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. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below.
- 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 (optional)
- 8 cups water
- Kamote tops (optional)
- Salt
- In a pot with water, boil GRILLED pork for 30-45 minutes or until it becomes tender. Notice the emphasis on the "grilled" as cooking the pork over fire or charcoal gives the broth more flavour.
- Add kadyos beans and langka cubes and boil for another 10-15 minutes until tender. For the langka, if you have big cube slices you can boil it together but if its thinner/smaller you can place it later.
- When the three ingredients are soft, add batwan (and broth cubes if desired). Make sure that the jackfruit is already tender before adding the souring ingredient of choice. Make adjustments with the quantity of water if needed.
- Season with salt and make flavor adjustments especially the sourness.
- If desired, add kamote tops and cook for 1-2 minute/s.
There many variations with KBL too. One is using leftover lechon (complete with the skin) for a more indulgent KBL - no need to grill the lechon.
You can also bake the pork instead of grilling.
And we usually make a big batch, in a big kaldero, at home for we cannot get enough of KBL. It's truly an Ilonggo's ultimate favorite.