Passport & Plate - Sexy Snail in Hot Coconut Sauce
Philippines | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos
Ingredients
1 kilo snails
1 kilo shredded coconut
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp ginger strips
1 thumb-sized ginger, cut into strips
2 pieces green chilli
1 bunch string beans, cut in 2-inch length
1/2 squash, chopped into 2×1 inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste
How to prepare this recipeProcedure:
1. You need to clean the snails, place the snails in a bowl with water and salt. Set aside for a few hours.
2. Place the shredded coconut in a mixing bowl and pour in 2 cups of hot water.
3. Separate the milk from the shredded coconut by squeezing from the mixture. You can use a strainer or a clean cloth. Place the extract in a bowl and set aside. That is serves as the first coconut extract.
3. Repeat the procedure for the shredded coconut. That serves as the second coconut extract.
4. In a casserole, place the 2nd extract coconut milk together with the garlic, onion and ginger. Set heat to medium until the liquid comes to a boil.
5. Pour in the snails and bring to a boil once more until it becomes thick.
6. Add the vegetables and green chili.
7. Add the 1st coconut milk extract and bring to boil.
8. Add salt and pepper according to taste.
The story behind this recipeWe would play hide and seek under the mango trees and just bask in the sunlight. Life in the province and when you are little is so simple and uncomplicated. Oh we love flying kites and running for it. The sweet aroma of dewdrops on the enveloped us while we roll over on it, unmindful of the soil and dirt. But what we love most is when we would finally go to the fishponds and try to help out catching fish. The first time I held a milkfish with my barehand, I struggled and almost wrestled with the fish. IT ended up slapping my face and going back to the water. I am sure it was the same fish they served for lunch that day. If it was then I had my share of vengeance. Aside from the milkfish, we would also gather snails. Big ones, little ones, shy and brave ones, Even those that don’t look like one. Grandma would then be busy in the kitchen squeezing the shredded coconut that will be used for cooking this.
At that early age, I remember vividly how Lola (Filipino term for grandmother) carefully squeezed and separated the 1st from the 2nd extract. In my naïve mind, those two are just the same. But Lola told me not to mix them nonetheless. After gathering the snails, we would wash them and Lola would cook it for us.
But the fun part really is not in the preparation or cooking of this dish. It is when we start eating it. Eating it feels like getting a box of chocolates, as how Forest Gumpp puts it --- You’ll never know what you’ll get till you open it. Eating this dish teaches you life’s greatest lessons in a micro scale manner. You learn patience. You need to blow hard so the flesh comes out.You learn discipline and structure. You need to follow the tried and tested recipe of cooking this or else everything goes wrong. But at the same time, you learn to take risks and be carefree. This are snails. Not everyone eat it. So take a piece. Be amazed with the curves of its shell, take a deep breath, blow a little bit, and savor with the taste of its flesh.
