Cookbook 101 for Missionaries in Palawan

So, I've had opportunity to learn to cook some things. Some things are not that special, but they've been our staple foods. So, here's a little list of some of the things we really like, and a few things that don't really make the cut.

Kumbahang (known as Casava in the States) is a root. It peels very easily and is white. People here mostly just boil it or they put it in the fire and cook it that way. It's not so bad, but it's pretty bland the way they eat it. I rate it a 5/10.


Kumbahang is also what they use to make Linidgid. This stuff is awesome. It's Kumbahang ground really fine, and then they add some water to it and make a big clump. This is kind of like a dough ball. Again, I don't love the way they make linidgid, they usually spread it thickly over their woks, and it cooks into a crumbly texture. It's actually kind of gelatinous when it is not cooked fully, or steamed. But the way we eat it is we'll add even more water to it, and spread it really thin on a pan. Then it kind of browns the bottom and you get a kind of crisp pita bread type texture. It kind of tastes a tiny bit like sour dough, but not really, because it's really good with peaunut butter and fruit. Or, it's good to use as a wrap for beans and rice like a burrito. This stuff rates pretty high. I used to hate it because I couldn't cook it right, my pan was too old and sticky. But then I got a new non-stick pan, and its now one of our favorites.


Mongo beans. Yum. Beans are just always good. These ones we really like especially, because they almost are more like lentils because of their size. And they cook faster and we save on fuel. Beans and rice. It really is a complete, timeless meal.

Seyuti is a vegetable that is kind of like squash. It grows on a vine, and is really slimy and leaves this residue on your fingers and hands when you peel it, but it doesn't stay that way, and it is really good when it is steamed or sauteed. It's especially good steamed in coconut milk. Yum.

Lebanus! Also known as Soursop. Wow. This is probably my new favorite fruit ever. They are SOOO juicy and kind of taste like a fresh starburst. They are not very sour, just refreshing! Oh, I could just eat these things all day. They get really huge sometimes. Michelle just recently made a really good crisp one time. Yum. It is just so good.

Punti (bananas). Who doesn't appreciate good bananas? Especially with peaunut butter. Speaking of peanut butter. You know how a lot of different countries don't like peanut butter? Well, luckily the Philippines is not like that. However, their local brand is more like Reeses peanut butter, too sweet. But we've gotten ahold of Jif and Susan Baker. Good ole' American brands. BUT, there is a missionary named Michelle (different than the one that I work with) who is down in the lowlands and she makes peanut butter. She buys fresh peanuts from the market and roasts them and takes them to the grinder, and then cooks them again and we send her our containers and wa la. Super good natural peanut butter. You know, Adams style. Yum.


Pulug. It's a root as well. It's just ok. People peel and boil it here. That's about it. It's kind of like a potato but slimier and well... just not as good. I tried making pulug fries, you know, like potato wedge style, but it's just not as good. The texture is just not the same as good old potatoes. We kind of miss potatoes. We can get them from the low lands, but Palawan doesn't grow them for some reason. They ship them in so they are expensive. Every once in awhile we splurge and order some. Kevin is a potato man, so it's a nice treat now and then.

There are actually a ton of different roots here. That is their staple food really. Sarawak is another root. It looks gross. Its like a big hairy potato, but again, lacking the texture. It's ok too. But you have to be really careful to scrub it good with water before you peel and handle them or else watch out! You'll be itchy! (Kevin found out) Then they have Sanglay (Sweet Potatoe). Yum. I like this a lot. It's good cooked in the fire, or just peeled and boiled. And it actually is a sweet potato so the texture is right on!

There's also a variety of tulnu (greens) that they eat here. A lot of it is just good when it is young. Like Sanglay leaves etc. Some of it is good, some not so great.

And let's see, my new favorite things to make that I didn't really make that much at home are things like rice and oatmeal patties. Yum. talk about a really good discovery! I don't know why I didn't make these at home much. One day I had some rice (rice is good for 24 hours) that I wasn't going to beable to eat in time, so I kind of remembered that it would be good to make patties out of. So with some quick oats, rice, seseme seads, onion flakes, and sauteed garlic, along with some powedered milk, a tiny bit of flour and seasonings, wow. It's one of our favorite meals now. It's like eating a hamburger at home. Just recently we got a hold of some tomatoes too. We got them from the low lands. We're trying to grow some right now. They are just little seedlings. And that with some Petchay (I don't know if there is an english word for Petchay, or even if there's a Tagolag word, or if that is the Tagolag word, but it's kind of like lettuce. It's rare, but every once in awhile we get some... And that all wrapped in a linidgid with the yummy ketchup my mom sent from home (thanks mom!) wow. What a treat.

And good old popcorn! Who knew! I remember making popcorn as a kid, but then when we got older we just kind of got used to buying the microwave bags. But I've re-learned how to make it the good old way in a pot on the stove. Yum. That hits the spot sometimes. No butter, but a little olive oil works just fine. And throw a tiny bit of tumerick in with the salt and you'd trick someone into thinking that it was buttery!

Gravy. Mmmmm. Gravy just makes everything taste better. Especially some of the roots. And I've discovered that I can even make more of a cheesy gravy with powdered milk and some chicken seasoning and salt. It makes a great cheese sauce for macarroni. Or to put on the patties.

TALANGOON berries. Yum. Well, kind of yum. They have some crunchy little seeds in them that are kind of annoying and hard to spit out. They kind of taste like crab apples fresh. I don't love them fresh. But man, we experimented with these things and they can be pretty amazing. First you have to boil them and get them all soft and mushy. Save the water. Wow. Talk about a good cider. It's got a natural spicy taste like apple cider. No sugar added. But then you have to strain the seeds out. This is quite a process becaue it takes forever to squish them through a fine strainer. But the end result is pretty good. It's like an apple sauce texture and kind of tastes like that too. You have to add a little sugar to it. You can keep it as a sauce, or you can can it and make like a jam, or you can make a really yummy crisp out of it as well. Good, but takes a ton of work.

It is almost pineapple season here. I'm so excited for it. Mango season turned out to be quite a flop. There are tons of mango trees, but they didn't really produce that many mangos, maybe it's an every other type of thing. I don't know. But also, up here they don't have pesticides or anything so they all get nasty little black bugs in them. People here eat a lot of fruit green. They like guavas green and they like mangos green. They also use papayas green like squash. I actually really like it like this. But pineapples, we've had a few so far, and they are all popping out, and we are going to be in abundance soon.

So, we really are pretty well off food wise. It would be a lot harder if we didn't have support foods from the store. We are just so blessed.