Valenciana, kadyos, lumpia, sotanghon and iced box cake

What's the occasion? I asked last Sunday when a galore of "occasional" food greeted me for (my late) lunch. The combination of such dishes cooked during special occasions made me wonder that it was not just any ordinary Sunday. Though at times, we have them during the usual Sunday luncheon but not together. So even though I finished my photo session and was halfway through this sumptuous lunch, I still haven't figured it out.

A big bowl of kadyos which turned out to be not the usual KBL (kadyos, baboy and langka) but just KBP (kadyos, baboy and papaya) but it was still as good. The papaya was just of the right for cooking - not too raw or ripe. The pork was soft but with consirable resistece on every bite. The kadyos provided a certain flavour that makes it different from the usual pork nilaga dishes and the kamote tops - the greens and texture. A weird kadyos combo to most but still tasted good.

A large pan of valenciana,the best I have eaten in a long while. With plenty of the meat toppings I love - pork, liver and chinese sausage plus green peas, raisins and bell peppers. The sticky rice just turned out right too - not over nor under done. The valenciana had the right flavour and combination of toppings that that alone would have solved my Sunday gastronomy.

A plateful of pancit sotanghon (though not made with my favorite brand - Marca Pato) and a big batch of fried lumpia. The were a lot of toppings that I just played blind over how dry the sotanghon noodles were. The fried lumpia tasted different for it was vegetarian lumpia they said. But with the spiced vinegar dip, it didn't matter what it was filled with.

And lastly a big tray of iced boxed cake. With just a can of fruit cocktail and graham crackers as base (from the usual broas or lady fingers), it was still the perfect finale for a Sunday lunch. Not to sweet, just right.

After I had my last forkful of the dessert, my six year old nephew rushed by my side, gave me some karate moves that hit my arm and legs - dismayed that I never left him any. So after much prodding, I got him a slice of the cake plus a glass of water (despite his protests of wanting a soda plus more karate moves). The joys (and aches) of being the only "apo" from both sides of the family. That's when I remembered, it was actually Grandparent's Day.

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

Search This Blog