warm — the coconut sauce, gabi leaves, and a touch of chili all come together so nicely. This is a dish I learned from my father back in my childhood, and now I’m happy to share it with my own family — hopefully it brings that same feeling to yours too.
We often eat it with crispy fried fish — plain and simple food, but full of love.
Thank you for spending time reading my post — it means a lot