Canned Sardines In A Tight Fix

Packed like sardines! Sardines are for the poor! Tiny as sardines! All idioms that have leaked into our local jargon, all referring to the much-derided (because of its smell) but nutritious canned sardines that were quite a common fare during my youth. A youth spent in a developing archipelagic country where fish was a default part of diet. But now here in the US a canned food item typically relegated to share shelf space with other unpopular menu items in discount and warehouse stores. Or in some rarely visited sections of the many upscale urban grocery chains.

This little bit of news the other day continues to signal the continual decline of the canned sardines:

Production at Maine canneries has been sliding since peaking at 384 million cans in 1950. Faced with declining demand and a changing business climate, the plants went by the wayside one by one until, five years ago, the Stinson plant was the last one standing. Last year it produced 30 million cans.

Blame it on the changing palates of consumers bringing about declining demands for production. And in a significant way, blame it on the new kid on the block, the tuna, which has gained acceptance for most people of all economic status, shabbily pushing aside the rather very fishy smell of sardines.

A product which was so commonly part of our diet is slowly dropping by the wayside, and yet we know so little about it – like what kind of fish is typically used. Most would know that the typical fish variety used is related to the herring, but less would know that there are many species, about 21, that could be referred to as sardines. Or that among the knowledgeable sardines are called pilchards. Or that the name sardines was given because many of them could be found around the island of Sardinia. Here, learn more.

Regardless, canned sardines had and will continue to have a well-deserved place in this writer’s frugal diet. Opening our cupboards would reveal several flat tincans of different brands, all claiming to be sardines or wannabe sardines. Why just yesterday, I pulled and rolled one can, emptied all the contents to a deep saucer and added butter/margarine. Crushed and mixed all of it thoroughly and made it the filling of a sandwich in a bun. Yummy!

If so inclined, here’s a link that will provide one with ideas on what to add to the drab or unglamourous contents of your can of sardines.

Enjoy a very cheap (usually way under a dollar per 4oz can ) snack or meal that should give one some points toward a more healthful and satisfying diet.

Spamsilog

That is how it is called locally. For a little over $1.42 one is served up with slices of fried-pink Spam (the genuine, the original), egg over easy, and a cupful of garlic rice, and finally topped with a little refreshment of iced tea.

For many Filipinos a breakfast of this sort has been traditional fare as far as I can remember, believe it from a proud somebody who used to be called “Spam” boy by a now dead cousin as fitting tribute to my uncanny ability as a kid to consume a whole can in one sitting. A satisfactory start of a nice morning would have been after a hearty meal of fried rice, eggs cooked in lard, and crispy fried Spam slices.

So this new local eating place breaks new ground by reminding patrons about this once popular menu, by now offering this breakfast selection as one of the tempting choices of other traditional breakfast fare such as smoked fish, longanisa, and tapa, the last two being sausages and smoked beef.

We knew even then given the unlikely, or maybe even unseemly, origins of Spam, that Westerners looked with askance at this staple. After all, Spam became famous as part of GI ration during WWII. Invented and marketed by a Hormel heir precisely for “hard times”. During war or before that during hard economic times like the Great Depression. The poor man’s choice of a meal.

With the now unraveling of the global economy with even more and harder times being forecasted, what should come to the rescue?

The lowly Spam, originating from one of Hormel’s factories in Austin, Minn. Production has never been better and at a more furious pace, with employees doing double shifts or overtime work to keep up with the increased demand.

And unlike the Spam of old, one can now pick one’s favorite from an adequate selection – such as Spam Low Sodium, Spam with Cheese and Spam Hot & Spicy. And don’t you know you can also buy Spam retail – that is, packed as one slice per plastic wrapper? Averaging under $2 per can, imagine how much one slice would cost.

Thus, while the bad economic times have re-introduced this food for hard times, the Filipinos never entertained any such low regard for this product. Good or hard economic times will always be a happy time for Spam – especially for breakfast. Thus, while Westerners may derisively refer to junk email as Spam, no such dark thought lurks in the Filipino psyche.

What about Spam dipped in a batter of beaten eggs before frying and cooked in good old very hot lard?

Oh, sizzlingly yummy!

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.

Recipes From Central Luzon – Region III

Central Luzon comprises of six provinces: Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales, in central Luzon island. In terms of cuisine, it would appear from the list above that Pampanga has the edge in having its savory delights advertised and enjoyed not only locally but globally wherever a perceptible presence of Filipinos can be felt. Even Daly City in Northern California boasts of its own Pampango cuisine restaurant and other uniquely Pampango food products lining the shelves of ethnic grocery stores.


PAKSIW NA PATA WITH BEER

1 large pork pata, sliced
1 cup beer
½ cup dried banana blossoms, cleaned and soaked
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small laurel leaf
Oregano leaves
½ cup vinegar
Salt, soy sauce and pepper to taste
6 pieces saba banana, fried
Brown sugar to taste

Clean pata and place in deep saucepan. Add beer and enough water to cover and cook until tender. Add the rest of the ingredients except bananas and continue cooking. Add bananas and simmer for 5 minutes more. Six servings.


PANCIT GUISADO PAMPANGO

¼ cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 pieces tokwa, cut into cubes
¼ kilo pork, lean, cut into cubes
¼ kilo shrimps, shelled
½ cup shrimp juice
½ cup atsuwete extract
Patis, salt and pepper for seasoning
¼ kilo cabbage, cut finely
Kintsay
¼ kilo bihon, soaked briskly in water
1 teaspoon, minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Green onions
½ cup finely cut kamias
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

Heat oil, sauté 1 teaspoon garlic. Add fried tokwa & pork, shrimp and shrimp juice. Season with patis, salt and pepper. Cover and allow to boil. Add cabbage and kintsay and cook for 1 minute. Add bihon and cook until done. Remove from fire. In another skillet sauté the rest of the minced garlic in a little oil until brown, add green onions and kamias. Sprinkle over cooked pansit. Garnish with hard-cooked eggs. Six Servings.


KAMANIANG

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon sliced onion
½ cup sliced tomatoes
½ cup shrimps, shelled
1-1/2cups shrimp juice
1-1/2teaspoons salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups cut squash fruit
1 cup cut kamaniang (sitaw) (2” lengths)

Sauté garlic, onion, tomatoes and shrimps. Cook 2 minutes and add shrimp juice. Season with salt and pepper. Let boil. Add squash fruit and sitaw. Cook 10 minutes. Six servings.


BINAGIS

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1 cup sliced boiled pork
1 cup cubed pork liver
¾ cup sliced boiled pork heart
¼ cup sliced oiled pork kidney
1 cup broth
1/3 cup vinegar
1-1/2teaspoons salt
½ cup red sweet pepper strips

Sauté garlic, onion, pork, liver, heart and kidney. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add broth, vinegar and salt. Boil and add sweet pepper. Cook 5 minutes longer. Serve hot. Six servings.


PINATISAN

½ cup sliced cleaned & cooked small intestines (2” lengths)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 slices lean pork
½ cup sliced pork liver
¼ cup vinegar
2 tablespoons patis
½ cup meat broth

Turn small intestines inside out and rub with salt. Rinse well with water. Boil 2 cups water and add small intestines. Cook over low heat for one hour until tender. Heat cooking oil and brown garlic. Mix in small intestines, pork and liver. Add vinegar, patis and ½ cup meat broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Serve hot. Six servings.


TALANGKA SOUP

30 pieces talangka
3 cups water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon sliced onion
¼ cup sliced tomatoes
Patis to taste
2 pieces kamias
¼ kilo fresh miki
Green onions and kintsay for garnishing

Wash talangka very well. Extract aligi and set aside. Pound talangka shells until fine. Add water. Strain. Boil stock & set aside. Sauté onion, tomatoes and aligi; season with patis and add to the soup stock. Add kamias and cook until tender. Take out kamias and mash with a little stock. Strain and add to the soup stock. Boil. Add miki and cook 3 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with green onion and kintsay. Serve hot. Six servings.


MIKI WITH MUNGGO SPROUTS

2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 segments garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon sliced onion
1 cup sliced boiled pork
1 cup munggo sprouts, sorted and washed
½ cup sliced tokwa
½ cup sliced petsay
½ cup sliced cabbage
½ kilo fresh miki
Soy Sauce to taste

Heat cooking oil. Sauté garlic, onion and pork. Add munggo sprouts, simmer, then ad tokwa. Season with soy sauce. Cook for 5 minutes. Add petsay and cabbage. Cook for 2 minutes. Add miki. Cook 3 minutes more. Serve hot. Six servings

Recipes From Cagayan – Region II

The Cagayan Valley region is composed of 5 provinces, namely, Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino. Quite an odd combination to form a region but one of its exquisite gourmet prides is a dish delicacy which comes principally from fish which is seasonally found in Cagayan (Ludong). Another exotic dish is one garnished with Himbabao flowers.

But here goes for your feastful delight.

NILANEG WITH FISH AND LIVER

6 pieces fresh fish, cleaned
½ cup cubed pork liver
1-1/2teaspoons salt
3 cups water
2 tablespoons bagoong sauce
1 cup cubed squash
2 cups cut string beans (2” lengths)
1 cup cut eggplant, (slice diagonally)

Salt fish and liver; broil, and set aside. Boil water and bagoong in a saucepan. Add squash, broiled fish and liver. Cook 3 minutes. Add stringbeans, eggplant and cook 5 minutes longer. Serve hot. Six servings.


LININTA

2 cups fresh dulong
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sliced onion
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups water
Banana leaves about 7” x 12”
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 fish in pan and add 2 cups of water. Cover and boil 30 minutes over moderate heat. Serve with kalamansi juice. Six servings.


BEEF STEW

1/3 kilo beef chunks
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 pieces medium-sized onion, quartered
5 medium-sized potatoes, quartered
3 medium-sized carrots, quartered
½ cup water
¼ cup tomato sauce
½ cup sweet peas
½ cup celery, sliced.

Coat meat with mixture of flour, salt and pepper. Slowly brown in cooking oil in a large skillet, about 20 minutes. Add water and tomato sauce. Cover. Simmer until almost soft for about 1 hour. Add water, bring to a boil and add all the vegetables. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer until tender. Six servings.


SINIGANG NGA LUDONG (FISH)

4 pieces tamarind
6 cups rice washing
1 small onion, sliced
½ cup sliced tomatoes
6 pieces fresh ludong, cleaned
2 medium eggplants. Sliced
1 cups sliced stringbeans
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups kamote tops

Boil tamarind in 1 cup rice washing. When soft, mash fruit. Strain and add juice to the remaining rice washing. Cover and bring to a boil. Add onion, tomatoes and fish. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add eggplant, stringbeans and cook for another 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add kamote tops and cook 4 minutes longer. Serve hot. Six servings.


OVED (BANANA HEART) WITH FISH

6 pieces fresh fish, cleaned
1-1/2teaspoons salt
2 cups water
2 cups sliced banana heart
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
½ teaspoons chopped ginger
2 teaspoons sliced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2cups fish and vegetable broth
½ cup sliced tomatoes
Banana leaves, cut 1” wide

Parboil fish with salt in 2 cups water to facilitate flaking. Boil banana blossom in the fish broth for 2 minutes. Drain and chop finely. Reserve broth for cooking fish balls. In a bowl, mix together flaked fish, banana blossoms, garlic, ginger, onion and salt. Form into balls 2” in diameter. Tie with banana leaves. Boil broth and tomatoes in a saucepan. Add fish balls and cook 15 minutes. Serve hot. Six servings.


BLACK-EYED BEANS WITH PORK & HIMBABAO FLOWERS

4 cups water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons sliced onion
½ cup sliced tomatoes
1 cup sliced pork
1 cup dried black-eyed beans, cooked
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups himbabao

Heat water. As soon as it boils, add beans and cook 2 minutes. Set aside for 1 hour. Sauté garlic, onion, tomatoes and pork. Add beans including broth. Boil, then simmer until almost soft. Season with salt, cook 4 minutes. Bring to a boil once more and add himbabao flowers. Cook 7 minutes longer. Serve hot. Six servings.


SINABALO (SUMAN)

2 cups malagkit rice
1-1/4cups thick coconut milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 pieces green bamboo tube, fresh
Banana leaves, wilted

Soak malagkit rice overnight. Wash and drain. Add coconut milk and salt and cook until malagkit is half done, stirring the mixture to avoid sticking at the bottom of the container. Divide the mixture into two and wrap each portion in banana leaves. Insert inside a freshly cut bamboo tube. Broil bamboo tube over hot charcoal, rotating it slowly until bamboo tube gets burned. Eight servings.

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.