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 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

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?"

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.

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

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