Now "Barbecue-ing" in Iloilo: Aida's Chicken Inasal

Whenever I find myself in Bacolod City, I always make it a point to drop by Manukan Country. One could be lost in the array of chicken inasal houses lining the area. But not me for always look for my favorite - Aida's Chicken.

But now, I don't have to crave for the taste of Aida's Chicken Inasal as I can readily have one here in Iloilo City! With a soft opening last June 8, 2015, Aida's Chicken has opened its doors to the Iloilo dining crowd with a two-storey al fresco restaurant located at Paseo de Arcangeles beside SM City Iloilo.

Photo from Aida's Chicken Iloilo FB

Bringing its signature Chicken Inasal, Aida's menu is all about chicken (pecho, pechopak, pa-a) and its other edible parts - bul-o (skin), batikulon (gizzard), atay (liver), pakpak (wings), li-og (neck) tina-e (intestines), and isol/iwi (you don't wanna know LOL). But they other meat specialties if you're not into chicken - like pork barbecue and grilled chorizo (longganisa).

So it was pecho-pak, pakpak, bul-o and choriso for us - as always. Order may take a while especially during peak hours as each barbecue is cooked "from scratch". Its a good way to strike a conversation overlooking the massive expansion of SM City Iloilo especially if you're on the second level.

Also while waiting, you can start concocting your own sawsawan (dip) for a good portion of the flavour you will have will come from it. For me, its alwats a combination of everything served - soy sauce, vinegar, calamansi, sili and chicken oil. I just mix them all.

As always, the Aida's Chicken Inasal didn't fail me. I easily finished it with two servings of garlic rice and could have had my third serving as there was also y favorite grilled choriso which I love dipping in plain vinegar.

Now that I've tried the newly opened Aida's Chicken Inasal in Iloilo, I can't wait to be back there again. And I don't mind if it'll be the same menu all over again - chicken inasal and grilled choriso!

Namit gid!

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.

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.

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?"

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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