Kelaguen is a Chamoru dish from the Marina Islands that uses acid to “cook” meat or fish. It is marinated in finidini, which includes lemon juice and coconut water, and can be served cold with rice or tortillas. The dish can also include shredded coconut and coconut milk. Almost any type of meat can be used, but fish was likely the original ingredient.
Kelaguen is a dish based on meat or fish originating and widespread in the Marina Islands. It is specifically regarded as a Chamoru dish, referring to the indigenous group of people in the Marina Islands, called the “Chamorro”. This dish is very unique because it requires very little cooking at a high temperature. Kelaguen is usually eaten as a side dish, but can also be served as a main course of meat. It should also be served cold, accompanied by a scoop of rice or some tortillas.
The origin of the term “kelaguen” is not certain, but the name has a similar pronunciation to the Filipino word “kilawin”, which is a pork dish that also needs little or no cooking. The similarity between the terms may be reasonable as historians believed that the Chamorros may have come from Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Some linguists also observe that the Chamoru language resembles some Philippine languages.
The reason the kelaguen dish doesn’t need to be cooked over a fire is that it uses the acid in some ingredients to “cook” the meat. To do this, the meat should be marinated in what are called “finidini”, which use lemon juice and coconut water as the primary ingredients. Soy sauce can also be added for some saltiness. For more flavor, finidini can also include sliced green onions, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. The meat is then immersed in the finidini for a few hours, sometimes even overnight to ensure it is cooked through and has absorbed the flavors or marinade.
For added texture, shredded coconut and coconut milk are also added. It should be noted that coconut water is the clear liquid contained in the coconut while coconut milk is the milky white liquid that is squeezed out of the coconut meat. Many chefs and traditional recipes recommend chilling kelaguen in the refrigerator as they “cook” to blend the flavors together. The dish needs to be stirred and stirred from time to time so that the marinade is equally absorbed into the meat.
Almost any type of meat can be used to make kelaguen, but the dish is most likely to have initially used fish as the meat ingredient, as the Marina Islands are surrounded by water. Other seafood such as shrimp, octopus and squid are also used, but should be boiled a little before marinating. Beef, venison or venison can also be used. If chicken is used in the kelaguen, the meat should be broiled or broiled before being soaked. A vegetarian version of kelaguen replaces the meat with banana blossoms, which are also boiled before being marinated.
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