How popular is Deocampo's sio pao?

It was yet another rediscovery the moment I stepped inside Deocampo Barquillos’ newly renovated pasalubong shop in Jaro weeks ago. The place was very touristy and was both eye catching and stomach grumbling. Everywhere one may lay his eyes upon its all goodies – barquillos, biscocho, galletas, pasencia, butterscotch, pinasugbo and a whole lot more.

But the one item that really stood out was their sio pao. I’ve tried this before and dismissed it as just “one of those sio paos….” It was the fact that it had potato as extenders and a bit dry. My impression remained that way since then since most of the time it was just a take out and stood hours inside the fridge.

But fate brought me one day to try their sio pao “fresh from the steamer” and the memories I had before were instantly erased. I had a warm sio pao with a “bun” texture I prefer – sort of “gummy” on the outside yet soft inside. More surprises came when I cut it in half and revealed a very filled sio pao.

Pure pork meat - with no fatty part, with hardboiled egg and potatoes. Even with the so-called extender, it seem they didn’t shortchange their patrons for Deocampos sio pao had more filling compared with others. And for only PhP20 per piece its one of the more “worth it” sio paos in Iloilo City – “pao”nd for “pao”nd.

I also witness first hand its popularity – I had one of the last remaining few sio paos that time and a few minutes after they were all gone. I decided to wait for around 30 minutes when the next batch will be off the kitchen. During that time I could have sworn there were around 40 people who went in and out the shop – all looking for their sio pao. But were dismayed when there wasn't any that time.

I secured by order of five – yes I became an instant convert that I got more than what I ought to. When it came out the kitchen I managed to snap a shot of them before they were distributed to a queue of patrons. And yes I could have almost ate them all by myself but limited myself to “only” three – dinner, dessert and midnight snack, all in a span of two hours. How I wished I kept the remaining two instead of giving them away - lol.

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

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.

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?"

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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