FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Inubaran  basically means the dish is cooked with ubad . No, it's not a typo error, it is really ubad not ubod  - different from but practically the same. Confusing? Well ubod is the pith or the center of a coconut tree while ubad is the pith of a banana tree. Ubad sold in local markets. You will only use the white center/core portion. To make this dish, one has to prepare an ubad for cooking - first thinly slice, around half a centimeter, the cleaned pith (must be very white and sized like a fluorescent lamp to be sure of the quality.) .  Then using a barbecue stick, remove web like fibers "interconnecting" these slices (these are actually hardened banana sap). When finished you can crush is into smaller pieces and add to your cooking. Here's a recipe for Inubaran na Manok Ingredients 1 whole (native) Chicken 3-4 cups chopped Ubad, prepared as described above 1 stalk Tanglad (Lemongrass) 1 thumb size Ginger, slic...

If these liempo chips, look good - they surely tasted even better! It was part of my lunch, today, at Punot Restaurant at the Riverside Boardwalk Complex beside the Iloilo River Esplanade in Mandurriao, At first glance, it may look like deep fried bacon but they are really thinly sliced pork belly and almost as thin the chips would be. If not machine cut, I would say they are sliced when the liempo is (very) frozen, to achieve the perfect cut and thinness. It is then deep-fried with maybe just a salt rub and then the excess oil made to drip. Though I think the liempo strips are sun-dried (after being sliced) to get the awesome crunchiness. A perfect appetizer, it comes with an equally appetizing dip of spiced vinegar- perfect blend of hot, sweet and spicy flavors that would surely whet your appetite. Now, what are you waiting for? Enjoy the crunch of these liempo chips from Punot!

Mention Kong Kee and Ilonggos would always associate it with siopao on top of its equally delicious Chinese specialties.     But what used to be just a gastronomic melting pot in Downtown Iloilo City has now branched out to the progressive town of Pavia, Iloilo. Located just beside Puregold supermarket across the Poblacion and town hall,tou won't miss its iconic logo in its signature font in white and red motif. And of course, you've got to try their specialty - sio pao. Ilonggos have grown up with Kong Kee sio pao eversince and there has been a cult following for the resto's steamed bun. Freshly made daily to ensure its  quality, Kong Kee's sio pao is handcrafted everyday to serve the best tasting sio pao that is soft, moist and juicy. It comes ins three variants - Pork, Chicken and the Chicken-Pork combo. It prides to have no artificial flavors plus no preservatives added for us to taste all the ...

The Feast of San Jose is celebrated every March 19 with a big fiesta in places honoring the saint be it a city, town or barangay. But the one I experienced a few weeks ago was more than just the gastronomic side - it was a feast alright but in a different setting. Not just because it was held during breakfast time but it also included a traditional ritual which brought back a lot childhood memories. I joined the feast at the Camiña Balay nga Bato in Arevalo on that day and it brought the memories of yesteryears. I was no more than 10 years old when I witnessed the "San Jose" ritual in my lola's house in Molo. I can still vividly remember the "role-playing" which had elements of eating, washing and "kissing".  As explained by Sir Eugene Jamerlan (of the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council), this ritual is  a tradition in rice-producing places like Iloilo. It is a sort of welcoming San Jose and his family into the household to...

Tino-um is basically a cooking technique where in the ingredients are wrapped in banana leaves then cooked. Among the most popular tino-um dishes is the tino-um nga manok of the town of Cabatuan. You can also to-um other ingredients including fishes, shrimps and vegetables, among others.  For a Bangus Belly tino-um , all you need are sliced bangus belly (bigger and thicker, of course, the yummier), tomatoes, onions, chives and some fresh banana leaves. The recipe is basic - just place the belly on the banana leaves and place all the other ingredients on top. Season with some salt and pepper, and if you want - olive oil. Then wrap it close by using some thin banana stalks as strings. Place it in a pan with just the right amount of water below it. Its for the steaming process that will eventually cook it. A good 15-20 minutes will cook the bangus belly. Or when the banana leaves themselves appear to be cooked, its time to turn off th...

What is dampalit , you may ask? That's actually what I did when we were served  atsarang dampalit  during a welcome lunch in Roxas City. Maam Sonie, our host, explained that dampalit , is sort of a weed that grows near fishponds and most commonly used as feeds.  And they sort of have a portion of their vegetable garden that is devoted to dampalit , thus they can have this "exotic" and delicious atsara anytime. The bottled atsarang dampalit served was just a day old that we still tasted the crunch in the dampalit leaves.  While common atsaras have papaya, tambo (labong ), amargoso (bitter gourd) and even pineapple as base, its the first time I tried made from leaves of a plant.  And there's no bitter nor tartness ( pakla ) for it tastes like most  atsaras  but with a different feel and look.    It still has that sweet-sour taste that erupts in the mouth plus bell peppers giving color and fl...