Grilled chorizo and more at Chika-an at Robinson's Place Iloilo

Ilonggos can now savour the flavors of Cebu as Chika-an finally opened it's gastronomic doors at the newly renovated Robinson's Place Iloilo. My many trips to Cebu within last two years only brought me to seeing many Chika-an stores all over Cebu but never had the time to experience their specialties. Good thing I can now enjoy what they had to offer right here in Iloilo.

As the Iloilo Bloggers were invited to the opening last May 15, we all had a preview of Chika-an's wide range of specialties like crispy pata, grilled squid, beef kaldereta, pancit canton and a lot more.

But another visit, this time for the weekly #lamonfriday, yielded yet another gastronomic discovery - Grilled Chorizo de Cebu! And I've been craving for it eversince.

The longganisa had more fatty portions and that makes it even more delicious and grilling it brings out its real juices ad gives its flavour a new dimension. Add to that the chorizo in infused with chillies that every bite gives a thrill and you'll definite want some more. A serving of 4 chorizo in a stick costs PhP99 - quite expensive perhaps to most, but its one hell of an order that one is surely have to get another.

Their Crispy Pata lived up to it's name as everything was crispy even to the bone (lol). A quick dip in your very own sawsawan will surely create crispy pata memories with a big crunch.

The baked scallops caught my attention as they were actually using the "Cebuano" scallops - the one with more defined "corrugated" shells. But without the shell, the scallops swimming in the melted cheese and spices gave me another reason to comeb ack for more.

Ending these Chika-an sessions are two of its specialty desserts - banana-langka turon and biko (that's suman for the Ilonggos) with haleya glaze. A perfect finale to one gastronomic adventure with the flavors of Cebu right here in Iloilo.

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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