Recipes From Ilocos – Region I

Responding to a moderately sustained interest as shown by hits to this blog, we are continuing our round-up of food recipes categorized according to the different regions of the country, clearly delineating clear diversity not only in customs, mores, and yes, dialects, but also in cuisine.

But first a formal attribution to the recipes highlighted as representatives of the respective regions.

The Food and Nutrition Research Institute of he National Science Development Board has been continually developing menus and recipes for over 30 years. It is the country’s leading scientific center on basic and applied researches on food and nutrition. It has provided the springboard of present–day actively sustained community nutrition programs.

Region 1 is comprised of the following provinces Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan, all clustered and cradled in the northernmost tip of the big island of Luzon. This bloc popularly would be the land of the Ilokanos and their most distinctive and uniquely identifiable cuisine.


KILAWEN NGA KALDING

2 tablespoons cooking fat
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon sliced onion
1 teaspoon narrow ginger strips
½ cup cut goat’s intestines (crosswise ½ “ lengths)
½ cup sliced goat’s tripe
¼ cup sliced goat’s heart
¼ cup sliced lapay
¼ cup vinegar
6 cups water
3 teaspoons salt
Dash of pepper
¼ cup sliced liver
1 teaspoon bile juice

Saute garlic, onion and ginger. Add intestines and cook 3 minutes to extract a little fat. Add tripe, heart and lapay. Continue cooking 2 minutes longer. Add vinegar and bring to a boil before adding water. Simmer until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add liver and bile juice and cook 15 minutes longer. Six servings.

PINAKBET WITH SITSARON

1 cup sliced pork liempo
1 large ampalaya, sliced
4 small eggplants
5 pieces okra, sliced
1 teaspoon sliced ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
½ cup sliced tomatoes
¼ cup sliced onion
3 tablespoons bagoong isda, strained
1 cup water


Cook pork in ½ cup water, uncovered, until all water has evaporated. Continue cooking, stir constantly until pork pieces turn golden brown, (sitsaron).

Arrange vegetables in a saucepan, add bagoong, water and simmer until vegetables are just crisp-tender.


PANCIT GUISADO ILOCANO

6 medium-sized dried pusit, sliced
½ cup cooking oil
1 head garlic, minced
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1 cup sliced boiled pork
1 cup sliced sausage
½ cup sliced sayote
1 medium-sized sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced Baguio petsay
4 cups meat broth
1 cup atsuete extract
1 kilo bihon
Salt to taste

Soak dried pusit in water to soften and slice thinly. Set aside. Fry minced garlic until golden brown; set aside half the amount for garnishing. To the remaining garlic saute onion, pusit, boiled pork and petsay Baguio. Add meat broth, atsuete extract and bihon. Season, with salt. Garnish with fried garlic and serve with kalamansi.


DINALDALEM

½ cup cut leaf lard (small pieces)
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
½ cup sliced lean pork
½ cup sliced pork heart
¼ cup water
½ cup chopped boiled pork lungs
1 cup cubed pork liver soaked in ¼ cup vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup green sweet pepper strips
¼ cup red sweet pepper strips

Heat leaf lard and water in a frying pan and cook until fat is extracted. Brown garlic in fat. Add lean pork and pork heart. Saute 5 mintues. Add water. Cover and cook 15 minutes over low heat. Add lungs and pork liver and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add green and red pepper and cook 5 minutes longer. Six servings.


SINANGLAW

6 cups rice washing
1 tablespoon sliced ginger
1/3 kilo goat’s spareribs
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup sliced goat’s liver
4 pieces okra, sliced
3 cups eggplant, sliced
2 cups sitaw tops

Boil rice washing with ginger. Add spareribs, and season with salt. Cook until meat is tender. Add okra and eggplant and cook 2 minutes. Put in sitaw tops and let boil for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.


PATA WITH CARDIS

2 cups half-cooked kadyos
1 medium-sized pata, sliced
3 tomatoes, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons bagoong
Peppercorn
Salt to taste

Simmer pata and kadyos, add boiling water if necessary and cook until tender. Add tomatoes, onion and bagoong. Cook for a few minutes. Season with bagoong, salt and pepper.


TAMALES NGA IPON

2 cups fresh ipon (small fish found in North)
2 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sliced onion
3 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
Banana leaves about 7”x12”
6 pieces kalamansi

Mix first 4 ingredients together. Place ¼ cup of the mixture on two layers of banana leaf. Wrap in the form of a square and tie with a piece of string. Put wrapped tamales in pan and add 2 cups water. Cover and boil 30 minutes over moderate heat. Serve with kalamansi juice.