Mang Inasal: Truly "Kumbinsing!"

It was unplanned and unexpected. Today I ate at Mang Inasal! I had been very vocal about disliking the timpla of their chicken inasal because of the overwhelming taste of ginger in their first inasal I sank my teeth into. From then on, anywhere but Mang Inasal was my "motto". But still, I am very proud of what has Mang Inasal become now only a few years after they had their first branch at Robinson's Place Iloilo.

My late lunch: pecho with unlimited rice and liver plus crispy kangkong and iced tea

I had a late lunch today and one of the reasons why was I can't seem to decide what and where to eat. Most often my blog dictates my gastronomy whenever I am out of the house and gives me these dilemma. First I wanted KBL and sio mai combo (lol) at a foodcourt only to know there was no KBL at the foodshop I was eyeing (Ocean City). Then I thought of having a club sandwich and a cake at Dulgies, since it was already 3pm. A sio pao and sio mai combo at Kongkee crossed my mind. Finally, I decided to eat inasal but not Mang Inasal. But the resto I was eyeing was closed (can't be sure if it was closed like just for today or closed like it won't ever open again ) so with a sigh with my stomach already grumbling, I "settled" for the nearest inasal house, Mang Inasal!

Chicken inasal, grilled liver and Mang Inasal's signature rice wrapped in banana leaves

A little over a year ago, I decided to have a quest for the "Best Chicken Inasal in the City" and I started with the nearest and most convenient inasal house at that time, Mang Inasal at the Marymart Center. Read about it.

Mang Inasal's pecho up close (and gastronomical)

It was no deja vu even though I was back at the same branch, ordered almost the same items and seated a table away from my original place. My order promptly came except for the crispy kangkong but when it came, I then knew why; it was fried upon order. It was "no-words-can- describe-it" delicious (lol).

Served with crisp you can actually hear; kangkong leaves

For a food blogger, the rule of the thumb is "shoot first-eat later" no matter how hungry you are, it's got to be this way. At least when the food doesn't satisfy you, there are always the photos. Anyway, I spent around 15 minutes taking photos (getting the right angles, the right settings, the right food arrangement, etc.)

A closer look at Mang Inasal's crispy kangkong

Finally I got to satisfy my hunger, first with some crispy kangkong dipped in mayonnaise. Then a bite of the chicken liver had me float over the clouds and hear the angels sing (i.e. felt like in heaven-lol). And finally, the chicken inasal itself. I had to taste it five times unadulterated (i.e not dipped in my soy sauce-calamansi-vinegar-chicken oil concoction) savouring the taste since it didn't taste like the one which I "detested" (i.e. gingerly yours). At last! It was a timpla of an inasal I (really) liked that I sort of lost count of the number of times I called the unlimitied rice guy to my table. Three? Four? It seems I am lost because of the newfound liking to something I almost detested before...

Pecho with unlimited rice PhP 79

Grilled chicken liver PhP 39

Crispy kangkong PhP 18

Large iced tea PhP 30

Discovery and satisfaction over the "new?" timpla of Mang Inasal PRICELESS

Ready-to-cook Pancit Molo balls

It was only today that I remembered buying a pack of ready-to-cook pancit Molo. Locals are fortunate to buy them at groceries here saving them time, money and effort in the tedious preparation of pancit Molo. Anyway every pack of the RTC pancit Molo has the balls and the lang-lang . Its the balls that entice the buyers and the lang lang that "dictates" the price and weight. For this blog entry, I opted for the AR brand (150 grams for PhP 21) since they had the more photogenic combination at that time though I'm more partial to the Cares brand. Separating the contents makes you realize that what you actually bought but for that price, it's already a bargain, can be cooked in many ways and can serve 2-3 people. It is then up to you what you can make out from a pack or more. For this preparation, I used 2 chicken broth cubes and just estimated the amount of water. Upon taste test I added a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and few drops of soy sauce. I boiled the lang

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 (

A new flavour for the Dinagyang 2011 Food Festival

Aside from the dances, drums and colorful costumes, Dinagyang also means food and Iloilo City has a lot to offer during this 3-day event. The festival brings them to the streets with the much awaited Dinagyang Food Festiva l . For four days, major streets in the city are lined with food stalls and kiosks that everywhere one turns it all about food. As this article states, major streets in Iloilo City will have a food festival there will be plenty of places to indulge in during D inagyang 2011 . ILOILO City's world-famous Dinagyang Festival will turn the spotlight on Ilonggo cuisine this year. Tourists are encouraged to try chicken barbecue the Ilonggo way and other tasty local dishes during the festival. There are also the world-famous Ilonggo delicacies and other concoctions to bring home after enjoying the Dinagyang ati-atihan and Kasadyahan competitions. Not only that. The 1s t Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) International Food Festival 2011 will attempt t

Valenciana

A close relative of paella, this dish originated in Valencia, Spain and probably brought by the Spaniards when they colonized the country. Always a staple in family gatherings, this yellow rice is a complete meal in itself, with pork, chicken, liver, chorizo, shrimps, bellpeppers, peas and raisins to name its basic ingredients. RECIPE Saute your choice meats and vegetables. Cook malagkit rice with turmeric and broth cubes then mix sauted meat and vegetables when almost done. Garnish with hardboiled eggs and onion leaves.

SIDRO: Iloilo's very own gourmet doughnuts

Just listening to Isidro Panizales Jr. animatedly talking about his life before and after being a “doughnut-preneur”, is like the different flavors of Sidro Doughnuts . Each variant seems to reflect different aspects of his almost three decades of living in America. From his work in corporate America for more than 10 years to that one little spark of deciding leaving work to pursue his delicious passion – life is like a box of doughnuts! IN A DOUGHNUT HOLE Sidro is an offshoot from the name Isidro but as Sid says, it’s a tribute to his father. The first Sidro Doughnuts came out of the kitchen and delivered to one lucky doughnut-phile on Dec. 18 last year. It comes in two sizes – Junior Doughnuts which at 30 grams each are perfect for parties and occasions. But if you can’t enough, there are the Regular Doughnuts which is more than 3x at 100 grams and comes with more toppings and flavours. Choose among nine specially concocted creations - Bugnay Berry, Calamansi, Dulce

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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