Tag Archives: Southeast Asia

A Tribute to Langka, Papaya, & Mango

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A guest house welcome sign on a jackfruit tree

Langka (jackfruit) is normally cooked as vegetable when unripe as in the ginataang langka of the Philippines, or the gudeg of Yogyakarta. It is typically eaten raw when ripe, though usually candied if used as dessert ingredient – halo-halo for instance. This is royalty in the kingdom of fruits.

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Undoubtedly a tropical fruit tree

Similarly, a papaya fruit when unripe is usually cooked as vegetable in tinolang manok for example and eaten raw when reddish or golden ripe. The green unripe papayas are also grated and made into delectable salad like the one I had in Thailand, or it can be pickled, as in atchara. Give me papaya over apple or oranges anytime.

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Very sweet Zambales mangoes

And here is one reason why I won’t leave the Philippines – mango. I have tried mangoes in other countries but not one of them can beat the taste of Philippine mangoes. The moment I tasted its sweet ripe meat, all political ugliness of the country became tolerable.

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This is the normal way to serve ripe mango though it is more fun to just peel off the soft skin and bite…juices dripping

Mr. Durian is Southeast Asian

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He is very hard and spiky on the outside

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...but creamy and yummy in the inside

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He is my post dinner treat that made me post him here

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I then remember this snapshot I took in Malioboro St, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Local Market in Jogja

While shopping arcades/malls will draw the life out of me, local markets give the opposite effect. In a larger picture, Southeast Asian local markets look and feel the same though it’s just a generality. There are detailed contrasts between regions from the atmosphere, to the quantity of certain ingredients also the variety, the tools, the merchants and patrons, the layout, the arrangement, and even the ornamentation.

I went to this food market in Yogyakarta near Prawirotaman street and took joy (as usual) in my stroll within.
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Floor level seating is the norm.
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I’ve noticed that there’s no market type of shouting, a contrast to the palengkera manner of calling out to shoppers (in a good way) in the Philippines where that kind of market chaos (one that I love) is eternally present. These merchants were relatively quiet in Jogja.
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See the mangoes in that handsome timbangan (weighing scale). Also chilies, petai and sprouts in those flat round baskets.
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The chicken lady of the market and her timbangan. I like this photo.
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Spice pack of galangal, bay leaves and lemongrass. So unlike in the Philippines where one can see Knorr Cubes and Magic Sarap junk in the palengke.
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Those are palm sugar inside the clear plastic bags.
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The Indonesian cook who was with me the second time I went here says these are macadamia nuts commonly used in Indonesian cooking (but I think she meant candlenuts).
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