FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

KBL  or kadyos baboy langka is a ubiquitous Ilonggo dish found in most households and restaurants in Iloilo and beyond. Like adobo as to the whole of the Philippines, it is also one of those dishes that comes in the basic recipe but little tweaks are still acceptable.  The basic recipe calls for the baboy (pork) usually the pata (hocks) to be broiled. Then together with the langka and kadyos beans, they are boiled until the last two ingredients are cooked - the langka is easy to bite, the kadyos is soft and the baboy. I liked it if it almost melts in the mouth esp the fat and skin portion. This way of cooking adapts the vernacular method of having the meat subjected to direct heat as to preserve its flavor more and the same time gives the broth a rather smoky taste. Finally,  batwan  fruit is added as souring ingredient. The greens usually kamote tops or in this case malunggay leaves, adds color, texture and more nut...

Now where do I start? I think I have enough feature on kadyos (and KBL ) that I find having a new post ... redundant. But there are times I can’t resist taking a photo and making another blog post. Like this instance, I chanced upon kadyos being “plucked” from its pod. Never got this one before so it would seem a good photo op. But now I’ve got one what’s next? Of course the perennial kadyos cuisine – KBL . Kadyos, baboy, langka is an Ilonggo favorite, no doubt about it. The beans being endemic almost in the region makes gives it (and the dish) a sense of popularity and a following. Ilonggos away from home often crave for the dish and it’s often one of the first they request when finally back home. The common yet special dish usually consists of broiled pork leg boiled until tender with kadyos beans, jackfruit and some greens. Batwan , another almost endemic fruit to the region, gives the broth a distinct sourness very different from others li...

The disreputable Adobo Ilonggo, a popular meal not only among Ilonggos but Filipinos from all walks of life, has come under fire from fellow culinary treats in Iloilo for conduct unbecoming, gross misrepresentation, etc. The legendary La Paz Batchoy , whose exploits and reputation has long surpassed the boundaries of Iloilo, has lodged a complaint with the Iloilo Culinary Association’s Board of Governors (ICABOG) saying that Abodo Ilongo has disgraced Iloilo Cuisine. “Adobo’s recent behavior is bringing disrepute to Ilonggo food and the people that love them unconditionally,” Mr. Batchoy said. Mang Inasal , ICABOG chairman, said Adobo Ilonggo, if found guilty of the charges, will suffer the penalty of prison correctional (being relegated to the kitchen, for the minor offense), or prison mayor for the major offense, which means cancellation of membership and a total ban from the franchise and other association member outlets. Here’s a litany of charges against Adobo Ilonggo: ●...

Lechon being ubiquitous in almost all Filipino fiesta fares and KBL (kadyos, baboy, langka) being an Ilonggo favorite, it seems that this KBL na lecho n has the best of both worlds. Usually leftover lechon baboy is made into lechon paksiw (simmered in the remaining sauce) but at home, we take it a "step higher". KBL being a family favorite and almost staple too, it is always what becomes of the leftvoer lechon. The meat, the fat, and the skin too - all become part of this delicious and uniquely Ilonggo dish. The usual KBL calls for broiled pork leg to give the soup a "smoky" flavour but using leftover lechon makes the work easier but with more flavour too. So next time you have leftover lechon, most probably since this is the Christmas season - parties, reunions, etc, why not try this uniquely Ilonggo dish as a new twist to lefover lechon. Who knows, you may eventually develop a liking to it.

KBL is an Ilonggo favorite dish made with kadyos (pigeon peas), baboy (pork) and langka (jackfruit). Usually pata (pork legs) are first broiled then boiled together with the vegetables then a local fruit, batuan , is added as a souring ingredient. The soup is purplish from the kadyos and the sour broth combined with the “essence” of the broiled meat makes a distinctive flavour Ilonggos yearn for. KBL is one of my personal favorites and no matter how many times I blogged about it, each time is unique and delicious as the last one. And that makes it figuratively “ walang kamatayan ” (ever living?) in contrast the season of the “dead”.

At long last, the search is over, as the Sooo Pinoy campaign came to an end. Though I would have not known the results of this national search for the ultimate Pinoy dish, if not for a related feature of the TV show Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho (over at GMA 7) about this search and the eventual winner, sinigang . I really love sinigang but I did not vote for this soured broth dish as the Pinoy's national dish (I voted for adobo ). So what's make sinigang a (in this case the ) favorite among Filipinos? Is it the meat or seafood? Or the variety of vegetables added? Or the versatility and the simple preparations of this dish? I could say all of the above but for me, is the sour broth it comes with. And that's where the show of multi awarded journalist Jessica Soho concentrated in - the different methods of souring not only sinigang and a whole lot more. From the very common sambag ( sampaloc or tamarind), green mango, guava and kamias to the exotic like kamonsil ( kamac...

Well, almost. It had baboy, langka and it was soured using batwan . It also had greens and really tatsed like the usual KBL recipe we prepare at home. But the "K" is missing - k adyos , that is. Maybe there wasn't any at the market or it was never intended to be a KBL. No regrets still for it was still a sumptuous lunch. Even had some leftover for dinner few hours ago!

No matter how sinfully delicious lechon baboy is, chances are, there would still be left overs. So what to do with it? Naturally, it would almost always be lechon paksiw - lechon cooked in it's dipping sauce with vinegar and other spices. But at home we have two favorite recipes for left over l echon . Actually the first one s no recipe, it's just broiling/grilling the lechon instead of using the microwave oven. And second is just using lechon instead of regular pork in the classic Ilonggo dish - KBL (kadyos, baboy, langka ). It's a winning combination of both regional and national favorites!

Would I get tired of eating and blogging about KBL? As of now as this entry shows obviously,the answer is no. I couldn't remember how many blogposts I have about kadyos, baboy and langka but this one gots the best visuals. For your eyes only ... Do check out my other entries about KBL. K adyos beans B aboy L angka Batwan . A local fruit used to sour dishes

One of the most popular Ilonggo cuisine is KBL - acronym for kadyos, baboy and langka. That's why not only my blog has lots of it - lol, but also most native restaurants and stalls in the food courts serve them. Though this dish has found it's way commercially, still a home made KBL is still the best. Like this one we had few days ago. The best KBL for me is when the B (baboy- pork, whatever part of it) is first broiled (thus the color of the skin) then boiled together with the langka and kadyos then soured with batwan. It gives the soup a distinct flavour I usually look for whenever KBL makes it's way into my plate. Similary, this KBL from Ocean City at SM City's food court makes use of pata but the pork was obviously just boiled with the other ingredients that the taste was just the usual commercial KBL. But for PhP65 and order this, bowl of KBL was worth to satisfy my cravings for KBL that time.

My KBL craving two Sundays was finally satisfied last Sunday. I got the last serving of Ocean City's KBL at a foodcourt. It was this restaurant's KBL I really craved for but I was sort of dismayed since it was different from what I expected. A serving costs PhP55 and it was worth the quantity. A big slice of pata tenderly cooked but the broth wasn't as sour as I wanted it to be plus the langka and kadyos were still sort of "hard". But it was enough to satisfy my craving that time and had two cups of rice to go with it.

This would be my "NTH" entry for KBL (kadyos, baboy and langka) and surely not my last. It is always a treat to have KBL on the table no matter what or even when there's no occasion at all. By the way, this isn't really a real KBL since the "B" for this one isn't baboy (pork) but baka (beef). But it's still KBL, both literally and figuratively.

Photos courtesy of Labeth of SSC Forums

Kadyos, baboy & langka popularly shortened as KBL is no doubt among the top (vegetable) cuisine of the Ilonggos. And something this good deserves more than one entry ( this could probably be fifth one .) As the name suggests, the three basic ingredients are kadyos (cow peas/black eyed beans), baboy (pork) and langka (jackfruit-the unripe one). The fourth one, batwan gives the dish a distinct soury soup base. Kadyos . A common sight in local markets when in season, kadyos gives this dish some unique qualities. When boiled, it gives the broth a light purplish hue and enhances the taste of soup. Baboy . The most commonly used cut is pata (hinds) since it has this lean-fat-cartilage/tendon combo that gives the soup .... However, even left over lechon or adobo cut pork can also be used. But grilling the pork first gives the soup a distinct taste. Langka . Usually cut into large cubes and boiled until cooked before adding the souring ingredient. Doing otherwise (i.e. adding batwan, e...