ILOILO FOOD TRIP

Kusahos   is my favorite way of enjoying beef. it is basically sun-dried beef strips marinated   adobo  style - that is with vinegar, garlic and soy sauce, among others. After an overnight marination, it is then sun-dried for a few days - watch for flies as this is a fly-magnet! The drier it becomes, the better tasting it will become. It is then deep fried or at time placed directly over charcoal, for a crunchy-lious local beef gastronomic experience. Here's the recipe for Kusahos

Ginat-an is popular dish "sa uma" (in the farm) as the ingredients are readily available. It is local cooking method utilizing coconut milk for the dish and there are many ways of having a ginat-an dish. Among the most popular is making one with igi (a local freshwater? snail), dagmay (gabi / yam ) and takway (gabi runners or tendrils) But given one's resourcefulness in getting all the necessary ingredients, this ginat-an dish can also be readily served in the comforts of your home - even if you're miles away from the nearest uma. Ingredients 1/2 kilo  igi  ( or other snails like bago-ngon) 1/2 kilo gabi 1 bundle of takway 1/2 cup kadyos (optional) 2-3 pcs batwan  (optional) 1 cup gata (1st extraction) 2 cups gata (2nd extraction) Salt to taste How to cook Ginata-ang Bago-ngon with Gabi Prepare the igi by washing it thoroughly and cutting the ends so that it can "excrete" the waste (though you can buy fom ...

I just love cooking a mix and match dish throwing what ever is available in the fridge. This time is another version of the Ginisang Upo at Togue dish that is simple and delicious. Actually, its just adding kalabasa and getting rid of the pork from the other recipe. Though this one is more soupy, you can adjust it to be more of a stir-fry dish that's perfect on the side.  Here's a simple recipe for Ginisang Togue, Upo, Sayote, Malunggay at Kalabasa na may Hipon

Whether fried, pinamalhan , paksiw or even sinabawan , aloy is one fish Ilonggos are most familiar with. It is also referred to tulingan in most areas of Luzon, though tulingan is much bigger than aloy if you ask others. For those not familiar with aloy, it has a dark blue colored skin with a rigid, roundish, long body that tapers at the end. It has no scales so it’s easier to clean. Once it becomes bigger it is already called “panit” and it is more expensive compared to “aloy”. “Panit” tastes better when it is fried.

Recalling childhood memories, sulpot is a kind of toy made from thin and hollow bamboo tubes. It's a sort of pressured toy gun that uses wet newspaper or plant seeds as bullets. One end is where pressure is applied that shoots the bullet from the other end. And mind you, it really hurts!  With its this cylindrical shape, native delicacy resembling this native toy is also called sulpot and is basically alupi or cassava suman. It is made with grated balinghoy (cassava) mixed with coconut milk and meat plus sugar and other flavorings. It is then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Here's an easy recipe in making Sulpot-style Alupi or Cassava Suman sticks. Ingredients 5 cups grated cassava 2 cups young coconut, shredded and drained 1.5 cups white/light brown sugar 1 cup gata, coconut creme 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) Banana leaves as wrap How to Cook Sulpot Clean banana leaves. Wilt the banana leaves over flame for easy folding Squeeze the g...

Sinigang is almost everybody's favorite whether it's pork, beef, fish, shrimp or even chicken (more aptly called as Sinampalukan). And when using pork, the combination of the lean meat and fat makes a perfectly mouth-watering savory sour soup that is more often a rice magnet. Extra caution in the unli rice and the fatty pork though and let us have it all in moderation. Having the pata cooked "tender and fall of the bone" is a favorite sinigang matched with the visuals of jiggly fat and tender meat. With the broth sour, savory and thick enough, it's a heavenly dish worth the calories! Here's the recipe for Sinigang na Pata

Tino-um is basically a cooking technique where in the ingredients are wrapped in banana leaves then cooked. Among the most popular tino-um  dished is the tino-um nga manok of the town of Cabatuan. You can also to-um other ingredients including shrimps and vegetables. Here's a simple recipe for Tino-um na Uhong