Monday, September 14, 2009

#177_Ginataang Bayabas (Guavas in Coconut Milk)

Ohhhh, GUAVAS!!!!

That's exactly what I uttered upon entering the
newly opened Mexican store in my neighborhood the other day.
Actually the guavas did not look that great,
and in all honesty, most people in the Philippines
won't take a second look at these bruised,
over ripe, mushy guavas,
and I think it was nostalgia rather than appetite that made me
pay $3.99 per pound for fruits that were nearly rotten.
They brought back fun childhood memories....
climbing my grandparents' guava trees and my mother's
Ginataang Bayabas.
Ahhh, memories, how precious!!

Here's how to make Ginataang Bayabas:
(for 1.3 lbs)

Guavas must be ripe but firm.


1) Deseed, (optional) then peel and slice guavas.
2) Boil guavas in 4 cups water until tender, about 20 minutes, depending on how ripe the guavas are.
3) Add 1-1/2 cups white sugar and let it simmer (like making simple syrup, only with the guavas).
4) Add 1 can coconut milk, (I prefer to use Coconut cream) and continue to simmer for just a few minutes (about 2-3 minutes). Turn off the heat.


Serve warm or room temperature.
Yummy!!

We used to eat this with fried tinapa or fried toyou and rice
during rainy days.
Guavas must be in season during rainy season
in the Philippines,
otherwise I would have seen some in January or February
when I went back for visits.

Oooops!
I forgot the salt...add just a teaspoon of salt while boiling guavas in water.

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10 comments:

  1. Thank you, MarBino for your nice suggestion!!!but I think I will stick with this old-fashioned, obsolete, clean-cut, uncluttered and not overly decorated template. I think I'm an old-fashion old gal, aye?!!
    Take care!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ay mali guess ko....never had this before!

    FYI, daming pop-up ads dito...(I just noticed now dahil bumalik ako sa mozilla since my Windows profile got corrupted (burado lahat previous files ko).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Manang, you mean I have lots of pop-up ads? Oh my, goodness. Dunno how to fix that!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Manang,I guess this is a Pangasinan dish. We made then all the time over there.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am from Pangasinan but I have not tasted the ginataang bayabas for a long time now even if I go back to Pangasinan every year . I got a tray of guavas from my daughter -in-law so I decided to cook it the way I remember . I surfed your blog to make sure I am in the right track .I will let you know if it will taste the way I remember it. You must be a Pangasinense but do you speak our Pangasinan dialect ?

    Mara

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mara, welcome to my blog! Yes, I'm from Pangasinan, puron puro ya Pagasinan, and yes I do speak Pangasinan fluently. Salamat ya baleg ta binmisita ka dya ed sayay blog site ko. Hope your ginataan ya bayawas turns out good.
    Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, MaMely ,thanks for your response . My ginataan guava turned out okay balet siak labat so mamangan . I think it is a bit ma sabaw though I used coconut cream . I will try to cook it again with lesser liquid if I find good guavas.

    By the way , what is your town and where are you based now ? Do you have a restaurant somewhere ? I am from Mangaldan and Dagupan and I am now based in Canada so I am also puro puron Pangasinan . I will try some of your recipes . However , I don't see Laing in your list . Are most of your recipes Pangasinan-inspired ones ? Do you cook a lot ?

    It is nice to hear from you .

    Cheers ,

    Mara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mara, I'm from Dagupan. Nice to know you're from Dagupan as well. Iner ka ed Canada?
      I don't cook as much as I used to anymore, that's why I don't update this blog anymore, but you can follow me on my food page on facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/PinoyAmericanFavoriteRecipes/102145934577?ref=nf
      You don't need to sign up to go there.
      TAke care!!

      Delete
    2. I guess you can't click on the link I gave you, but if you go to the upper right corner of this page, you'll see the title of the page in blue letters, it says facebook underneath it, click on that and it will take you to my facebook page. Hope to see you there!

      Delete
  8. Hi , Ma Mely , I saw you in FB but I prefer to communicate with you here . Mainomay ya natapewan so comments dimad FB . I am from Vancouver , British Columbia . I was born in Mangaldan but I lived with my family in Dagupan before we emigrated here in Canada .

    I liked cooking but I don't cook very much anymore . Sometimes it is easier to order than to cook although I still enjoy real home-cooked putahes . I was just reading your adobo recipe . I can not find oyster sauce of Mama Sita in the Asian stores . For soy sauce , I like using China Lily . I will try the soy sauce you recommended in your adobo recipe .

    By the way , you must be based in California , basing it from your pictures with your ( or friend's ) vegetable garden . We can't grow here ( where I live ) most of the vegetables grown in Pangasinan though we can buy almost everything ( Asian fruits specially lanzones and vegetables ) here in Vancouver . What city are you residing at ?

    It is nice to hear from so I look forward to your response again ...

    MARA

    ReplyDelete