A bingka-rrific Holy Monday

Bingka is very much synonymous with Holy Week here in the heritage town of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.Unlike in the plazas of Iloilo City, where bingka stalls are a staple year round, it is only during Lenten season that these bingkas in our town make their presence felt - bigtime. Eversince I was a kid, rows and rows of bingka stalls dot the town plaza during this time of the year. Townsfolk would feast on these native delicacies after participating in the Holy Week rites creating a fiesta like atmosphere in the plaza. This bingka tradition in our town remained almost the same with the exception of new players coming in while the old ones fade out.

So today, Holy Monday, I started my local bingka feast as I bought from two different stalls. The first thing I've noticed is that bingkas sold here in our town are very much different from the ones I've tried in the city. While the latter are thin, chewy and moist, bingkas here were much thicker, spongy (and air-filled) and sort of dry inside out. Yet both seem to have a distinct taste of their own that I both love.

So to start my bingka quest, here' a rather good looking one, inside out yet it had soemwhat a sour aftertaste especially at mid part. It was fresh from the oven when I bought it so it doesn't mean it's old. It also has a generous buko strips filling compared with other bingkas.

This one may not be as big nor is filled with generous coconut strips but it tastes much better then the previous one. It also seems not fully cooked but it was also hot off the oven when I bought it.

I'll be making round more of the bingkas stalls this Holy Week and this is actually the start of it, so expect more in the days to come.

Adobong Pusit

Adobong Pusit or lukos is among the most popular ways of cooking squid. It combines the Pinoys favorite way of cooking - adobo , with one of the most delicious bounty of the sea. For some, the blackness of the dish is a sort of turn-off but to those who have discovered the gastronomic delights of this cooking; it's a taste of heaven - on a plate with hot rice! Here's a simple recipe for Adobong Pusit Ingredients Squid, "gutted" and cleaned Vinegar Soy Sauce Laurel (Bay leaves) Garlic, crushed Onion, sliced Chili Salt Pepper Oil Procedure Wash and drain the squid. Remember to remove the membrane - that sort of bony inside. In a pan, place the squid at the bottom then add garlic, chili and onions. Pour in vinegar and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Boil until the squid is cooked. Pour oil over the cooked squid and mix before serving. You can also separate the ink sauce and give the squid a sort of toasting in oil before mixing...

A tinapay called MONAY

Monay is a well-known Filipino bread and based on Wikipedia , it's the Filipinized version of the Spanish bread pan de monja or bread of the monks . I had to laugh it out upon reading that entry from Wiki. Coming from Western Visayas in which monay is more than a bread based on local dialect, it's hard not to. And here's why... A post from PinoyExchange forum "I had this funny experience a few years back when I was in Aklan. I bought a homemade peanut butter and I was craving to eat it so I immediately ran to a nearby bakery with a friend to buy some bread. I was hoping to buy pandesal but I saw this large "monay" and I said to the tindera " Miss magkano ang hot monay mo ?" My friend suddenly laughed and so did the tindera. I repeated it saying " Yan monay mo nga miss kung magkano and bibilhin ko ." They again laughed and I was left wondering why. Then on our way back with my "hot monay" I asked my friend why did they laughed...

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

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...

Ube brazo de mercedes from Lapaz Bakeshop

It was just an impromptu food trip in and around Lapaz market a few months ago when I discovered this ube brazo de mercedes from the Lapaz Bakeshop. I got to taste and take home this ube dessert that later on became a staple at home. Lapaz Bakeshop sits on the corner of Tinda Lapaz right across Grand Dame Hotel. A restaurant named Lapaz Kitchenette was the previous locator of the space and it was famous for it's PhP59 buffet . The bakeshop is among the bigger "small town" bakeshops in the city with it's wide range of breads, pastries and cakes plus shorts snack items. It even has branches in some towns in Iloilo including one in my hometown, Sta. Barbara. It was a quick side trip made by Sir Eugene that time that introduced me to this ube variant of brazos. He bought a few slices of this dessert and brought it inside Madge Cafe inside the market. It was perfect with the cafe's native coffee and the filling is somewhat like ube halaya. The meringue is jus...

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