Food Worship: The new pop cult?

It used to be that we only ate to live. Today, however, the role of food and cooking has changed and expanded. What used to be just ‘a tummy filler’ has become a way of entertainment, a fitting celebration, a form of self expression, a lifestyle, even a new culture! Just look at the television shows, online fora, blogs and newspaper articles – it’s all food, food, food, and more food. Food is as basic as it is. Yet in that realm, today’s generation is hungry for new preparations, innovations, creativity, new experiences, adventure, and something to talk about.

That’s why on its 10th anniversary, SM Hypermarket sets its sights on creating milestones with its SM Master Chefs program.First off, nineteen master brands: Knorr, Nestle All Purpose Cream, Unilever Food Solutions, Tabasco, Lee Kum Kee, Lady’s Choice, Maggi, Clara Ole, Kikkoman Soy Sauce, San Remo, McCormick, Bounty Fresh Chicken, CDO, Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog, Purefoods Star Hotdog, Magnolia Cheeze spread, Magnolia Purefresh, Magnolia All Purpose Cream and Magnolia Dari Crème – each a familiar staple in today’s Filipino kitchen, join SM Hypermarket to feed the culinary world’s insatiable hunger for innovation.

Together they will launch SM Master Chefs, a composite event made up of three components – a grand cooking demo, kitchen makeovers, and a set of cook-offs that are set to make foodie history.From July to September, every week in three months, SM Master Chefs will conduct a marathon of cooking demos that will tour SM Hypermarket branches all over the nation, showcasing innovations in culinary products and cooking aids. Not only will these demos serve as a source of entertainment for the onlookers, but also as a venue of culinary discovery for people who are passionate about cooking.

Alongside SM Master Chefs Cooking Marathon, two other monumental events will take place. One is the Kitchen Makeover, where five lucky shoppers will get the chance to have their kitchen redesigned and furnished. This project will be done in partnership with established designers from the Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID).

Last but not the least, SM Hypermarket will also launch a series of Supersized Cook-off events set to make culinary records. Set in five different locations, each cook off will feature a regional dish and will be undertaken with the help of the local government units and the community.

Despite the new cult-like atmosphere that seems to have taken over the culinary world, there are still those like SM Hypermarket, who seek to unite all the diverse sects of foodie-dom under one banner. These five months are going to prove exciting for foodies, chefs, and onlookers as the store that has it all brings the message of attainable culinary excellence to every corner of the country. Just you wait and see./*PR SM Hypermarket

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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