This is a feel-god food for my fellow Filipinos as it is a staple dish on any Pinoy menu. The original dish called “Laing” is usually done with taro leaves. As I do not have access to such, I usually use spinach as ersatz.

I always get flak from daughters as they think that I cook too much meat. Actually I do but I always accompany these with veggies. After having cooked for weeks, I am running out of ideas or even motivation to cook. This dish is a really easy dish to do when you feel the need to eat healthy but not enough time to invest in front of the stove. 

Add bagoong and then turn your range hood to overdrive as this tends to stink up the kitchen. Just let this simmer until the coconut milk is reduced.

It’s pretty much your call as to how much you want this to reduce. traditionally, this is reduced to a point where the coconut milk has taken on an oily consistency and there is very little liquid left. I prefer to mine to have a visible coconut milk sauce. You can add the whole chili pepper at this point. If you prefer the really hot version, then you can also chop up the chili and throw in much earlier in the piece.

This is best served with plain boiled rice as most Filipino dishes are served.

I get a lot of praises from my family when I make this. They love having this as the main course. I personally enjoy it as a side-dish to something like fried pork-belly 🙂

Almost the first of Advent….that time of year when traditional Christmas cookies are everywhere…and that time of year when I like to take a couple of days off to stay home a bake cookies….tons of it! Every single one a work of love.