Ensalada nga Gulaman
No, this isn’t the kind of gulaman that we have at home in Iloilo. All I know is that it is a large seaweed shredded into very thin strips so that, from a distance, it looks almost like our very own gulaman. I had this for dinner with some fried fish. That would be “Sampat”, perfect combination.
Reminds me of Jaro market days. We always had ensalada nga gulaman for lunch every Thursday way back when I was in High School.
How do you recreate this dish when you’re across the pacific, miles away from home, in Los Angeles? Go to any asian store and look for dried seaweeds. You’ll usually find it near the Japanese Nori. Get the thinnest shredded dried seaweed. That’s the Roxy brand. Priced at around a dollar, it’s really quite cheap. One thin pack would be good for four people. Next, you reconstitute it by immersing it in boiling water until it becomes plump and tender. Drain. Mix with chopped tomatoes, onions, and a little ginger. Put some shredded green Mexican Mango (almost as good as the Indian Mango). Make sure it’s bagnas (not ripe). Sprinkle some pepper and sugar to taste. Pour some vinegar, maybe 3-5 tablespoons. The best vinegar for ensalada is rice vinegar. It’s a little on the sweet side. I’ve always used Marukan. And voila… ensala nga gulaman. It’s a Thursday again for me and I’m having lunch at my Lola’s house in Jaro.
one just have to reminisce the taste of this delicasy at the back of one’s mouth(and mind for that matter). it has been years since I last indulged in such combination of sampat food for lunch. here, where I’m at, we just have to swallow oil rich food (with all puns intended) that we name one menu in our catered meals as “eskinol”. One friend called it “adobong mantika na may manok”.
The gulaman you enjoyed at your Lola’s house will also make sinanlag nga baringon more exotic.
Damo gid lang dira filipino stores sa middle east. Indi ka guro kabalo magluto.