Sweet and spicy talakitok in a flash

November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ Connie

We haven’t properly replenished our food and cooking supplies after last week’s typhoons, blackout and water problems. We stayed in a hotel for two days and, after checking out yesterday, my husband I went went straight to the supermarket. We had to; otherwise, we would still have to eat instant noodles and cannned meat loaf for dinner last night. The freezer was totally empty after I threw out a pack of chicken and longganisa last Monday (or was it Sunday?). I had to get rid of half a can of Queensland butter, half of a 1-kg block of quickment cheese, a jar of grated parmesan and Romano cheese, a carton of milk that was still three-quarters full, a half-full carton of guava juice, rotting vegetables… so, it was time to go to the supermarket. But replacing everything we had to throw out wasn’t that simple. There were no good vegetables available (not surprising after the typhoons and the floods). The onions were bad and the tomatoes were even worse. Although I was able to get some decent potatoes, I decided to buy the other staples at a later time.

The lack of fresh spices, herbs and vegetables in the house is the reason why this dish of sweet and spicy talakitok (trevally) was cooked with dried herbs and spices. Well, except for the cilantro. By some miracle, my potted cilantro in the backyard survived the typhoons. And although the dill was badly damaged, it did not get uprooted. I’m pretty sure that, in a few weeks, it will grow back in abundance–unless more typhoons hit the Philippines.

Above, the dried herbs and spices I used to cook my sweet and spicy talakitok. I also have dehydrated pimientoes, carrots and onion flakes. I keep them in stock primarily because of our distance from the commercial district. We usually keep a weeks’ supply of fresh herbs, spices and vegetables, but there are days when the supply runs out. While dried herbs, spices and vegetables are convenient, I don’t recommend them as a substitute for the fresh kind. Fresh is best. Fresh tastes better. If you intend to keep your own supply of dried spices, herbs and vegetables, keep them in small amounts. In a humid country like the Philippines, moisture gets trapped in the jars fast and it shortens shelf life.

Now, the recipe for the sweet and spicy talakitok.

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