Taba ng Talangka (Crab Fat) Pasta

Being an aspiring cook, I love to experiment with things. And as I have said in one of my previous post, this may not be a food blog, but there would be times when I will be sharing a recipe of something I made (or just something I would like to share). And today, I whipped up myself a sinfully delectable pasta made with Taba ng Talangka (sometimes called Aligue, Crab Fat, or Crab Roe).

Taba ng Talangka is full of cholesterol so I use it sparingly in my cooking (I think I've only eaten it twice). It comes from tiny crabs found in the Philippines we call Talangka. And "taba" means "fat", hence the English term crab fat. But I have found in some sites that aligue is actually crab roe. Whatever it is, it is still very fatty because not only is it fatty in itself, it has also been preserved in a large amount of oils and spices.

Last night, I asked a little help from my friend Google to find the perfect Aligue Pasta recipe. I have found a few, but when I started cooking, I threw my recipe sheet and did things on my own. This recipe is inspired by about seven different Aligue Pasta recipes I have read. I just adjusted them to my liking, and voila! Taba ng Talangka Pasta just the way I like it.

Serving size: 1

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

100 g. pasta of your choice cooked according to package instructions (I have used whole wheat fusilli pasta because that's all I have, but I suggest something stringy like spaghetti or fettuccine)
2 tbsp. crab fat (you may adjust this according to your preference)
Juice of 2 pcs. calamansi or juice of half a lemon, which ever is available
5 asparagus spears cut into 1 inch sticks
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground pepper
a pinch of chili flakes (optional)
Parmesan cheese
chopped parsley for garnish

Procedure:

1. Saute the garlic in olive oil until slightly brown, being careful that it won't burn.
2. Stir in the crab fat, then the calamansi juice.
3. Add the asparagus and cook for a minute.
4. Mix in the pasta with a little pasta water.
5. Add salt, pepper and chili flakes (if using) according to taste.
6. Turn of the heat and mix in the Parmesan cheese.
7. Sprinkle the parsley, stir and transfer to the plate.
8. Drizzle additional olive oil if you want. Enjoy!

Variations:

• Aligue enhances the taste of seafood so you can add a few shellfish to make it a Taba ng Talangka Seafood Pasta.
• Adding two to three tablespoons of milk/cream can turn it into a creamy pasta.
• Infusing some Asian flavors through turning into a Curried Taba ng Talangka Pasta is possible. Just add a teaspoon or two of curry paste (any color) and two to three tablespoons of coconut cream.
• The asparagus can be replaced by some other vegetable like peas or green beans, or you can omit the vegetable part all in all.