FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

Bangus  or milkfish is one of the most abundant and versatile fishes around. It can be cooked in so many way - sinugba, pinirito, sinigang, paksiw and relyeno, among others. One of the easiest yet delectable is cooking it paksiw Ilonggo-style called pinamalhan . It rooted from the Hiligaynon word " mala" meaning dry. Here's a simple recipe for Pinamalhan nga Bangus.

Now you may ask, what is Inday-Inday ? It's another repetitive-feminine named native delicacy that is made from rice like its more popular sister - baye-baye . While the latter is has its own original flavor and make, inday-inday is actually a combination of two well loved native delicacies - muasi ( palitaw ) and bukayo . But the muasi portion is not the the usual palitaw  recipe for the it's more firm and gummy (I don't know the English term for kid-ol ). Actually its more like a hardened kutsinta and this makes it more to my liking since I'm not really fond of muasi in the first place.  And its not quite easy to find inday-inday in the market today, though I've seen and tried it in Sabor Ilonggo stalls but their's is more like suman latik for the based is ibos -like. Ibos is malagkit rice boiled in gata which is called suman in Tagalog. Despite the uncertainty for its nomenclature (I've read that inday-inday is just plain pal...

Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo  and SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC), proudly announced the launch of Tela Tales Visayas in Iloilo and Bacolod City. This groundbreaking initiative aims to empower local communities and promote sustainable practices through the upcycling of discarded linens and fabrics from Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo and Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod as well as other SMHCC hotels and properties. In conjunction with the launch, Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo hosted a special event featuring a sustainable six-course lunch prepared by their culinary team, led by Executive Sous Chef Diego Trillana.  The lunch showcased the hotel's commitment to sustainable dining practices, emphasizing local sourcing, reduced meat consumption, and minimal waste. From the crispy Zucchini Batonette amuse-bouche to the refreshing Tomato Calamansi Sorbet, every dish showcased fresh, local ingredients with a creative twist!  Highlights of the Menu: 💚 Grilled Blue Marlin with Ratat...

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of  batwan  and the  malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with this recipe. Ingredients 1.5 kilos Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED  then sliced into bite size pieces  1/2 to 3/4 kilo unripe Jackfruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit  (or tamarind p...

Valenciana is always to be found in any Ilonggo household whenever they are occasions, most especially during fiesta. Basically, "go, grow and glow" dish, it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful.  And it can come in its simplest form with just malagkit rice, pork, chorizo and bell peppers to some fancy with additions like raisins, peas, chicken, hardboiled egg (just garnish though), etc. But NO hotdogs, please... The recipe is just simple for it only involves Cooking  (Cook malagkit rice with turmeric then add some broth cubes for added flavour.)  Sauteeing  (Just gisa the pork, chicken, liver, peas, chorizo bell peppers, etc and then set aside)   Mixing  (Add sauteed ingredients to the half-cooked rice making sure of even mixing and wait for it to be fully cooked).  Garnishing   (Top with hardboiled eggs, onion leaves, etc and serve.) Dukot sang...

When one speaks of tambo or bamboo shoots, ginat-an nga tambo   would always be the first that comes to mind. While the latter would have  dahon sang tagabang  ( saluyot  leaves),  okra ,  takway  ( gabi/ taro tendrils) with shrimps or crabs,  paklay  or  pinaklay nga tambo  at home would just be plain and simple - bamboo shoots sauteed with meat. It could almost be mistaken as a lumpia filling! Though the recipe varies from region to region, it seems that pinaklay is consistent to be something that is cut into thin strips. Be it vegetable, meat or combination of both made into one dish. Potatoes and carrots would most probably be the most common but ours would sometimes be made with labanos (radish), singkamas (jicama) and tambo with most ground or small bits pork or hibe or dried shrimps. With the variation of recipe, there would be around a hundred and one paklay recipe! Bon apetit!

Locals adore it. Tourists love it. So what make makes Roberto's a big hit?   Most probably it was the Queen siopao that made Roberto's come back to my tastebuds. And it was really hard back then to get hold of the queen as it was only available 3 days a month compared to almost daily today.   Also back then it was just around PhP65 for this royal siopao and its now at PhP105. But the Queen still reigns with its equally regal  filling of chicken and pork adobo, Chinese sausage, hard-boiled egg and bacon. Then there's the ever so popular meatballs!  Sure it may look dry and bland but its equally famous sauce makes it more iconic. As for me, I like it even without the sauce since I can fully taste the memories of my childhood this way. At PhP30/stick of 4, it's one delicious way of reconnecting to the past and for some - discover what makes them ever so popular! And take some Lumpia shanghai on the side too. Crisp...