Jaro Balay Manokan - Home of Jo's Chicken Inato

A sumptuous lunch of grilled, fried, sauteed and barbecued favorites highlighted the day after the stressful yet very, very ,VERY enjoyable Iloilo Zombie Run. Good thing we were based near the new branch of Jo's Chicken Inato along Commission Civil Street in Jaro, so it was very accessible that we just walked our way.

The smell of freshly grilled chicken welcome us and a pecho combo was already in the bag, they ran out of pa-a then. Jo's is one of my favorite inasal places for years now having tasted it during college in their branch outside school. The taste still is pretty the same - mouthwatering, that you'll never stop until you feel the pain in your stomach because of gluttony. It looks good and taste even better even without the toyomansi-vinegar dip.

Instead I reserved it for the Lumpiang shanghai side order - vinegar and fried lumpia ... heavenly. I almos finished this order of friend spring roll all by myself as I was lost in the delectable combo. That gave me more reason to ask for more rice since they also have this "Rice No Limit" novelty.

Good thing it was for their adobong kangkong was so flavourful that even just the sabaw alone I could finish my rice serving. I had chicken liver barbecue in mind but absent mindedly said yes to pork liver barbecue but it was still delicious though that i devoured my share - forgetting to get some photos.

Finally to finish up the sumptuous meal, an order of the famed buko halo came to our table. I was intrigued with their homemade vanilla ice cream that I got a separate order. But it was just the usual sorbetes I assume but it was refreshingly good. The buko halo was just okay, nothing spectacular, I enjoyed the ice cream more. I can just look back years ago that this buko halo was the ultimate dessert, but not anymore.

But it was still a very satisfying lunch - from the food itself to finally being able to visit the newest branch (they've just relocated ). And given the chance I'd still go back for more maybe try something new, finally have that chicken liver barbecue and ofcourse, the specialty of the house - Jo's Chicken Inato.

Jaro Balay Manokan - Jo's Chicken Inato is located along Commission Civil Street in Jaro beside the American Compound and a few meters from SM Hypermarket.

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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