The Legendary Rice Coffee

Ilocano's favorite coffee was not the expensive brewed coffee or the quick 3-1 coffee.

Think of coffee in Ilocandia and you will come to the traditional rice blend coffee. The coffee that was produced from rice milled grains that was charcoaled and pulverized and then mixed in the boiling several minutes. The sweets could be the muscovado or you may choose the sugarcane candy called "balikutsa".

rice blend coffee

Remembering the old coffee was the grandmother who wakes up very early in the morning, gather firewood and cooked the rice until it turn as very black or charcoal consequently pulverizing it.

But comes the new age was also the forgetting of this tradition of morning. Because of the instant coffee and the famous coffee shop and chain.

Pasingaw

pasingaw

Pasingaw

Pasingaw is another rice delicacy made from glutinous rice flour. It is made to sticky just like the kapet-kapet and calamay. Though not so popular just like other rice delicacy but it really good to include during special occasions.

Ingredients:

1 kilo of glutinous rice (pulverized)

White sugar

Ladek  (coconut granules from cooked oil)

Young coconut meat (grated)

Banana leaves

Best Merienda Ever

merienda

Think of best snacks for Ilocano and three things would come to mind, first is the empanada, second is okoy and third is the dip onions in sugarcane vinegar.

Empanada, empanadita for smaller version, is the crunchy wrap of crispy fillings of meat, egg, mongo beans and other vegetable. Deep fry to make it crunchy and served with that vinegar in onions slices with salt.

Kapet-Kapet

kapet-kapet

KAPET-KAPET

(Side Dish)

(Kapet-kapet is a rice delicacy semilar to other delicacies like the pasingaw and white calamay and other sticky and white rice delicacy made from rice flour or bellaay)

Ingredients

• ½ salop malagkit nagiling
• ½ puting asukal
• 3 pieces nakayod niyog
• 10 dahon ng pandan

Procedure

1. Ipakulo ang nakayod na niyog. Haluin ito hanggang maging malagkit.
2. Pakuluan ang pandan leaves.
3. Paghaluin ang malagkit at puting asukal. Gamitin ang tubig na pinagkuluan ng pandan leaves upang ihalo sa malagkat at puting asukal. Haluing mabuti hanggang lumapot.
4. Ibalot ang plastic wrapper sa ibabaw nito. Gamitin ang langis ng latik, ilagay ito sa ibabaw ng plastic at ikalat upang hindi kumapit ang ilalagay na malagkit.
5. Pagkatapos lagyan ng oil, lagyan ang bandehado ng hinalong malagkit.
6. I-steam sa malaking kawali.
7. Pag naluto na ang malagkit, hanguin ito at palamigin.
8. Lagyan ng latik ang ibabaw nito at irolyo ang malagkit (huwag isali ang plastic).
9. Hiwain ang nakarolyong malagkit.
10. Puwede nang i-serve.

Udang, Freshwater Shrimp

udang

Udang is what we refer to freshwater shrimps.The shrimp is favorite of all the shrimp because its best when added as ingredient to dinengdeng when this is fried. But it can also be good to other dishes like in coconut milk or even just braised and friend.

The shrimp catch when they grow more than half inch. But the best of udang when its grown up to 3 inches.During this time the shrimp is so red when cook and the meat is meaner and firm compared to the shrimp from sea or raised in fish ponds.

The shrimp usually lives in the rivers and streams particularly in a part of the body of water where there are more stones and grass or roots.

This freshwater shrimp could be the best shrimp because Ilocanos love the local vegetable and this is the best pair for a recipe.

Amazing Dishes Of Chef Wars 2017

The Chef Wars of Ilocos Sur, held every Kannawidan Festival showcased the skills and talents of students of colleges offering the course of Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM), Tourism and even the technical course related to cooking, pastry and baking through the initiative of Governor Ryan Singson.

     According to Judy Valencia, this year’s event coordinator said this is the 5^th year of Chef Wars. 13 schools from Ilocos Sur, La Union and Ilocos Norte participated and vied for the prizes P20,000 for 1^st place, P15,000 for 2^nd and P10,000 for 3^rd place. Every non-winning group also received P1,000 consolation prize.

     Three courses needed to be cooked in 2 hours: main dish called as Ilocos Fusion; the appetizer and the dessert. Dessert should be made from ‘bellaay’—giving this rice flour twist into international quality.

     The judges that includes Chef Raymund Quitilin of Hotel Luna, Chef Mark Anthony Esteban of Hotel Venetto de Vigan and Rosita Malabag from academe will judges the dishes according to their hospitality industry presentation, hygiene and sanitation, taste on distinct flavors and aroma.

     Below are the photos of the dishes according to category, my apologies because I did not write the name of some of the dishes.

Ilocos Fusion

ampalaya con poque-poque

bagnet with mash potato

igado ala embotido

longaplant in POQUE-POQUE sauce

rolled dinakdakan with mash potato