FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

This Sunday enjoy another gastronomic trip around Iloilo as The Pinoy Foodie enters it finale episode. Though I aint sure if it's really the finale but it is still about Ilonggo food and food ways that has marked the gastronomy of Iloilo. And it is still Lapaz Batchoy that leads all the "Tatak Ilonggo" cuisine and delicacies. Watch how we navigate the interiors of the Lapaz market to look for the real and authentic Lapaz Batchoy prepared how it was decades ago.  Get a dose of native Ilonggo coffee as Madge Cafe presents the coffee drinking habit of the Ilonggos. How about some binurong-pinamalhan nga bilong-bilong (moonfish or chabita) which is considered to be the Ilonggo "signature" fish. Comes with it is the kalkag (shrimp fry) -kusahos (local beef jerky) rice. Enjoy the native cooking Buto't Balat Restaurant has to offer on top of it's oasis-like ambiance. All these - shot in the heritage backdrop of the Iloilo river and its colonial architectur...

Among the "big hits" of my recent lunches lately was the pinamalhan nga bilong bilong . What makes it more flavourful is that it is binuro at first then pinamalhan  i.e. stewed until almost dry in vinegar, soy sauce, oil and guava. But it isn't the usual binuro since this one is just freshly binuro, around 2-3 hours. After being given the salt bath, it is not washed in water but the bilong bilong being shaken to get rid of the excess salt then it's prepared as pinamalhan . But if there are leftovers, which is rare, just reheat them then shower with olive oil for another sumptuous bilong bilong experience. No one will know they're just leftovers unless you tell them so. That's Bilong-bilong na binuro na, pinamalhan sa bayabas pa !

Pinamalhan is paksiw made dry but can also be loosely referred to as cooking fish the adobo way. It involves "stewing" the fish in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, peppers and other spices until dry then add a bit of oil. Ilonggos love pinamalhan and if it's bilong bilong , they love it even more. It's a combination of gastronomical proportions that often brings extra cup of kalo-kalo (fried rice) and spoils anyone's diet. So have you had your pinamalhan lately?

How about laswa , pinamalhan nga bilong-bilong and pancit canton ? Just a typical noontime meal for people here in Iloilo but for Ilonggos residing elsewhere especially out of the country, it could spell a glorious meal of old favorites or dishes they haven't had for a long time. Usually the pinamalhan nga bilong bilong often gets the most cravings since it's a rather hard to find fish even outside the region. A silvery flat fish often cooked pinamalhan but also delectable when sinugba , pinirito or binuro . It is considered the Ilonggos signature fish for it seems non Ilonggos are haven't discovered it yet. Then there's laswa - the Ilonggo mixed vegetable stew cooked in the simplest way with the freshest vegetables one can find. Usually It has okra, kalabasa, saluyot, talong, patola , etc but the addition of puso ng saging makes it even more fiber enriched and adds texture. Now who can say no to this dish? And lastly just a typical pancit canton with meat an...

Bilong-bilong , as what it is called, is a silvery flatfish. It can be fried, sinabawan , pinamalhan, binuro and sinugba. I found a similar entry at marketmanila.com which says .. ".... an amusing looking fish called Bilong-bilong or Chabita or Kadis. A Moonfish (now isn’t that a descriptive name?) of the Family Menidae, it inhabits coastal waters, has an incredibly flat body and oval shape with low fins. Locals love to serve this paksiw style with ginger, vinegar and onions, or deep fried where if small enough, everything is munched on, I am told..." Fried bilong- bilong Pinamalhan na bilong bilong Binuro nga bilong bilong from iLOVEiloilo.com How to make Binuro nga Bilong bilong (adapted from LEE's comment in the PINAMALHAN entry) 1. Clean bilong-bilong with water then drain. 2. In a container with lid, make alternate layers of the fish and salt, the latter in the bottom layer. 3. Cover and store in a cool, dry place (not in the fridge) in the next few days. 4....