Technically speaking, it's still February 28 here so I still made the February deadline albeit I am late yet again.
This month's theme stumped me completely as I had to come up with a Filipino dish using food with aphrodisiac properties. An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire and in the Philippines, balut and the notorious Soup No. 5 are just examples of foods that have aphrodisiac properties. Why? I don't know.
I initially wanted to do either a strawberry dessert or a fried banana dessert drizzled with chocolate and honey but I had a craving for anything cooked in gata (coconut milk) so I decided to go with prawns (an aphrodisiac) with crab fat and chilies (also an aphrodisiac) and coconut milk.
This is not an everyday fare. This dish is meant to be eaten once in a blue moon. Why? Because crab fat is not exactly the healthiest of food. But since it's Happy Hearts Month, let's make our hearts and appetites happy. lol!
Sugpo sa Aligue at Gata (Prawns In Crab Fat and Coconut Milk)
600 grams prawns or shrimps, whiskers trimmed, unpeeled
vegetable oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (or go loco and use an entire head of garlic)
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 onion, chopped
3-4 siling mahaba (green finger chilis), sliced
1 cup aligue or crab fat
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce ( if using thai fish sauce, you might need to add more)
juice of 1 lemon or 2-4 calamansi
sriracha (optional)
cilantro for garnish
Heat oil in a skillet or pan that is big enough to accommodate the prawns. When the oil is hot, saute ginger, onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the chilis and the aligue. Cook until the aligue softens and oil separates. Add coconut milk and continue to cook. Add fish sauce and lemon or calamansi to taste. Add sriracha if you want it spicier.
Add the prawns and remove from heat as soon as the prawns are cooked. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve hot with rice.
PS
I added scallops to the dish too :)
