Pamapa itum, meaning "black spices", gets its color from burnt coconut. Not toasty caramel brown like latik—you want charred, black-brown coconut meat roasted in its shell, directly over an open flame. This burnt coconut meat, called siyunog lahing, is then smashed into a paste with spices like turmeric, galangal, and chilies.
You'll see pamapa itum in Filipino dishes from the Muslim South, such as chicken pyanggang and tiyula itum. The burnt coconut imparts a deep, complex smokiness that's both sweet and earthy.
Making burnt coconut at home: Use your gas stove
Traditional pamapa itum calls for hulled and split mature coconut, which you roast over charcoal or fire until deeply burnt. If you have a gas stove, you can easily do this in your kitchen. Keep a close eye and make sure you don't burn your coconut all the way.
I don't have access to fresh coconuts. Can I still make pamapa itum?
You can! The heart of pamapa itum is the burnt coconut meat, or siyunog lahing. Doesn't matter if you get it straight from the shell or dessicated from the bag—if it's burnt, you're good.
Here's two alternative ways to get your burnt coconut:
Toast dried coconut on a pan until black-brown in color
The easiest option. Add dessicated coconut or coconut flakes (make sure they're unsweetened!) to a pan over high heat. Toast your coconut, stirring frequently to evenly cook, until dark in color. Aim for black-brown, not pitch black and carbonized.
Burn coconut meat with a kitchen torch
You can buy fresh grated coconut meat from the palengke. And if you have a kitchen torch, you can use that to char the coconut meat. Place the coconut meat in a fireproof container (a stone mortar is perfect) and torch until deeply roasted.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 whole mature coconut
- 3 tbsp sliced lemongrass stalks, white part only
- 1 ½ tbsp sliced fresh turmeric
- 1 tbsp sliced fresh galangal or ginger
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- red chilies, to taste
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Prepare coconut: Break the mature coconut open and split it into smaller pieces. Do not shred the meat.
Burn coconut meat: Char the coconut pieces over charcoal, an open-wood fire, or open flame from the gas stove. Roast coconut until deep black-brown in color, then remove from heat. Repeat until all of your coconut pieces have been roasted, about 30–40 minutes.
Scrape burnt coconut: Once charred coconut pieces are cool enough to handle, scrape the burnt coconut meat off the shell. Transfer burnt coconut to a mortar and pestle, then pound until powdery. (You can also blitz it in a food processor.) Set aside in a bowl.
Make paste: Pound lemongrass stalks into a smooth, fibrous paste with a mortar and pestle. Add turmeric and pound, scraping down the sides of the mortar from time to time, until broken down into smaller pieces. Do the same with the galangal or ginger, onion, garlic, and chilies until you have an aromatic paste. You can also do this step in a food processor.
Combine: Scrape paste into the bowl with the burnt coconut. Add coconut oil and mix to combine. You can use your pamapa itum right away, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week.
