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.

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. ...

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