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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Crab Fat Spaghetti - Taba ng Talangka

Crab Fat 5


Crab Fat 8


Crab Fat 7

I first learnt about this wicked cholesterol inducing crab fat paste from Amy Ma's guest post at Chubby Hubby's blog. I first tasted it on my first visit to Manila, Philippinnes this January at Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino. I then bought it at a supermarket at Makati - determined to experiment with it when I got home. I remember coming home from that trip excited by some of the food I had eaten there. I first made Corned Hash Rice and I gushed to Trissa of Trissalicious about how I was inspired to make the Ensaimada. (a brioche bread topped with butter cream, granulated sugar and shredded cheese - sinfully rich)

I also remember being puzzled by the way most people define Taba ng Talangka as crab fat. I have eaten countless crabs but I have not seriously seen any fat under the crab shell. Crab Roe/ Paste on the other hand is a prized ingredient that even the Chinese would gladly use for their high brow delicacy dishes. When I googled this fascinating ingredient, a slew of flatteringly disturbing descriptions popped up  : wicked cholesterol hell, artery clogging, you-only-live-once - food descriptions which are almost always synonymous with comforting, deliciously orgasmic flavours... though an article suggests that it is may be a libido suppressant...

Crab Fat 4

Popular dishes prepared with Taba ng Talangka are usually simple to make and include eating it with rice, (paella style) and cooking it with seafood pasta, to name just a couple. In Amy Ma's post, the chef had served the spaghetti with seared Hokkaido scallops, Chef Laudico served his linguini with calamari... and so it appears that this rich curd-like roe is best used to enhance the flavours of the sea.

When I finally got down to make this a couple of days ago, I decided to do it with vermecilli pasta and serve it with seared scallops. Feeling strangely sinful even before I started cooking, I felt oddly inhibited as I stared at the rich curd swimming in the even more oily fat ( the roe is prepared and preserved in copious amount of oil, salt, calamansi juice and what not).  Perhaps it was because I had been over eating on my last business trip or perhaps it was due to the stubborn 3kg weight I had put on after I started blogging.... but whatever it was, a little voice was nagging inside me telling me that  I SHOULDN'T eat this, that I have to be more disciplined in my food consumption.

I then modified Amy Ma's recipe and omitted the cream that was added to the pasta sauce to make it even richer and creamier. Without the cream, my pasta still retained the breezy flavour of the sea but it lacked the smooth, indulgent creaminess I had tasted at Chef Laudico's restaurant. The 'kick' was not there and I have to admit that despite all good senses and reasonings, some food are meant to be enjoyed in all its artery-clogging, cholesterol reeling, libido suppressing goodness - so, I will have to do this again the right way, without inhibitions and without regrets!



Crab Fat 10(100)







Pasta With Shellfish on Foodista

16 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

A luscious pasta dish! Must have tasted very fresh and wonderful.

trissa said...

I've just ordered a bottle of this paste from my Mom. Reading your post inspired me to try this dish. With the cream of course!

WendyinKK said...

Usually super delicious stuff are super unhealthy. I'm glad I can still afford to indulge. Perfect health even when I was pregnant last time.

Sigh... if only super yummy food could be healthier

Bakericious said...

Shirley, I love ensaimada too. It has been many yrs nvr get to eat since my last trip to phil. This spaghetti looks yummy, hope I am able to arrange a trip to Phil to get the crab fat. Thanks for sharing.

Zurin said...

crab fat...thats a first for me. I can imagine the cholesterol. something I dont need . the spaghetti looks so good . too bad delicious food are so unhealthy like wendy says. once in a while is ok I suppose unless it stretches to too many once in whilies..LOL

tigerfish said...

Can I say this is uber-umami pasta? ;p

pigpigscorner said...

OMG you can actually buy fat crab???!!! I want!

Kitchen Corner said...

WOW! Very delicious spaghetti! I'm feeling hungry now....

3 hungry tummies said...

Wicked cholesterol hell, artery clogging, you-only-live-once... lol I love this sauce already! Fabulous looking dish, I hope I can find the sauce in Melbourne! SO does it taste like crab roe?

Bakericious said...

Shirley, I have some awards for you, feel free to pick them up from my blog :).

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

crab fat is new to me, but dont think I can cook this as hubby scare high cholesterol food. Anyway, this dish look super yummy..

Anonymous said...

Utterly delicious looking dish! I love pastas.

Anonymous said...

Hi, thanks for dropping by. I heard there are many Hainanese over in S'pore. Are your ancestors from Wenchang too?

Shirley @ Kokken69 said...

Mei Teng,yes,they are also from Wenchang. I still have uncles and cousins there but I have never visited Hainan Island....

thecoffeesnob said...

Scallops in crab roe? That has got to be one of the most delicious things I've ever heard of, Shirley!

And I love how you've seared the scallops so nicely - I'm always really paranoid about overcooking them!

Jo said...

I've never heard of crab fat before .. hmm didn't even think a crab would have much fat either! Whatever it is, this pasta looks damn good!

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