Sooo Pinoy in Davao at E.Y.'s Tuna

From a small tent in Tagum City, Eloisa Yee started her food business during night markets and from then on it started to expand and in November of 2010, E.Y.s Tuna was born. Among the most competitive restaurants in Davao offering tuna and other grilled specialties, EY's Tuna gives Dabawenyos the healthier choice in its line up of local cuisine focusing more on non-pork dishes. But for the Sooo Pinoy visit in one of their branches they dishes up something very exotic; Chicken Adobo ala Mode - that's adobo with CHOCOLATES!

I was part of Sooo Pinoy, Food Trip na Pilipinas! which is set to visit 300 restaurants in 10 key regions/areas in 10 months all over the Philippines. Davao is the 4th food stop after Iloilo, Bora cay and Cebu that started last March. The goal of the Food Trip is to show that Filipino dishes per region have different identities based on the culture, lifestyle and history of the area. The Food Trip also aims to show that there are many Filipino recipes from different regions of the Philippines, each having its own specialty that has to be recognized for the unique flavor it adds to the Filipino Cuisine.

And Davao it is as we were again gastronomically bombarded with tuna at EY's Tuna - no need to argue. So there was this cripsy buntot ng tuna which was deep fried tail of a tuna which had the crunch in every bite.

There's inihaw na panga ng tuna - grilled tuna jaw which I can smell from afar and even looking at this photos the aroma still lingers.

There's there version of kinilaw de Cebu using tuna and it was another festive kinilaw with fruits and vegetables giving a dimension in taste and texture.

And of course, there's adobong bagaybay - which is the male counterpart of the bihod (roe).

At last something different - inihaw na pacol. Its a big fish, maybe like a big tilapia that is simply grilled and its the sawsawan that will truly bring out its goodness as it did that time.

And now for the chicken adobo with chocolates - I'm sure you'd been wondering how it tasted. At first I thought these white "bilog-bilog" were hardboiled quail eggs upon closer inspection and tasting they were actually chocolates. They were more of garnish rather than mixing with the adobo concoction so they taste remains to be adobo and just put some chocolates - they don't have to be in these egg-like forms. You'll have your own version of adobo with chocolate. Now what will it be? Hersheys, Toblerone, Cadbury, Lindt or maybe Valrhona?

Another thing that caught my attention then were these brownie bihon like strips they garnished over the rice. I was told they were also rice that were made into these strips then toasted. Indeed they tasted like rice - just a bit more on the toasty side.

We also had some familiar dishes like sinigang na hipon and fried crablets.

There also was a plate of fried calamares waiting to be devoured.

Good thing they also had some fresh vegetables so we concocted our own salad to have some fiber intake then. And fresh fruits for dessert - pineapples, melons, watermelons, papaya and green mango with bago-ong - all giving us the sweet (and sour) side of Davao.

Another barrage of tuna and some "kakaibang" recipe completed our visit to EYs Tuna in Davao City. But they were just a portion of the long list of specialties this restaurant has to offer. And maybe next time I'll be back in Davao, I'll discover more of them.

Filipinos are encouraged to join and support the Sooo Pinoy movement, a partnership between Unilever Food Solutions and the Department of Tourism, and go on a gastronomic adventure that both fills the stomach and enriches our awareness of our own identity. To know more about the campaign, food lovers are invited to like the Sooo Pinoy page on Facebook and follow @SoooPinoy on Twitter.

Sooo Pinoy Epic DAVAO Food Trip: June 25-29, 2012

DAY 1: Round up | Dencio's Kamayan | Grand Regal Hotel | Barbeque Boss

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

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?"

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.

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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