Recipes From Bicol – Region V

This completes the round-up of food recipes from the original 12 regions of the country (Officially, there are now 17 regions since some were broken up into smaller regions). Started in 2005, we commenced with Northern Mindanao and moved up north. Here is the complete round-up of the original 12 regions in the order of publication:

Western Mindanao – Region IX

Northern Mindanao – Region X

Southern Mindanao – Region XI

Central Mindanao – Region XII

Western Visayas – Region VI

Central Visayas – Region VII

Eastern Visayas – Region VIII

Ilocos – Region I

Cagayan – Region II

Central Luzon – Region III

Southern Tagalog – Region IV

Bicol – Region V

So now for the finale we come to the balmy but at times wind-tossed region of Bicol or Bicolandia, which includes an island province clearly belonging to the Visayas.

It occupies the Bicol Peninsula at the southeastern end of Luzon island and some other islands.It now consists of six provinces, namely, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon. It has one independent component city, Naga City, and six component cities, Iriga, Legazpi, Ligao, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Tabaco.


DILIS SINUWAAN

12 gabi leaves
3/10 kilo fresh dilis
6 pieces green pepper, cut into strips
2/3 cup pure coconut milk diluted with 1-2/3 cups water
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 small piece crushed ginger

Wrap 2 tablespoons dilis in gabi leaves. Follow the same procedure with the rest of the dilis. Tie the remaining leaves in knots and line them in the bottom of a cooking pan. Add pepper, coconut milk, vinegar, salt and ginger. Place the wrapped dilis on top and let boil for 45 minutes. Six servings.


PINANGAT NA GABI

24 gabi leaves and stems
¼ kilo cooked pork cut into small cubes
½ cub boiled and flaked dried fish
½ cup bagoong alamang
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
2 pieces siling labuyo, crushed
2/3 cup finely cut green onion
1-1/2 cups pure coconut milk
1-1/2 cups coconut milk (2nd extraction)

Pile four leaves together and put 3 tablespoons of the mixture in center. Wrap and tie with string or strips of banana leaf. Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the ingredients. Arrange in a kettle together with the stems and pour the second extraction of coconut milk. Season with the remaining bagoong. Add 1 teaspoon ginger. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours. Six servings.


KALINGKING

7/10 kilo yellow kamote, peeled
½ cup brown sugar
3 cups rice flour
1 cup water
1-1/2 cups coconut oil for deep frying

Cut the kamote into strips. Add the sugar and flour to the water and stir until well blended. Combine kamote strips with the flour mixture and mix well with a spoon until well coated. Heat coconut oil in a frying pan. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of kamote and flour mixture into a saucer. Pat to flatten, then from saucer slip into hot cooking oil. Fry until golden brown. Six servings.


IRAID

1-1/2 cups grated kamoteng-kahoy
1-1/2 cups grated yellow kamote
1-4 cup coconut milk, 1st extraction
7 tablespoons brown sugar
Banana leaves for wrapping

Squeeze the grated kamoteng-kahoy and yellow kamote to extract some of the juice. Add the extract to the coconut milk, then the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Mix the kamoteng-kahoy and yellow kamote very well and combine with the coconut mixture. Wrap 3 tablespoons of this mixture in a piece of banana leaf (8” x 5”) which has been wilted over an open flame. Tie in pairs and steam for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and serve.


SINANGLAY

3 medium tomatoes, sliced
6 segments garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 small piece singer, crushed
2 cups coconut milk
2 teaspoons salt
3 medium tilapia or martiniko, cleaned and cut through the back
6 petsay leaves, big

Mix tomatoes, garlic, onion and ginger with coconut milk. Season with salt. Lay tilapia on top of 2 petsay leaves. Season with 2 tablespoons of coco-milk mixture and fold over. Arrange by layers on a sauce-pan. Cover with the remaining coconut milk mixture. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Six servings.


KANDINGA

½ cup sliced lungs
½ cup sliced liver
½ cup sliced heart
½ cup water
2 tablespoons lard
6 segments garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon toyo
I teaspoon “paminton”
¼ cup green pepper strips
¼ cup red pepper strips

Boil the first 3 ingredients in water for 5 minutes. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool and chop fine. Sauté garlic and onion. Cook 2 minutes and mix lungs, liver and heart. Add salt, vinegar, toyo, “paminton”, red and green peppers. Cove and cook for 5 minutes. Six servings.


BAGISARA

2 tablespoons lard
4 segments garlic, minced
1medium onion, sliced
1 small piece ginger, crushed
2 cups rice washing
1 cup cubed kalabasa
2 cups shelled tulya
1 cup cut kangkong
2 teaspoons salt
6 pieces kalamansi
Patis

Sauté garlic, onion, and ginger. Add rice washing. Cover and let boil. Add kalabasa and cook for 5 minutes. Add tulya and kangkong and cook 5 minutes longer. Season with salt. Serve with patis and kalamansi. Six servings.


GULAY NA MALUNGGAY

½ cup pure coconut milk, diluted with ½ cup water
1 cup flaked tulingan, tinapa
1 segment garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced
1/8 cup bagoong alamang
2 cups malunggay leaves
3 long green peppers cuts in strips

Boil coconut milk, flaked tinapa, garlic and onion for 10 minutes. Season with bagoong and continue stirring. Add malunggay leaves and strips of green pepper. Cook 5 minutes longer. Serve hot. Six servings.



Final Note:
The partaking of food offers its own pleasures, that makes all the efforts involved in its preparation well worthwhile and worth repeating. Enjoy!

Recipes From Southern Tagalog – Region IV

Now the name for this region may be a bit of a misnomer because of the areas covered by the biggest region in the country. Here’s a geographical description of this area:

Region IV covers the southwestern part of Luzon and encompasses eleven provinces and several cities. It includes the provinces of Aurora, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, and the island provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. It is the largest region in the Philippines with a total land area of 9,940.72 sq.kms.

Definitely, not all areas covered could be considered Tagalog in the popular sense, of a people speaking the Tagalog dialect. The island provinces included definitely speak their own local dialects.

So how does the regional cuisine stand as a true representation of the entire region? Well, you get to decide for yourself.


SOPA DE POLLO

2 tablespoons cooking fat
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup diced ham
½ onion, sliced
Gizzard, liver, blood, heart of one chicken, boiled and cut into strips
5 cups chicken stock
1 can peas
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 hard-cooked egg. Chopped
½ cup croutons (fried bread cubes)

Sauté garlic, ham, onion, giblets, liver, heart and blood. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add peas and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with egg. Serve with croutons. Five servings.


KARI IMPERIAL

1 medium chicken, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup cooking oil
1 bunch green onion leaves cut fine
2 teaspoons curry
½ cup boiled water chestnuts (halves)
Chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 slices ham, diced

Boil chicken in a mixture of soy sauce and cornstarch. Fry with enough cooking oil. Sauté green onions and curry powder and stir well. Add fried chicken. Mix.
Add water chestnuts and chicken broth. Thicken with cornstarch diluted in a small amount of water. Decorate with ham and green onions. Serve hot. Eight to 10 servings.


SAUTEED MALUNGGAY PODS
About 10 fresh malunggay pods

2 tablespoons cooking fat
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
½ cup sliced tomatoes
1 cup diced boiled pork
½ cup shelled & cut shrimp (slice lengthwise)
2-1/2 cups shrimp juice from pounded heads of shrimps
2 tablespoons bagoong alamang
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced calabasa
1 cup cut green sitaw pods (1-1/2” lengths)

Cut malunggay pods lengthwise into 4 pieces. Slice white pulp including tender seeds. Discard outer covering. Cut pulp into 1-1/2 inch lengths. Sauté garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add pork and shrimps. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Add shrimp juice and boil. Season with bagoong and salt. Add kalabasa and cook 3 minutes. Add malunggay pulp and sitaw. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Six servings.


CAULIFLOWER WITH CRABS

3 cups cauliflower flowerets
4 tablespoons cooking fat
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
½ cup crab meat from boiled crabs
1 cup rice washing
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon toyo
1 cup carrot, sliced thinly
1 cup sliced cabbage
2 teaspoons cornstarch, blended with 1 teaspoon water
2 sprigs of kintsay

Sauté garlic, onion and crab meat. Add rich washing. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and toyo. Add cauliflower, carrot and cabbage. Cover and cook 4 minutes. Thicken with cornstarch blended with water. After 1 minute, remove from fire and serve hot.


TAHONG WITH YOUNG CORN AND MALUNGGAY

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1 cup shredded young corn
7 cups water
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups tahong
3 cups malunggay leaves

Sauté garlic, onion and corn. Add water and cook until corn is almost tender. Season with salt. Bring to a boil and add tahong. Cook 10 minutes. Add malunggay leaves and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve hot. Six servings.


BOUQUET OF FIVE COLORS

12 large cabbage leaves separated from head
4 dried Chinese mushrooms
1 chicken breast, boned
12 water chestnuts (apulid)
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1 egg for mixture
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs for omelet
3 pieces ham (3” x 3”), cut into strips
2 pieces gherkin pickle, cut into strips
2boiled carrots, cut into strips
10 cups chicken stock

Wash each cabbage leaf separately. Place leaves in strainer and blanch. Soak dried mushrooms 5 minutes in water and remove stems. Chop chicken, water chestnuts and mushrooms. Mix together with minced onions. Eggs and cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside

Separate egg yolks from whites. Beat yolks and whites separately with a fork. Make into paper thin omelets by cooking in slightly greased pan. Cut yellow and white omelets into strips.

Take cabbage leaf and spread with thin layer of chicken mixture. In straight rows, arrange alternate layers of five colors (ham, gherkins, egg white, egg yolks and carrots). Roll like jelly roll, taking care to make each roll as a finger. Make 12 rolls. Arrange in small pan, place in a steamer and steam 30 minutes.

Remove rolls from steamer. Cool. Cut off ends, then slice each roll into one-centimeter pieces. Place slices side by side, lining deep saucer or small cereal dish. Pack center tightly with vegetable trimmings to fill dish. Return to steamer and steam 10 minutes. Just before serving, invert saucer or dish (with contents) into soup tureen; remove saucer. Pour seasoned chicken stock around bouquet.


KANDULI ADOBO

1 big kanduli, cleaned and cut into serving portions
½ head garlic, crushed
½ cup vinegar
1 teaspoon dilaw (casubha)
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon peppercorn
½ cup coconut milk

Combine fish with garlic, vinegar, dilaw (casubha), salt and peppercorn. If the vinegar is too sour, add water. Add coconut milk and boil until fish is done. Six servings.