Suam Mais

Dr. Alice T. BUAN

Cooking is a natural skill in our household. My mother always tells me that the best way to determine if the person can cook is based on how the sautéed mixtures of garlic and onion appear in the final dish. ”They should not be visible.” As I grew up, this has been my personal practice, while also accepting other styles of cooking, I must admit that I am open to any type of fusion or stylized cuisines, but at the end of the day, a dish that we’ve known and shared as a family should stay in the form and shape as it was taught.

For me, changing the way it was fashioned, in our way of life, changes the memories embedded in it.

ARAYAT

Suam Mais

POT 5 - 7 DIFFICULT 4 HOURS

mais a maputi (maiz blanca) pichu (chicken breast) paro (shrimp) bulung lara (chili pepper leaves) Laya(ginger) laya (garlic) sibuyas (onions) patis (fish sauce) bulung lara (chili pepper leaves)

The Suam Mais we grew up with is actually almost the same as other swam mais I tasted in different households here in Pampanga. I think, since Pampanga is a land where corn is abundant, especially in my hometown of Arayat, the source of most mais is the same.

In preparing the dish, one must choose the mais a maputi. Other types, like Japanese Sweet Corn, will not yield the same result, in terms of consistency and taste. Sweet corn is so sweet that it intrudes into the taste of other ingredients in the mixture. Initially, scrape the corn kernels off the cob (busal ning mais), as you don’t include the corn cob in the process. It’s a safe equation to consider that 2 liters of water is enough for 1 kilo of corn kernels that have been scraped off the cob. Boil the kernels over a low fire, to extract the oils that make up the savory taste of the corn.

On a separate cooking stove, start sautéing the bawang (garlic), laya (ginger), sibuyas (onion), paro (shrimp) and pichu (chicken breast) pieces in a pan. The shrimp need to be peeled and deveined. Sizes and shapes of the shrimp and chicken pieces may be based on your preference, but always take note that this is a soup based dish, so the chicken meat only serves as flavouring, and not the central element of the dish. Ideally, the chicken should only be cut into small pieces. Fish sauce should be added while the mixture sizzles. Once these ingredients are thoroughly mixed and cooked, you only need to add the mix to the boiling soup. Check to see that the corn kernels have broken apart. As you pour this mixture into the pot, you need to mix it very well, while maintaining a moderate flame. Pour the bulung lara (chili pepper leaves) into the soup. The best indicator that the dish is done, is when corn oil floats to the surface of the soup. Serve the dish hot.

During my school days, my friends called me “Alice Kamatis” (just rhyming the words).I was usually first in line during assembly for Monday flag ceremony. I’ll let you figure out why. My ambition was to be a lawyer, to defend and protect others in court But, as it turned out, I became a doctor. It was the same intention, but in a different way, to defend and protect others from illness.