Ginisang Singkamas - - It is now summer season and therefore singkamas season. It is time again to enjoy this wonderful fruit of the earth. My kitchen will have plenty of singkamas for cooking and snacking. Singkamas when eaten fresh, contains a sweet inert carbohydrate which makes it an ideal sweet snack for diabetics. Singkamas is very low in calories and high in fiber. It is also rich in Vitamin C and contains small amounts of folate, iron, potassium and manganese. Aside from ginisang singkamas,
Pritong lumpia
I also cook singkamas as pritong lumpia with mashed tofu. I cut it in strips then combine with mashed tofu, black pepper and salt, then roll in lumpia wrapper and fry as pritong lumpia, served with crushed garlic, salt, vinegar and black pepper or chilis.
Lumpiang sariwa
And then of course, a favorite Filipino way of preparing singkamas in dishes is in the classic lumpiang sariwa. The crisp and crunchy texture of the singkamas blends well with the other vegetable ingredients. I have my own very special peanut sauce that goes with the fresh lumpia.
Singkamas is a native of Mexico, where they have been eaten for thousands of years.
Ancient Aztec structure, Yucatan, Mexico
Both the ancient Aztec and the ancient Mayan
civilizations valued this raw vegetable tuber for its crisp, juicy texture. It
has been found at archaeological sites in Peru dating to 3000 BC. In the 16th century, Spanish
traders introduced singkamas to us here in the Philippines via the galleon
trade. And then from here, it spread to Indonesia, China and further on into
West Africa.
Singkamas is known by its Mexican name jicamas
Singkamas is
commonly known by its Mexican name jicamas from the Nahuatl name xicamatl. It is also known as Mexican yam, Mexican
potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato and sweet turnip.
In Mexico. Jícamas is often paired with chili
powder, cilantro, ginger, lemon, lime, orange, red onion, salsa, sesame oil and
soy sauce. It is popular in salads, fresh fruit combinations, fruit bars,
soups, and other cooked dishes. In Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, it is
prepared as salads such as in yusheng and rojak.
In the Philippines, singkamas is usually eaten fresh,
sliced with sawsawan of vinegar, salt,
sugar and black pepper. When I was a
growing child, I remember very well this singkamas snack food prepared in this
way and that’s what we would be munching on while playing hide and seek.
I remember in elementary school, there was a store right in front of our school
gate that sold slices of singkamas with sawsawang salt flavored with bagoong
alamang and sili. And it was always sold out among the students after school! For
me the presence of singkamas was an indication that summer season was near,
therefore vacation time was near.
Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
And therefore a lot of time spent at the beach swimming again in our home province, Anilao, Mabini, Batangas So as soon as I saw singkamas selling at the front store, there was always an excitement there in me.
Sweet-smelling melon
I can also almost smell the sweet,
fragrant smell of melon and pakwan, other fruits of summer too that I would
soon be enjoying at my lola’s house in Batangas as soon as school was over. In those days I remember, huge piles of big
round melon and pakwan sold at the market very cheaply.
Here's a simple way I cook ginisang singkamas:
Ingredients:
1/2 c tokwa or tofu (fried, strips)
1 c singkamas (strips)
1/4 c carrots (strips)
1/4 c sitcharo
1/4 c patola (sliced)
1 c cabbage
2 Tbsp leeks or spring onions
(or 3 cloves garlic,2 Tbsp onions)
1 Tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in a little water)
salt, pepper, seasoning
1/2 c crushed peanuts (for topping)
1. Saute leeks or spring onions (or garlic/onion) in
oil. Add carrot strips, singkamas strips, sitcharo, patola slices, cabbage,
salt, pepper and seasoning. Stir-fry vegetables until done, adding a little
cornstarch dissolved in a little water for thickening the sauce.
2. Add fried tokwa or tofu strips Remove from heat. Serve with crushed peanuts
(budbod) on top.
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