Sinabawang Kabute is my simple mushroom soup recipe. Steaming hot sabaw on a cold rainy day, with just a bunch of fresh dahong sili, salt, hugas bigas and freshly picked kabute. Simple, flavorful lunch served with hot rice and crispy fried tokwa or tofu, everything cooked on firewood.
For a long, long time here in our country, kabute (mushrooms) were believed to be ‘bulaklak ng kulog at kidlat’ (flowers of thunderbolt and lightning) since they usually appear a day or two after heavy rains and thunderstorms. Thunderstorms bring with them a variety of lightning strikes. Heavy rains bring moisture and wetness.
Kabute grows wild in rice fields
Kabute grows wild in rice fields and haystacks. Thus, we have kabuteng dayami (straw mushrooms), kabuteng saging (banana mushrooms), kabuteng bukid (field mushrooms), and many others. Mushrooms which have been wildly harvested have been eaten by Filipinos since the early centuries. Our ancestors have foraged the deep forests for wild mushrooms since ancient times.
Our ancestors have foraged the deep forests for wild mushrooms since ancient times.
This phenomenon of mushrooms growing wildly is simply regarded by simple native folks as being due to lightning strikes. They believe the lightning which is a blessing from the heaven causes mushrooms to grow and even produce plenty of siblings.
Lightning strikes trigger sprouting of mushrooms
Mushrooms form when organic matter decays in moist condition. And according to scientific experiments, lightning really does make mushroom multiply. Exposure to a weakened electricity charge that travels through the soil after a nearby lightning strikes makes the mushrooms grow.
Farm in Silang, Cavite
We used to live in a farm in Silang Cavite when my children were still young. After the rains, they looked forward to finding and collecting mamarang. Mamarang is the tastiest native edible kind of mushroom harvested in different parts of the farm or nearby forest. Growing spots are called tubuan in Tagalog. During growing season, farmers visit several tubuan everyday. The mushroom have relatively short lifespan. Sprouted mamarang will only last for a day if left unharvested. First class mamarang are those buds that just came out from the ground after a heavy thunderstorm.
Hot sinabawang kabute cooking in the pot
During mamarang season, my two boys would be very excited. At that time the elder one named Janardan was 9 years old, the younger one named Bhumi was 4 years old. Unahan sila ng mga ibang bata sa bukid in collecting. They would be more delighted when the mamarang kabute find its way in my soup pot because
that would mean super flavorful hot sinabawang kabute na naman for lunch! It just tasted so good on cold, rainy days.
Oh, I miss mamarang. There is really nothing quite like its unique flavorful, earthy taste.
Mushrooms are a fungus, not a plant
What is a mushroom? A mushroom is the fleshy fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above the ground or soil. Mushrooms are not plants. Instead of seeds, mushrooms reproduce through spores. Although they seem like plant-like, but they are not members of the plant kingdom.
Instead, they belong to the fungi kingdom. They are a fungus, not a plant. Mushrooms cannot undergo photosynthesis like plants do.
Fungi are actually a diverse group of organisms or micro organisms that are neither plants or animals.
This simple and delicate plant has its own unique and exquisite flavor that is at par with the taste of meat or chicken. Vegetarians and non-vegetarians will find it simply delicious.
Here is my recipe of sinabawang kabute:
3 c kabute (fresh mushrooms)
2 Tbsp leeks or spring onions
(or 1 tsp garlic and 2 Tbsp onions)
1 c dahong sili (chili leaves)
or dahong ampalaya (bitter melon greens)
salt or soy patis, pepper
hugas bigas (rice washing) or plain water
1. Boil hugas bigas or water in a pot. Add mushrooms, leeks or spring onions or garlic and onions and greens, salt or soy patis and pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat. Serve very hot.
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