Dac's kutsinta in Villa

Kutsinta is among the more popular Pinoy native delicacies and can be found almost anywhere in the country. Every city or town has its own version of this sticky rice dessert and probably a best selling brand or a stand out kutsinta maker. Most of the time I get my supply from a manuglibod (vendor) who usually sells them with puto and other native delicacies. Or at times in shopping malls where some native food stalls sell them in neat packages.

Blogging has opened a window for me to expand my limited know how about the gastronomic scene of my hometown. I made a lot of food finds and among these is a small snackshop in Villa that makes very good kutsinta. I have read (and been told by fellow bloggers) about Dac's but being "out of my usual way"I just often wonder if I would have the chance to find it and indulge in what it has to offer.

Fate brought me to this little snack shop near the plaza of La Villa de Arevalo district. I wasn't even looking for it when all of a sudden I just stood there in front of a closed shop and was surprised to see its signage read "Dacs". Closed it was but, again fate, stepped in as someone called out the window and asked what would I be interested in. Without even thinking I blurted out "kutsinta"!

And I got a plate of consisting of 20 kutsinta for only PhP 30. A bargain since it's among the biggest kutsinta I have seen and yes, among the best I have tasted. Just with the right sweetness, consistency and texture, it was a perfect meeting for a seacher and a searchee. Even without the grated mature coconut topping, the plain kutsinta is already delicious but with toppings, it is almost perfect. This was one of the reasons why that small misadventure turned out to be more on the positive light. I finally satisfied my curiosity about Dac's, most especially it's kutsinta and can't wait to go back. And this time it won't be a misadventure!

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Dac's is along the national highway going to Oton and is a few meters from the plaza of Arevalo. Please refer to this map. Read and learn more about Dac's kutsinta from ILoveIloilo blog from which I discovered this snackshop that makes this delicious native delicacy.

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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