I was at the FTI AANI market in Taguig last Saturday and here are a couple of my finds that made it into my basket. First, some nice looking small red radishes. I’ve never really eaten many red radishes, even when I lived in the West, but these looked so appealing that I bought a kilo or so… not even sure what I was going to do with them. In one of Chef Thomas Keller’s books he mentions enjoying sliced radishes on a piece of sliced baguette slathered with butter and sprinkled with salt. Maybe I will try that…
Mrs. MM and I had the same reaction to the radishes… “aren’t they unpleasantly spicy?” But variety is the spice of life, so the challenge is to use them well in the days ahead.
There was an abundance of patani and kadios on offer at the market… these seem to be quite seasonal and I am not sure I have figured out when the “season” is… but I do like these wonderful bright light green favas for color, nutrition and taste. The fava beans were PHP20 for 100 grams of peeled beans, or PHP60 per kilo unpeeled.
I was wondering what was cheaper and decided to buy a kilo of unpeeled favas and see what they would “yield” — so one kilo of unpeeled resulted in 380 grams of peeled beans. I think it is safe to say it would average roughly 360-400 grams or 36-40% post peeling. Therefore, I saved roughly PHP20, and had fresher patani, but the labor to peel them was the downside. :)
Finally, Mary, my suki at the market had some packages of blueberries from the Mt. Province. I find local blueberries a little tough-skinned (literally) and lacking in flavor when compared to their cousins in cooler climates… but they do make nice sauces. I bit into one of these expecting a rather sour flesh, but this was bordering on sweet, and the skins weren’t as tough as I thought. I am going to make these into a simple compote to serve over vanilla ice cream.
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i like my radishes ,wilted because they make for a crunchy radish kimsi. and that is the only dish i do using radish, i havnt trie red radish though,but once i had radish atchara given to me.
Hi MM. I’m an avid reader of your wonderful blog. May I know where is the nicest and affordable place to buy vegetables in Manila? Is FTI worth going to? How do I get there from Katipunan?
Thanks!
can you make wine out of blueberries? I’m quite curious about it..
The blueberries are something I’ve always wanted to get my hands on. I heard you can get them in Sagada but I missed out on this when I was there a year back. It would be nice if it’s available. I’d love to have some fresh blueberries to add to pancakes. :)
Hi MM. On the subject of Fava bans…. We also bought some from FTI a few weeks back. Actually the ‘shelling’ was quite enjoyable and vaguely therapeutic but I was quickly muscled aside by our stellar one person mini support team who insisted that she do it. Apparently it happily reminded her of younger days in the Province! Question is: if eating as a side dish with meat or fish what do you think is the best way to cook? We boiled / simmered for a few mins and served with a dash of olive oil and butter. Does this make sense or can you suggest an alternative…
adam, your version is simple and delicious, we do it that way too sometimes. But you are pre-empting me… another variation up soon… :) You can also make an interesting and rather visually arresting spread for appetizers, here.
For the red radish, my cousin used to slice them in thin rounds, added salt to squeeze out the juice. then add some fresh lemon juice, some finely chopped white onions, sliced spring onions, salt and pepper then let chill in the refrigerator. Great as a side dish to adobo!
its a surprise for me to see those blueberries fr mountain province. much to my disappointment ,the last time we go to sagada (oct ’10) im expecting those blueberries again but nothing even on their weekend market. the locals told me the blueberry season was summer. but since i saw this, il be haunting for it when i go to baguio this weekend ;) thnx for the tip MM :D
wow.. i didn’t even know it was possible to grow blueberries here in the philippines! you learn something everyday.. :-)
Wow, your photos are SHARP!!! Nice shots!
Blueberries are on the top 10 list of Antioxidant-rich fruits. I get them from COSTCO where they sell them cheaper than most if not all supermarkets. We pick them during the summer months in NJ or Upstate NY. I eat them alone or I sprinkle them over my yogurt, cereals/oatmeal!! If I don’t get to finish the whole pack in like a week or two, I freeze them and later emulsify them with other fruits like strawberries, raspberries & blackberries.
And btw, nice photos! :)
Radishes, fava beans and blueberries…my favorite snacks.
i find red radishes aren’t as bitter as the pale variety… They’re leaning towards singkamas so they must be good just salted, too?
when I get a hold of fresh raw veggies such as the peppery radish and even just fresh carrots, I make Bagna Cauda, a warm dipping sauce with anchovies. This sauce is great with veggies and warm french bread. It even goes well with pasta. Try it, it is very simple to make.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bagna-Cauda-2827
we have a patani plant at the backyard, so big!, 1 foot long..
Here i just wash the radishes and sliced in half then mix it with salad greens, with a bit of vinegar dressing yum…
blueberries! i remember buying a bottle of blueberry jam from Good Shepherd …we couldn’t eat it as it was too sour…i tried to thin it down to sort of like a compote but to no avail :(
i will never forget a jar of blueberry jam i bought the one time i went to Sagada, in 2004. i just found it at some random sidewalk stall by the main street. it was only very subtly sweet, and was a bit chunky (maybe the tough skins you mention?) but was just all the more delicious for that texture. i’ve searched for something like it in the Baguio market since but to no avail. so maybe there’s hope for our local blueberries from the Cordilleras still. :)
as for the radishes, i don’t know if you have time to surf around, but i know the blogger at https://teaandcookies.blogspot.com/ loves exactly that kind of radish and has posted one or two recipes with them (if i recall correctly, mostly salads). she has lots of other good recipes by the way, though i’ve only tried a few yet.
we put patani in pinakbet! love it….
Hi MM! I seem to recall an episode of Bourdain’s No Reservations where he got together with other chefs late at night (when all their restaurants had already cloded) and the first course they had was radishes with butter, salt and pepper. No bread though. Then they had roasted bone marrow afterwards.
Hi Mr. Market Man,
Would you please feature all the chili peppers (sili) that could be found here in the Philippines, if possible.
Thanks,
LocoFoodie
Hi Sir,
Have you noticed the price increase of onions now it is unbelievable. Low supply resulted to high pricing of the staple vegetable.
The local blueberries are not really blueberries but huckleberries or Vaccinium membranaceum. They have more anti-oxidant properties than regular blueberries