FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Tabagak is a Filipino breakfast staple and are salted and sun-dried fishes (local herring). Called tuyo in Tagalog, it is usually partnered with fresh tomatoes and eggs to make perfect breakfast combo. Commonly fried, the smell usually fills the kitchen, the adjacent rooms and even nearby households giving everyone an idea that someone will be having an awesome breakfast meal. But there are many other ways of cooking tabagak , if you want less grease, you can sugba or grill it over charcoal but you must pay close attention as it burns easily. If you're "game" to suffer the consequences, you can place in the microwave for around a minute or so. Fried tabagak is partnered with vinegar as dip. Adapting an Ilonggo specialty called binodo , which is overly salted semi dried fish fish, one can make tabagak  ala binodo. After frying the dried fish, remove the scaly portion in the oil and saute chopped garlic and onions. When done, place the fr...

Every region in the Philippines has it's own version of a spiced vinegar and a name for it. In most parts of Western Visayas especially in Iloilo, it is known as sinamak. One can find it almost anywhere for it is a staple dip in almost every household and native restaurants. Be it chicken inasal or grilled pork chop to seafoods especially talaba, sinamak is the perfect dip to further one's appetite. The recipe varies from each household and the percentage of the "ingredients" too but always present are siling labuyo (green and red for color variation and makes it more visually appetizing), ginger (locals used langkawas or galangal but regular ginger will do) and garlic. Usually the vinegar used comes from coconuts but other varieties do as well. Mix everything in a bottle nd on the process make it visually appealing too playing with the colors of the chilies. Just make one that suits your own taste and let it stay for around 2-3 weeks before using it to se...

I just love traveling to Guimaras where a mere 15 minutes brings you a world almost a thousand miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And another 25 minutes from the Jordan wharf is the Camiña Balay nga Kawayan in Guimaras and Springbloom Farms where this picture perfect "picnic" took place a week after we had a sumptuous lunch during my first visit to this rest house of the Camiñas in Sibunag.  The vast farm has mostly pineapples and papayas all around the bamboo and wood house with a stunning view of Lawi Bay and on clear days, both Iloilo and Negros (on opposite diections). Our welcome food were the signature  Camiña Tsokolate and its quintessential partner ibos(suman).  And to make it more Guimaras, mangoes were served. They don't only look good but tastes the sweetest event if it wasn't really the season for mangoes, typically summertime peaking in April when the province celebrates Manggahan Festival. I just wish I could eat the mangoes ...

Fresh Mangoes ✔ Graham crackers ✔ Cream ✔ But it's not your typical Mango Float!  It's Mango Magic ! It's the latest craze in Iloilo reflecting the one that started in Manila that quickly spread across the country.   It's the popular dessert given on a whole new level!  And judging from the long queue at The Atrium mall eversince it opened last Nov. 6 and until it reopened today Nov. 14 (after a few days of hiatus), there's no stopping the magic!   The hiatus was brought about by the fact that they run out of ingredient for the soft-serve mango ice cream as they weren't not expecting number of Ilonggos who lined up to an hour just to have taste of this trendy dessert. Yes, it's mango float (fresh mangoes, graham crackers and cream) but its the soft serve ice cream that makes this popular dessert more trendy.   It comes in two sizes, Regular (PhP 49, 12oz) and Large (PhP 65, 16 oz).  How I wish they can have a...