A galore of native delicacies from the town market

I made a side trip today in the town market knowing it was "market" day - Friday. It's when the public market is teeming with sellers, selling all kinds of goods, to buyers, from all walks of life. But I went there for a sole purpose - to buy a galore of native delicacies.

And indeed I got a whole lot of it for a fraction of the price I one often can get in the city. All these for a total of PhP70 only. Yet I know for a fact that most of these would be lacking "quality" just by the looks of it.

This alupe costs only 5pesos a pair and was just ordinary - not good nor bad just ordinary. It's a bargain for it's price. It was an impulse buying since there were no other alupe available around.

These baye baye made from mais (corn) was worth it's price of 5 pesos per 3 balls (I ate one while durign the shoot-lol). Though Im not exactly a fan of baye baye mais (like the white one (rice) much better) but this was at par with the other ones I've tasted. I didn't buy the rice baye baye that time since theo nes that we available were not that good even to look at.

They may look inviting but actually th worst among the ones I bought. These bingka was at Php15 per pack of 5 and they actually remind me of the ones I hate (that of Nang Palang's - though they have the best buko pie). It was a total waste of in all aspects. Consolation-wise, the Lenten season next week will usher in better quality bingkas in our town plaza.

A pack of 5 puto manapla proved to be another waste though it was juts only 5 pesos (or was it 10?) It's a degradation of the much revered puto from the town of Manapla in Negrod Occidental. It was like hardened rubber yet at some point I got to taste the distinct flavour of this type of puto wrapped in banana leaves.

Buti or popped rice with caramel proved to be very good. Just the like the ones I loved when I was a kid. Perfectly popped rice and just the right sweetness made me devour a ball in just seconds.

Visually appetizing, these colored putoswere actually the ones that caught my attention first, obviously. But also obviouly I just know that they will be a dismay and they really were. Just as rubbery as the puto manapla, the visually appealing colors didn't quite distract one from tasting the real quality.

While most kutsinta comes in circles, this one was obviously cut fro ma big batch. Much more convenient to make indeed but lacks the appeal on the "conventional" kutsinta. But this one tastes good. Plus those kinudkod na niyog toppings make this kutsinta a good buy at PhP10.

And lastly one of my favorites since I was a kid - suman latik. Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with sweetened coco ctrips as toppings. Unlike the ones I gew up with, this one has separate plastic for the coconut topping that you'll have to put over yourself. I liek the original ones better than upon openign the banana leaves you'll find them on top of the sticky rice. And much better quality too.

Some lessons learned from this blog buying spree are that some times it pays to pay a little more to get the quality we want, don't settle for "pwede na"- make an effort to find the best and lastly learn from your past experiences. So there will be a next round for this native delicacies galore and maybe on another day and in another market.

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

Search This Blog