Vintage Native Recipes from the Baul: Trio of Gabi Delicacies

Gabi or taro is a popular root crop in the Philippines. In the Tagalog speaking regions it is commonly added to the deliciously sour sinigang (tamarind soup). I remember my grandmother teaching my mother that the gabi must never be added before the souring ingredient. Doing so would cause the soup to refuse to sour. Of course I only found out that this was an old-wives tale when I was old enough to be allowed near a stove to cook by myself. Nowadays I add the gabi right after I sauté the chicken (In Cavite it is more common to use chicken in sinigang instead of pork and is known as sinampalukan) lightly in very little oil, a bit of ginger and onion. The gabi cooks down to a delicious mush and clouds the broth, adding an appealingly thick texture to the delicious concoction.

Although it is not as sweet as yams and sweet potatoes, gabi can also be boiled and then eaten with freshly grated coconut and panocha (solid muscovado sugar). It is also a popular ingredient in ginataan na bilo bilo (sticky rice balls cooked in sweetened coconut milk). Although starchy like all root crops, gabi has a delicious, subtle flavor when cooked and lends itself well to dishes that have broth-like soups (it is also works well as an extender in savory dishes).

For technical information about gabi try this page from the Bureau of Plant Industry in the Philippines.

I picked the most uncommon recipes from the baul to post, so here they are.

*Baul: Chest drawer

Gabi Pastillas (Gabi Pastilles)

4 cups gabi, boiled until fork tender and then mashed
4 cans evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
¼ cup margarine

Melted margarine to so spread over work table
Sugar to coat the pastillas

1. Mix all ingredients and cook over low flame with constant stirring.
2. Brush the surface of your work table with melted margarine.
3. When the gabi mixture is very thick, spread over the melted margarine.
4. Roll the mixture evenly until approximately ¼” thick in diameter. Cut into thumb sized pieces.
5. Dump some sugar in a piece of wax paper and roll the pastillas on the sugar.
6. Suggested wrappers: plastic wrapper or grease-proof paper cut into squares.

Gabi Jam

2 cups gabi, boiled until fork tender and then mashed
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup coconut milk (first extraction – kakang gata)
¼ teaspoon calamansi juice

1. Mix together mashed gabi, brown sugar and coconut milk in a heavy saucepan or a heavy duty frying pan with a thick bottom.
2. Cook over a low flame, stirring constantly until very thick.
3. Add the calamansi and mix in well before removing from the heat source.
4. Pack in sterilized jars and keep in the refrigerator.

Rice – Cos – Bi (Toasted Rice, Cassava, Coconut and Gabi)

4 ½ cups coconut milk, first extraction (kakang gata)
3 cups cassava, ground
4 ½ cups gabi, ground
1 cup toasted plain flour

1. Boil coconut milk until the oil separates in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Add ground cassava and gabi. Stir until the mixture is very thick.
3. Place in a small banana leaf-lined bilao (shallow round basket). While still warm flatten with spatulas or hands. Set aside to cool.
4. Cut into desired sizes and then roll in toasted flour.