SUMANG GABI

Sumang Gabi - - This is the last of my 'lucban traditional food series' posts and another delicious home-made suman recipe.

There are many ways to cook gabi but not very many people know that it can also be made into suman. Sumang gabi is made from grated gabi, coconut and sugar, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

Gabi is a root crop also known as taro, kalo and eddo. It originated in India and spread by cultivation eastward into Southeast Asia, East 

                                     
                                       South Pacific Islands

Asia and the Pacific Islands. From there it spread westward to Egypt to Africa and the Caribbean.

It has been grown as a staple food across the world - - Greece, Rome, Egypt, India, China and the Pacific Islands- -for over 5,000 years. Sometimes it is called 'the building block of cultures'.

Taro is one of the most ancient cultivated crops. Taro is found widely in tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia.

In Hawaii, gabi is considered a sacred plant. It has been a staple of the Hawaiian diet ever since there were Hawaiians!

And so it is with Filipinos. Gabi has been grown and eaten here in the Philippines long long before our early Filipino ancestors came about.

                                                                     Hearty Gabi

Gabi is a hearty root crop rich in carbohydrates and calcium. It is a plant grown primarily for its leaves, stems and bunga.

In the Philippines, gabi is widely available throughout the archipelago. Its adaptability to marshland and swamps make it one of the most common vegetables in the Philippines. 

                                             Gabi leaves

The leaves, stems, and bunga are all consumed and form part of our local cuisine. 

                                                               Hot and spicy laing 

A very popular Filipino recipe for gabi is laing from the Bicol region. The main ingredients are taro leaves, stems and bunga cooked in creamy coconut milk, and heavily spiced with red hot siling labuyo. 

                                     Our favorite sinigang

And then of course, the Filipino national soup dish called sinigang will never be complete without the wonderful flavor of gabi as thickener. 

                                   Ginataang halo-halo

Gabi is also prepared as a basic ingredient for ginataang halo-halo, together with camote, saging na saba, fragrant ripe langka and sago cooked in coconut milk and sugar.

Suman

The tradition of making suman was introduced to us by our early Indonesian ancestors as early as 7,000 years ago. 

                                           Sumang malagkit

It was based on the tradition of making kue lopis and kue nagasari, Indonesian snack food made from glutinous rice, shredded coconut and palm sugar syrup. The mixture is wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed. Kue lopis and kue nagasari are served with bumbu, a mixture of shredded coconut and thick palm sugar to add flavor to the kue.

Kue lopis and kue nagasari are found in traditional markets and made by home cooks throughout Indonesia but particularly in Java.

                                       Java island, Indonesia

 Java is an island in Indonesia that lies between Sumatra to the west, Bali to the east and Borneo to the north. It is the native home of our favorite forms of suman.  Historically, the early Indonesians from Borneo in Java crossed the oceans to reach the southernmost tips of our islands in Mindanao. Our early Filipino people then learned to make suman, making use of glutinous rice and then later on including gabi. Thus, we have the delicious sumang gabi. 

Here is my recipe of sumang gabi:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c grated gabi

3/4 c brown sugar

1 c grated coconut (fresh)

margarine or butter

wilted banana leaves


Procedure:

1. Peel and grate gabi. Add freshly grated coconut. Set aside.

2. Cook sugar in a little water to make arnibal (sugar syrup). Add grated coconut and gabi. Mix well.

3. Spread margarine or butter on banana leaves. Scoop 1-2 Tbsp of the gabi-coconut mixture. Roll. fold ends. Arrange in a pot. Add enough water. Boil until gabi is cooked. Serve.

Note: If banana leaves are not available, use foil. Use dessicated coconut and coconut cream in place of freshly grated coconut.

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