Young Bamboo Shoots with Coconut Milk and Shrimps

Ginat-an nga Tambo is truly an Ilonggo favorite!  It is a staple is most homes and carinderias as it is always a crowd and palate pleaser. 

The dish is a mix of young bamboo shoots and coconut milk - the main ingredients, plus other vegetables and seafood.

Depending on the availability and the taste preferences, the dish may have okra, saluyot, takway and corn kernels among others.

For the seafood component, it may have shrimps, crabs, bago-ngon (local freshwater snails),  dried fish like pinakas/daing.

Whatever your choice of seafood and vegetables, this dish is always worth the extra cup of rice. So, let's make one of the most popular version of this Ilonggo favorite dish - Ginat-an nga Tambo with Pasayan

Here's the simplest recipe of this dish

Ingredients

• 1/2 kilo tambo or bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
• 2 cups pure coconut milk 
• 1 onion (sibuyas), thinly sliced
• Shrimps, your take on how many pieces
• 1 bundle of tagabang (saluyot), washed
• 1 liter water, adjust accordingly
• Salt or Fish sauce

How to cook Ginat-an nga Tambo with Pasayan

1. Blanch tambo. Squeeze until dry. You can also squeeze it with salt. Set aside.
2. In a pot, boil water then add 1 CUP of coconut milk and continue boiling.
3. Add bamboo shoots, shrimps, onion and other vegetables of your choice except the saluyot.
4. Stew for around 5 minutes then season with salt.
5. Finally, mix-in the remaining 1 CUP of pure coconut milk and stew it for another 3 minutes.
6. Make final flavor and consistency adjustments using salt and water respectively.
7. Serve with rice and your favorite fried/grilled fish.

The measurements in this recipe are just guides in cooking this delicious Ilonggo favorite dish. We usually cook this unmeasured - just proportionating the ingredients or even not. The important thing is just you taste what you are cooking and making sure everything is cooked. Enjoy!