Mang Inasal "misadventure"

It is always (almost) impossible to eat at any Mang Inasal especially during mealtime, so I took my chances around 5pm when it was less crowded. Normally, I'd prefer other chicken inasal houses but I had find out for myself why this is becoming almost the national icon for chicken inasal.

So there I was ordering the pecho and chicken liver (actually this was the reason in the first place, I was craving for chicken liver barbecue) and since the counter guy said it'll took a while for my order of chicken liver, I changed from table to table to find the best lighted, the well ventilated and the much less conspicuous part for I have this picture taking session.

I also took this waiting time to observe the ambiance and taking some pictures. Then I noticed the 3 condiment bottles, obviously vinegar and soy sauce in the extremes but had doubts if its really patis in the middle.

My order came and was sort of dismayed since the chicken inasal was not to its usual large size, maybe I was unlucky that time. But it was quickly made up by the chicken liver. I swear I can finish 5 sticks of those! I made my saw-sawan concoction mixing those 3 condiments with calamnansi.

I finally solved (well, almost) what was in the middle bottle, it was oily that I conclude that it was chili oil but it wasn't any near chili. Unable to stand the curiosity, I asked the unlimited-rice guy what was it and he said "chicken oil"! What the! Damn it! Aarghhh!

Almost that instant I flooded my saw-sawan with vinegar to overpower the oil (dont know if it really neutralized the oil) but at the same time to overpower the ginger essence that started to creep in my taste buds (I am not a fan, obviously)

Im glad that chicken liver saved the day, if not, then it'll be another ranting post for this order (but not for the restaurant since everybody and everything was great. Maybe my timing, an offpeak hour, was a good one for they can actually tend to each customer).

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 cooking weed called Lupo

Lupo is a weed that is commonly found in ricefields and roadside in provinces. It is most prevalent in Ilonggo cooking compared to others as it is mostly the Ilonggos who can recognize lupo , though maybe called differently in other places. Most commonly used in laswa or monggo dishes to add greens like kamote tops, it also makes a good partner in sinabawan na isda recipes. It has hints of bitterness but don't expect it to be ampalaya-bitter like. It is mostly sold in wet local wet markets by the tumpok .

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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