FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Tulapho can be considered to be Ilonggo chicharon dating back to the Spanish colonial period. It is an old tradition of using animal fat to fry other foodstuff and tulapho could have been the by product of extracting fats from pork. They say some bakeries (in Molo) use the fat ( lard ) from the  tulapho  in making biscuits. TULAPHO perfect in adding crunch to various dishes like pinakbet  just like the Ilocanos add bagnet to theirs. It is also a good partner when making ginisang guinamos (the Ilonggo bago-ong ). Here's the simple recipe of making Tulapho Ingredients Pork Belly, sliced into bite sized pieces Salt Water Procedure Rub generous amount of salt on the pork belly. Set aside for 30minutes. In a wok, place pork belly and water (enough to submerge it). Bring to a boil and simmer until the water dries up and the pork is fried in its own fat. When the crispness of the pork is your liking, remove from heat and let it cool. ...

The famous La Paz batchoy is a concoction of noodles, pork, liver and innards in broth topped with chicharon , garlic and chives. Among the popular batchoyans in town is Ted's Oldtimer who is credited to be the innovator of La Paz batchoy as it is known today throughout the country. Among the innovations they introduced are batchoys using different kinds of noodles which one can decide upon ordering in their stores. The original and default order is made with these yellow egg noodles known as meke . With a hint of saltiness, these noodles have been chosen as the original maybe it is among the least expensive during those days. Also the noodles compliment the taste and the color of the other ingredients making it pleasing to the eyes. And usually this noodles makes the perfect presentation of the batcho y as it holds firmly the other ingredients that makes the signature mound on a batchoy bowl. Sad to say that the new deep bowls being used now in some branches...

One of my favorite discoveries at S&R Membership Shopping in time for its annual S&T Members Treat is the spicy hot Elarz Corned Lechon  I was drawn to it after reading "Corned Lechon" on its cover and instantly added it to my cart after reading "Lagablab" underneath.  The word "lagablab" means "burst of flames" or "blaze" signifying its spicyness. So what more can I ask for? A quick Googling gave a backgrounder about Elarz Lechon which started roasting juicy pigs since 2005.  Photo from Elarz FB Page They offer a range of flavors and variants which includes Original (Classic Lechon), Lagablab (with Siling Labuyo), Zupremo (A special blend of herbs and spices), and Zebu (Elarz's version of Lechon Cebu).  And now, starting only this year, Elarz made their popular lechon available 24/7 and in convenience of an easy open can.  Elarz Lechon de Lata variants Photo from Elarz FB Pag...

Ginat-an is a local way of cooking utilizing coconut milk and there are many ways of having a ginat-an dish.   Among the most popular is making one with igi (a local freshwater? snail), dagmay (a rootcrop similar to gabi) and takway . This dish is popular sa uma (in the farm) as the ingredients are readily available. But given one's resourcefulness in getting all the necessary ingredients, this ginat-an dish can also be readily served in the comforts of your home. Check out Ginat-an nga Bago-ngon .

Jelly rolls were one of my favorite childhood treats and just its name alone brings in a flood of memories of yesteryears. Jelly Roll Back then, it is the snackshop named Han's outside Iloilo Chinese Commercial School along Iznart street that I see myself very happy devouring a slice or two along with the spaghetti and hamburger.  Maybe it was the shaped that intrigued me then - amazed on how the filling is placed inside. Or it could be the fact that its mostly sweet - filling, chiffon plus sugar crystal toppings. Now, seeing these sold in some bakeries open the gate of childhood gastronomic memories that can only be satisfied by having a slice or two of these jelly rolls.  

One simple recipe at home where it involves a few ingredients and easy cooking is soup made with balunggay ( malunggay or moringa), balingon ( dilis or local anchovy), tomato and egg. Though it can be considered as a cardillo recipe because of the addition of fresh egg, it stands as its own dish, at least at home.  Its simplicity makes it a good soup or even side dish complementing fried or grilled dishes. Just place malunggay, dilis and quartered tomato (just make sure to wash them - soak the dilis in water remove impurities) in a pan of boiling water. After 5 minutes (or until all are cooked) add beaten egg and season with salt - if the saltiness of the balingon is not enough. Now ain't that easy and healthy!

There are many ways of cooking adobo - be it pork, chicken or vegetables. And the recipes varies from region to region and even household to household. One of the variation of this favorite Pinoy recipe is  using achuete (annatto) to give a distinct flavour, color and aroma making it more visually appealing and of course more delicious. Here's a recipe for Pork Adobo with Achuete and one can tweak this recipe to suit his own taste and/or with the availability of ingredients especially those with limited sources. First, marinate the pork cubes in vinegar, atchuete mix (achuete powder, water and cooking oil), garlic, soy sauce (just a little bit), laurel leaves, pepper corn and salt . Set aside for at least an hour In a pan, sauté the garlic, onions and ginger then add pork (separated from the marinade and set aside) and stir-fry until light brown. In you're making a big recipe, try to fry the pork in batches to ensure uniform frying/browni...

Choriso or longganisa is a staple in any market all throughout Iloilo. Though not as popular or touristy like that of Vigan or Lucban, the longganisa in Iloilo are just those standard reddish, sweet and fatty longganisas.  Artist, restaurateur, "handy chef" and author (among others) Claude Tayag , in his book, Linamnam , describes it as " overly sweet, artificially colored and comes in four sizes plus it is very similar to Cebu's and Tagbilaran in taste ". That's the choriso I (and maybe you) have grown up with. Before, we just usually boil it in water then when dried, we add oil to fry it.  But now, instead of water, I use vinegar, lots of it then when almost dried up, I then add oil.  It's because I discovered how delicious longganisa is dipped in vinegar especially those tostado ones. So to have them taste like that even without dipping, that's what I am doing now. But I always end up dipping it in vinegar ... ...

Here's a very easy vegetable recipe that even non-seasoned (no pun intended) cooks can do like a boss. In just minutes, one can make this delicious side dish that goes well with fried or grilled meat or fish.  INGREDIENTS Okra, sliced into bite sized pieces Kangkong, cleaned and hardstalks removed Butter Garlic, chopped Onions, chopped Seasoning (salt, liquid seasoning like soy sauce,etc PROCEDURE Method 1 Saute garlic and onions in heated butter Add and toss okra slices. Cover for 2-3 minutes Add and toss kangkong. Season to you desired taste   Method 2 Place okra, onion and garlic microwave-safe container and cook inside microwave oven for a minute. Add kangkong and butter then microwave for another minute Mix, add seasoning and serve.  Add fried garlic toppings if desired.

It wasn't until I laid my eyes my on its flaky and crisp crust with its delicious aroma emanating that discovered the empanada specially baked by Tinapayan. With a crunch I opened the empanada to reveal what’s inside - a hot mix of moist shredded pork, carrots, peas and raisins among others, giving a flavourful blend that could rival any sio paos around. Ms. Evelyn “Owa” Que, the amiable owner of Tinapayan is very proud of her creation especially the crisp and flaky “crust”. She said the empanada has been on the shelves on her bakeshop for years now and maybe since Tinapayan offers a gazillion of delicious product, it may have been “relegated” in the background. I quite agree since with all the breads, cakes, loaves, cookies, buns, sweet squares and bars, etc, you’ll surely have to have an eagle eye to find what you’re looking for. But you’ll get distracted along the way since the quantity and quality that overwhelms you prove to be a galore o gast...

Tired of the usual paksiw recipe for left-over lechon ?Why not try making the left over roasted pig into something a lot healthier - by making it part of vegetable dishes. At home, we've tried making left over lechon into KBL ( kadyos baboy langka ) enjoying Lechon na, KBL pa . It can be made into sinigang, sisig and sinabawan . One can even sugba  ( ihaw or grill) to give it another taste dimension. Believe me, sinugba nga lechon  tastes awesome! And one of our latest recipes is "lechonizing" a monggo recipe. Usually, we cooked monggo with kalabasa and alugbati with the addition of pork. But if there's leftover lechon, the dish looks and tastes even more delicious especially with the lechon skin. Just cook the monggo dish as it is, then add lechon and the rest will be gastronomic history! Extra rice please! Check out the detailed  MONGGO GUISADO RECIPE CONTENT

Been addicted to kimchi lately and tried so many brands I found online and in grocery stores. And one that really stood out for me is the one from Kim's Bob Korean Restaurant. I'm no kimchi nor Korean food expert but this one is a level higher than the ones I've had before. From the first time I opened the bottle and smelled its aroma, it gave me an impression that its quite different and better from the ones before. Maybe because of the notion that it comes from a well respected Korean resto as compared from the generic store bought ones. Sorry for this kimchi discrimination... But I was right in the taste department as it was stronger, more flavorful - not just full of spice and the taste difference was obvious. One could really taste the difference even if it was a repeated blind taste test.  Add to the fact it had more ingredients other than Napa cabbage or wombok. It had a better defined flavor dimension that is not just salty and spicy. It has a delicious sourness whi...

How cholesterollific this linaga is but admit it it looks very delicious! On the way out of the the Iloilo Central Market , we chanced upon this stall serving this stewed lanit-lanit or tendons.  The lady who ordered it was about to take spoonful of her lunch when we stopped her just to take a photograph of her lunch bowl and she found it funny-lol. But I found it very salivating looking at the steaming broth that probably is soured by batwan just like most linaga served in Iloilo. The thought of having the chewy portion of the cow or pig is a steaming and sour soup easily made me forget that I just had lunch .  I usually dig in/look for this part whenever I order linaga or kansi but this bowl has lots of it so I might be checking this one out very soon when I get back to the Iloilo Central Market.   

When non-Ilonggo friends tasted bitso-bitso , I wasn't prepared for the comment that this could be the local version of Krispy Kreme 's glazed doughnut. Bitso-bitso is boiled-and-fried rice dough the coated with muscovado caramel, at least for this particular one made by Manang Lori in the town of Santa Barbara. Though I'm not really privy to the actual recipe of Nang Lori, making bitso-bitso , is quite laborious since it requires three cooking processes aside from choosing the right kind of ingredients. Just like the puto-bingka of Nang Leling  where rice flour is also used, it starts with the pilit rice being soaked overnight before it will be ground the next day. Just like muasi (palitaw) or the bilo-bilo balls (used in making linugaw ), the ground rice flour is mixed with regular flour, water, coconut milk and a little bit of sugar and vanilla. When the dough is ready, Mang Lori's bitso-bitso takes a twisted form so that it can "take-in" more...

My recent tour had me back at the dried seafood section of the Iloilo Central Market for my groups pasalubong fix. Yes, it is not only biscocho , butterscotch and barquillos that make up the ultimate Iloilo pasalubong list but also dried lukos , fish tocino and guinamos . So what's there to find and buy at the dried seafood market? Plenty! More than enough salt and saltiness to drive our blood pressure off the charts!  But enough of this gory-ness and just live with  these words from our former Miss Universe " Everything is good but in moderation... " Let's start with balingon or dilis, and there's a lot to choose from! From the kind of " anchovy " to the size, color and the level of saltiness, it's overwhelming. There are the regular or he more familiar ones which often is a breakfast staple - whether fried or sinanlag - pan fried without oil, or how ever you define it. It is also best for this recipe ...