FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Not as popular as kamote nor kangkong tops in other parts of the country but here in Iloilo, (and Western Visayas as a whole) it's one of the staple "green and leafy" vegetables. It maybe "foreign" elsewhere but here it is very common as one always see these trio (with kamote and kangkong ) being sold from wet market stalls and even in big grocery stores like SM. Most often alugbati is partnered with kalabasa for a simple dish with either pork (cutlets or ground - you can also saute these first) or seafood (shrimps, crabs and dried seafood like pinakas , balingon , etc) as subak(sahog) . Its also a simple dish to prepare as you throw in everything, season then cover and wait for it to cook. Or even just as “greens” in the all time Pinoy favorite - ginisang monggo . A green leafy vegetable with a violet stem that makes a good whole lot of simple yet good tasting dishes - that's alugbati .

Though not having the ingredients of a typical laswa dish, this merry mix of vegetables bought from the market and grown in our backyard still brings the gastronomical pleasure of a simple laswa dish. Just stew all the available vegetables with seasoning and subak of choice, and within minutes, you'll have a a delicious and nutritious dish. There's gastronomy in simplicity - and this is clearly manifested in this simple vegetable dish Ilonggos call laswa .

A green leafy vegetable with a violet stem - that's alugbati . Very common in the region and gives kamote tops and kangkong leaves a "run for their money". This is among my favorite leafy vegetable no matter how it is cooked. Whether as simple as this - with shrimps and eggplant, or a little more "complicated", with squash, meat and string beans. Or even just as "garnish" in an all time Pinoy favorite - ginisang monggo . Now that's Alugbati 101.

One of my favorite "green and leafy" vegetables is alugbati . It maybe "foreign" elsewhere but here in Iloilo it is as common as kamote and kangkong as one always see these trio being sold from wet market stalls and even in big grocery stores like SM. Most often alugbati is partnered with kalabasa for a simple dish with either pork (cutlets or ground) or seafood (shrimps, crabs and dried seafood like pinakas, balingon, etc) as sahog . Its also a simple dish to prepare as you throw in everything, season then cover and wait for it to cook. Then you can enjoy a meal that is rich not only with fiber but also other important nutrients that our body needs.

No, I didn't go back to school nor plans on doing so. It's just I want another acronym in my post title just like the previous one. MBA just stands for monggo, balingon and alugbati. Monggo is probably the most popular legume in the Philippines with more than a hundred (or so) dishes that can be prepared using this bean from soups to even desserts. Balingon , the local term for dilis , is also among the country's most popular dried seafoodand prepared mostly for breakfast but now has been elevated to appetizers, snackfood (love those sweet, spicy and crispy dilis ) and even salads. Alugbati meanwhile, sounds and looks (even tastes) "foreign" to most (outside Western Visayas, maybe). It's a leafy green vegetable with purple stem and a perfect partner for monggo dishes. It's also great with kalabasa (squash) with pinakas (dried fish) for another acronym dish. Take your pick from PKA, KAP, KPA, APK and so it goes - lol. Also in this dish, is balagay know...

Lunch today was just the usual combo, pancit canton and vegetable. Our pancit canton is usually not the "saucy", just noodles with meat and vegetables. Alugbati meanwhile was mixed with kalabasa and papaya and flavoured with pinakas . Just a simple lunch yet satisfying.

Alugbati is among my favorite green and leafy vegetables. Not as popular as kamote nor kangkong in other parts of the country but here in Iloilo and Western Visayas as a whole, it's one of the staple "green and leafy" vegetable. Most often it is paired with kalabasa with pork and seafoods (shrimps, crabs and dried fish) as meat. Cooking alugbati is plain and simple as it only involves putting all the ingredients and seasoning in a pan and wait for it to cook.

Now who can say NO to this plate of alugbati, talong, kalabasa and kasag ?

Breakfast What else but my Century tuna topped rice! Lunch My favorite, alugbati with kalabasa and shrimps. Snack Ibos + bucayo = suman latik Dinner Another one of those mixed vegetables; puso ng saging, okra and saluyot! Almost midnight snack I almost forgot my oatmeal so I had one with bananas!

Inspired by a fastfood commercial Lulutuin ... Niluluto ... Niluto ... Read more on Alugbati

A "laswa" dish deserving its own spot. Alugbati is a green leafy vine with a purple "stem".Often used to garnish monggo dishes but its combination with squash and string bean with ground meat is a runaway winner. RECIPE Layer squash cubes, alugbati leaves, sliced tomatoes and onions, and meat (ground/slices ofpork or shimps/salted fish/crabs)Add minimal water since vegetables with provide moisture). Season with salt or broth cubes. For monggo dishes use alugbati instead of kamote or ampalaya leaves. Another way of enjoying alugbati is with ginisang monggo.