PAKO SALAD (Native Fern Salad)

My first acquaintance with  PAKO was when I moved here in “Narnia”, and I, together with my husband and his family went to visit his aunt who lives at a farther town away from this city. There were an abundance of these wild ferns, and I saw how people just pick them up on the side of the roads or in their own garden. My gracious aunt-in-law, harvested some for us to take home; and my sister-in-law cooked them that night with some shrimps and coconut milk. I liked how it tasted and for me it was very similar to asparagus. They never made it again and my husband said it was because they were already satiated with eating it because of its availability. So, when my husband and I got our own place, I said I have to make use of Pako again in my dishes as much as I can, but the idea didn't really excite my husband.

That idea only came to vision when I finally saw some fresh Pako at the market a while ago. I usually have a hard time finding a bunch of fresh Pako in the local market, probably because everyone just has it in their garden.

I wanted my second taste of Pako in its unadulterated form, so I made it into some Salad for my lunch today. The inspiration came after browsing a local food magazine and saw that Pako Salad is already being served in Viaje Del Sol, a food explorer’s hidden gem in Tiaong, Quezon.

I first made some LIGHT BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE to go along my Pako Salad. You can make it too by mixing: 1 tsp of minced garlic and 1/2 tbsp of Dijon mustard until evenly combined. Whisk in 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/8 cup hot water. Flavor it with 3 tsp of honey and 2 tsp of white sugar. Slowly add 1 tbsp of olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

Since I knew exactly where they can get their Pakos in here, I wanted to make sure its thoroughly clean. So after washing with cold water, I boiled some water in a pot and blanched the ferns for about 3 minutes. They  also said that blanching it in boiling water takes away the bitterness of the ferns. I then transferred it to an ice bath for it to still maintain its crispiness.

I proceeded with preparing the other elements for my salad. I sliced 1 red onion, 1 tomato, and 1 salted egg. I fried too a block of tofu to add more protein to my salad. Drain the ferns and arrange everything to a large plate.

Drizzle the salad with the Light Balsamic Vinaigrette or serve it on the side. 

Okay, so finally I have to yield to my husband this time and admit that there are some things here in Narnia that I could not find in the metro. I actually enjoyed this dish, very light and tasty.

Until my next dish with this versatile Native Fern! =)

Happy Eating! =)