Rediscovering a well loved cuisine at Nam Prik Thai Kitchen

Believe or not, right after enjoying a bowl of Thai noodles and iced tea at Sen Lek noodle house in Pavia, we found ourselves in the midst of another Thai restaurant - right along the highway in Sambag, in the midst of a (shrinking) rice field!

The location sounds familiar alright, but no, it isn’t the famous Peppy Thai Deli but another restaurant that goes by the name of Nam Prik Thai Kitchen. Good thing that Sir Eugene Jamerlan knows the owner of the restaurant, and together with , it was one afternoon filled with good food and fun under the sun.

The owner of Nam Prik Thai Kitchen is related with the owners of Peppy Thai Deli but I won’t go into the details though. All I can say is that Nam Prik brought back the experience of the old Peppy Thai Deli – having authentic Thai cuisine served turo turo style in a rustic and al fresco ambiance.

With specialties of the day on display, first to catch our attention was the Pomelo Salad that didn’t only look but also tasted delicious. Mixed with cucumbers, tomatoes and mangoes among others, the blend of these fruit and vegetables created a burst of flavours that proves refreshing. And I can’t believe it tasted good with drops of fish sauce too!

A chicken dish with green curry and coco milk (sauce) was among the more popular choice on the table. It proves how freshly a made curry dish makes a big difference on how the actual dish would taste and look – lots better.

Then there’s my staple – Nam Tok o roughly referred to as cold pork loin salad. I always loved this at Peppy Thai Deli and this one was just the same. Pork loin blended in shallots and chilies with calamansi dressing, creating my favorite blend of taste and texture.

Also must order is the Papered Squid. Just deep fried (almost) paper thin squid that gives a crunch in every bite. A perfect munch anytime with a lot of crunch. I just love it as always.

Desserts brought in were in the form of Cassava Cake and Rice Pudding with Mango. The former tastes as good as it looks; delicious from the flavourful cassava base to the cheesy top – will surely have it again.

And the latter, though it looks like ibos with paho, it was actually better than its simple looks that I’ll be trying to “copy” it at home.

It was indeed a rediscovery of Thai cuisine with a Filipino touch in a rustic setting that makes eating a leisure activity. No need to rush, no pretensions - just good food and good company. And having new dishes to rave (and crave), it surely won’t be last visit to Nam Prik Thai Kitchen to have a taste of the dishes I loved and to discover what they have more to offer. And of course, that Nam Prik Ong which the owner raving about, will be on top of the list.

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 (

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.

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 usu

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

An Ilonggo favorite - Suman Latik

Suman Latik is one of my favorite native delicacies - plain suman/ibos topped with sweetened coconut strips or bukayo . Most of the time those sold in the markets have this two (suman and bukayo) already in one wrap and all you have to to is devour it. But most of the time, the bukayo portion is bitin that I wish there's more. So why not make our own suman latik so you can have all the suman we want with all the bukayo toppings we desire! Here's a simple recipe for Suman Latik

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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