If you mention Filipino salad, the first to come to mind would probably be fruit salad. We very rarely serve any kind of vegetable salad on the table, except maybe ensaladang talong or ensaladang mangga.
So I was happy to come by this Filipino salad recipe -shared by Chef Myrna Segismundo for the Culinary Elite Series at The Maya Kitchen cooking class. If youre having a Filipino themed party, this is a great showcase recipe. In fact, this salad was presented for a Christmas menu with a Filipino cuisine theme.
This is a light salad, sweet, sour, and salty at the same time. Just how we Filipinos love our taste combo!
This Filipino salad is easy to prepare but the ingredients are a bit rare sometimes. It uses young ubod or otherwise known as heart of palm. You have to really choose the youngest and innermost ubod so you can have a crispy and crunchy ubod salad. The word “ubod” means inner. If you come by an old one, it can be made into other ubod recipes but not a salad. If this cannot be found, you may choose other vegetable such as jicama or singkamas.
Pomelos too, is not as easily found. Choose the ripest ones and perhaps taste test first so you can have the sweet kind and not the bitter pomelo.
For honey, a possible alternate is caramelized white sugar.
Shrimp Kinilaw
For the shrimp kinilaw, make sure to choose the freshest shrimp of course. Chef Myrna shared that she always gets annoyed when our Shrimp Kinilaw is referred to as the Philippine Ceviche, because they are not. They’re just Philippine Shrimp Kinilaw.
One of her eternal campaign and advocacy is for Filipinos to stop referring to our food as being “like” a particular dish from another country. For example, our adobo is not “like” Mexican Adobo. She says we have to take ownership of our cuisine and if possible add Philippines everything for branding.
“We have to stop describing our food in a foreign way. Let it be Filipino,” Segismundo added.
Salad of Young Ubod and Pomelos with Kinilaw of Shrimps
Ingredients
- 1 kl Ubod (hearts of palm), julienned
- Soaked in water with calamansi juice (drain before use)
- 2 pcs Jicama, peeled, julienned
- 2 pcs Carrot, peeled, julliened
- 2 pcs Red Bell Pepper, seeded, julienned
- 2 pcs Green Bell Pepper, seeded, julliened
- 1 whole Pink Pomelo Segments, peeled and seeded
- 1 recipe Honeyed-Patis Dressing
HONEYED-PATIS DRESSING
- 1/4 cup Dayap or Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp Patis (fish sauce)
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 1/2 tbsp Dayap Zest, grated
- Pinch White Ground Pepper
SHRIMP KINILAW
- 1 kl Fresh White Shrimps, peeled, headless and deveined
- 1 cup Cane Vinegar
- 2 pcs White Onion, minced
- 2 pcs Ginger (approx 1 inch), peeled and minced
- Bird’s Eye Chili), chopped
- Juice from 10 pcs. Calamansi
- 2 tsp Fish Sauce
Instructions
Shrimp Kinilaw
- In a bowl , marinate shrimps in vinegar for 2 minutes, squeeze shrimps lightly and discard vinegar. Strain the shrimps, set aside.
- In a separate bowl, toss marinated shrimps in onion, ginger, and chilli. Drizzle with calamansi juice. Season with fish sauce, if needed.
Dressing
- Mix dressing
Assembly of Pomelo Salad
- Mix vegetables together.
- Lightly toss with honeyed patis dressing.
- Top with a few pieces of Shrimp Kinilaw
