Skip to main content

Of aswangs and dinuguan in Iloilo City

Rumours have it that, at present, a battalion of these beings is plaguing the region. Text messages say that they come in droves - in boats, and have become a hot news item lately. Even a local news program, Ratsada, has mentioned it in one of its newscast. More so, its Facebook fan page is bombarded with this “human interest” news. So to be IN, I thought of being a “good host” to these beings if ever it’s true that they are having their midyear convention – no matter where it is. I’ll share the best places in town where these beings (and humans too) can get dinuguan (pig’s blood stew).It was through comments in my blog that I have discovered one of the best dinuguans in town. A small snack shop along Valeria Street named Balbi’s got my thumbs up the first time I tasted their dinuguan. It was the one I prefer, dark and a bit sour. It doesn’t have any innards and made entirely of pork (meat and fat). It is perfect with puto manapla but that time, I also paired it with the food shops heavenly cheese roll and ensaimada – lol. The drawback is that a little bowl costs around 70 pesos they close around 6pm. And that’s a little early for the “witching hour”.
Famous as a pasalubong shop, Biscocho Haus also has branches that serve shorts and that includes dinuguan. Also my preferred type, dark and somewhat sour, though at times I ask for vinegar. A regular bowl costs around 35 pesos, somewhat cheap, and again perfect with puto manapla. Its main branch in Jaro serves this dinuguan and is open until around 9pm. Other branches that serve this specialty are those near YMCA at the Iloilo Capitol and at the back of Robinson’s Place Iloilo.
Home made dinuguans or those found in various carinderias are somewhat more of the Ilonggo style. It is brownish in color due to added achuete and mostly has innards aside from pork. Others use extenders like puso ng saging or even langka to give more texture but still taste good. One of the most unforgettable dinuguan I have tasted was way back in my younger years. It was dinuguan made with chicken meat plus innards and chicken blood. It was made by a relative who had a poultry farm and the recipe died with him.
But of course, if one craves for dinuguan, there’s always Goldilocks. I just love their dinuguan and it was very good news for me when they came out with dinuguan in pouch years ago. So I can enjoy their dinuguan – the dark and sour one I love, anytime and anywhere. And I’m sure many would agree.

Popular posts from this blog

Mama's Kitchen and Sinamay House in Arevalo

A stones throw away from the plaza of La Villa de Arevalo is an ancestral house where one can find not only good pasalubong items but also a look into the past of the district. Known as the Sinamay House , this well preserved ancestral house is an attraction not only in the outside but also what it houses inside. A collection of what the past like is housed in the two storey edifice which also acts like a museum of sorts. Sinamay is simply known as abaca by most and, here, a variety of products made from this fiber can be found.  I remember watching a feature on tv wherein the owner proudly showed a framed letter signed by the late Princess of Wales, Diana, showing her appreciation of the handkerchief she was given as a gift coming from this very shop. But the attraction I am most familiar with are the chewies and crunchies made by Mama's Kitchen. Attractively packed in boxes showing their current flavours and variety, this is among the better...

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

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 por...

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...

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. ...