Oh I didn’t know that what we commonly refer to as Indian mangoes are really called katchamita, which of course originate from India.

A previous post articulates how different mango varieties are eaten in the Philippines. Indian mangoes, for us, are best eaten unripe, for snacking with baguc (bagoong, salted shrimp fry paste) or a bit of salt.

Semi-ripe and ripe tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

For the children of the not so distant past, the first day of March brings on the feelings of sweet anticipation. For one, the end of the school year would only be in a few weeks then the long summer vacation would be in full swing.

Summer, what delight it brings! Days of endless leisure, free from schoolwork and the freedom to do anything the desires of one’s heart! Ah, summer!

I am not sure how today’s generation view the coming of the summer season given the initial ravages of climate change, when summer can sometimes be felt in October or other months. However, children being children, I am sure everyone looks forward to climbing trees laden with fruits. And what fruits we have!

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Tuesday evening, I get a phone call from an excited Mrs. Lillian Borromeo. A leading TV network will be taping a segment at her home in Mexico, Pampanga and she needs a few one-pot meal recipes that make use of rice as a main ingredient.

Rice, the staff of life in this part of the world. How very Filipino, how very Asian. We find no difficulty listing recipes and then proceed to eliminate those that are too common and those that require too much effort. The eminent people on the dining table (meaning my mother and aunts) help us with the listing, perhaps giving us a wide range of choices that date back to the Second World War. You can imagine how long a list we had – given the length and depth of history we had collectively, hehehe!

Rice is known to have been present in the Philippines since pre-historic era. From that time to this day, rice is not only an everyday staple, but figures in our major celebrations and rituals.

Rice is such a versatile ingredient that it not only serves as backbone of every Filipino meal but can be found in different forms: as a contrast to savoury food, dessert, snacks and what have you.

For the taping, Mrs. Borromeo and I decided on the classic celebratory biringhe, the less common lelut tugac, the historical quisa and a few others. For today’s recipe, we bring you lelut tugac, which is said to be a restorative for those who are sick since it is rich in carbohydrates and protein.

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