ILOILO FOOD TRIP

I always associate Relyeno na Bangus with Semana Santa or Holy Week for we observe abstinence for pork and other meat dishes especially during Good Friday. That's where  relyenong bangus  comes in - not "meaty" but still as delicious as it can be. Before, it was my duty to be the one who takes care of the fishbones ( sikag  /  tinik ) of the flaked bangus before it is seasoned and made into one delicious  relleno .  Here's a basic recipe for Bangus Relyeno

Leche Flan. There's no need to introduce this dessert as the name alone creates vivid memories of very popular and Filipinized caramel custard. Often at the center of the dessert table, leche flan is basically made of eggs and milk topped with sugar caramel. It's almost everywhere- restaurants, fastfood and even carinderias. But the best leche flan is the one that brings back the memories of home, of your childhood. How to make Leche Flan

Pinakbet is an Ilocano specialty that made its way into the entire Filipino gastronomy. It's a merry mix of vegetables with meat all embraced by the Pinoy favorite - bago-ong . There are so many ways of cooking pinakbet and its mainly of the meat component plus the type of bago-ong used. But the vegetables almost remain the same - kalabasa, ampalaya, sitaw, okra and talong. Here's a simple recipe for Pinakbet using the Ilonggo bago-ong called Guinamos. Ingredients 1/4 kilo Pork slices (You can also use  tulapho ) 1/1 cup Shrimps, deveined 1 Tbsp. guinamos (Ilonggo bago-ong) 1 bundle hantak (string beans/sitaw) 1 medium kalabasa (squash), cubed 2 pcs. amargoso (ampalaya/bittermelon), sliced, soaked in salt and water 10 pcs okra , halved 3 pcs  medium talong (eggplant), cut into bite sized pieces 4 cloves. garlic, crushed 1 onion, chopped 1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced Salt  Pepper Oil Water Kalkag (dried alamang), optional

When one talks about relyeno , it's always bangus that comes to mind. How about serving crabs using this cooking method! It's a much simpler recipe compared with making bangus relyeno  as you avoid the task of being meticulous in handling the skin that will serve as "wrap". Here's a simple recipe in making this appetizing Relyeno nga Kasag

Every region in the Philippines has it's own version of a spiced vinegar and a name for it. In most parts of Western Visayas especially in Iloilo, it is known as sinamak. One can find it almost anywhere for it is a staple dip in almost every household and native restaurants. Be it chicken inasal or grilled pork chop to seafoods especially talaba, sinamak is the perfect dip to further one's appetite. The recipe varies from each household and the percentage of the "ingredients" too but always present are siling labuyo (green and red for color variation and makes it more visually appetizing), ginger (locals used langkawas or galangal but regular ginger will do) and garlic.

Tinolang Manok is among the most popular chicken dishes in the country with several version scattered throughout the regions. But the most popular involves the trinity of native chicken, papaya and dahon ng sili (or malunggay) plus the aroma and taste of ginger. It is also easy to cook and if one uses Bisaya na manok (free-roaming, native chicken), it makes the chicken soup more tasty. Here's a simple recipe Tinolang Manok using native chicken.

Cassava cake is among the most popular Pinoy native delicacies. In Iloilo, one can find it in the stalls insides malls and groceries in ready to go boxes or in bite size pieces ready to satisfy one's cravings. But it is also easy to prepare as the ingredients can be mostly found in the wet market or even grocery stores. Here's a simple cassava cake recipe:

Everybody loves the crunch and bite of Lechon Kawali . And I love it even more because this crispy pork dish is versatile enough to fuse or combine with other Filipino specialties dishes like sinigang, pinakbet, kilawin and binago-ongan , to name a few.  All it takes is your gastronomic imagination to create these delicious combination of recipes and make a new and exciting dish! Here's the recipe for Binago-ongang Lechon Kawali

Now if you're intimidated upon reading ampalaya or bitter gourd as part of this salad, don't be. This refreshing salad has more sweetness to it (thanks to the pineapples) than the bitterness (of the ampalaya ) that forms in your mind and tastebuds.  Enjoy this healthy salad and you'll never look at bittergourds the same way again... I hope. Here's the recipe for this healthy and refreshing Pineapple, Ampalaya and Tuna Salad.