FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

This popular fishball has been on my bucket list for sometime now and been planning ever since to blog about it. Yet, without any plans today, I just happen to be at Molo Plaza and it occurred to me that this fishball stand that many Ilonggos revere was just right around the corner fronting Andok's.  So braving the street that had vehicles literally passing by inches behind my back, I made " tusok-tusok " Jo-Ann's fishballs. It was then I found out that they have 2 other carts within the area of Molo Plaza - one inside the plaza itself! A stick having 4 balls costs PhP8 each  - seems expensive but when you taste it you'll probably want more! Unlike those we see on other fishball stands or those that can be bought in groceries, this one is made with real fish mixed with flour. It creates quite a crunch especially when fresh off the fryer and tastes heavenly when dipped in one of the four sauces - it has to be spicy fo...

Ilonggos call cooked pilit rice wrapped in palm leaves as  ibos . It is one of the most popular native delicacies found in local markets. Yet at times, it cause confusion as it is referred to  suman  in places outside the region - for  suman  for the Ilonggos is  biko  to the Tagalogs in general. So checking out online sources yields the follwoing: Suman sa Ibus - A ubiquitous variety of suman in the Philippines, the glutinous rice is washed, and is then mixed with salt and coconut milk. The mixture is poured over pre-made coil containers of young palm leaves called Ibus or Ibos, and fixed with the leaf's central shaft.  This is then steamed using water mixed with "luyang dilaw" (turmeric or kalawag in Ilonggo ) — giving it that distinctly yellow colour — and served either with a mixture of shredded coconut and sugar, or latik — (reduce coconut milk until white lumps form and simmer until golden brown). ( Wikipedia ) ...

Its probably the salmon pink hue where " salmonite " got its name and its among the more attractive local fishes around. Most of the time, it is cooked pinamalhan  or paksiw at home to bring out the freshness of the fish at the same time enjoy the flesh. It can also be cooked kinamatisan , with a "sauce" of tomatoes and onions to give it sweet and sour flavour.  But my favorite is when the salmonite is made into fish tocino  and can be found abundantly in the dried seafood section of markets. Its signature round shape and reddish hue is among the more eye catching dried seafoods sold competing with dried lokus, tabagak, balingon and guinamos among others. The other white round sold is fish tapa . Frying fish tocino is tricky as it is coated with sugar and sugar tends to burn easily and darkens. So with just a medium setting, heat the oil and when its hot enough, fry the fish tocino , carefully concentrating on the sides as it is the f...

Linugaw is a staple during Pista Minatay  in the province. Though it knows no specific occasion, it is always highlighted  during All Souls Day at home. A few weeks ago during the said celebration, I chanced upon our  kabulig  at home making some delicious  linugaw . This is not an entirely a full recipe since I will just describe how it is done based on observation and a few questions and answers. The sago was being cooked that time when I went to the kitchen and with that I knew that linugaw is being prepared. Cooking sago especially the small ones requires constant stirring and refilling the pot with water to the right amount. Overcooking it means you'll get something gooey on inside your pot while undercooking means you still get an annoying crunch and flavour. While the sago is being cooked, rice flours balls called bilo-bilo in Tagalog are being made. Its just rice flour mixed with water to become dough then shaped int...

Paksiw nga Pata (pork hocks) is almost like cooking adobo but at home it has hints of estofado . No, it doesn't have fried saba or pineapples but it is sauce tends to be sweeter almost bordering on the taste of the latter. Making pinaksiw nga pata is simple but tends to have a slow cooking time - to make the pork hocks tender, almost melt-in-the-mouth, so to speak. It calls for stewing pork hocks in a concoction of water, vinegar, garlic, pepper, bay leaves, brown sugar, ginger and a little soy sauce.  When tender and the sauce seems to be "gelatinous" and sticky, just make a few tweaks on the final taste of the dish. Adding banana blossoms completes the dish. Extra rice, please! Click for the FULL RECIPE >>>  PAKSIW NGA PATA 

Buko Pandan is among the most popular Pinoy desserts and easiest to make. Its just a combination of young coconut strips called buko , gelatin cubes with the essence of pandan and a creamy concoction made with milk and cream. It has made quite an impact to the Philippine dessert scene in the last 10-15 years that competing with halo-halo . From a home-made specialty, buko-pandan has invaded the likes of fastfood joints, restaurants and even hotels. The preparation of a basic Buko-Pandan recipe is mainly on the making if the pandan-based gelatin. The recipe varies from household to househol and from restaurants to another. But in the end, it just boils into a green gelatin cubes with pandan (and/or buko essence). Here's a simple recipe for Gelatin with Buko-Pandan essence: Ingredients: 2 sticks agar agar / gelatin (preferably green but white will do, just add green food color) 2 cups young coconut juice 1 cup sugar 5 pieces pandan leaves or drops of...

On most Filipino occasions, aside from lechon baboy, a pancit dish would always be present. Be it bihon, sotanghon, canton or combinations like bam-i (sotanghon and canton); it is always on the handa-an table. And like many Filipino dishes, the pancit recipe varies from household to household much more in different restaurants and food place. Here's a basic recipe for a Pancit Canton Guisado where you can tweak using more or less ingredients of your choice. Ingredients Pancit ( dried noodles or fresh meke ) Vegetables ( strips of cabbage, thin strips of carrots, sliced sayote, onion leaves, etc ) Meat and Seafood ( squid, shelled shrimps,  fishballs, kikiam, pork,etc   ) Others ( sliced onion, crushed garlic,  oil, salt, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, calamansi, water,  "shrimp broth" - crushed shrimps shells soaked in water then strained ) Procedure In a large heated pan, place cooking oil and when hot enough...