At some point in Philippine summers (which is generally from the end of the school term in March until the beginning of June, where midway, at least in central Philippines, Panay island experiences a 'spring' where May flowers akin to lilac and fragrant flowering trees that resemble cherry blossoms in shades of white, yellow, pink and red bloom), there comes a time when our Tita Beb and the entire family runs short of cash. On the general, it is probably likely after the closing ceremonies in gradeschool where Tita was a second grade teacher since recognition ceremonies were my sister Amour and I have always ended up first in our class academically and thus (ahem...a point of pride here in our young lives) needed new clothes to receive our academic ribbons and medals we won in quiz bees through the school year. To be presentable in front of the whole school where honor students and their parents put their best foot forward is an annual occasion that many families in the town and the district look forward to as it is kind of like a declaration of which family has the smartest and most talented kid. Amour and myself have always been first in our classes since kindergarten and it is all due to the hardwork and support of our Tita Beb and for me, my Lola Beb (grandaunt Beb, sister of our granny Judith, Tita Beb and our mother's mom - for our rather complicated familial relations and set up and how Tita Beb and our Lola Beb came to be our de facto moms, see my very first post in this blog) as well. These 2 ladies work with us everyday with our homework, instill in us a discipline of studying and completing our tasks and projects for school at night after dinner, and in our everyday lives guide us so that we develop a sense of independence as well as confidence and curiosity of the world around us. So our recognition or 'honors day' every end of March at the end of the school year is a way for us to give back to our Tita Beb and Lola Beb, for it is them that comes up to the stage to pin our ribbons on us. And being themselves teachers of the school, they also dress well, in new clothes. So yeah, it could get expensive.
But even with low budget for the first weeks of summer, our Tita Beb tries her best to give us delicious and nutritious meals and for this she turns to a favorite Ilonggo stable - the Laswa. Laswa means 'boiled'; essentially it is a vegetable soup full of nutritious veggies (utan in Ilonggo) with some of the ingredients grown in our garden at home while the rest can be picked up in the wet market for a fraction of meat-centric meals. In our garden we have malunggay, and sometimes Lola Beb also grows okra, eggplants and squash/kalabasa. In the wet market, or sometimes from our neighbor's gardens (who happily give us some of their produce) we would acquire alogbati (malabar spinach), tugabang (jute, a green leafy veg that becomes viscous like okra when cooked and a favorite of mine), dilis (small, dried fish) and/or ginamos/bagoong (shrimp paste). Depending on what is available, sometimes Tita or Lola would add sea snails (or bagongun, very yummy and a fun challenge to eat as one has to suck the meat from the shells) as well as tabagak (called daing in Tagalog) dried salted fish that adds flavour and texture to the dish. It is pretty easy to make. My sister Amour and I, after running about the garden with Tita Beb and/or Lola Beb picking up the leaves and other ingredients and then running off for a quick visit to the wet market to pick up the rest, would be in the 'dirty kitchen' that uses firewood and charcoal for cooking set-up in a connected courtyard to the main house helping. I love watching Tita Beb and Lola Beb preparing the ingredients, slicing the leaves (there is a distinct crunch when folded and tightly compacted tugabang leaves are sliced and a kind of fresh, very veggy aroma arises from the sliced leaves), peeling the squash and cubing them...their nimble and adept hands prepare the ingredients expertly. Amour and I would help in plucking the small malunggay leaves one by one until we fill a little bowl. Whoever is cooking between them would then boil water in a kaldero (a cooking pot) in a medium fire and when it is close to boiling would add the veggies that require longer cooking time - squash, eggplants and okra, for example. As it boils, the leafy greens are then added, and after they boil in too, the flavourings and 'sahog' (add-ins, mostly some type of meat, or fish, seashells or shrimp paste/bagoong). If bagoong is used as sahog, Tita Beb doesn't salt it as the salty fermented paste adds a saltiness and umami depth. The softened squash sometimes breaks down a little, adding a burst of yellow in the soup which directly contrasts with the green of the tugabang, the purple stems of the alugbati and the eggplant. With okra added, the resulting soup has a viscous nature and tastes so good when served as viand with steamed rice.
My sister and I, observing from the side could not help but grow hungrier as the aroma of the Laswa reach our little noses so that even without prompting, we'd scamper back into the house and set the table, ready for lunch or dinner where the laswa is served.
Laswa is similar to the Dinengdeng of the Ilocanos and is as loved as the latter is to the Ilonggos. For Amour and I, the nutrition brought on by all those veggies and the time spent with our Tita Beb preparing the dish are filled with memories of laughter, of little journeys from the garden to the kitchen, of talks and greetings with neighbours, of little jaunts into the wet market where we get to say hi to the vendors and friends and neighbours that make our small town a community. With Tita, cooking becomes a social and learning activity, foundational to our growth and socialization and a source of happy memories.
Nowadays, with 'replacement' ingredients (I could never quite source Tugabang/Jute here in Scotland, same goes to Alogbati, Malunggay and Okra as well as shrimp paste - they need specialist stores) I try to recreate the taste in my own version but it could never quite approximate to the warmth, yumminess and joy that bowl of laswa gave me in my many lunches and dinners with it every summer in my childhood. Making it with Tita Beb, or my Lola Beb with my little sister Amour was always a happy event and now, a treasure in my memories.
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