Squash Crunchiest

We have the squash crispies and then the squash shoestring.

Sounds weird but both are nutritious and delicious. Because these are made from squash, fried into crispness and crunchiness.

Crispies are sliced into thin flakes and fried to become an awesome snack.

Shoestring is not used for shoes but are actually  pringles like squash snack, sized into sticks and fried to become a good food.

Both are vacuum fried-- the process of frying without the cooking oil. So the real taste, color and smell are all intact and not altered by this process of cooking.

That means the power of vitamin A and all other vitamins and minerals in this favorite vegetable fruit are all in there.

That also means squash is now also for snack and not only for our pinakbet and dinengdeng dishes.

Level up for our yellow vegetable fruit. And it is crunchy and crispy just like our junky snack food.

Of course kids now will love squash. No more forcing them to eat the yellow fruit because its good for their eyes.

And thanks to Department of Science and Technology For such innovations they are introducing to the community.

Squash now can be a nice treat to our family.

Onionology

So what's all about onionolgy? Is it all about the study on science of onions and its components, characteristics, purposes, history etcetera etcetera?

Nah, its simply food. Onionology is just all about the crispy and crunchy of this vegetable that often used as spice and condiments to our favorite dish.

Coming to the next level of its purpose. It is now one of the snack food in plastic that we usually enjoy during merienda or while watching television.

Thanks to the process called vacuum frying. The smelly and odorous onion is now a crunchy snack food.

You bet its all natural snack food because the color and the taste are all still there. The difference, as I have said, its crispy. Crispy like those potato chips.

The machine called vacuum frying do it all. Frying without oil. The end product is clean and tasty. Actually, anything can become crunchy with this machine; from green leafy vegetable to rootcrops to fruits and even meat and fish.

It could be worst nightmare to eat onions uncook or even when cook. Its not even good even when its pickled. The best answer, onionology, the crunchy and tasty onion as snack food.

And Now Goat's Meat In Ready To Eat Pack

That's true, now in pouch, the Ilocano's most precious meat is in ready to eat pack. Correct, goat's meat now in pouch in different recipes. That's because the Don Mariano Marcos State University who made this innovation. Thanks to Department of Science and Technology who help them with this project.

Imagine chevon in recipes like sisig, pinapaitan, sinampalokan and bulgogi are in sealed pack and you don't need to cook them in very long time but just have to re-heat.

The famous kilawen and kaldereta have also been in the pack though with other producer.

You know, Ilocanos so much love goat's meat. In fact a restaurant serving kilawen and kaldereta always in queue of people ordering the goat's menu.

Any party and occasions will not be complete with the chevon meat in the table.

Because chevon is so precious there is actually a shortage of the meat. People raise goat for personal consumption. Sometimes you want to have chevon but nowhere to buy.

And now the easy and practical way to have chevon delicious dish is the grasp.

Not yet in the market but someday when investor put money here it will not be hard to have the chevon meat in our meal.

Tupig

Do you know tupig?

Its one kind of rice delicacies Ilocano love to have for special occasions. Its made from glutinous rice added with young coconut milk, red sugar and wrapped with wilted coconut leaf in elongated form.

Different towns different tastes and ways of cooking. One place I truly love their tupig is the town of Luna of La Union province.

I always buy tupig being cooked and sold along the way. You can see the vendors cooking the tupig in their traditional way by being place the made tupig atop the fire or charcoal. The wilted banana is dried in heat and will be removed when the food is truly cook.

And inside the banana leaf is the brown and delicious rice delicacy that really taste good with the brown glutinous rice and the brown sugar. The coconut is young meat. And because it was done in the street you know its freshly bake. In fact you can buy while its hot.

And its cheap. Its good to have it as merienda while enjoying the beautiful tourist attractions of the are like the Bahay na Bato or the pebble beach.

Fried Tarukoy

Fried tarukoy

Its an Ilocano crab, at least as far as I know about tarukoy. The crablet is commonly found in the sandy part (usually white sands) of the sea shore that has white color.

The whitish sea crab commonly dig holes where they hang out. When not disturb, many of them came out from that holes and hang around the beach. I remember when we were children chasing them until they return to their holes or running to the waters.

And now they are good food. Because I saw this food during one of the occasion and learned this is recipe of one of the hotels there, I cannot detail how they made this gourmand recipe of crab. What I know is that its deep fried to crunchiness and dip with vinegar. Eat all you can, nothing left from feet to body. And has a good taste in fact the served in our table gone in 60 seconds that we need to call the waiter again.

But the crab itself is a raw food. People living in the seashore catch them and eat them alive. Exotic one? Maybe. People said the tastier taste of the crab especially when dip in vinegar with pepper.

I actually eaten one, raw, and I like the taste. I just don't know how to describe it. The shell and feet are softer and you can bite without the worry of hard shell.

Try it.

Wild Ampalaya Leaves In Wild Mushroom

Dinengdeng: wild ampalaya leaves and wild mushroom

Speaking of wild food, this is good one.

Maybe its bitter-sweet thing. I mean how Ilocano love wild ampalaya leaves than the farm-grown bitter gourd. The rainy days are the most prolific season of the vegetable. They are everywhere, in the bushes, mountains and backyards.

Then we have the seasonal mushroom that grows  in the wilderness of your rural place. The dark brown and white stem wild mushroom that can only be harvested during the rainy seasons. We often say its the flower of lightning and thunders because it usually popped out in the ground the next morning when lightning strikes.

This is the best combination among wild things. Its like partners in crime. The taste of food is subtle... bitterly subtle.

Ilocanoes usually cook it with lots of water together with other ingredients. Yes, dinengdeng. But of course the ampalaya and mushroom is different from other dinengdeng of green leafy and vegetables fruit.

Good to have it. I don't know if this is exotic food but one thing I know for sure, its a good food. 

The Exotic Food Abal-abal (June Beetle)

Call it abal-abal in Ilocos and salagubang in Tagalog, june beetle (or may beetle) is a good food, an exotic one preferred mostly in northern Philippines.

And we have a good cook on it like frying to the crunchiest that when you bite you can hear the crisp from your mouth. We have an iluko word on it, "kumarandikang" and "nagsaramsam".

Too bad this is just once in a year food. Its only during rainy season. And best quality for abal-abal is in the month of May-- when the rain starts to fall. During this time the beetle is said to be meaner and tastier.

Very common that when you go to thrift market many vendors are selling the bug in per ganta or kilo. And its not cheap.

Cooking could be very simple for the household. After removing the wings and feet all you need is to prepare the ingredients for paksiw or adobo: sugarcane vinegar, pepper, salt, laurel leaf and soy (for adobo). Put them together and cook for several minutes.

One secret for some people is deep frying after adobo. The sip of the juice is very tasty. Meat is like chicken.

People would catch or buy abal-abal in bulk. They would cook it at once and stack for future days. They would do it as preparation to the coming months the bug would be nowhere to found. At least they still have the food.

Catching beetles would be fun. During the start of the month of May when first rain fall people also preparing the things needed catching beetles that would come out from soft or sandy soil. People usually use the leaves of the plant biday or the branches of mansanita that beetles really love the aroma.

The next time you visit Ilocos, try this exotic food, one of the best appetizer or pulutan.

Halo-halo De Iloko

In San Fernando La Union Philippines there's one place famous of vintage style restaurant with old bottles and other stuff.

But there's one food that also catch your eyes and taste buds- the halo halo. It catches your eyes because of something innovative style of serving. It catches your tastebuds because the taste, of course.

Something unique, I said, because instead of using glass bottle or bowl they are using fresh coconut fruit. And it really makes you craving. It added interest.

The halohalo ingredients are all in the coconut (sago, milk, ice cream, fruits among other). The yumminess and sweetness are all inside. Of course you can have the fresh cocowater and fresh flesh.

Well, this is the Ilocano way of serving the halo-halo. 

Locals Cook Dishes From Oyster

They have this celebration called 'tirem festival'. Tirem is local name for oysters.

From the month of February to May the season of oysters in the river they called 'sabangan' is at its peak. Sabangan is where the saltwater and freshwater meets and abundance of oyster is there.

The village of Paypayad, Candon City, Ilocos Sur celebrating the abundance of oysters in the first days of May.

They had the cooking contest with the oysters as their main ingredient. Its one of their highlighted event.

Its just an informal contest, cooking easy meals and just integrating the flesh of the oyster.

Here's what they got.
Oyster In Pansit

Correct, oyster can be a good ingredient for a yummy pansit (stir fry noodles). That's the proof. And of course pansit is a versatile food which work in anything like daing and meatballs and why is not to oyster. Love the taste of softy and salty pansit with oyster.

Jar Of Condiments

The Ilocano just went to the next level with jars. And its cute to see them in a glass jar with awesome label and good outlook.

I saw them in display in the trade fair and exhibits of Candon City fiesta. The bugguong, aramang, sapsapuriket among others are deliciously in glass jar. Made by one of the period restaurant in Candon, the Cafe Bossa.

Here are some of the products:
Bugguong Ipon

Spicy Tuyo

Spicy Ipon

Bacalao

Sapsapuriket

How To Cook Tinungbo

Ilocos food tinungbo

Tinungbo is the traditional method of cooking rice mostly in the mountainous part of Ilocandia.

Very few this way is being done now, during special occasions and picnic only.

Tinungbo is when you cook rice not using pan but bolo-- a kind of bamboo with thin layer. Bolo is the best kind of bamboo because of thinness that makes the heat penetrate inside and rice easy to cook.

How to cook tinungbo?

1. Choose one node of bamboo and in one end make hole.
2. Put the cleaned rice in the hole.
3. Add right amount of water.
4. Make some fire with firewoods and above it put the nodes of bamboos with rice.
5. Cook in time turning the bamboo once in a while.

Immediately served the cook rice. This is the best time to eat tinungbo, while it is still hot. Serving tinungbo after hours will make the rice harder.

Tinungbo has the distinction of taste because of the bamboo. While cooking may be challenging because of the right amount of heat but having it in the meal is fulfilling.

With rice cookers and modern tech of cooking in the kitchen trying this old school way could be rewarding to our feeling.

Buridibod Dish

Know this, buridibod dish cannot be buridibod without the rootcrop kamote as main ingredient. This makes difference to famous dinengdeng-- another homegrown recipe of Ilocanos.

Of course, one of the vegetable that should be in the recipe is edible tree fruit called allukon. Allukon is ab elongated kind of soft and furry fruit about the length 3 to 5 inches. It is colored green but when fully ripen turn to brown. There's a variety of tree that round shape fruit of allukon that is also edible and most preferred by other regions.

Then there's kumpitis a kind of green and common pod bean but only smaller. The fruit is harvested when not fully ripe because it is the best time to consume the bean.

There may be other ingredients like string beans, squash blossoms and others but the most important is the kamote rootcrop.

One best ingredient to add aside from these vegetables is fish. A grilled or fried tilapya or bangus make this soup based dish very alluring to have in the table. It is not advisable to add kind of meat. Fish just make the dish awesome.

Buridibod is a great alternative against dinengdeng or inabraw and other veggy dishes like pinakbet.

Of course, do not forget the bagguong to saute the the taste to make the dish very Ilocano.

Homecook Sinigang Na Malaga

If there is one dish that Ilocano usually cook, its sinigang. Living mostly in coastal areas, the abundance of fishes just make it one of the favorite main ingredient of the soury soup base dish. And malaga fish is one at the top of the list of the fishes considered for sinigang.

Malaga is an indigenous fish commonly found in the river where the saltwater and freshwater meet. The right salinity of the water makes this flat and mean fish grow suited to what it needs.

How to cook Sinigang Na Malaga

What you need:

3 kg malaga fish

1 bundle of kangkong (horse radish) young leaves

5 pieces non-hot chili

3 okra (lady finger fruit)

Gabi, mashed

1 cup juiced tamarind

3 pieces tomatoes

Onions

Patis (fish sauce)

Seasoning

5 pieces shrimps

2 pieces string beans

PROCEDURE

1.       Boil water

2.       Put mashed gabi and then tomatoes

3.       Put other vegetables like the string beans and cook for a half minute

4.       Put okra and then malaga fish and cook for 2 minutes

5.       Put all other ingredients for 3 to 5 minutes

6.       Serve

Daing Of Santo Tomas La Uniom

Daing

Speaking of daing or dried fish, the town of Santo Tomas of the province of La Union is synonyms to it. Located along the national highway, you'll know you're here because of the aroma of daing along the way.

So, when you speak of danggit or pingka/ bulong unas, daing-pusit among other kinds of dried fish, this is the place to be.

Of course, Ilocano's breakfast will not be completed if daing in vinegar is not around the table. Blame it to the distinctive taste of daing which is salty and sour and sometimes sweet.

According to Elizabeth Galera, agricultural technologist of municipal agriculture of the said town the fishermen who are engage in daing making have their association. Fishermen from barangay Damortis, Narvacan, Cupang, Kasantaan, Ubagan and Cabaroan are mostly engage in daing making.

She said the abundance of many kinds of fishes taught these fishermen to make daing to preserve the supply of fish.

It is now the One Town One Product or OTOP of Santo Tomas.

HOW TO MAKE DAING?

Its not really hard to make daing according to Elizabeth. All you just need is a good amount of salt.

1. Clean the fish thoroughly eliminating the fresh blood. The blood may cause the germs and bacteria of not eliminated. It will also invite flies and other insects.

2. Soak in salt thoroughly.

3. Sun dry the fish by putting in the fish nets. Depending on the intensity of sunlight, sun drying of fish may take one to three days. It also depends of kinds and sizes of the fish.

All the fishes have the same technique of fish drying. Usually, the 3 kilos of fish will just become 1 kilo after drying.

Fishes usually made into daing includes dalag baybay, espada, malaga, baraangan, billit among others.

Level Up In Cacao Products

The town of Salcedo in Ilocos Sur is on the track of making cacao products to the next level. In fact they're celebrating Cacao Festival during the month of March to place their cacao in the map of chocolates.

Tableya, one of the traditional chocolate of Ilocos have the history in this place. During those early years when the old folks gather cacao beans in their backyard tree and made it into tableya. Congressman Eric Singson of Candon City recalled he's buying this choco tablet when he was still a child.

Salcedo now is the major producer in Ilocos of cacao that includes seedlings, fruits, seeds and the products like chocolate, jam, tableya among others.

And they wanted to push to a bigger recognition.

There tableya now is not just wrapped in plastic and papers. It is now beautifully presented with nice packaging and wrapping. The local producers have their designed in very attractive package with the brand name, contents and manufacturing informations.

The tableya could be the best alternative when giving gifts  to special people we have. And the taste is still the same taste of choco tablet our old folks cook for us. Though, of course, as part of innovations, some local manufacturers made some improvement in the taste.

And to make name in the larger map markets they developed their version of dark chocolates and other types of chocolates. We all love chocolates and produced in Salcedo will surely give some exquisite taste on our tongue.

Then come other products like the cacao vinegar and cacao jam.

Well maybe scarcity of chocolates in the whole world in the coming of years will not happen in Ilocos. Cacao seedlings are in full blast to combat the predicted scarcity. The seeds are just keep on multiplying.

No fear, chocolates will not be gone.

Soya Milk

So, this is for vegan's.
Not for those who don't prefer dairies.

The summer bring out this milk from soybeans and being sold as very cold drink. Such a nice quencher when the day's mercury rose to more than 38 degrees Celcius.

And the kids love it because of of different taste from dairy milk. Though some adults skip like the way they skipped taho or tofu.

According to one seller I asked, making soymilk is not really that hard.

"Have to cook the soya beans in water until it become soft. Have to filter the residue and skins and then cook again the liquified soya but this time add some sugar. Put in container or cup then chill in the ref."

Very easy.

Because it is made from soya beans it is vegetarian milk. Packed with the health benefits of the soya.

Just like taho it cost less, cheaper than any kind of milk.

Common Summer Fruits In Ilocos

Ilocos becomes a fruit basket to many endemic and common summer fruits. There are some exotic like the sour fruit allagat and some favorite like sarguelas.

The basket is colorful from the different fruit colors like purple, yellow, red, green, black to orange. Each of the feuit got distinctive taste from sweet, sour and tastless.

And because its some, here are some of the most common fruits that can be found in Ilocos. This fruits are all over the place. Some are being sold in the market though many are just rotting in the branch of the tree.

Kaimito

The tree come only fruits during summer. The round shape fruit become shiny when ripe. During the early stage the feuit is green but when gets ripen it turns to purple, though some remain gree.

It is sweet and juicy. Mostly eaten as it is but some prefer adding some milk. Some want it in blender. It has few seeds in the fruit that can be easily remove. The abundance of the fruit come only during summer that most are wasted under its tree.


Kamantiris/Kamatsili

Some variants call it damortis and in English they call it monkeypod. The ripen fruit pulp varies to white and light red though the skin turns to red from green. Commonly found along river sides but thriving in dry lands. The tree is a kind of big one and the branches have small thorns.

The fruit is a kind of pod. Many of its variants got a harsh taste of fruit even when pinky ripe. But there are varieties that are so sweet and tasty. This is also the kind of kamatsili that birds love to eat. Just like other tree it bear fruit once a year only.

Star Apple Mango

The popular carabao or native mango in the Philippines is the most popular one because of the very nice taste of the fruit.

There is one kind of mango that considered to be best to consume when unripen and just disregarded when fully ripen. This is the star apple mango. The unripen one especially during early stage is slice thinly and dip in bagguong or aramang and the sour taste is just so lovely to mouth. When ripen the skin turn pink and just rotten under the tree.

Chiko

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Also known as sapodilla was introduced in the Philippines through Spanish colonization. Though it said bears fruit twice a year but its the summer  it bear more of this round and brown fruit. Inside the ripen fruit is brown to yellowish. Birds love the fruit. Not all people gonna love the taste that is like sweetened liquor or wine. And during summer, the fruits are all over the area.

Sugarcane Juice, For Sale

Beat the heat of summer season with sugarcane juice-- organic, natural and healthy, no preservatives, no added sugar and other flavoring, only the pure extracted juice from the cane.

The 'in' juice now are commonly found in the streets, trade fair and exhibits and even the malls.

Because its so easy to prepare all you need are sugarcane, extractor and the plastic cups or glass. The vendor would just run down the canes to the juice extractor and get the juice. Well some guys adding some ice cubes to chill it.

Ten pesos per cup.

So many juices in the streets now: buko (coconut), mango, and the flavored palamig but lets try the sugarcane juice. Anyway its packed with the vitamins and minerals direct from fresh sugarcane extract.

And it taste sweet.

Best Way To Cook Small Clams Known As Unnok

Unnok soup

What is unnok? It is a kind of edible small clam commonly found in the shallow and sandy part of the freshwater river or in saline part of the beach where the freshwater and saltwater meets. Ilocano call it unnok.

The color of the shells are usually dark with the combination of brown, black, a little bit of yellow and orange. The flesh inside is white. The sizes are more or less half inch and no more than inch in size.

Fishermen and villagers along the shoreline usually gather this kind of shell (including the so called luslusli) through hands. They dig the sands with hands and gather them at around 2 to 5 inches deep.

HOW TO COOK?

Of course there are many ways to enjoy the clams like salad, soup, grill and even making them as salted condiments.

Our best way of cooking is very elementary, so simple anyone can do it.

Of course this after you wash the shells. Put them in a bowl.

In a pan just boil water. Add ginger  desired amount of salt, season it with seasonings, add sliced onions and tomatoes and wait until it boil. You may add some vegetable leaves like pechay.

When it is already boiling, take off from the stove and put the soup in the shells.

The shells will voluntarily open its shell for easy eating.

Enjoy the taste of unnok.

Crispy Fried Okra

Not the usual snack for your merienda time.

Tired of the usual banana cue, pizza, pansit, hamburger and chichiria for your snack? Try veggie snack, try very crunchy okra or lady finger for your merienda.

Its crispy that it cracks like potato chips in your mouth, its tasty like your French fries and its healthy and nutritious because its vegetable.

Its okra, only with the twist. The same green color and the same taste. But when you bite, its like the chips or chicharon.

Its crispy and fried. But its not just frying. The process called vacuum frying is making the okra crispy without the oil. Only the frying that retains the texture, color and taste. And it can also be good to other rootcrops, fruits and peels and vegetable.

So, the next you need the break of snack, try the crispy okra, I'm sure you will love it. Do not change the habit to snack, just change to healthier and tastier food you eat. Go for healthier and veggie food.

I'm sure anyone will love this.

Dinakdakan

Dinakdakan is an Ilocano food usually tender meat that was initially run in fireto ooze the oil and then slice in thin part and added with the very important ingredient... the brain.

It's not any part of the pork's meat, it should be from the neck to head. Cleaned thoroughly, half-cooked and the partly run to the fire or charcoal.

When in desired size it will put in bowl and just added with desired season to taste, a little bit of salt, pepper to make it spicy, vinegar to suite the taste and lastly the most important ingredient (but optional) the brain of the pork.

Its common the dish is served during special occasions of Ilocano like birthday, weddings christening and special days like fiesta, Christmas, new year among others.

Actually, dinakdakan should only be for pulutan, its the good partner for beer and gin but as ilocano love the dish it is now being serve at special gatherings.

Though the mashed brain is optional but is is one that define the dinakdakan. Vinegar and salt alone can make the dish. But when that special ingredient is added it become extraordinary.

Sea Urchin Festival Of Ilocos

In the coastal town of Santiago Ilocos Sur they started the festival for sea urchin. They call it "maritangtang festival".

The ricci de mare of Ilocos is gaining popularity and market.  Well people just believe its a good aphrodisiac.  Of course its the unique taste of yellow to orange roe that really captivated them.

The celebration includes the contest among fishermen from 6 coastal barangays of the town. The contests are biggest sea urchin and the heaviest which got 5 grams this year.

Then there's the cooking contest that brought local recipes among the fishermen. Well, the very common steaming and eating as roe are the very popular thing for them. Cooking is unusual.

But they come up with good dishes that includes Lumpia with Maritangtang that won the grand prize.

The Maritangtang With Paria (ampalaya) got the second prize and many of the judges appreciated the dish because of combining the roe and bittergourd leaves.

Other dishes are "maritangtang soup" and "sea urchin con cardis".

The festival was initiated by board member Gina Cordero and town Mayor Josefino Miranda. Sponsored by provincial government through Governor Ryan Singson.

The provincial government lauded the festival as it wants to establish seafoods centre in the province.