Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Ginat-an Na Talangka ( Asian Shore Crab in Coconut Milk)

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Ginat-an Na Talangka ( Asian Shore Crab in Coconut Milk)

Photo from fotochef.blogspot.com
In my previous posting I described how I watched harvesting the bangus (milk fish)from my parents fish pond when I was growing up in the Philippines. Along with the bangus, hundreds of mini crabs known locally as talangka were also harvested. The correct English name for talangka is “Asian shore crab” because of the square shaped top shell.

I remember eating the small crabs that our maid cooked in coconut milk. It is called locally as Ginat-an na Talangka. This Filipino dish has also shrimp paste( bago-ong), garlic, ginger, and chili(hot pepper). Do not over cooked the crabs. You may used vinegar with crushed garlic as a good dipping sauce. The best part of the crab is the red fat (TABA),oftentimes known as the Filipino caviar. Here's how to eat this delicious dish.

First remove the top shell, then split the body into two and remove the legs. Dip into vinegar/garlic sauce, and eat the body only. The legs are pretty sharp. Omit the hot pepper if you do not like it spicy hot. This dish is super high in cholesterol and not for persons with high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Bon Apetit!

Last year ABC News featured Chef Bun Lai of Miya Sushi Restaurant in New Haven, Connecticutt regarding his recipe of crab popcorn. I am sure it taste better than shrimp popcorn. Chef Bun Lai urged everyone to eat Asian shore crab popcorn to help restore the ecosystem balance in the Eastern seashores of the US.

The scientific name of the Talangka is Hemigrapsus sanguineus. It is sometimes called as the Japanese shore crab or Asian shore crab, crablets or mini crabs. This is a species of crab from East Asia. In recent years, it has been introduced to several other shores in other countries, and is now an invasive species in North America and Europe.

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Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree