Tanglad drink at Bauhinia

Lemongrass (or tanglad) oftentimes make it into various recipes by providing a subtle citrus aroma and flavours in different dishes involving poultry, fish, beef, and seafood. But my recent gastronomic encounter with tanglad at Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine changed all that!

I was introduced to two of their lemongrass drink selection during the launch of their Vegetarian Dishes Delight a few months ago making them among the few restaurants in Iloilo City offering vegetarian specialties. Still recovering from a sore throat then, I opted for the hot tanglad drink. It came in a teapot that's good for two cupfuls with honey on the side.

It was a refreshing drink - from the aroma that tickled my nose to the lasting trail of citrussy flavor down my throat, the lemongrass drink certainly gave a lasting impression. I particularly liked the subtleness of the flavour especially when mixed with honey.

And those trying to beat the summer heat but still on the healthy side, try their cold version - which I call "lemongrade" as in lemongrass ade. It'll certainly be a tanglad blast!

(Bauhinia Filipino Cuisine is located at The Avenue Complex, Glicerio Pison Avenue, Smallville Mandurriao, Iloilo City. For reservations, call Bauhinia at (033) 329-6951)

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...

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...

Bitso-bitso

What is bitso-bitso ? Also spelled/called bichu-bichu or bitsu-bitsu , this native delicacy is made with fried rice flour dough then coated with coconut cream and muscovado sugar syrup. Its like a combination of making palitaw and banacue . The rice flour based "dough" is usually twisted and deep fried. Then it is placed/cooked in a mix of muscovado sugar then dried out. The sugar then "re-crystallize" making a crisp coating for the fried rice flour. The result is a local delicacy that crisp and sweet in the outside yet chewy inside. Cooking bitso-bitso is done many different ways and with different mixes of ingredients. These particular ones in Santa Barbara, Iloilo are still crisp even after being exposed - they are peddled every afternoon around town for 5 pesos a piece. I particularly like the fact that the sugar coating crumbles in every bite, though messy at times, but its alway a treat to have these bitso-bitso . ...

Jiecel and Thea's Refreshment

When talks zero in on sio mai and sio pao (in Iloilo City), it would be incomplete when one snack shop is not mentioned. Jiecel and Thea's Refreshment had long been synonymous with these two Chinese delights and finally, I was able to personally visit the place, tasted their specialties and of course blogged about it. Just a simple menu with three of the specialties; mami, sio pao and sio mai. It was a short ride from the "Carlos" junction to this snack shop and even though I theoretically know where it was, I was still all eyes during the my travel. But luckily they had a very big signage that proclaimed "We serve the BEST mami, sio pao and sio mai in town". Now that got me gastronomically excited. Simple interiors of Jiecel and Thea's Refreshment makes you conentrate more on the food rather than the ambiance. It was around 1030am when I finally got there to see a sort of family brunch on going occupying half of the snack shop. But fortunately they were a...

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Search This Blog