(Namit Guid!) Cooking Ilonggo Recipes And More

By: Sarah

 

Inever cooked with my Mama Colong (my dearest grandma), but there’s her simplest and deliciousness to the nth level LUTIK that I will forever cherish. Paired with just cooked plain white rice I would request her addictive Lutik or Ginataang Kalabasa (Squash in Coconut Milk) almost every week. Back then, it’s prepared using coconut that isn’t from a can, instead grated mature coconut and some water were squeezed to extract pure coconut milk. Mama Colong, I remembered, only boiled chopped pieces of peeled squash in coconut milk with tanglad knot (lemon grass) until tender and then mashed. The creamy texture of Lutik, seasoned only with salt and no other added proteins such as pork or shrimp is the best ever Ilonggo dish for me. My only regrets: I should have stayed in the kitchen and got involved in cooking. On holidays, Mama Colong would do biko (Sticky Rice Cake) with panocha and pounded ginger slices. And just so much more memories of Mama Colong’s simple comforting dishes with google translations: Pinaisang Sapsap (Pony fish), Alugbati (Malabar spinach) and Adobong Takway (Taro shoots). Happy Holidays to all our loved ones here, there and everywhere!
And as promised from last issue, my Ilonggo bffs Kaylin, Helen, Palangging Rose, Dottie and Parekoy graciously shared their family’s treasured Ilonggo recipes. Many thanks and here’s wishing you and your family love, peace, good health and happiness this joyous holiday season!
ARROZ VALENCIANA

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups (1/2 kg) Glutinous Rice, washed twice & soaked for 1 hour,
drain water
4 cups lightly salted Chicken Stock or Water
1 1/2 tablespoons Turmeric Powder
1 piece Chicken Broth Cube
STIR UNTIL POWDER AND CUBE DISSOLVED. COVER AND COOK IN RICE COOKER UNTIL DONE.
Meat & Veggies:
1/4 cup Canola Oil, saute 3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 small Red Onion, sliced
250 grams Chicken breasts/Chicken Thigh, cubes
150 grams Pork Belly, cubes
3 pieces Chorizo Bilbao, sliced
SAUTE FOR 2 MIN
1 tablespoon Paprika 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon salt and 1/2teaspoon black pepper BLACK PEPPER
SAUTE UNTIL MEAT ARE COOKED THROUGH
120 grams Pork Liver, bite-size OR 250 grams chicken liver
SAUTE FOR 2 MIN
8 to 10 pieces Shrimp, boiled & peeled pinch of salt and pepper
SAUTE FOR 1 MIN
1 piece Green or Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 cup Green Peas, canned or frozen
1/2 cup Raisins, (add more if you like) 1 tablespoon fish sauce
pinch of salt and pepper
SAUTE FOR 1 MIN
½ cup Water 1 piece Chicken Broth Cube
STIR AND SIMMER FOR 3 MIN. ADD IN COOKED RICE. TURN HEAT ON LOW FLAME. MIX RICE THOROUGHLY UNTIL WELL COMBINED.
KEEP ON MIXING FOR ABOUT 7-10 MIN.
Toppings: 3 hard Boiled Eggs, sliced and scallions (dahong sibuyas)
for garnish
CHICKEN BINAKOL
1 kilo Assorted Chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 stalks of lemon grass
canned coconut meat or 2 pieces coconut/buko meat
(reserve juice/scrape meat)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 thumb size ginger, sliced
2 pieces onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons Patis/fish sauce
2 pieces sayote or green papaya, sliced
1/2 cup sili leaves or 500 grams bokchoy (pechay)
3 to 5 pieces siling haba or labuyo
salt and black pepper to taste
Sauté garlic and onions in cooking oil; cook until onions are translucent.
Add in sliced ginger and continue cooking until aromatic.

Add fish sauce and simmer. Put the sliced chicken pieces and lemon grass. Cover and let flavors absorbed
for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the coconut water (add enough water or chicken stock to make 4 to 5 cups) and Knorr chicken cube; cover until boiling. Drop in sayote and coconut meat. Cover and continue to cook until sayote is tender. Add sili leaves and siling haba. Taste and adjust seasoning.

KADYOS, BABOY AT LANGKA (KBL)
1 kilo Pata (pork hocks),
sliced or pork cubes
20 once (500g) young jackfruit
or 1 unripe jack fruit, cubed
1 cup Kadyos (pigeon peas)
1 piece Pork knorr broth cube
1 pack Tamarind-flavored sinigang mix or 8 to 10 pcs batwan fruit
8 to 10 cups water
Kamote tops (optional)
Salt and black pepper
In a pot, bring to boil 1cup kadyos in 4-6 cups water. Once boiling, lower the fire to simmer and cook until the beans are soft but not mushy. Put the pork pata in grill or broiler until it turns brown or medium cooked. Once cooked, cut into desired size, preferably 2 inches cubes. In the pot with the kadyos, add the sliced pork and continue boiling. Add more water if needed. Boil until pork is tender. Add the sliced young jackfruit and batwan. Continue boiling until jackfruit is tender. Add knorr pork cubes, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the desired tenderness of meat is achieved. (It is best if there is a tinge of sourness in the soup.) Serve hot with rice.

LASWA
No measurements, simply throw in available vegetables and adjust seasonings (patis or salt) on the amount of vegetables.
Red Onions, quartered
Minced garlic
Sliced Tomatoes
Squash (kalabasa), cubed
Patola, sliced
Eggplant, sliced
Okra, discard tough ends
Malunggay leaves
Saluyot (Jute leaves)
String Beans (Sitaw)
Takway (if available)
Fish Sauce/Salt
Optional: Kasag or Alimasag (blue swimming crab), prito or daing na isda, dilis, shrimps
Wash all the vegetables. Boil enough water with tomatoes, garlic and onions. Drop the squash cubes along with other hard vegetables or vegetables that take much longer time to cook, such as eggplant, patola, sitaw and takway. Add patis and the rest of the vegetables, once squash becomes tender. If using seafoods, place them on top of the vegetables. Cover and let come to boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are cooked to desired doneness. Season with more Patis or salt. Serve.

This and That:
Scorpio-born celebrants Glenn, Myrna and Gilda were given a fantastic party with lots of fun, giggles, delicious potluck foods and great company, making their very birthday truly memorable and special. Share your holiday recipes and I’ll include them in next month’s article; email them to viatimes@comcast.net. Blessings to you all this Holiday Season and Happy Holidays!