aunt rose's cassava greens with pumpkin in coconut milk...
el nido, palawan, philippines
we stumbled upon this really unassuming guesthouse off the beaten path in el nido. Makulay Lodge is such an incredible secret. the guesthouse has only two rooms tucked into the jungle with views overlooking the sea. the place was quiet and very charming on its own but the owner, rose, was the reason we stayed much longer than intended. her way of always giving just a little something extra made us feel like we were guests in her own home.
there was no restaurant at the guesthouse... just a small but functional kitchen and a few cozy tables under a thatch roof in the courtyard decorated with lush tropical plants. the menu was whatever was fresh or harvested that day.
one of my favorites was this bowl of cassava greens with pumpkin in coconut milk which i made myself (the coconut milk that is)! making coconut milk is a very simple but slightly labor intensive process - but the result is so freshly delicious that, had korea any coconuts, i'd be putting fresh coconut milk on just about everything!
