CAPIZtahan 2013 in Roxas City: Bangus here, there and everywhere

I was in Roxas City over the weekend to join CAPIZtahan 2013. Now on its third year, this years celebration marks the 112th Foundation Day of the civil government of Capiz and the 65th Death Anniversary of the President Manuel Acuña Roxas. I was particularly involved in the Seafood Culinary Competition where in around 10 participants battle it out for the Best Seafood Dish that reflects the gastronomic bounty the Seafood Capital of the Philippines.

It was through my fellow judge, Mr Eugene Jamerlan, that I got this stint in the first place and through him, my first Capiz experience turned out one memorable weekend as it involved non-stop eating and meeting a lot of very interesting people like our host - Maam Sonie. For the whole weekend, we had a lot on interesting food trips - from seafood to steaks, from home-made specialties to restaurants best sellers and more. But for this particular blog post, as the title says, I'll concentrate on the wonderful bangus specialties Maam Sonie prepared for us during that wonderful stay.

Sinabawan na Bangus with Kaffir Lime

Our welcome lunch had us indulging in a simple yet very delicious sinabawan na bangus. What made it stood out was the subtle essence of kaffir lime. The broth came out more appetizing in every sip plus of course it was bangus with a fat belly , so what more can I truly ask for but ... extra rice please!

Sinugba nga bangrus

To go with our soupy bangus dish is the exact opposite - sinugba nga bangrus. This was probably among the best I tried so far. I mean there are so many ways to grill bangus and but the simplest way is often the most delicious. Why bother putting all the seasonings when salt and essence of citrus will do? The freshness of the fish itself will bring out the good flavour and no need for sawsawan.

I could entirely finish this whole fish given that it has a perfectly grilled and tasting belly plus the other part/s were "succulently" as good. And maybe I'll join in in the mad rush for the next piece of this sinugba nga bangrus - and could eventually finish it up too!

As a bonus we also had this bangus innards cooked adobo-style. Though, I had to watch my uric acid "intake" as it might render me not able to walk straight, I tried a little portion and it was full of flavour despite the bitterness. I wonder it having it deep fried will lessen the bitterness and make it more appealing to most.

How about some Spanish style bangus? Breakfast was so good that time but having these home-made bangus in oil made it so much better. The bangus slices were thick, the seasoning were just right, not too spicy nor bland. It was so good with the garlic fried rice then that breakfast, as what is supposed to be, turned out to be the biggest meal I had for that day.

So to "burn off" what could become as stored fat in my body I went around and around the "secret garden" but found myself lured into the kitchen. The activity was bustling and I was just on time to catch them making boneless bangus. It involved making slits at just the right place then using a "surgical instrument", it follows the slit while taking the sikag (fishbones) off the bangrus. It was actually a fast process in adept hands and seeing it makes me appreciate the effort put into it.

I was told that what they were making called called hubag-hubag (hopefully I got the term right). It reminds me of what we also do at home for our home-made pinakas. The fish is halved then marinated basically in vinegar, garlic, pepper and soy sauce. Then it is sundried until it becomes dry (obviously) then stored in the fridge. But it doesn't usually last in the fridge as it is usually cooked on the day it was taken off.

Enough, talking already and let's enjoy the finale of the galore of bangus we had in Roxas City. And this photo (along with the main photo on top) speaks well of how simple cooking techniques plus the freshest ingredients can bring out the best flavour in the dishes we make and take. Oh how I wish I could just grab and eat this photo. I'm sure you are thinking the same ...

This is just but a start of the gastronomy the Seafood Capital of the Philippines has to offer. And we were lucky enough to have such a wonderful host (thank you thank you gid Maam Sonie) who not only showed us around Roxas City but also made us feel really right at home and of course presenting to us all the good food that are now but just images etched in our memories and extra pounds we carry in our bodies. But I'm not complaining, I am in fact raving and craving for more .....

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 pork broth cube (

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 usu

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 delicacy called Inday-inday

Now you may ask, what is Inday-Inday ? It's another repetitive-feminine named native delicacy that is made from rice like its more popular sister - baye-baye . While the latter is has its own original flavor and make, inday-inday is actually a combination of two well loved native delicacies - muasi ( palitaw ) and bukayo . But the muasi portion is not the the usual palitaw recipe for the it's more firm and gummy (I don't know the English term for kid-ol ). Actually its more like a hardened kutsinta and this makes it more to my liking since I'm not really fond of muasi in the first place. And its not quite easy to find inday-inday in the market today, though I've seen and tried it in Sabor Ilonggo stalls but their's is more like suman latik for the based is ibos -like. Ibos is malagkit rice boiled in gata which is called suman in Tagalog. Despite the uncertainty for its nomenclature (I've read that inday-inday is just plain pal

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