Today, at our school cafeteria, inspite of the array of “saucy” lunch dishes to choose from like menudo, adobo, linaga, bakareta, and spareribs, I still ended up choosing the driest dish,the most common, the most popular viand of all -- fried chicken. That’s why I’ve come to conclude:
We Ilonggos are voracious chicken eaters. (Geez, that sounds frightening!) Give us plenty of food choices and we’ll still have chicken any day.
I know, I know. The premise is weak so let me just cite a concrete proof instead. Just how many chicken houses are there in Iloilo city? For regular chicken inasal( chicken barbeque on a stick), there’s Mang Inasal, Barrio Inasal, Chicken Sari-Sari, Jo’s Inato, Pecho Pak, the barbeque stands such as at Plaza Jaro, Plaza Mandurriao, along UP in front of Doctor’s Hospital, near the freedom grandstand, at La Paz Market….For native chicken inasal, usually served whole, there’s Tatoy’s, Breakthrough, Nes & Tats and Nato & Helen, Rawit’s at Central Market, Corning’s and co. at Valeria extension...For the "45-days" or "bantress" whole roasted chicken, there’s Andok’s, Pecho Pak, the roadside roasters like Mang Pedro’s, Buto’t Balat (also a resto). And for fried chicken, there are the food-chain giants like Jollibee, McDo, KFC, Greenwich, Kenny Rogers. There’s Andok’s (now more popular for its fried chix), JD bakeshop, and the rolling “Jollicarts”parked at busy intersections at downtown Iloilo. (This list is only partial; I need to scour the whole city still.)
I’ve always been fascinated by the Ilonggo’s predilection for chicken: be it fried, barbequed, roasted, stewed (adobo) or in a soup (tinola and binakol) . The only thing not done to chicken, I suppose is to make kinilaw out of it.
Given a choice of restaurants in the city serving Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Italian and Continental cuisines, most Ilonggos are still found eating at chicken houses.
WHY DO WE JUST LOVE TO EAT MANOK?
I’m throwing this question to Ilonggos out there who might happen to stumble upon this young blog. Let us know what you think.
Showing posts with label cuisina ilongga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cuisina ilongga. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
BALGOA's MANAPLA PUTO: authentic & the best
I just sank my teeth into the marshmallowy softness of Balgoa's ube-flavored Manapla puto and followed it up with a sip from Venice coffee straight from a vendo.
Not all puto are created alike, not even if they all call themselves Manapla. (Manapla is actually a town in the neighboring isle of Negros that became famous for its puto on a banana leaf base.)
Actually, i'm very careful about passing judgement on food items lest I commit a sin. (he,he). But this one, I'm really convinced about. I just love Balgoa's Manapla puto. It's the ultimate. Most puto--which also pass themselves off as Manapla--(I guess, as long as there's the banana leaf cup, it's called Manapla) are not as soft and tasty as Balgoa's. Those sold in the public markets in Iloilo are generally coarse in texture and can sometimes be gummy.
Come to think of it, the ingredients of puto is an open secret. Its the right combination of quality ingredients and the technique of cooking that set Balgoa's puto above the rest.
There are two varieties at Balgoa's: 1) The traditional Manapla puto sitting on a banana leaf square and 2) the puto without the leaf. Molded in muffin cups, this puto has two flavors: natural and ube-flavored (that's what i'm having this morning).
Striking a conversation with the owner one time, Mrs. Dolly Balgoa, I learned that:
her father-in-law, who started this home-industry in Jaro back in 1960 was originally from Manapla, from a family of puto makers (talk about having the rightful claim to the name).
Not all puto are created alike, not even if they all call themselves Manapla. (Manapla is actually a town in the neighboring isle of Negros that became famous for its puto on a banana leaf base.)
Actually, i'm very careful about passing judgement on food items lest I commit a sin. (he,he). But this one, I'm really convinced about. I just love Balgoa's Manapla puto. It's the ultimate. Most puto--which also pass themselves off as Manapla--(I guess, as long as there's the banana leaf cup, it's called Manapla) are not as soft and tasty as Balgoa's. Those sold in the public markets in Iloilo are generally coarse in texture and can sometimes be gummy.
Come to think of it, the ingredients of puto is an open secret. Its the right combination of quality ingredients and the technique of cooking that set Balgoa's puto above the rest.
There are two varieties at Balgoa's: 1) The traditional Manapla puto sitting on a banana leaf square and 2) the puto without the leaf. Molded in muffin cups, this puto has two flavors: natural and ube-flavored (that's what i'm having this morning).
Striking a conversation with the owner one time, Mrs. Dolly Balgoa, I learned that:
her father-in-law, who started this home-industry in Jaro back in 1960 was originally from Manapla, from a family of puto makers (talk about having the rightful claim to the name).
Monday, March 19, 2007
ILOILO'S BEST: Ang Suman Latik ni Manang Rosa
Text & Photo by Joy Rosal-Sumagaysay
Ask an Ilonggo kakanin vendor about a collective term for her delicacies and she will tell you “neytib foods.” Interestingly, there seems to be no Hiligaynon equivalent for the word kakanin or native cakes; the 1931 Kaufmann Dictionary documented none. To Ilonggos, perhaps, these kakanin are so distinct that to lump them under a generic term is to decrease their culinary worth. Of course, mine is just a theory. The late food guru, Dr. Doreen Fernandez must have a better answer than this.
One such neytib food popular in Iloilo and in the entire Western Visayas is suman latik, basically a rectangular bed of pilit (glutinous rice) topped with latik or bukayo (candied young coconut) served during breakfast or snacks.
I grew up loving suman latik more than the other rice cakes of my childhood like ibos, but-ong, suman and alupi. At Jaro, Iloilo’s Thursday market, the Huebesan , how delightful it was to see tiyay carefully unfold the banana leaf and get from her kaserola a spoonful of bukayo to spread on the thin suman. After that, she would refold the banana leaf and hand me my treat.
As horizons expanded, I found, in the district of La Paz (home of the famous Batchoy), suman latik packaged like miniature overstuffed green pillows. Its contents revealed a tempting mound of finely-shredded bukayo heaped on an extra-thick suman bed. My search for the maker of this exceptional suman latik led me to the home of Daprosa Ambid in barangay Baldosa. (Once a brick manufacturing center in Spanish times, Baldosa, as well as neighboring Ingore, is now the kakanin capital of Iloilo City.
Dapro to her neighbors and Rosa to her suki, she started producing various kakanins in 1963, a skill she inherited from her mother. Although suman latik making is common knowledge in Panay and Negros, Manang Rosa can be credited with setting the standard and improving its packaging.
I have never seen such devotion to quality than at Manang Rosa's. In this humble Baldosa abode was an amiable old woman extremely particular about the ingredients, method and appearance of her indigenous cakes.
The whole process starts with excellent unadulterated pilit, thoroughly washed, seasoned with salt and mixed with her extraordinary ingredient: kulitis lye. Extracted through a laborious process from the kulitis plant (slender Amaranth), this natural lye is the secret to her suman latik's longer shelf-life. Manang Rosa recalls with amusement how people thought her crazy as she scoured roadsides, vacant lots and open fields for mature kulitis and pulled them out by the dozen.
Once prepared, the pilit mixture is ready for wrapping. Two spoonfuls are placed on a banana leaf quickly folded for the grains to cook to a nicely firm but moist layer. Tied in pairs, the wrapped suman are stacked compactly inside a recycled can of cooking oil, filled with water and covered with a weighted down pad of banana leaves. After 2-3 hours of intense boiling over a fire supplied by wood shavings and sibucao, the suman is ready to cool.
Now for the latik/bukayo. Unlike other makers, Manang Rosa has never used grated coconut as sweet topping. She will have nothing else but tender bukayuon meat, shredded to incredibly fine strips. Bukayuon are coconuts older than butong (ideal for buko juice) but younger than lukadon. Honesto General (The Coconut Cookery of Bicol) describes the lukadon as coconuts hard enough for grating but still immature to produce gata. Ilonggos share in this definition. But unlike the Bicolanos who are content with lukadon for their bukayo, Ilonggos favor the bukayuon grade. Manang Rosa's insistence on shredding the bukayuon to such thin “noodles” (the finest I've ever seen) and slow-cooking it in rich brown muscovado is what sets her latik apart. It is firm and thick, not soggy nor syrupy.
With the sweetened coconut prepared in advance and the pilit rectangles cooled, the rice cake ready for packaging. The suman is removed from the wet, discolored banana leaf it was boiled in and transferred to a clean and shiny piece. Manang Rosa thought of this innovation, a couple of decades back, after getting feedback from her bank customers who found it messy to unwrap the sticky banana casing. With the suman resting on its new lining, a generous serving of luscious latik is heaped on top and the banana leaf is folded in the signature look of the Baldosa delight.
At 72, Manang Rosa still handles the preparation of the pilit herself for herein lies the right flavor and longevity of the kakanin. Other suman latik do not last beyond a day or two. Not Manang Rosa's. It can last for four days and are best without refrigeration! No wonder hundreds of these have reached Europe and the US as pasalubong.
While some originals fade away, unable to maintain their good taste, Manang Rosa's suman latik continues to reign supreme. The suman is soft and flavorsome and the fine tender shreds of bukayo are cooked just right. Finally, it is the only suman latik around to remain fresh long enough for loved ones to savor across the seas… All because of simple woman's sacred respect for quality.
Ask an Ilonggo kakanin vendor about a collective term for her delicacies and she will tell you “neytib foods.” Interestingly, there seems to be no Hiligaynon equivalent for the word kakanin or native cakes; the 1931 Kaufmann Dictionary documented none. To Ilonggos, perhaps, these kakanin are so distinct that to lump them under a generic term is to decrease their culinary worth. Of course, mine is just a theory. The late food guru, Dr. Doreen Fernandez must have a better answer than this.
One such neytib food popular in Iloilo and in the entire Western Visayas is suman latik, basically a rectangular bed of pilit (glutinous rice) topped with latik or bukayo (candied young coconut) served during breakfast or snacks.
I grew up loving suman latik more than the other rice cakes of my childhood like ibos, but-ong, suman and alupi. At Jaro, Iloilo’s Thursday market, the Huebesan , how delightful it was to see tiyay carefully unfold the banana leaf and get from her kaserola a spoonful of bukayo to spread on the thin suman. After that, she would refold the banana leaf and hand me my treat.
As horizons expanded, I found, in the district of La Paz (home of the famous Batchoy), suman latik packaged like miniature overstuffed green pillows. Its contents revealed a tempting mound of finely-shredded bukayo heaped on an extra-thick suman bed. My search for the maker of this exceptional suman latik led me to the home of Daprosa Ambid in barangay Baldosa. (Once a brick manufacturing center in Spanish times, Baldosa, as well as neighboring Ingore, is now the kakanin capital of Iloilo City.
Dapro to her neighbors and Rosa to her suki, she started producing various kakanins in 1963, a skill she inherited from her mother. Although suman latik making is common knowledge in Panay and Negros, Manang Rosa can be credited with setting the standard and improving its packaging.
I have never seen such devotion to quality than at Manang Rosa's. In this humble Baldosa abode was an amiable old woman extremely particular about the ingredients, method and appearance of her indigenous cakes.
The whole process starts with excellent unadulterated pilit, thoroughly washed, seasoned with salt and mixed with her extraordinary ingredient: kulitis lye. Extracted through a laborious process from the kulitis plant (slender Amaranth), this natural lye is the secret to her suman latik's longer shelf-life. Manang Rosa recalls with amusement how people thought her crazy as she scoured roadsides, vacant lots and open fields for mature kulitis and pulled them out by the dozen.
Once prepared, the pilit mixture is ready for wrapping. Two spoonfuls are placed on a banana leaf quickly folded for the grains to cook to a nicely firm but moist layer. Tied in pairs, the wrapped suman are stacked compactly inside a recycled can of cooking oil, filled with water and covered with a weighted down pad of banana leaves. After 2-3 hours of intense boiling over a fire supplied by wood shavings and sibucao, the suman is ready to cool.
Now for the latik/bukayo. Unlike other makers, Manang Rosa has never used grated coconut as sweet topping. She will have nothing else but tender bukayuon meat, shredded to incredibly fine strips. Bukayuon are coconuts older than butong (ideal for buko juice) but younger than lukadon. Honesto General (The Coconut Cookery of Bicol) describes the lukadon as coconuts hard enough for grating but still immature to produce gata. Ilonggos share in this definition. But unlike the Bicolanos who are content with lukadon for their bukayo, Ilonggos favor the bukayuon grade. Manang Rosa's insistence on shredding the bukayuon to such thin “noodles” (the finest I've ever seen) and slow-cooking it in rich brown muscovado is what sets her latik apart. It is firm and thick, not soggy nor syrupy.
With the sweetened coconut prepared in advance and the pilit rectangles cooled, the rice cake ready for packaging. The suman is removed from the wet, discolored banana leaf it was boiled in and transferred to a clean and shiny piece. Manang Rosa thought of this innovation, a couple of decades back, after getting feedback from her bank customers who found it messy to unwrap the sticky banana casing. With the suman resting on its new lining, a generous serving of luscious latik is heaped on top and the banana leaf is folded in the signature look of the Baldosa delight.
At 72, Manang Rosa still handles the preparation of the pilit herself for herein lies the right flavor and longevity of the kakanin. Other suman latik do not last beyond a day or two. Not Manang Rosa's. It can last for four days and are best without refrigeration! No wonder hundreds of these have reached Europe and the US as pasalubong.
While some originals fade away, unable to maintain their good taste, Manang Rosa's suman latik continues to reign supreme. The suman is soft and flavorsome and the fine tender shreds of bukayo are cooked just right. Finally, it is the only suman latik around to remain fresh long enough for loved ones to savor across the seas… All because of simple woman's sacred respect for quality.
BISCOCHO HAUS MEMORIES
If there is one food icon of Iloilo, it is Biscocho Haus.
These days, its presence can be seen in strategic places all over Iloilo city and its districts. BH has penetrated the malls--SM, Robinson's and Gaisano. Their SM City branch, being easily accessible, is always buzzing with customers especially during conventions and festivals in Iloilo. There are other branches: in Molo near Iloilo Supermart,along Gen. Luna, near Assumption, near YMCA, at the PLDT office in La Paz and a couple of others I forgot (hehe).
The mother of all stores is of course at Lopez Jaena, Jaro. Biscoho Haus now has a distinct character with its signature colored glass windows, antique wood cabinets and as accents, their Dutch pulley lamps, floral wooden traceries or calados and iron barandillas.
But do you know that Biscocho Haus started as a the Guadarrama family's homey snack house under the shade of a tree? (Check it out; it's still there). I have fond memories from the 80s when my Lola would bring me along as she and her friends had merienda there. In that open breezy space set with a couple of tables and chairs, I would usually have spaghetti with their trademark biscocho while Lola and her church friends would order their delicious dinuguan and puto. (These continue to be served up to now). Ah, yes their banana cake and cheese roll were (still are) also very delicious. Then, they developed their thin garlic bread slices and the melt-in-your-mouth mocha-colored meringue. Eventually, more and more Ilonggo delicacies have been added to their list. Of course, its their butterscotch that has really put Biscocho Haus in the national food limelight. (Now, that's ironic for butterscotch is not exactly Ilonggo...)
From that simple snack house under the tree has evolved the most famous Ilonggo delicacy shop of all--Biscocho Haus.
These days, its presence can be seen in strategic places all over Iloilo city and its districts. BH has penetrated the malls--SM, Robinson's and Gaisano. Their SM City branch, being easily accessible, is always buzzing with customers especially during conventions and festivals in Iloilo. There are other branches: in Molo near Iloilo Supermart,along Gen. Luna, near Assumption, near YMCA, at the PLDT office in La Paz and a couple of others I forgot (hehe).
The mother of all stores is of course at Lopez Jaena, Jaro. Biscoho Haus now has a distinct character with its signature colored glass windows, antique wood cabinets and as accents, their Dutch pulley lamps, floral wooden traceries or calados and iron barandillas.
But do you know that Biscocho Haus started as a the Guadarrama family's homey snack house under the shade of a tree? (Check it out; it's still there). I have fond memories from the 80s when my Lola would bring me along as she and her friends had merienda there. In that open breezy space set with a couple of tables and chairs, I would usually have spaghetti with their trademark biscocho while Lola and her church friends would order their delicious dinuguan and puto. (These continue to be served up to now). Ah, yes their banana cake and cheese roll were (still are) also very delicious. Then, they developed their thin garlic bread slices and the melt-in-your-mouth mocha-colored meringue. Eventually, more and more Ilonggo delicacies have been added to their list. Of course, its their butterscotch that has really put Biscocho Haus in the national food limelight. (Now, that's ironic for butterscotch is not exactly Ilonggo...)
From that simple snack house under the tree has evolved the most famous Ilonggo delicacy shop of all--Biscocho Haus.
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