Sooo Pinoy in Davao at Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort

What a welcome we got during our visit to Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort on the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS)! The fact that we're crossing the sea on our third day of the Sooo Pinoy food trip was alread a welcome itself. The white sand beach greeted us when we landed on the wharf, then another welcome - this time on a musical note greeted us as we neared the resort. But it was the gastronomic welcome of the specialty dishes of the resort that made a mark on this visit.

I was part of Sooo Pinoy, Food Trip na Pilipinas! which is set to visit 300 restaurants in 10 key regions/areas in 10 months all over the Philippines. Davao is the 4th food stop after Iloilo, Bora cay and Cebu that started last March. The goal of the Food Trip is to show that Filipino dishes per region have different identities based on the culture, lifestyle and history of the area. The Food Trip also aims to show that there are many Filipino recipes from different regions of the Philippines, each having its own specialty that has to be recognized for the unique flavor it adds to the Filipino Cuisine.

First to welcome us, was a refreshing serving of halo-halo - perfect to give our give our palates the much needed "reset" from the galore of food (this is the 4th restaurant for the day).

Then we had kumbo (maruya or banana fritters) and kamote "mojos" to enliven our taste. It seems dessert were first on the menu for our Sooo Pinoy trip on the island resort.

And then the "actual" Sooo Pinoy dishes came forth and a (coconut) bowl of Chicken Binakol welcome us. It sort of gave us reminiscing thoughts of the Iloilo and Boracay leg as we were bombarded with different version of chicken binakol. But it was a welcome taste in Davao to have something cloe to home - for me, that is.

Appetizing both to look at and taste is this dish which I will call Tino-um nga Bangus Belly. Actually it's Pinaputok na Tyan ng Bangus and 'twas another welcome dish as it veered away from the usual tuna belly galore we had for the past two and a half days (not that they were not good but it seems we had those five times a day). Cooking something wrapped in banana leaves is termed as tino-um in vernacular Ilonggo gastronomy. And that's when the revelation came - the resort manager is from Dumangas, Iloilo!

Here's something which both pleases the eyes and the sense of taste - Seafood Curry. As I always that eating begins with the eyes, I already I tasted this dish just by the looks of it. Indeed it tasted good as it looked.

More seafood and this one is Seafood Basket consisting of steamed fish, squid and shellfish among others with vegetables. A light dish yet full of flavour.

It was indeed a much need break from our gastronomic routine as we experienced the sand, sea and surf of IGACOS. Yet it was still the food that ruled that experience and as always it was a Sooo Busog afternoon courtesy of Sooo Pinoy!

Filipinos are encouraged to join and support the Sooo Pinoy movement, a partnership between Unilever Food Solutions and the Department of Tourism, and go on a gastronomic adventure that both fills the stomach and enriches our awareness of our own identity. To know more about the campaign, food lovers are invited to like the Sooo Pinoy page on Facebook and follow @SoooPinoy on Twitter

Sooo Pinoy Epic DAVAO Food Trip: June 25-29, 2012

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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