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.

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 por...

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

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

Bitso-bitso

What is bitso-bitso ? Also spelled/called bichu-bichu or bitsu-bitsu , this native delicacy is made with fried rice flour dough then coated with coconut cream and muscovado sugar syrup. Its like a combination of making palitaw and banacue . The rice flour based "dough" is usually twisted and deep fried. Then it is placed/cooked in a mix of muscovado sugar then dried out. The sugar then "re-crystallize" making a crisp coating for the fried rice flour. The result is a local delicacy that crisp and sweet in the outside yet chewy inside. Cooking bitso-bitso is done many different ways and with different mixes of ingredients. These particular ones in Santa Barbara, Iloilo are still crisp even after being exposed - they are peddled every afternoon around town for 5 pesos a piece. I particularly like the fact that the sugar coating crumbles in every bite, though messy at times, but its alway a treat to have these bitso-bitso . ...

Budyawi

Bujawi (budjawi, budyawi) is what Ilonggos refer to the fruit of the buri or century palm tree . Abundant in many parts of the province of Iloilo, the buri has many many uses from the leaves to its trunk. It produces a fermented drink (tuba), alcohol, vinegar, syrup, and sugar. The trunk yields large quantities of starch. The bud (ubod) is used for salad or as a vegetable. The kernels of the young fruits are edible and are made into a sweetmeats. The mature seeds are used for beads? (rosaries) and buttons. The petiole yields so-called buntal fiber of which, the famous Baliuag and Lucban hats are made, or which, when crudely extracted, is sometimes twisted into rope. Mature leaf is used for covering tobacco bales, rarely as a thatch for houses, while the ribs are used for making brooms. From the unopened leaf is obtained a very fine fiber, corresponding to raffia fiber, which is utilized in making cloth, fancy articles, and as string. Fibers ...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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