One soupy afternoon at Green Mango

Not one, but four, soup creations were presented to us, as together with some members of the Iloilo Bloggers Inc., I was invited for another series of food tasting session at Green Mango Filipino Fastfood chain's Nelly Garden branch. We were given a chance to taste of the restaurants newest product days ahead of its scheduled debut on Green Mango's menu. Dubbed as SoOohpas, this collection of four well-loved Filipino soups is the latest addition to Green Mango's menu.

First served was Green Mango Goto. A flavourful rice porridge served with harboiled egg topped with fried garlic and chives. Though I found it a bit salty at first but really enjoyed it until the tasting bowl went empty. Though most Ilonggos aren't familiar with goto, Green Mango's version will surely wouldn't fail.

Next one is a very familiar soup, Green Mango Arroz Caldo and by the looks and taste of it, I predict this would be the selling among the four soups. Familiar and very much like the homemade arroz caldo goodness most Ilonggos love, I instantly like it better than the goto upon my first spoonful and finsihed the rest of the bowl in no time at all. It's more subtle yet flavourful and really just like the taste I love.

Green Mango Sotanghon came in second to last on our table and a welcome change to the first two congee type soups. Juts like any sotanghon soup, it has chicken, egg and vegetable garnish to go with the vermicelli noodles. And when it comes to sotanghon, I have my standards set with a local brand - Marca Pato. Whether as a pancit or soup, this creates the best sotanghon dish. But this wasn't the brand used, so it's just like any soup I've tried, good but not spectacular.

And lastly, the most foreign to the Ilonggos is Green Mango Beef Pares. Coming in last when I was already almost full gave me a little chance to appreciate its taste much better. The beef was good though yet beef pares served with meke noodles almost made this foreign dish almost more "alien" because of the unusual combo. Rice would be the perfect partner but at that time, even rice wouldn't make a big difference for taste buds that already had much.

These soups are now available in all Green Mango branches all throughout Iloilo City with prices as shown. Whether eaten for a snack or side dish to GMs combo meals, the soups will surely make one burp ... SoOohpas!

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...

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...

Budyawi

Bujawi (budjawi, budyawi) is what Ilonggos refer to the fruit of the buri or century palm tree . Abundant in many parts of the province of Iloilo, the buri has many many uses from the leaves to its trunk. It produces a fermented drink (tuba), alcohol, vinegar, syrup, and sugar. The trunk yields large quantities of starch. The bud (ubod) is used for salad or as a vegetable. The kernels of the young fruits are edible and are made into a sweetmeats. The mature seeds are used for beads? (rosaries) and buttons. The petiole yields so-called buntal fiber of which, the famous Baliuag and Lucban hats are made, or which, when crudely extracted, is sometimes twisted into rope. Mature leaf is used for covering tobacco bales, rarely as a thatch for houses, while the ribs are used for making brooms. From the unopened leaf is obtained a very fine fiber, corresponding to raffia fiber, which is utilized in making cloth, fancy articles, and as string. Fibers ...

Bitso-bitso

What is bitso-bitso ? Also spelled/called bichu-bichu or bitsu-bitsu , this native delicacy is made with fried rice flour dough then coated with coconut cream and muscovado sugar syrup. Its like a combination of making palitaw and banacue . The rice flour based "dough" is usually twisted and deep fried. Then it is placed/cooked in a mix of muscovado sugar then dried out. The sugar then "re-crystallize" making a crisp coating for the fried rice flour. The result is a local delicacy that crisp and sweet in the outside yet chewy inside. Cooking bitso-bitso is done many different ways and with different mixes of ingredients. These particular ones in Santa Barbara, Iloilo are still crisp even after being exposed - they are peddled every afternoon around town for 5 pesos a piece. I particularly like the fact that the sugar coating crumbles in every bite, though messy at times, but its alway a treat to have these bitso-bitso . ...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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