Fiesta at the Camiña Balay na Bato in Arevalo

It was my first time to attend the patronal fiesta of the Villa Arevalo district, last Sunday, paying homage to the Sto. Nino. And it was at the Camiña Balay na Bato where I tasted one of the tastiest roasted turkeys and it was so good that I remembered taking a photo when it looked like this - already stripped to the bones. Actually, we were among the last ones to arrive Mr Eugene Jamerlan and I were stalled by the fireworks competition along the way coming from another food event at SM City Iloilo.

Going back to this turkey, I heard that this was marinated in butong (coconut water) with salt and other spices. And using a technique called "cold fusion", the flavour was able to penetrate the turkey better as the cool temperature softens the meat thus making it absorb more. Okay I just made up that term - lol but it seems to be like that (thanks Natie for reminding me it's called brining). Prior to it being roasted, it was stuffed with tanglad (lemon grass) and ugbos sang bayabas (guava leaves) and other spices. The result especially on the belly part was a burst of delicious flavours complementing the appetizing aroma. So addicting you forget it's turkey!

I also had a very good linagpang na manok experience - spicylicious best descriibes each spoonful of the spicy yet flavourful soup. Made with grilled native chicken then sauteed with ginger and chilies it could be a perfect starter for any meal, but we had it ending our meal and it was better. It tend to wash away what we ate earlier thus eliminating the very full feeling in our stomaches. I heard the owner of the house, Ms. Luth Camiña, talking about the preparations of this dish and among the main points I got was that the grilled chicken should be almost be burned black - to bring smokiness and rich flavour in the soup. Of course you have to remove those almost charcoal part of the chicken when you cook linagpang na manok.

A perfect ender to our meal was this light leche flan. It has the subdued sweetness I usually prefer for this dessert and one can't be as guilty having spoonfuls and more spoonfuls for it is not a guiltily rich as others are. Well to each his own, anyway ...

There were around 20 other dishes to choose from - lechon baboy, hamonado, pato, afritada, pasta, cheeses, fruits and salads among others. And it ended with (almost free flowing) wine - a perfect setting for this heritage rich Bahay na Bato in Arevalo. It shows how this house is also and functions as a home contrary to what others think of it as a museum of sorts. It proves how the remnants of the past can be still be of very good use after so many generations have gone by.

Ready-to-cook Pancit Molo balls

It was only today that I remembered buying a pack of ready-to-cook pancit Molo. Locals are fortunate to buy them at groceries here saving them time, money and effort in the tedious preparation of pancit Molo. Anyway every pack of the RTC pancit Molo has the balls and the lang-lang . Its the balls that entice the buyers and the lang lang that "dictates" the price and weight. For this blog entry, I opted for the AR brand (150 grams for PhP 21) since they had the more photogenic combination at that time though I'm more partial to the Cares brand. Separating the contents makes you realize that what you actually bought but for that price, it's already a bargain, can be cooked in many ways and can serve 2-3 people. It is then up to you what you can make out from a pack or more. For this preparation, I used 2 chicken broth cubes and just estimated the amount of water. Upon taste test I added a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and few drops of soy sauce. I boiled the lang

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 (

A new flavour for the Dinagyang 2011 Food Festival

Aside from the dances, drums and colorful costumes, Dinagyang also means food and Iloilo City has a lot to offer during this 3-day event. The festival brings them to the streets with the much awaited Dinagyang Food Festiva l . For four days, major streets in the city are lined with food stalls and kiosks that everywhere one turns it all about food. As this article states, major streets in Iloilo City will have a food festival there will be plenty of places to indulge in during D inagyang 2011 . ILOILO City's world-famous Dinagyang Festival will turn the spotlight on Ilonggo cuisine this year. Tourists are encouraged to try chicken barbecue the Ilonggo way and other tasty local dishes during the festival. There are also the world-famous Ilonggo delicacies and other concoctions to bring home after enjoying the Dinagyang ati-atihan and Kasadyahan competitions. Not only that. The 1s t Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) International Food Festival 2011 will attempt t

SIDRO: Iloilo's very own gourmet doughnuts

Just listening to Isidro Panizales Jr. animatedly talking about his life before and after being a “doughnut-preneur”, is like the different flavors of Sidro Doughnuts . Each variant seems to reflect different aspects of his almost three decades of living in America. From his work in corporate America for more than 10 years to that one little spark of deciding leaving work to pursue his delicious passion – life is like a box of doughnuts! IN A DOUGHNUT HOLE Sidro is an offshoot from the name Isidro but as Sid says, it’s a tribute to his father. The first Sidro Doughnuts came out of the kitchen and delivered to one lucky doughnut-phile on Dec. 18 last year. It comes in two sizes – Junior Doughnuts which at 30 grams each are perfect for parties and occasions. But if you can’t enough, there are the Regular Doughnuts which is more than 3x at 100 grams and comes with more toppings and flavours. Choose among nine specially concocted creations - Bugnay Berry, Calamansi, Dulce

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

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Search This Blog