humba

     i was getting a bit depressed because of a headache (related to a cough) that persisted, when my mind was turned to a food remedy.  we had fried daing na bangus and kalabasa in coconut cream soup for lunch, and my wife, jane, and my daughter, jikki, were having their afternoon snack: a couple of banana-Qs and turons; when the idea came to my mind - humba!

     the thought of that spicy, aromatic, fragrant dish had already lifted up my drooping spirits!  blah, blah, blah... and the rest is history.

     well, not exactly.  i posted a photo of the humba in facebook (where else? as usual) and to my surprise i got a handful more comments than i usually do (sometimes a status post is viewed only by flies. translation: nilalangaw!  meaning: walang pumansin ng status post, parang yung mga isda at karneng tinda sa talipapa ni aling maria, walang bumibli kaya nilalangaw, iiiiw!), and i got a couple of friends wanting to have some (one was in the USA, the legendary food blogger of manila spoon, the other, my good fil-chi friend, who just enjoys good food; i missed one friend's comment though - she often makes positive kanchaw to my status posts), and a couple of friends requesting for its recipe.  (now you know why i am posting this recipe in a vegetarian-vegan blog!)

     ok, about recipes...  it isn’t exactly an exact science - and i didn't take up culinary arts - i took up mathematics - go figure!  but here’s (almost) how i cooked my humba.

     you will need: (almost)

1 pata (this would be about 1-1/2 to 2 kilos depending... slice into smaller pieces)

3/4 - 1 cup vinegar (i used sukang iloko, since i had a lot in stock) - the sour element

3/8 - 1/2 cup soy sauce - the salty element

3/4 - 1 cup sugar (i use washed or segunda) - the sweet element

6 - 8 cloves garlic (crushed) - to spice it up

1 large onion  (sliced) - to give a piquant base (pa-piquant piquant pa eh!)

2 - 3 laurel leaves - the sharp aromatic

2 - 3 sprigs oregano (dried) - the minty aromatic

4 Tbsp banana blossoms - the earthy aromatic

8 shoots spring onions (uncut) - adds zing

2 star anise, a.k.a. sangke (whole) - the fragrant aromatic

2 liters water for boiling

     cooking directions: (almost)

1. boil the meat in water and remove the “skoma” (the brownish bubbles that move over to the sides of the wok or kaldero - if you don’t ladle it out it will stick to the sides and dry up).

2. put everything in the wok except the kitchen sink, ah, i meant, except the sugar.

3. boil until the sauce is reduced to (probably) half the original amount.

4. add the sugar, depending on the sweetness you prefer.  i made my humba a bit on the sour side, i mean, the sourness dominated the sweetness; but my daughter preferred it on the sweet side, the sweetness dominating the sourness, and so i added a couple of tablespoons sugar.  so the amount of sugar depends on the weather, ah, i meant, the whether - whether you want it on the sour side or the sweet side.  now, if you totally eliminate the sugar altogether, ahh, that’s no longer humba - it’s adobo for you!  spicy fragrant aromatic adobo!  hmm...  

but, if you remove the vinegar altogether, that’s almost pata tim, hmm...

5. cook until what’s left of the sauce suits you.

good eats !!!