FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Do you like cassava cake? It's a popular "modernized" native delicacy that got us craving for more in every bite. Good this it is very convenient to have when since it-s a staple in most bakeries and you can even order it online and be delivered right at your doorstep! I love it when its soft with a slightly burnt top that's full of cheese mixing with the condensed milk topping. It's a treat to have that creaminess mix with the sweetness and cheesiness creating a delicious explosion of flavors. But it is also easy to prepare at as the ingredients can be mostly found in the wet market or even grocery stores. Here's a simple cassava cake recipe Ingredients : CAKE   2 and 1/2 cups grated cassava 1 and coconut milk 1 and 1/2cup condensed 1 cup evap 5 Tbsp sugar 2 egg yolks 1 Tbsp flour in 2 Tbsp milk Butter for greasing TOPPINGS 1/4 cup condensed Evap Coconut 2 egg yolks 1 Tbsp flour in 2 Tbsp milk 1 cup grated cheese Procedure Preheat o...

I've been cooking this dish for the longest time but it's only now that I've known it has name. It is called TINUTUAN. A very basic vegetable dish and just like LASWA, it is very versatile with no specific ingredients. You can just throw-in what's available and sort of edible when cooked and mixed. TINUTUAN, as I always cook it, is mostly flavored by sauteed sardines. Or at times, no sauteeing is needed. Other times, canned tuna is also good. This one in particular has malunggay, papaya, sayote and patola with a can of sardines in oil. The latter's sauce type made the dish retain its original color as opposed to one that's in tomato sauce. TINUTU-AN is a perfect side dish to fried or broiled fish or meat. But on its own, it' s already a delicious and nutritious dish perfect with a plate of hot rice. What't your Tinutu-an story?

This June 2025, indulge in a curated selection of dishes highlighting Filipino culinary artistry and local ingredients as Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo proudly introduces its Hunyo A La Carte Specials. Available from June 1 to 30, 2025, between 10AM and 11PM, these exclusive offerings are served at the hotel's Courtyard Lobby Bar, providing guests with a unique and flavorful dining experience throughout the month. Together with the Iloilo Bloggers Inc. , it was a delightfully delicious lunch trying out all these special dishes that fused some well-loved recipes with local Ilonggo ingredients. Let's start with these d elicious crab cakes made from locally sourced crabs from the town of Concepcion in Northern Iloilo.  Igbon, Concepcion Sustainable Crab Cakes Perfectly fried with a resounding crunch from the outside yet it was moist inside letting our palates savor the freshness of the crabs. T opped with poached egg and drizzled with batuan hollandaise sauce, it was a perfect st...

Other places in the Philippines have their own version of this cassava-based delicacy. In most parts of Western Visayas, this native delicacy is called alupe (or alupi). It is made with ground balinghoy (cassava) mixed with coconut milk and meat plus sugar and other flavorings. It is then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. What looks like an unappetizing mixture before (steaming) becomes a pleasure to both the sense of smell and taste as it results to a flavourful snack that would surely bring back memories. Or will surely make one for those tasting it for the first time. Now only if it ain't that sticky and messy to eat!

Another Ilonggo dish named after its main ingredients is the kadyos, manok kag ubad . Kadyos is a local legume, though also found in other parts of the country but most recognizable in Ilonggo cooking. It comes in pods and ranges from deep violet to green in color and makes a purplish broth (for violet beans).  Native chicken or darag , is most commonly used when making the dish but one can also used broilers. But the free range chicken gives better flavour to the dish. And ubad , yes it's with an A, is the pith of the banana tree. Aside from being a sort of extender to the dish, it also creates a a different texture and it is almost flavourless. Read more about Ubad .