A delectable lunch at Nam Prik Thai Kitchen

A delicious spread of Thai, Filipino and Spanish specialties specially prepared by Ms. Tess aka "Queen Nam Prik" made lunch a few Saturdays ago quite memorable. First and foremost, I made it to Nam Prik Thai Kitchen in Sambag, Jaro in record time since it was an impromptu invitation and everything went as if it was a breeze. Ms Tess, who owns the restaurant had set up our usual table in the restaurant's greener side - under the shades of the tree, and brought out her specialties of the day.

Lunch started with fried squid and I can only salivate with the thoughts of it. I thought it a different specie or imported squid that was served since it was a lot crunchier. It turns out to the the "palikpik" of ordinary squids. You know that portion that looks like wings, Ms. Tess just removes it when she makes her other squid specialties and just fries these "palikpik". And they are really good that I almosty finished the whole plate.

Then came a piping hot Tom Yum soup which we all hungrily devoured in no time. The sourness and spiciness was just perfect that I could have them over and over again. I loved it plain and did not eat it with rice which is my usual gastronomic routine. Nonetheless, it was all good that we all had more than one bowl of the Tom Yum.

A few months ago, I heard Ms. Tess talked non-stop about her Nam Prik Ong and based on what I've heard, I thought it was salad like her yummy Pomelo salad. But it turned out to be a mix of ground lean meat with a galore of Thai and Indian spices that includes ginger among others. I don't usually like ginger but for this dish - it didn't matter at all. It was sooooo goood! Really gooood!

It may just look like some plain "giniling na baboy" at first but when I tasted it was heavenly and I almost finished the whole plate. One supposedly eats by wrapping it in lettuce leaves and adding some sauces just like a hubad na lumpia. But I'd rather eat them with rice - lots of rice, and would never get tired of it, I assume. Ms. Tess says it's one complicated dish to make that takes a lot of processes and ingredients that it is not often on Nam Prik's regular menu. But just ask about anyway, who knows you might be lucky to have them.

Meanwhile someone brought in lechon paksiw from Ramboy's and we had to add some vinegar since it was too sweet. Ramboy's is popular for it's pork liempo and it's a must order when you're there. Anyway, he also brought some of his homemade callos and I had another serving of rice to go with it.

It was another delicious afternoon spent with fellow foodies among others - yes we ate at the same time talked about food. And finally I was able to experience the awesome goodness of the Nam Prik Ong Ms. Tess had been raving about and I couldn't help but agree 100%.

Make that 110%!

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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