Ginata-ang puso ng saging

I love puso ng saging [banana heart] especially when made part of sinigang na bangus. The sour and milky broth often commands cups of rice to go with it. Also as part of laswa, chopped puso ng saging gives in more fiber and texture to the merry mix of vegetables. Then there's the adobong puso ng saging in which it has the familiar vinegar-soy sauce flavour without the guilt of cholesterol.

And ginata-ang puso ng saging - this could also be kilawin of sorts as vegetables can also be made into one. I had my share of this specialty the few times I've been to the Happy Kitchen Diner at Amigo Plaza mall. Though this may not be their recipe but it almost like the one my tastebuds got to try and remember.

INGREDIENTS

3 pcs fresh banana heart
2 Tbsp coconut milk
3 pcs shallots, thinly sliced
5 pcs calamansi
2 pcs red chili
salt

PREPARATION

1. Peel off the reddish outer layers of the banana heart to reveal the whitish core.
2. Cut off the stem and discard. Also discard the rows of flowers resembling matchsticks, found under each reddish layer.
3. Chop banana hearts (they will oxidize and darken quickly after chopping) and immediately place them in brine (1 tablespoon of salt to 3 cups of water).
4. Gently knead the banana heart in the solution and discard the cloudy water. Taste a small piece repeat the process (this time with fresh water) until the bitterness is to your liking.
5. Fill a large bowl with iced water while bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Blanche the chopped banana hearts for about 10 seconds.
6. Strain the banana hearts and shock in the iced water until thoroughly chilled (to stop the cooking process.)
7. Drain the banana hearts and pat dry.
8. Place the banana hearts in a serving bowl and add the shallots, coconut milk, calamansi juice, and red chilies.
9. Stir to combine and season with salt. Adjust the amounts of calamansi juice and salt according to taste. Garnish with more chilies and serve.

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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