Tinapayan's Sinful Desire: A Chocolate Affair

An article entitled Sinful Desires at Tinapayan posted at the Skyscrapercity forums caught my interest since it has this first and only chocolate affair "tag" plus the fact that the poster mentioned my name as a sure goer to this event.

And I did not fail him, though I almost chickened out. So there I was today at The Atrium passing by the display every half an hour since everytime I pass by, I don't seem to have the courage to take pictures in front of the mall goers. Sometimes there were a handful of curious onlookers interviewing the chocolate lady and there are times that nobody seems interested. Both of these "times" do not seem to be a good time for me to do what I have to do because I havent seen anyone take some pictures or pose with the display.

I was there around 11am and kept on postponing my what I had to do since I didn't feel brave enough. It was only around 6:30pm (yup that long) that I decided to do it, by hook or by crook, for I had to meet someone by 7pm.

I smiled at the chocolate lady (and she smiled back) and asked her some questions but I already knew the answers. So that broke the ice and eventually got me clickng and flashing my phone camera. And what do you know I got tons of pictures and information during that courageous moment plus there were others who also took pictures.

The dress dubbed as the first and only chocolate dress in the country, is one of the main attractions. It is not a chocolate covered dress as what I initially thought of, but really a made of hardened choclate. Though just having a simple design, its the fact that it is made entirely of chocolate that counts .

From the flowing gown up to the flowery details, its chocolate all over. She even brought me to the display where the chocolate used for this dress are up for sale. Complementing this dress was a (terno) hat. Its actually hollow in the middle to make it fit on her head to make yet moved as if it was a real one.

The other attraction was the 1.2 meter high, 4-tiered chocolate fountain that oozed with rich chocolate. Anyone who buys something at the bakery (even that PhP 4 yema) will be given a chance to dip at the fountain using breadsticks stored in bag made of, what else, but chocolate.

Relieved that I finally got what I wanted, I bought two chocolate bars (PhP 42 and PhP20) as my "something" for my 5 year old nephew and discovered two new additions to the Tinapayan list of goodies, Yema and Floss. The former being very soft and grainy with a hint of citrus is sold for PhP 4 while the latter just a plain and simple version of a sort of very fine corned beef topped bread. (I miss Breadtalk's Floss.)

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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