ILOILO FOOD TRIP

Combining  one of the Filipino favorite ways of cooking - adobo , with one of the most delicious bounty of the sea - pusit or squid, ADOBONG PUSIT among the most popular ways of cooking this seafood. For some, the blackness of the dish is a sort of turn-off but to those who have discovered the gastronomic delights of this cooking; it's a taste of heaven - on a plate with hot rice! Here's a simple recipe for Adobong Pusit

When there are home celebrations like fiestas or reunions, there would always be lechon baboy as the gastronomic centerpiece. And chances are there would be left-overs the following day/s or even weeks. So how to get "rid" of the kilos and kilos or this roasted pig? More often, it would end up as lechon paksiw as there would be some sarsa leftovers too. Just stew the lechon in the sarsa, add some vinegar and spices and another dish is born.  Here's a simple recipe for Lechon Paksiw

A treat that brings back the taste memories at the same time satisfy one's craving with a sweet and delightful bite -  Bitsukoy / Bichocoy is an all-time favorite snack! While one can find them in most bakeshops or being peddled when it's meryenda time, making one is just simple. As simple as it may seem (it's just sugar-rolled deep-fried dough), it's a delicious snack or even dessert as it could be the local version of a doughnut. While appearance may differ - some as twisted and others are really doughnut shaped, it basically tastes the same. Here's a simple recipe for Bichocoy / Bitsukoy

Ramboys. Liempo. That's probably it. Ofcourse, you'll have to have some extra rice to go with that deliciously crispy liempo that would surely make you rave and crave for more. You'd never look at any other liempo when you tried Ramboy's version. In fact, that would become your standard for a great-tasting liempo. SM City Iloilo invited members of the Iloilo Bloggers for a gastronomic adventure showcasing SM Southpoint.  The newest hang-out of the Ilonggos is an al fresco wing of the biggest mall in the region consisting of local and home grown restaurants and cafes as well new local and "imported" players in the food service industry. It's time to discover what SM Southpoint has to offer ...

There could be a thousand and one ways of making LASWA. Or even more as this simple and nutritious Ilonggo vegetable recipe is just a mix and match of all the veggies and seafood available. It has so many variations despite its simplicity and is  mostly dependent on the availability of vegetables. Usually it has kalabasa, talong, okra, hantak (sitaw), tagabang (saluyot), patola and a host of other vegetables. For this recipe puso ng saging (banana heart) was added not only as "extender" but to add some texture. Cooking laswa is simple - just stew the vegetables and subak (usually fresh seafoods like shrimps, crabs, or even snails locals call bango-ngon ) then season with salt or use broth cubes . Others prefer to use dried and salted seafoods like pinakas for it adds more flavour to the dish at the same time makes this vegetable dish more appetizing. Or at times this is solely a vegetable dish (no subak whatsoever) and is perfect partnered with

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.

I love kutsinta! The stickier the consistency the better. As among the most popular native delicacies or kakanin , the are so many variations to its recipe. Some are not as sticky as the others yet still having that signature taste. Others also are visually different having colors like yellow or even green from the original dark orange-brown hue. But nonetheless, its still our own preference that would tell apart a delicious  kutsinta. Here's a simple Kutsinta recipe

Whether grilled, fried, sauced up, ground or in broth, there's one pork recipe that will surely tickle your tummy and fulfill your gastronomic fantasies!  Pork is probably the Pinoys most favored meat as there are as many pork dishes as the 7107 island making up the Philippine archipelago. 

So simple that this dish can be aced by first time cooks and can be whipped by experts even with eyes closed! This savory and delicious combination of pork, potatoes carrots in tomato sauce is alway an extra rice magnet. Much more so if I drizzle hot sauce on it. No need for fancy ingredients to give its Spanish origins a gastronomic salute but just in its simplest form, it could already be a hunger satisfier. Now let's begin...

We usually make Chicken macaroni soup if there are leftover pasta used in making salads. But at times, we just miss the home-made goodness of a hot and creamy macaroni soup that we just make one on the spot. It is very easy to make and the recipe is very versatile that you can make use of what available in the fridge and pantry. Here's a simple recipe on how to make a hearty chicken macaroni soup.

 Whenever there are some left over fried fish at home, chances it will end as either cardillo or sweet-and-sour. While the former is cooked by adding beaten egg to the sauteed fried fish for a savoury dish the latter has the vinegar and sugar combination that creates a flavourful sauce for the fish. And there so many variations to the sweet and sour fish recipe but all point to the delicious mix of " sugared vinegar "!  Here's the recipe for Sweet and Sour Fish

Eggs are often associated with breakfast. Aside from being an additional " sud-an " for " pamahaw " , it can also be topping on our favorite pancit, La Paz batchoy or Valenciana dish.  But eggs, when hard-boiled, fried or scrambled  are also delicious as sandwich palaman or filling. My all-time favorite is a simple combination of hardboiled egg, cheese and sandwich spread.  But here's a level up filling that will surely make breakfast or any meryenda a delicious treat as Victorias Foods Corporation is partnering with Chef Tope Arañador, a young and contemporary Ilonggo chef/owner of PUNOT Restaurant.  With this collab, VFC and Chef Tope has created 15 recipes using Victorias Foods signature products - Spanish Style Bangus and Sardines in Soya Oil.  And just in time for the Lenten celebrations, here's the an appetizing sandwich creation concocted by Chef Tope using hard-boiled eggs and Victorias Hot Sardines in Soya Oil.  Ingredients 6 pcs Victorias Hot Sard

On special occasions at home, these crispy golden brown liempo are always a staple. Aside from being visually appetizing and delicious, it is very easy to prepare - that is if you have the right equipment. Our ever reliable turbo oven (maybe over 20 years?) has been giving us these delicious crispy slabs of liempo ever since I can remember.

POCHERO. The most familiar recipes are the ones stewed with tomatoes (or tomato sauce) or the Cebu variant which is like bulalo or nilaga, but the pochero I grew up with is just very simple. It's just pork cooked with potatoes and/or saba (cooking banana) with kamote tops or pechay. I just love the mild sweetness of the broth brought about by the bananas to the savory broth. Or sometimes, it tends lean more of the tomato based recipe, just without the tomato itself or sauce. The recipe is just very simple - just boil the pork first until tender. Add the "hard" veggies like potatoes, saba, carrots, etc then finally when the leafy veggies when its almost done. Just season it with salt or broth cubes for a savory broth. Here's a recipe guide for a simple Pochero Ilonggo

What's your favorite native delicacy/ kakanin ?  Is it puto, kutsinta or bibingka ? Or those wrapped ones like suman sa ibos, alupi or but-ong ?  Maybe the sugary ones like bitso-bitso , muasi/palitaw and the likes.  Well, enough of the listing and let's start eating - with our eyes.  But if you really want to eat you can buy or even cook your own  kakanin .

I just love aroma and taste of Pork Steak. The smell of calamansi, onions and soy sauce perfectly creates that distinctive savory-sweet taste we all just adore. And I love having lots of onions to go with my pork steakthat sometimes it becomes onion steak with pork! So, let's waste no time in cooking my, and most probably yours too, favorite Pork Steak. Ingredients 3/4 kilo pork kasim, whole for this recipe, adjust size accordingly 1/4 cup Calamansi juice, adjustable 1/4 cup Soy sauce, adjustable 2 large onions (or more) , sliced Sugar, optional Cooking oil for pan frying Salt and pepper to taste, adjust How to cook Pork Steak Marinate Pork in soy sauce, calamansi, salt and pepper for at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove pork from marinade and fry/sear to have a nice crisp outer layer When done, remove the meat and fry onions for about a minute. Add the marinade and bring to a boil. You may opt to use and/or add fresh soy sauce and calamansi juice. Place pork

Ginat-an nga Tambo is truly an Ilonggo favorite!  It is a staple is most homes and carinderias as it is always a crowd and palate pleaser.  The dish is a mix of young bamboo shoots and coconut milk - the main ingredients, plus other vegetables and seafood. Depending on the availability and the taste preferences, the dish may have okra, saluyot, takway and corn kernels among others. For the seafood component, it may have shrimps, crabs, bago-ngon  (local freshwater snails),  dried fish like pinakas/daing . Whatever your choice of seafood and vegetables, this dish is always worth the extra cup of rice. So, let's make one of the most popular version of this Ilonggo favorite dish - Ginat-an nga Tambo with Pasayan Here's the simplest recipe of this dish Ingredients 1/2 kilo tambo or bamboo shoots, thinly sliced 2 cups pure coconut milk  1 onion (sibuyas), thinly sliced Shrimps, your take on how many pieces 1 bundle of tagabang (saluyot), washed 1 liter wa

Takway is what Ilonggos refer to the part of the gabi plant that grows sideways , termed as tendrils.  When scraped off of its outer skin and thoroughly cleaned, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the  ginat-an dish consisting   of the gabi tendrils and tubers with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is sold in local wet markets or in groceries (like SM here in Iloilo) already cleaned, packed and ready to be cooked.  Spicy Takway Adobo And the most popular takway dish is adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . Cooking adobo nga takway is like cooking the usual adobo - and there are a hundred and one ways to do it. If you have an adobo recipe you are frequently using, just substitute pork/chicken or kangkong with takway and add bago-ong alamang then you're ready to go. Here's a simple recipe for Spicy Adobo nga Takway

I love Century Tuna! Whether enjoying it straight from the can or experimenting with various recipes, it's a gastronomic love affair for years now. I also love its many variations from the Solid or Chunks in vegetable oil or water to my ultimate favorite - Flakes in Oil (Hot and Spicy)! One of my most successful recipes, if I do say so myself, would be the  Century Tuna Sisig .  I just love how appetizing it can always be and I keep on experimenting with the recipe every time I make one. Here's my simple recipe for Century Tuna Sisig .

With it's signature French bread quality - crisp outside and soft inside, Panaderia ni Pa-a (formerly Jaro Bakery) has influenced the gastronomy of the Ilonggos especially those residing in Jaro. Established in 1896,  is very popular then and now with a singular item - pan de sal .  Founded by Jose Uy's great grandfather, Chiquito Uy, the bakery has withstood the test and taste of time and lived up to more than a century of baking and maintaining the quality and taste of it products especially the famed pan de sal.    Panaderia ni Pa-a was named in honor of Jose Uy's father, Uy Pa-a who was a native of the Southern China province of Fujian. 

When there's pasta, there must also be pizza! Weeks ago we had Sardine Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes to satisfy our Italian cravings. Now, it's another gastronomic re-invention of an Italian classic that will surely make us crave for more. How about some Sardines and Tomato Pizza made with our favorite Victorias Hot Sardines in Soya Oil? The thought alone of cheesy pizza topped with Victorias Hot Sardines already makes us salivate more! Thanks to Chef Tope Arañador, the young and contemporary Ilonggo chef/owner of PUNOT Restaurant , for coming up with this delicous and easy recipe for us to ty at home. Chef Tope has partnered with VFC increating special recipes for us to have a taste of Negros, right at home. With this collab, VFC and Chef Tope has created 15 recipes using Victorias Foods signature products - Spanish Style Bangus and Sardines in Soya Oil. Let's not keep our tummies grumble, it's time to this Victorias Hot Sardines and Tomato Piz

Adapted from the Filipinized version of beef steak, pork chops can be made ala bistek . The recipe simply calls for the use of pork chops instead of slices of beef. It's the savory combination of marinade that eventually becomes the sauce that makes the dish a rice magnet. The mix of flavors of the onion, soy sauce and calamansi creates is simply too tempting to resist. Here's a simple and adapted recipe for Pork Chop Steak

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. The preparation of a basic Buko-Pandan recipe is mainly on the making if the pandan-based gelatin.  Here's a simple recipe for Buko-Pandan: Ingredients * 1 pack Buko Pandan Gelatine powder Shredded buko meat from 2 to 3 pieces coconut 1 box cream 1 can condensed Milk 1 can evaporated milk Procedure Prepared gelatine according to package instructions. Set aside to cool then slice into cubes. In a bowl mix evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream. Adjust according to desired taste and consistency. Combine young shredded coconut and gulaman into the cream mixture. Chill 2-3 hours before serving. Do not freeze As always the measurements are just guides in this mouthwatering dessert recipe. *One can make adjustments on the quantity of the ingredients used whether o

It was just a spur of the moment when we decided to satisfy our curiosity with the specialties of the newest Indian restaurant in Iloilo City. Located along the Iloilo Circumferential Road near the Villa "entrance/exit" is MH Indian Restaurant. If not for the world "Indian" on its signage, one might think its a usual seafood and/or Filipino restaurant that is just riding on the hype in that area. Itstill feels native even when you set yor feet inside and you'll just be awaken from your assumption when you see the menu and start ordering. And here are some of our orders - pardon us for the breads galore for we'd like to take advantage of our visit and tried it all! There’s Naan which we opted for the garlic variant for more flavor. Already good on its own but event better when partnered with the dips and sauces in front of us. Also we tried some  Chapati.  Perfect again for the whatever saucy orders we had then for this one has a neu