How to Make Laing or Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk

Laing, a popular Filipino dish, is made from taro leaves cooked in creamy coconut milk. To make it, sauté garlic and onions in a pot until fragrant. Add dried taro leaves and cook them with shrimp paste and coconut milk until the leaves wilt and absorb the flavors. Simmer the mixture until the coconut milk thickens and the taro leaves become tender. Some variations include adding pork, shrimp, or chili for added depth and spice. Laing is best served hot with steamed rice, providing a delightful combination of creamy, savory, and slightly spicy flavors that showcase the unique taste of taro and coconut.

Laing or Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk Recipe by Philippine Cuisine
Ingredients: serve 6
4 cloves garlic
100 g onion
1 thumb sized ginger
3 cups coconut milk
1 cup coconut cream
5g bird eye chilies (siling labuyo)
4 hrimps, cooked and shlled for garninsh
1 tbsp cooking oil
100g ground pork
30g shrimp pates(bagoong alamang)
500g dried taro(gabi) leaves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

PREPARATION:
Crush, peel, and mince the garlic.

Chop onion finely.

Peel and chop ginger finely.

If using fresh mature coconuts, extract cream and milk.

Chop 2 of the bird’s eye chilies. Leave the other whole for garnish.

Boil the shrimps until cooked. Peel and discard shells. Set aside.

Cooking:
In a pre heated pan, sauté garlic, onion and ginger in oil until fragrant. Add pork and cook for 10 minutes. Season with shrimp paste, salt, and pepper. Add chopped chili peppers and coconut milk.

Add taro leaves and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour or until coconut milk has reduced. Do not stir while cooking. Pour in coconut cream and heat for another 2 minutes. End.