A rustic lunch with a view at Camiña Balay nga Kawayan in Guimaras

Our very gracious hosts a few Sundays ago were the Camiñas - Sir Gerard and Ms. Luth who welcomed us to their home in Guimaras - the Balay nga Kawayan. The power couple also owns the among the top tourist destinations in Iloilo now, the Camiña Balay nga Bato famous for its delectable tsokolate.

The Camiña Balay nga Kawayan is around 17 kilometers from the Jordan Wharf and set amidst the sprawling Springbloom Farm. From the abode, guests see a vast pineapple plantation nicknamed Pineapple Ridge (thanks Sir Eugene) on one side and a native papaya orchard down below. The pineapples will be ready for harvest by November and the papayas were all bearing fruit – so many that it weighs down the tree.

The house overlooks Lawi Bay and offers a breathtaking view anytime of the day. It is also almost al fresco and the air smells sweet because of the produce around.

But guests can go further and find a viewdeck which gives a closer look at the bay, wider view of the farm and a good look at the Balay nga Kawayan from afar.

But i had to go back to the house which has a wide kitchen for I smell something was being broiled. And it was the specialty of the house - Bino-ug nga Baboy. It is basically pork that has been seasoned only with salt and subjected to high heat that the outside cooks faster thus a crisp skin while the inside remains moist. Bino-ug is a Kiniray-a term for "sinugba" or "ihaw".

Our side dish was a simple Kamote Salad - just a mix of steamed kamote tops, onions and vinegar which created a delightful blend of flavours and texture.

We also had this Dilis Mix made of a smaller variety of balingon (I forgot the specific term) which was perfectly fried. Even in ints simplest form it was bursting with delicious flavour and taste.

Soup was native chicken tinola with labog - a local green vegetable which has hints of sourness into it.

And finally, as Guimaras is known as the Island that Fits your Taste, we had Guimaras mangoes for dessert and a whole of the farm's produce to cap off one delightful Sunday lunch that ended on something that sounded like "We'll be back for more"!

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...

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

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...

Pancit lomi and pan de sal in Oton

A road and food trip a few months back ended in a simple but delicious treat in the town of Oton. Right beside the town market is an assuming bakery that also serves quick orders of pancit - bihon, guisado and lom i, among others. Owned by Mr. Wilson Esperancilla , the bakeshop has a typical bakery ambiance - lots of goodies and people comes in droves to buy them. Their pancit lomi is a best seller and I enjoyed every spoonful of it. From the thick and flavourful sabaw to the the thin (in contrast to the thick ones usually used) noodles plus the meats and toppings, it was one delicious treat - all in a bowl. Doubled with one of the best tasting pan de sals I've had recently, it was surely a perfect food trip to end our road trip. Bon voyage meets bon apetit!

Ubad 101

Ubad sold at the Santa Barbara Public market. This is different from ubod but practically the same. Confusing? Well ubod is the pith or the center of a coconut tree while ubad is the pith of a banana tree. To have an ubad means a whole banana tree has been cut down and stripped to bare its center. So goodbye to banana fruit, leaves and heart. To prepare an ubad for cooking, first thinly slice, around half a centimeter, the cleaned pith (must be very white and sized like a fluorescent lamp to be sure of the quality.) . Then using a barbecue stick, remove web like fibers "interconnecting" these slices (these are actually hardened banana sap). When finished you can crush is into smaller pieces and add to your cooking. Ubad is mostly used as extender to the usual meat and vegetable dishes, the most famous of which is the ubad-kadyos-chicken combination. Another dish that goes well with ubad is the usual ginisang monggo . With pieces of pork and malunggay as ...

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