5G's Halo-halo at Tinda Lapaz

Tinda Lapaz has a lot of food finds to offer. There's the quintessential of Ilonggo cuisine which had its birthing and carrying the name - Lapaz Batchoy (take your pick from Ted's Oldtimer, Deco's Original and Netong's). There's also the popular hang-out - Madge cafe; and rows of carinderia's and bakeries.

And of course, there's the row of halo-halo stalls lining almost half of the market's "facade". So yesterday, fulfilling one of my long "to-do, to-eat" list, I ventured to Tinda Lapaz and beat the searing November heat (and it's not even summer time yet) with an "Extra" serving of halo-halo at 5G's Refreshment. (And the 5 G's turn out to be Glenn I, Glenn II, Grace, Greg and Gene.)

Just like the batchoy, halo-halo comes in Regular, Special, Super and Extra. I counted more than 15 ingredients ranging from fresh fruits to colorful "trimmings". Of course I went for the Extra as my default order as I just have to go for it especially in blogging and surprisingly it was just PhP35.

And there was much more on the menu, even cheaper but it was all halo-halo for me that time. So it was my usual clicks and flashes when my order was being prepared by "Manang 5G". After the block of ice has been shaved came assorted toppings for my order.

As it was an "Extra" order of halo-halo, I got one topped with barquillos and leche "plan". With out the rolled wafer, it will be "demoted" to a "Super" order PhP30, just topped with the custard. But without the custard, it'll just be a "Special" one - PhP25. But still it's a steal given this amount which is mostly equivalent to an order of soda in restaurants.

And my order came picture perfect - all the colors sort of blended just right! It had that enticingly fresh aroma from the fresh fruits prompting me to finish my foodtography in no time - plus there' the melting factor of the shaved ice.

I didn't bother to add sugar as I just was satisfied by the sweetness offered by the fruits and other ingredients. I usually limit my sugar even at home like when I make fruit shakes, its just the natural sugar content of the fruits. I just love the taste of melon (and it's not even the melon season) and the buko meat. then there' the subdued taste of banana and kamote giving it some texture as well. The pineapple,avocado and papaya gave it more dimension in taste. There's the contrasting texture of the corn flakes and the sago. And finally the ube halaya, leche "plan" and the barquillos ...

With these galore of ingredients and with a extra-super bargain price, it was indeed another satisfying foodie adventure at Tinda Lapaz, making this market indeed a showcase of Ilonggo food and food ways. 'til we eat again...

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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