A Christmas luncheon at Camp Alfredo in Guimaras

The zip line and the adventure facilities are not the only attractions at Camp Alfredo in Guimaras. As one communes with nature - the lush greens, the fresh air, the sound of the stream, the natural flora and fauna, during a visit, gastronomy also becomes an attraction itself.

And I have proven it once more, a few days before 2011 came to an end during Camp Alfredo's first ever Christmas Lunch Party. With guests coming mostly from Manila and the US, it was also a reunion of sorts for the families who were there. As always food becomes an integral part of any family gathering and this was among them.

With the luncheon catered by Barrio Inasal, which also serves the fares at the Camp during regular days, it was a galore of grilled specialties heralded by the specialty of the house - chicken inasal. Among the best chicken inasals, Barrio Inasal prides itself of having the authentic kind and taste plus it is grilled upon order so it may take a while. Though these ones were prepared ahead but they still tasted as if they were right of the grill.

Just by looking at this photo (with one hand holding the stick and the other the camera), the taste memories of this chicken inasal comes back vividly to the senses. The crips and golden brown chicken meat, the aroma of the spices and ofcourse that first bite into the juicy meat oozing with flavour that I didn't care whether the sides of my mouth became orange too - I just savoured every bite then.

Now there's isol or iwi - the chicken's butt. A delicacy on its own and it almost always comes as barbecued. For an occasional isol eater like me, I couldn't help but get a stick and devoured it even with no sawsawan - not my usual thing. And it's as juicy and tender as my memory recalls.

And then there's the grilled managat and it's whole! usually it's the lower portion that comes in grilled in most restaurants I've been to, for the head becomes the soup part. This is among the best grilled managat I've tasted - perfect grilled, juicy, well seasoned - believe no need for sawsawan, for it seems the sawsawan is already part of the seasoning basted into the fish while being grilled.

The grilled squid was also good though nothing over spectacular, just the right toughness to go with the flavour. I even went back for another whole squid a few minutes after finishing my first. There was also a plate of shrimps, cooked like in anybody's home - just with salt and placed in frying pan.

Odd man out was the side dish - kimchi. Not part of the Barrio Inasal menu though, just an on the spot addition as there were Koreans in the group then. But I also enjoyed this myself going back for more to go with the grilled specialties on my plate. Java rice was our staple that time and there also was a lechon which was very good. It a local lechonero in Guimaras who made it - the skin was thin and crisp and the insides were very flavourful especially the ribs part. I still don't remember why I forgot to take photos ...

Maybe, I was just saving battery to use when I start my photowalk around the lush greens and the new man made structures that I wasn't able to see the last time I visited there (which was just 15 days before that). And yes, this "bridge over troubled waters" instantly became my favorite subject as I started my journey around the camp ...

And it will have a separate blog post very soon ...

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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