FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Puto Bumbong is very synonymous with the  Pinoy Christmas as it is part of the Holiday gastronomic scene especially during 9-day early morning mass called Simbang Gabi . Characterized by it's purple hue because of its quintessential partner - ube or purple yam. Its named as such because of the usage of bamboo as steaming "vessel" for the native delicacy. Placed on banana leaves, it is then topped sugar, shredded coconut, margarine and even cheese. But you can cook puto bumbong even without the bumbong or bamboo tubes. Here's a simple recipe that could start your gastronomic love affair with the native delicacy the Filipino Christmas gastronomic scene is made of. Ingredients Puto 2 cups boiled and mashed Ube (Purple Yam) 1 cup Gata (Coconut Milk) 1 1/2 cup  Malagkit (Glutinous Rice)  flour Salt Water Banana leaves Toppings Shredded niyog (mature coconut) Margarine Brown sugar (muscovado is also good) Cheese ...

A visually enticing and mouth-watering collection of Pinoy appetizers makes up this bilao full of favorites. Making one in you own home is just easy as collecting and making these individually and then arranging them to make an appetizer centerpiece. There's steamed okra , atsara , piniritong talong , steamed kamote tops, itlog na maalat (which you can also make as a salted egg sauce ),  fresh tomatoes and onions, sweet and spicy dilis , bago-ong (either fresh or guisado ) and lato or seagrapes which you can serve fresh or salad . You can mix and match a variety of appetizers, taking into consideration its flavors at the same time colors to make it appeal more and yes - visually and gastronomically appetizing! Click the links below for the recipes: Papaya Atsara  Salted Egg Sauce Guisadong Bago-ing Alamang Lato Salad Sweet Spicy Dilis  

Among the many reinventions of the fruit salad, one of the most interesting I find is the addition of sago as base or "extender". Though the latter may sound "negative", but once you've seen and tasted this new take on a fruit salad, you'll be asking for more! Tapioca (or sago) is an essential ingredient of native delicacies and desserts like  linugaw  and taho.  But now it has found its way to more "modern" desserts like puddings and salads. With the availability of cooked "sago pearls" in the market and in different size, making these desserts is just simple and easy. Here's a recipe for Creamy Sago and Fruits Salad

What is a hole-in-the-wall business concept? According to Collins Dictionary, a "hole-in-the-wall business is a business, especially a restaurant, that operates from very small premises." The pandemic has brought about new opportunities that are more beneficial to both businesses and consumers. The hole-in-the-wall concept is one of these. Most hole-in-the-wall food businesses are found in small neighborhoods. Unlike big restaurant chains, they offer good food that is cheaper due to lower overhead costs. It also offers consumers a sense of adventure when they visit an unfamiliar location. Mrs. Wharton Cakes and Savories Mrs. Wharton which started with cakes has previously announced that it will launch several food brands. It is now applying the hole-in-the-wall concept especially after they finished setting up the Mrs. Wharton Cake Boutique where people can come and take out cakes for their celebrations. Mrs. Wharton's popular savory dishes will als...

Back then, when what's on the table wasn't in tune to my moody taste buds, I am simply served raw native chicken's egg mixed with hot rice and seasoned with salt. That makes my childhood food memories as fresh as the "Bisaya nga manok" eggs. And I haven't tried one in decades so good thing there were some " itlog sang BIsaya nga manok " in the fridge and just some leftover rice (the magic of microwave oven) - the childhood gastronomy was relived. But I also take these native eggs, directly  - from the fridge, crack it open and drink. Others mixed native chicken's eggs with hot milk making a liquid leche flan! Anymore egg memories you can share?

It's been a while since my last German food trip at Bavaria Restaurant that it surprised me that they now have an aptly named gastronomic combo - Oktoberfest Platter . But I should have expected it since Bavaria is a German state in which Munich is the capital which is famous all over the world mainly because it hosts the world's biggest annual beer festival - Oktoberfest! So what's in this platter that almost had me speechless at Bavaria? It's a meat-lovers dream come true - assorted wurst  (sausages), fried pork knuckles, schnitzel ( meat, thinned by pounding with a  meat tenderizer, coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried), a basket of home-made German breads, vegetable side dish and  Kartoffelsalat (German potato salad) It's megacombo of their assorted platters (Sausage, Butcher's, etc ) given a more festive look which attracted me in the first place. A perfect "to be shared" meal with...

An out-of-the-blue experiment that turned out to be delicious! But it's really not that surprising since pineapple-cheese as a sandwich filling is already yummy, so how much more if it becomes an ice cream? The creaminess of the cheese and milk is balanced by the sweetness of the pineapple making the combination something different with hints of familiarity. Here's the recipe that I experimented with in making this pineapple-cheese ice cream