WARNING: Cholesterol Overload

Today, I was ninong to a little baby boy named Glenn Corvin. He is the third boy in the family of two college classmates. The bunyag was at St. Joseph the Worker church and reception at home so it was, ahem, full of homemade dishes consisting mostly of Ilonggo delicacies.

Anyway, during fiestas or restaurant buffet meals, I never eat rice (though sometimes 2-3 spoons) for I just stack up on the meat and vegetables.

So let's see what my plate looked like. I had valenciana for I cannot resist those crunchy pork bits. I immediately "accepted" the very inviting karne prita. I had fried chicken for a taste test. I waved back to the waving estofado by having two slices. My dinuguan-craving was satisfied with a cupful (minus the puto, of course there wasn't any). And topping it all off is the usual centerpiece of any celebration, the lechon.

All were of the usual taste I have grown up with but I'd say the best was the lechon! It had this melts-in-your-mouth fat and skin combination to DIE (no pun intended) for. Aside from the perfectly roasted whole lechon (skin was light dark brown without any hint of being sunog anywhere), the skin was very thin and crunchy unlike most lechons I had that were mahunit (almost rubbery) and the fat (clinging to the skin) was very thin. Of course, I wouldn't let this opportunity pass by without knowing where they ordered this roasted pig.

It was an Oton-based lechon house that goes with the named Bitong's. Knowing where they bought it had me excited since I have a new suggestion (which I will really enforce lol) where to get one at home during fiestas or any celebration.

So what made this warning? Aside from having another set of lechon skin (additional 3 pieces; 1x1 inch) and fat (never had the "non-fat" part due to excitement), I indulged in too much dessert, 3 cups of buko salad, almost half a llanera of leche flan and a slice chocolate cake.

Not having rice, no-soft drinks-only-water for drink and standing "ovation" after eating couldn't have possibly balanced what I indulged in for lunch today, that's why I bought a box of C-lium fiber to be taken in the next few days.

Guilty!

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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