Katuray Flowers

I’ve heard of the word, “katuray” before, but it’s usually to denote something derogatory or insulting. Last Sunday, I chanced upon katuray flowers for the first time. I found them at Legazpi Sunday Farmers Market in Makati. Farmers’ markets here are different from public markets or palengke. Farmers’ markets are usually available only once a week (usually on a weekend), and they have more artisanal, hard-to-find items, like katuray flowers.

At first glance, I knew they were flower petals but later on thought they were peas. After all, they looked like snow or snap peas. I asked the vendor what were they and he simply replied, “katuray“.  I further probed and asked how can I cook with them. He said I can blanch them and add to my salads or saute and use in my Dinengdeng, an Ilocano dish. I  thought I might as well get them since I’m here in the Philippines for research.

When I came home, I called my parents and asked if they’ve heard of katuray before. My dad chuckled and said that people in our town would ignore and look down on katuray as something cheap and unattractive. He said it’s usually a simile to describe prostitutes and cheap women. I was flabbergasted. The katuray flowers looked so beautiful; how can they be an insult? My parents and my sister went on and advised me not to eat them because they’ve never heard of anyone saying they were edible.

I wanted to try them though. Not only I had already paid for them, but I’m sure the vendor knew what he was talking about. He even explained which parts of the flower to discard. So, l blanched the katuray flowers and the vibrant pink color quickly turned dark purple.

After a few minutes, I transferred the petals into an ice bath. Once cool enough to touch, I picked a couple and tasted them. They were extremely bitter! I thought, maybe my parents were right. Maybe they weren’t edible after all. But my dad did advise that I should look them up online and do my research. I still thought the flowers looked beautiful so I added them on top of my vegan ramen. And I still ate a few of them just because.

It’s probably wise to research before eating them, but I was too tempted to eat my ramen already. Afterward, I looked up katuray online and found out they’re not only edible, they’re highly nutritious too. I learned that the people from Ilocos eat them. I’m not so surprised though. Ilocanos love their bitter food. I also learned that the English term for katuray is “vegetable hummingbird”. Nutritionally, they’re high in iron and protein. I guess they’re a great vegan addition to any cooking.

Will I buy katuray again? Perhaps. I think they’re beautiful and not figuratively cheap at all. It’s their bitter taste that made me hesitant. But who knows, lately I’ve been on Ilocano cooking and I might include katuray flowers in my vegan Dinengdeng. After all, that’s what I’m here for, to learn more about Filipino dishes and ingredients.