Vegetables & Sides · Philippines

How Many Calories in Laing?

Also known as Pinangat na Gabi, Taro Leaves in Coconut Milk, Laing Bicol.

Dried taro leaves cooked down slowly in coconut milk with chili, ginger, shrimp paste and bits of pork or dried fish. Bicol's vegetable dish, and the reason 'gulay' is not always low calorie.

350kcal / 1 carinderia serving (about 150g)
One carinderia serving of laing is about 350 calories for a 150g scoop. The dried taro leaves are about 30 calories, the coconut milk around 200 and the pork belly bits about 110. It is a vegetable dish by name, but by calories it is a coconut dish.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 carinderia serving (about 150g) (150g)AmountPer 100g
Calories350 kcal233 kcal
Protein9 g6 g
Carbs10 g7 g
Fat31 g21 g

Where the calories come from

Dried taro leaves, rehydrated60g
30 kcal
Coconut milk reduced75g
200 kcal
Pork belly pieces30g
110 kcal
Chili, ginger, shrimp paste10g
10 kcal

The real talk

Laing is a lesson in what 'vegetable' means at a carinderia. Dried gabi leaves are light and absorb liquid, so 10g of dried leaves swells to a big serving in the pot. Those leaves are about 30 calories. The coconut milk they soak up is the problem: about 100ml per serving at 200 calories, and some cooks finish with coconut cream on top. Kawaling Pinoy's home recipe card comes to 927 per serving, but that uses a full pound of belly and 5 cups of coconut for 6 people.

The pork is the second lever. Carinderia laing usually has small belly pieces or a few flakes of tinapa or dried dilis for flavour. About 30g of belly is 110 calories. The dried fish version is about 40 calories for the same weight, so laing na may daing is closer to 280 per serving. Ask which one it is, because they look the same under the coconut.

The saving grace is that laing is eaten in small amounts. A 40 to 60 peso scoop with 1 cup of rice is about 610 calories, which is a normal lunch. The trouble is when laing is the side to another coconut dish like Bicol Express, and you end up with 870 calories of ulam before the rice. One gata dish per plate is the rule.

How the portions compare

230 kcal
Small scoop (100g)
350 kcal
Standard scoop (150g)
610 kcal
Standard scoop with 1 cup rice

Laing variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Laing with dried fish, light coconut milk200 kcalHome version
Laing with dried fish (daing or tinapa)280 kcalNo pork
Laing with pork belly350 kcalCarinderia standard
Laing finished with coconut cream430 kcalKakang gata on top
Home style, 1 of 6 servings930 kcalKawaling Pinoy card, 1 lb belly

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

Is laing healthy?
The taro leaves are, with fibre, iron and vitamin A. But a serving is 350 calories and 31g of fat from the coconut milk, so treat it like a rich ulam, not a salad.
How many calories in laing with rice?
About 610 calories for a standard scoop with 1 cup of rice. With 2 cups it is about 870.
Is laing keto?
It is low carb at about 10g per serving and high in fat, so it fits keto macros. It is still 350 calories, so it is not a free food.
Why does laing make your throat itch?
Undercooked taro leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals. Cooking them a long time in coconut milk without stirring breaks it down, which is why laing simmers for an hour. Nothing to do with calories, but everyone asks.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical carinderia or restaurant serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

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