What is Kelaguen?

Kelaguen is food or seafood originating in and popularized on the islands of Marina. It is specifically considered to be a diet of Chamor, referring to a indigenous group of people on the islands of Marina, called "Chamorro". This meal is very unique because it requires very little cooking from high temperature. Kelaguen is usually consumed as a side dish, but can also be administered as the main meat. This is also the best served cold, accompanied by a pile of rice shoulder blade or some tortillas. The similarity between terms can be reasonable because historians believed that Chamorros could come from Southeast Asia, especially from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Some linguists also observe that Chamor's language has a similarity to some of the Philippine languages.

The reason why the Kelaguen bowl does not have to cook above the fire is that it uses acid from certain ingredients to "cook" meat. To do this, the meat is marinated in what is called "finidini" that as the primary ingredient uses lemon juice and coconutvou water. Soy sauce can also be added for a little weakness. For more aroma, Finidini may also include sliced ​​green onions, chili peppers, salt and pepper. The meat is then soaked in Finidini for several hours, sometimes even overnight to make sure it cooks and absorbs flavors or marinade.

For multiple textures, grated coconut and coconut milk are also added. It should be noted that coconut water is a clean liquid contained inside the coconut, while coconut milk is a milk white liquid that is pushed out of coconut meat. Many chefs and traditional recipes recommend to cool Kelaguen in the refrigerator while "cooking" to merge the taste together. The bowl should occasionally be mixed and mixed, so the marinade is also absorbed by meat.

Almost all types of meat can be used to produce Kelaguen, but it is most likely that food originally used fish as meat, because the islands of the harbor are surrounded by water. Other seafoods such as shrimp, trumpets are also usedOtnice and octopus, but first they should cook a little before marinating. Beef and pork are a popular choice of meat, as well as game or deer. If chicken is used in Kelaguen, the meat should first be grilled or grilled before soaking. The vegetarian version of Kelaguen replaces meat with banana flowers, which is also initially cooked before marinating.