ILOILO FOOD TRIP

It's still an "unexplained tradition" for me why native delicacies are the staples when Pista Minatay comes. Some say it's "Filipinizing Halloween" that instead of candies and other sweets, we have these native delicacies to share as treats and not as tricks. And it started in the rural areas where the abundance of rice and coconuts, among others has made these traditional eats as the "undying" staple this annual celebration of remembering the departed. So, let's start our native delicacies gastronomic journey with IBOS or more commonly known as "SUMAN" in other areas. Click for IBOS Recipe This is probably what comes to mind when one says "kakanin" as this is made with sticky rice and often partnered with ripe mango, native chocolate or just plain sugar, whether refined, brown or muscovado. There's the SUMAN which others refer to as BIKO. A delicious treat of glutinous rice oiled in coconut milk and muscovado sugar with

We've been doing this "fried pancit molo filling triangles" triangles only to realize that its actually called pinsec frito . Its basically fried dumpling wrapped ala empanada and can also be almost like fried lumpia with a thicker wrapper and lesser filling - to make sure its fully cooked. Here's a simple Pinsec Frito Recipe

Chop Suey is a mix and match dish made with our own choice of ingredients. The recipe varies from almost every household and restaurant, that there is, as they say, a thousand and one ways of making chop suey . One can have it vegetarian or laden with all the meats or just a right combination of both. It's an endless tweak of a basic recipe until you find the one that suits your taste and your budget. Here's a simple Chop Suey recipe