Kubiertos

I had always thought that Kuhol (a.k.a escargot or brown snails) was an expensive dish and very hard to find. But despite that perception, I always welcomed when my mom served ginataang kuhol at our house. I did not have the icky reaction to that fact that it was a snail I was trying to pick out from the hard brown shell with a toothpick. Not only was my reaction surprising (I hate anything slimy and slithery a.k.a worms and slugs), my jaw dropped when I found out these little buggers cost about P10 to P20 a cup at the local market.

The easiest thing to do to kuhol is to cook and serve them with coconut milk. It has actually evolved into a famous dish served at places like Cabalen or Kamayan. Now you can have the same at home.

Ingredients:
2-3 cups of brown snails (kuhol)
1 garlic head
1 tbsp. ginger
3 pcs. siling labuyo (or bird’s eye pepper)
2 cups of gata or coconut milk (2 coconuts are equivalent to 2 cups of gata)
pinch of salt

Procedure:
1. Soak kuhol in water for 2-3 hours.
2. After, wash and drain well.
3. Break tail-end of snails (simply by tapping with the handle of a knife).
4. Wash again and drain then set aside.
5. In a pan, sauté garlic and ginger, add a little patis or fish sauce.
6. Pour coconut milk and bring to a boil.
7. Let simmer for about 15 minutes then add the snails.
8. Season with salt.
9. Add in the pepper last and leave for 10 more minutes.
10. Serve hot with white rice.

** Optional: Add chopped spring onions for some color.