FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

I love puso ng saging [banana heart] especially when made part of sinigang na bangus . The sour and milky broth often commands cups of rice to go with it. Also as part of laswa , chopped puso ng saging gives in more fiber and texture to the merry mix of vegetables. Then there's the adobong puso ng saging in which it has the familiar vinegar-soy sauce flavour without the guilt of cholesterol. And ginata-ang puso ng saging - this could also be kilawin of sorts as vegetables can also be made into one. I had my share of this specialty the few times I've been to the H appy Kitchen Diner at Amigo Plaza mall. Though this may not be their recipe but it almost like the one my tastebuds got to try and remember. INGREDIENTS 3 pcs fresh banana heart 2 Tbsp coconut milk 3 pcs shallots, thinly sliced 5 pcs calamansi 2 pcs red chili salt PREPARATION 1. Peel off the reddish outer layers of the banana heart to reveal the ...

As homegrown it may seem, kilawin or kinilaw is like the Latin American ceviche in which the seafood is dressed in citrus juices with plentiful amounts of chopped onions, ginger, and chilies to balance out the sourness. From the book, On Food and Cooking , Harold McGee writes " Kinilaw is the indigenous Philippine version of acid marination. Morsels of fish or shellfish are dipped for only a few seconds into an acidic liquid, often vinegar made from the coconut, nipa palm, or sugarcane, to which condiments have been added. " BORN “FISH” WAY Kilawin preparation extends to the use of vegetables, fruits and other meats like pork, beef and that of a goat. But as Yummy Magazine puts it, “Ilonggos must be born to cook seafood for any dish, even the simplest sinugba nga isda on the streets, is succulently sweet”; thus kilawin for the locals is mostly associated with seafood. And as far as seafood varies, everything from fish, shrimps and crabs to sea cucumbers and sea...

Before, I never liked kilawin , but now's a different story. The combination boiled pork skin/fat with onions, chilis, vinegar and sometimes soy sauce. is too hard to resist even if it has ginger (which I detest). I like it even more if the pork skin/fat are charbroiled for it gives a a more unique taste.