Ampalaya Relish

Ampalaya or Bitter Gourd Relish

Ingredients:

2 pieces ampalaya, remove pulp and seeds, slice as thin as you can, rub with 2 tablespoons rock salt until the green juice is extracted. Throw the bitter juice and wash the slices three times in cold water. After washing drain all the water by pressing lightly on them. Set them aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

1 head garlic, skins removed and sliced thinly

3 small red onions, sliced thinly

2 small red tomatoes, deseeded and sliced in small sticks

1 x 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin sticks

1/2 teaspoon freshly pounded black peppercorns 

Dressing

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

Boil vinegar, sugar and water until reduced to half the original volume. 

Cool the resulting syrup

Toss all ingredients in a glass bowl and mix until everything is soaked in the syrup. Can be served right away or eaten cold with any fried seafood or meat. It can be served as an appetizer also. 

You may bottle the relish and gift it to your buddies. Enjoy!

KAMIAS RELISH

Kamias fruits or Iba (Averrhoa bilimbi) or Cucumber Tree, according to some research are from  trees indegenous in the Asian tropics like the Philippines.The fruit of the tree is green to yellowish green when fresh. It is usually juicy and sour. The kamias tree is very common in most backyards of Filipino homes specially those in the provinces. The tree bears fruits almost all-year round but most aplenty during June to October, the rainy season. So, what do we do with the fruits?  We Filipinos use the fruits in many ways like: souring agent for fish or meat dishes, a snack in itself with salt usually, a preserve as in jams, a prune-like delicacy as a candied fruit, a brined preserved fruit or a dehydrated fruit preserved for further use when the fruit is not available.  I have a kamias tree in my backyard and with the bountiful fruit I decided to make some relish. The ingredients are mostly available in any Asian kitchen and here is  my recipe:

                                                                                                                                                              

                                                               

                                                                                                Recipe:                                                                                                                  

1 kilo fresh kamias, washed, cut into halves           

3/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoon coarse salt

1 head garlic, sliced into slivers

1 big piece ginger, sliced into matchsticks

3 pieces red onions, sliced

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Procedure:                                                                                                                                                         

Place all the kamias, white sugar, salt, garlic, ginger, red onions and black peppercorns in a clean bowl and mix everything until water comes out of the fruit. There is no need to add any liquid as the kamias will sweat out its own juice which is enough to cover the mixture.

Place the well mixed relish in a big bottle container, refrigerate for at least two hours if you will serve it right away. The relish can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. Serve this refreshing relish with any fried or grilled foods or it can be served as an appetizer.