FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

One of our most trusted cooking equipment, the turbo broiler always brings out a great center-piece, mostly pork and sometimes chicken and seafood. Pork belly is first boiled with pepper and other seasoning until tender, better to do this the day before. Then into the turbo broiler for around 45minutes or until the skin is crisp and brown and unto the serving table garnished to the occasion.

For years, Ilonggos availed only of Goldilocks products either as pasalubong or from that little shop Variation delicacies in Amigo Plaza where some of its specialties were being sold. It was December of last year that Goldilocks finally opened its first branch in the city, in time for Christmas. When it opened, it was their dinuguan I purchased first along with their mamon, polvoron and other cookies. And since then I have been planning to include cathedral window for our Noche Buena but the long queue made me detour on the last minute. Alas! I tried a lot of their products, their crema de fruta was just okay while their cathedral window was a real dismay. By the way, their black forest tasted better than it looked.

Tastes better than the usual instant pancit canton (of any brand), Nissin's Instant Yakisoba has been my guilty pleasure for the last 10 years or so. With spicy chicken, savoury beef and spicy gambas flavours (did I miss one?), its the chicken that I'm addicted with and abhors the beef. But now, this is a once in a blue moon "treat" for its cholesterolifically unhealthy.

The original biscocho was actually made from bread that was about to expire. Butter or margarine was just added together with sugar on top and the bread goes back in the oven. Now it has evolved for some bakeshops actually baked bread intended to be made as biscocho and some use condensed milk to have a more chewy topping. This reminds of my favorite brand when I was a kid, the now extinct Yen's Biscocho which had those dried, almost chewy condensed milk on top. Two of the more famous brands of biscocho in Iloilo City are Wewin's and Biscocho Haus. But there are numerous bakeshops having their own versions. Tibiao's biscocho has almost become like buttered toasts due to generous toppings. Biscocho is widely available in all groceries and bakeshops in the city and as the whole country as well.

These are fried (thinly) sliced bananas coated with caramelized sugar garnished with sesame seeds and held together by a paper cone. Pinasugbo is a common pasalubong item among the sugar producing places in the Visayas and Iloilo being one of them has a number of bakeries having their own version. Some have big cones of light colored pinasugbo while others have these dark coating. But their common denominator is the that paper cone that almost permanently sticks to the sugar coated banana. It was a almost an unsovled problem until one time I placed one in the microwave oven ( since it was too hard after being days in the fridge ) and it solved both my concerns at once.

Map of Iloilo City Iloilo hotels and transient accommodations Iloilo attractions, landmarks and places to visit Your guide to Commuting in Iloilo City Your gastronomic guide in and around Iloilo City Iloilo cuisine and delicacies Where to eat in Iloilo City What and where to buy pasalubong in Iloilo City

The " Why it doesn't have tomato sauce ?" question often precedes this dish but is soon forgotten after a bowl or two. Ilonggos grew up with kind of pochero so dont wonder why if they would ask " Why is there tomato sauce ?" on your pochero. RECIPE Boil meat, potatoes, bananas (saba), and carrots. Adjust flavoring with salt and/or broth cubes. Add cabbage or pechay or kamote leaves when almost done. Serve hot. The simplest pochero often prepared at home consists only of pork, banana (saba) and kamote leaves. Most of the time, I tend to put more vegetables.

Literally means "sliced" rooting from the word KIHAD meaning "slice". This is toasted bread cut into bite size portions minus butter and sugar. Too plain yet too addicting. A great pasta partner.

A "laswa" dish deserving its own spot. Alugbati is a green leafy vine with a purple "stem".Often used to garnish monggo dishes but its combination with squash and string bean with ground meat is a runaway winner. RECIPE Layer squash cubes, alugbati leaves, sliced tomatoes and onions, and meat (ground/slices ofpork or shimps/salted fish/crabs)Add minimal water since vegetables with provide moisture). Season with salt or broth cubes. For monggo dishes use alugbati instead of kamote or ampalaya leaves. Another way of enjoying alugbati is with ginisang monggo.

Probably the most famous Ilonggo pasalubong item. Made from unleavened dough filled with muscovado sugar, sprinkled with sesame seeds then pressed while being baked. Now it comes with in many sizes and flavours. Many prefer the orginal thin variety while others the thick ones which have more filling. Then came the flavored ones like ube, mango and pandan. But they are just still molasses-filled with some color and flavoring to entice buyers. Until years ago, fruit piayas have become true to its claim. Now we find ube, mango and langka-filled piayas side by side the original ones. What's next, strawberry?