Skip to main content

Rediscovering the famous Bingkahan sa Mohon

Bingkahan sa Mohon is almost an icon in this part of Iloilo City for it is synonymous with very delicious bingka. Fulfilling one of my blog frustrations, a few weeks ago I set on a journey to rediscover this very popular bingkahan and I got more than bags and plates of it's famous bingka.
I arrived early that time to see they were just preparing to make their famous bingka and that prompted me to have an impromptu gastronomic tour of the nearby area. When I came back an hour later, my order wasn't ready despite my reservations but I didn't mind. I mean it’s just a few minutes of waiting compared to the two times I visited the place and came out empty handed and overly frustrated.
So I took some snapshots of how these delicious bingkas are prepared to make the most out of my waiting time. Bingkahan sa Mohon only makes bingka four days a week according to one of the workers I casually talked with. Starting on a Friday they make a somewhat limited batch until Monday for it is only during these days that they have enough manpower to do.

Everyone has his own chores to do and it starts with the bingka mixture. Made with a mixture of ground regular rice, ground pilit (malagkit) rice, sugar, margarine and buko strips (lots of it). What makes it uniquely “Mohon” is the ratio of the shredded coconut meat with the other ingredients unlike other bingkas which have barely signs of coconut strips. It looks like as if they were making bucayo instead of bingka because of the very generous coconut strips in their concoction. This mixture is then poured in individual bingka molds made with halved tins cans with banana leaves at the bottom. One worker constantly cuts banana leaves then place them inside these tin cans for the next batch of bingkas.
Then it is off to the big makeshift oven where cooked bingkas mix with the newly placed ones. There are also rectangular cans where plated bingkas are cooked using the same mixture. The heat that cooks these bingkas comes from above as it is constantly monitored and filled with wood. That explains why these (and most) bingkas have a slightly browned top while a gummy and chewy underside. They are cooked from 15-20 minutes.
Using makeshift tools – that’s a pair of pliers by the way (lol), the cooked bingkas are then removed from the heat to cool and ready them for packaging. It’s easy to tell which ones are ready to be taken out from the oven as they are brown and differ (like night and day) to the ones still uncooked or newly placed. There are left to cool a bit on the table until such time that it one doesn’t get burned taking them out of those tin cans.
Round bingkas are packed into fours and sold at 10 pesos each. The rectangular ones are wrapped in wax paper and placed in cardboard boxes and sold for 50 pesos. Both of these are good buys and competitive with the other bingkas around in price and in taste. Usually they start making them in the morning around 9 and even before they are cooked orders come in droves. So these bingkas barely stay on display as they are bought literally off the oven. Only the “remains of the day”, so to speak, are finally displayed in the streets. And it seldom happens since most of these bingkas are already sold out early in the afternoon.So that time aside from going there early, I also contacted someone (still remained anonymous) and had my reservations for two plates of bingkas. And I still went there and confirmed it so in the end, I went home very happy and very satisfied not only to have finally rediscvoered their bingkas but also having a first hand experience of seeing (and blogging) how these famous bingkas of Mohon are become such an icon in the gastronomy of Iloilo City.
Photo courtesy of TheTrekker blog

Bingkahan sa Mohon
is along the national highway going to Oton and a few meters after the Mohon (Iloilo South) transport terminal. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk from the terminal. Please refer to this map. You can contact them through 0919-572-2581.

Note: The famous bingkas of Mohon deserve another blog entry which will be posted soon.

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Flavours of Iloilo 2012 Highlights: Lovin' February gastronomy

So how to start a month the month of Love in terms of gastronomy? I didn't have to try hard as they come on their own terms.After the revelry of Dinagyang, the next big celebrations in Iloilo are the Chinese new Year, Jaro Candelaria Feast and Paraw Regatta. And it was on the mid celebrations (Jaro Fiesta) that February gastronomy marked its start.  I went to two fiestas during Candelaria - the rainforest inspired set up at the Jamerlan residence and one at Afrique's Jaro, where the restaurant business all began. But in between I just got a call informing me of a photoshoot happening at Days Hotel Iloilo and when I got there it was cakes, cakes and cakes all over. Tinapayan was readying for Valentine and the Heart Cakes were at the center of it all. The next day I was out to lunch at the Central Market and got to discover the old way of having Coffee on the Go at De Leonian Cafe . The month also brought in more discovery as for the first time I got to taste a hambu...

Oyster Cake and more new items at Tarzan Magic La Mien Noodle House

Now there's more reason to go back at my favorite noodle house in town! Tarzan Magic La Mien Noodle noodle along JM Basa street may just look like your ordinary Calle Real eatery serving turo-turo and Chinese specialties but once you've tried what's on their menu, you'd surely be back, again and again. A few days ago, I found myself enjoying their latest dish, Oyster Cake. Our order took long that we thought it was forgotten but when the plate of the oyster cake came to the table, we knew then why. It was cooked with a labour of love, the oyster meat was seasoned with delectable spices (the kusay being the most evident) then sauteed and made omelet style then smothered with, at first I thought just plain catsup, but it was a Chinese dressing/sauce which really complemented the oyster specialty. It was one good and savoury find that day. And they also have new noodle varieties and I think I hit the jackpot with my order - Spare Ribs La Mien. The taste of the s...