Pritsong Manok and more at Airliner Restaurant in Mandurriao

It was the lure of the Pritchong Manok that brought us to Airliner Restaurant a fortnight ago for our weekly “Thank God, Eat’s Friday” lunch out session. A whole chicken that is roasted (litson) then deep fried (prito) seems to be the specialty of this restaurant located near the old Iloilo Airport (soon to be a bustling CBD developed by Megaworld) as it is blatantly advertised.

Though it may look like just a simple fried chicken but one can taste how it was oven roasted first before dipping it whole in hot oil. Even with no dip, the chicken packed in the taste of perfect frying and even roasting. But it came with a chili sauce that even made it more appetizing!

There’s a lot more on the menu of the native restaurant and Soup No.5 caught our attention. Known to be an aphrodisiac, this stew of a bull’s privates (and more) is a rich soup dotted with vegetables. Their version seems to be more on the sweet side.

Then there’s Tino-um na Manok which is the specialty of the town of Cabatuan, Iloilo. It consists of native chicken with simple flavorings then wrapped and served in banana leaves. Tino-um is the vernacular way of cooking – be it chicken, seafood or vegetables like mushrooms, but it seems to be oftentimes associated with poultry.

Instead of choosing just one, we opted for a Sisig Sampler – a choice from any three from Pork, Squid, Bangus and Chicken. The latter was out of stock so ours became pork and seafood. They all had a common denominator – that brownish sauce, which seems to be a sweet mix of sauce and vegetables (singkamas?), which make the sisig to almost taste the same. It was on the meaty parts that they differed - that is texture-wise. The Pork Sisig also reminded me of a sio pao filling though I can’t pinpoint which shop. The chicharon topping gave it some crunch.

The restaurant had its heydays when the old airport was still in operation because of the traffic the road got but now even 5 years after the Iloilo airport had transferred, it still standing tall or should I say “flying high”.

And I’d say you should unfasten your (seat)belts just as I did after checking in for a gastronomic departure at Airliner.

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

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 por...

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 us...

Bitso-bitso

What is bitso-bitso ? Also spelled/called bichu-bichu or bitsu-bitsu , this native delicacy is made with fried rice flour dough then coated with coconut cream and muscovado sugar syrup. Its like a combination of making palitaw and banacue . The rice flour based "dough" is usually twisted and deep fried. Then it is placed/cooked in a mix of muscovado sugar then dried out. The sugar then "re-crystallize" making a crisp coating for the fried rice flour. The result is a local delicacy that crisp and sweet in the outside yet chewy inside. Cooking bitso-bitso is done many different ways and with different mixes of ingredients. These particular ones in Santa Barbara, Iloilo are still crisp even after being exposed - they are peddled every afternoon around town for 5 pesos a piece. I particularly like the fact that the sugar coating crumbles in every bite, though messy at times, but its alway a treat to have these bitso-bitso . ...

Budyawi

Bujawi (budjawi, budyawi) is what Ilonggos refer to the fruit of the buri or century palm tree . Abundant in many parts of the province of Iloilo, the buri has many many uses from the leaves to its trunk. It produces a fermented drink (tuba), alcohol, vinegar, syrup, and sugar. The trunk yields large quantities of starch. The bud (ubod) is used for salad or as a vegetable. The kernels of the young fruits are edible and are made into a sweetmeats. The mature seeds are used for beads? (rosaries) and buttons. The petiole yields so-called buntal fiber of which, the famous Baliuag and Lucban hats are made, or which, when crudely extracted, is sometimes twisted into rope. Mature leaf is used for covering tobacco bales, rarely as a thatch for houses, while the ribs are used for making brooms. From the unopened leaf is obtained a very fine fiber, corresponding to raffia fiber, which is utilized in making cloth, fancy articles, and as string. Fibers ...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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