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 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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