Recipe: Tasty Laing (Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk)

Laing (Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk). A popular recipe for taro is laing; the dish's main ingredients are taro leaves (at times including stems) cooked in coconut milk, and salted with fermented shrimp or fish bagoong. Laing or pinangat originates from the Bicol Region. It is dish made of taro leaves with meat or seafood cooked in thick coconut milk.

Dried Taro leaves cooked in coconut milk with a lot of chilies! A simple no-fuss recipe that is as authentic as it can get! Buying the dried Taro leaves was the easiest part as they are available in most big supermarkets. You can cook Laing (Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk) using 12 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Laing (Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk)

1. Prepare 2 ounces of Dried Taro/Gabi Leaves.
2. You need 4 cups of coconut milk.
3. It's 1 cup of coconut cream.
4. It's 3 cloves of garlic minced.
5. It's 1 of onion diced.
6. You need 2 tablespoons of bagoong/shrimp paste.
7. You need 1/2 of ke pork cut thinly or cubes.
8. Prepare 1/2 cup of hibe/dried shrimp.
9. It's 1 of thumb-size ginger, peeled and minced.
10. Prepare 3 of red chilis chopped (add more if you want).
11. It's to taste of Salt and pepper.
12. It's of Cooking oil.

Now, I had the option to buy canned coconut milk or use a fresh one. Laing is a Filipino dish of shredded or whole taro leaves with meat or seafood cooked in thick coconut milk spiced with labuyo chili, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, ginger, and shrimp paste. It originates from the Bicol Region, where it is known simply as pinangat. Laing is also known as taro leaves cooked in coconut milk and chilis.

Laing (Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk) step by step

1. Heat pan and add oil. Saute garlic, onions and ginger until garlic is light golden brown and onions are translucent. Set aside..
2. Using the same pan, season pork with a little bit of salt and pepper and cook for about 30 minutes or until brown and tender. Note: we will still add bagoong so do not add too much salt. Add back sauted garlic, onions and ginger, chilli, bagoong/shrimp paste and dried shrimp. Cook,for about 2-3 minutes..
3. Add coconut milk bring to a boil on medium heat. Make sure to stir frequently to avoid it from burning..
4. Add dried taro/gabi leaves and cook for 15-20 minutes without stirring to avoid getting itchy. Push down leaves to absorb coconut milk but do not stir until leaves have softened and turned a darker colour..
5. Turn heat to low and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes..
6. Add coconut cream and let it simmer for an additional 10 minutes until dish is almost dry and most of the liquid has evaporated and begins to render fat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve with a side of steamed rice..

Laing is a spicy vegetable dish that is widely cooked in the Bicol Region in the Philippines. The "Gabi" or "Taro" grows well along Riverbanks and can be harvested by almost anyone who wants to prepare this Laing recipe. Laing is the quintessential Bicolano dish, fiery hot and absolutely delicious though it can an acquired taste to the Western palate. When the mixture has thickened, add the taro leaves. Laing is a Filipino dish composed of dried taro leaves and coconut milk.