FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Non-Ilonggos would only be familiar with bangrus which is how the Ilonggos call bangus or milkfish. So how about linagpang and guinamos ? Guinamos is the local bago-ong which is made from small shrimps pounded into a paste and is sold in mounds in the local market. It is used the same way bago-ong - as a flavor enhancer, as a dip, as a side dish (to kare-kare) and goes well with green mangoes too! Linagpang meanwhile is basically a soup with almost all of the ingredient are broiled. It's a "peasant dish" they say since it is very simple and easy to make. It has rustic origins as it is attributed to how the farmers would come home tired from the days work and all they'll do is to broil the ingredients, flake and slice them, add broth then season it with salt, among others. Fish and poultry are often the most popular meats for linagpang as they can be conveniently cooked. The process slightly differs when using ch...

It was my first time to attend the patronal fiesta of the Villa Arevalo district, last Sunday, paying homage to the Sto. Nino . And it was at the Camiña Balay na Bato where I tasted one of the tastiest roasted turkeys and it was so good that I remembered taking a photo when it looked like this - already stripped to the bones. Actually, we were among the last ones to arrive Mr Eugene Jamerlan and I were stalled by the fireworks competition along the way coming from another food event at SM City Iloilo . Going back to this turkey, I heard that this was marinated in butong (coconut water) with salt and other spices. And using a technique called "cold fusion", the flavour was able to penetrate the turkey better as the cool temperature softens the meat thus making it absorb more. Okay I just made up that term - lol but it seems to be like that (thanks Natie for reminding me it's called brining ). Prior to it being roasted, it was stuffed with tanglad (lemon grass) a...

Linagpang had always been one of my favorite simple dishes. Its what we do with left over grilled bangus but in the long run we grill whole b angu s just to cook linagpang . So it was something new for me to know about linagpang nga manok when it was featured on TV that it was an automatic order at Esca's Restaurant when I knew they had one. Jake M of WeekendPastime shares a family recipe and gives simple instructions on how to cook and enjoy chicken linagpang wherever you maybe. >>> See complete linagpang nga manok recipe

A favorite recipe at home, linagpang nga bangrus , is a very simple dish to prepare. In fact just looking at photo, one can simply deduce how it is cooked. Actually, it's a no cook recipe, we just mix sliced tomatoes and onions with broiled bangus then add boiling water and salt to taste. The flavour combination of fresh tomatoes and onions plus the "broiled" aroma and taste of the bangus give this dish it's distinct taste. It is not only broiled bangus (or fish in general) that can be cooked as linagpang , others opt for broiled native chicken. Unlike our no-cook recipe, others tend to saute and add a few ingredients like fresh eggs, chilis and more.

At home, linagpang is synonymous with grilled bangus with fresh tomatoes and onions. Its actually a no cook dish (except for the bangus of course), just add hot water and salt. I only found out that linagpang is not only limited to fishes (like bangus, tilapia or the one which inspired a song, turagsoy ) but can also be made with pork and chicken. It was through GMA 7's show Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho that I learned about this "new" linagpang . (Screencaps c/o bualaw08) That's why I had this blog-order (ordering for the sake of being blogged) for native chicken linagpang when I chanced upon it in Esca's Garden Restaurant weeks ago. It smelled like the one we make at home. But tasted (and looked) somewhat different. For one thing they added batuan and actually cooked it unlike our no-cook version. Ofcourse, grilled native chicken is delicious but tastes different for me being made into linagpang . This is just one resto's version of linagpan...

This is one of those we call "recycled" dishes mainly because the main ingredient is left over grilled fish particularly bangus or milkfish. But we seem to love this so much, that most of the time, we don’t wait for left over to make linagpang, we purposely grill bangus. Surprisingly, it seems that the linagpang I grew up with is very different from the ones I found online. But this post certainly will feature the one I love. Unlike the ones which requires much cooking, our version of this dish is very simple. In fact it requires no cooking at all, taken for granted that one is using left over grilled fish. Just slice and mix together the two basic ingredients; onions and tomatoes, though optional, onion leaves add more flavour and color. Add your grilled fish of choice (manually "chunked") and sprinkle a little salt (you can adjust later). Finally add boiling water, mix everything and adjust the taste of the broth.