Ginataang Langka (Young Unripe Jackfruit in Coconut Cream Sauce)

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Ginataang Langka (Young Unripe Jackfruit in Coconut Cream Sauce) is another easy and quick to make, budget-friendly and a very nutritious Filipino dish. This vegetable has thick, stringy flesh that creates a meat-like texture when cooked.

When we were young and still living with our grandparents from my mother’s hometown (until we moved to Manila when I was in 3^rd grade) there standing majestically at the backyard was this huge jackfruit tree also known as “jack tree”. Whenever us kids would see the tree starts to bear hundreds of individual flowers turning into fruits, we were so excited to see each grows. Why? Because just by watching our 2 lolas (yes, our maternal grandmothers were twin sisters!!!) get busy wrapping some of the jackfruits with empty sacks of rice, we would know then that those are the fruits that they were protecting from fruit flies and we would be waiting for them to fully ripe so we can eat their meat “as-is” as snack (“merienda”) or cooked as a dessert (a sweetened jackfruit also known as “minatamis na langka” which is usually cooked with refined sugar or sugar syrup). Also, our grandparents used to boil the seeds from the ripe jackfruit and we would all be snacking around the dining table busy peeling and eating them. Obviously, we were not allowed to eat them anywhere else as the skins of the boiled seeds are very light and can be easily blown around the room. To those who haven’t had a taste of a boiled jackfruit seed, for me, it has a similar taste that of a roasted chestnut.

On the other hand, our lolas would pick and harvest some of the young unripe jackfruits and cook them as our viand (“ulam”) as accompaniment of warm steamed rice.

In those days, removing all of the jackfruit meat and seeds was a labor-intensive process. First, our lolas would prepare the area where they would do the cutting by placing the young unripe jackfruit over an old newspaper or a big plastic bag. They would put coconut oil on their hands and around the knife blade to keep them from getting gummed up with sap. Next, they would cut the whole young unripe jackfruit in 4 pieces (quartered). Then they would slice off the white core at the center of each pieces as they are tough to eat. Meticulously, they would separate each seed from the jackfruit meat followed by removing the hard parts covering around the seeds as these are bitter. After that, they would slice the jackfruit meat and the peeled seeds thinly and wash them under the cool running water. Lastly, in one swoop they would easily wrap and pick up the newspaper or the plastic bag full of jackfruit “trash” and put it away to be burned later. In those days, there was no garbage truck collecting household or garden wastes so the whole community usually got rid of these wastes by incinerating them under a tall tree.

When our lolas cooked the “ginataang langka” they would use only the very basic ingredients like coconut milk and/or cream, ginger, salt and pepper to taste and a few tablespoons of vinegar…and it was delicious! Life back then was very simple but full of physical activities!

Now, living in a city with no space to plant a jackfruit tree, we usually get the young unripe jackfruit either pre-sliced from the market or in cans at the grocery store. And, “ginataang langka” can be ready on the table in less than an hour, preparation and cooking combined. Hassle-free, right?

As I couldn’t get it exactly the way our lolas made the “ginataang langka”, I experimented this dish with other recipes using different secondary ingredients depending on what we have in the pantry, in the fridge or in the freezer.

Today, the version I will make is the “ginataang langka” with shrimp, green onions, dried krill, spicy sautéed shrimp paste and so on.

I hope you make this recipe and LOVE it!

Ingredients

· 1 kg young unripe jackfruit, sliced and washed under cool tap water

· 2 tbsps. cooking oil

· 1 medium onion, sliced

· 1 thumb-size ginger, minced

· 8 – 9 cloves of garlic, minced

· 2 tbsps. spicy sautéed shrimp paste (ginisang bagoong alamang na maanghang)

· 3 tbsps. dried krill (tuyong alamang)

· 2 1/3 (550 ml) cups coconut milk (pangalawang gata)

· Ground white pepper, a pinch

· 1 can (440 ml or about 2 cups) of coconut cream (kakang gata)

· 12 pcs uncooked shrimps

· 1 bunch (6 – 8 stalks) green onions (removed any wilted or damaged tops or slimy skins and rinsed under cool tap water), chopped into 2” long

· 2 pcs long green peppers

Instructions

1. In a deep cooking pan over medium-high heat, preheat cooking oil.

2. Sauté onions until they start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the ginger and cook until it releases its aroma.

3. Add the dried krill and sauté for a minute. Add the pre-sautéed shrimp paste and the ground white pepper. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.

4. Add the coconut milk and stir well. Cover the pan and bring it to boil.

5. Add the young unripe jackfruit. Then carefully, stir to blend in the sauce.

6. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the vegetable is slightly tender.

7. Add the coconut cream to thicken the sauce. Stir occasionally. Cover and continue to simmer until it re-boils.

8. When the young unripe jackfruit is fork tender, add the shrimps. Cover and let it cook for a minute. Carefully, turn the shrimps over to cook the other side.

9. Add the green onions and the long green peppers. Cover and simmer further for 2 minutes.

10. Once the oil has separated from the cream, turn off the heat.

11. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

Tips

1. Best served with warm rice.

2. To save time and to ensure you are getting the best quality, buy the young unripe jackfruit that is already pre-sliced if possible, so you can easily see what you are getting.

3. You can adjust the number of shrimps you want to add.

4. Shrimp can be substituted with pork; dried, smoked or fried fish, sardines or moringa (malunggay) to name a few.

Happy cooking and enjoy eating everyone!!!

Watch how to cook Ginataang Langka ((Young Unripe Jackfruit in Coconut Cream Sauce):