Ilonggos love laswa for it is among the simplest local dishes to prepare. Just take the freshest local vegetables like okra, saluyot, kalabasa, takway,patola and a host of other veggies then stew them with crabs or shrimps and seasoned with a little salt. You'll get one of the most nutritious, most visually appealing (depends on the play of colors) and the easiet to prepare Ilonggo specialties around. You can even re-invent this using the available vegetables in your place and enjoy the simple pleasures laswa.
It's not Catbalogan nor Katagalugan, it's CA-TA-LU-GAN, Catalugan. I also had the same problem when I was a kid when reading and remembering the name of this bread. But the many years of enjoying this specialty from Tibiao Bakery, I think I have it in me. So what is catalugan? It's basically a filled bread and like what you see, it has more filling that the "bread" itself. Tibiao Bakery makes the more "high end" catalugan as they are big, individually wrapped and deliciously addicting. Smaller bakeshops also make catalugan but its just the regular "one of those" breads. But this one from Tibiao is worth every "bit and morsel". For around 12 each (few years back it was only PhP 10), this bite size bread is heavy as the filling is a compact and flavouful blend of "secrets" for this one had no ingredients listed on its packaging. So I can only assume what they are everytime I am ...
