Philippine Food Illustrated

April 26, 2015

daludal

Bundles of daludal in Santiago City Isabela public market.

daludal – /da-lú-dal/ (Ilocano vegetable) [n.] taro runner.

takway in Negrense, Capizeño, & Tagalog

pusaw in Maranao

It is the long stalk of a young taro runner that grows away sideward from the mother plant. A newly sprouting stalk of gabi (taro) that is slender with an unopened young leaf.

Dadulal is often taken and used in cooking as a vegetable and is referred to as the Philippine native asparagus. It is harvested and cooked into a variety of vegetable dishes, much like that of Ilocano aba.

In Negros and Panay islands where it is called takway, it is often boiled and then seasoned with suka (vinegar) and asin (salt) or included in making Ilonggo laswa (boiled assorted vegetables).

A vendor cleaning some takways she is selling at Silay City public market during one of my travels in the province of Negros Occidental.

A heap of takway being sold on the sidewalk of Silay City public market in one of my travels in Negros Occidental province.

The stalks can also be cooked with coconut milk to become ginataan or made into adobo by simmering the cutlets in vinegar and soy sauce with or without sagpaw or sahog.