How To Make The Best Kilawen

Ilocano food, Kilawen

Kilawen is an Ilocano favourite recipe served from a raw/half cooked meat of goat, cow, pork and fish. Usually it has lots of onions, onion leaves, pepper, ginger and other spices. The meat is cooked not by fire but through the acidity of organic vinegar or juice extract of citrus fruits like calamansi.

But speaking of kilawen, it’s most kin is goat’s milk.

Who dare to eat kilawen or raw goat’s meat?  Only Ilocano can really appreciate this dish.  We love it so much that we can really sweep the bowl of kilawen upon serving in the table. 

How do we make the best kilawen? Is there any secret ingredient in making good kilawen recipe?  Here are some tips or practices we do to make kilawen an all-time favourite.

1.  Sliced the meat very thin.  Don’t make it too thick that you can’t chew it well.  So, it must be thinly sliced. The spices and taste will also be easily absorbed.
2. Choose the young meat of goat. The tender of the young meat is tastier and meaner.
3. It’s also good to run the meat in fire to neutralize the smell and taste.

Kilawen is not only the made from animal’s skin or meat but in some recipe it is also made from liver and other internals like the liver.

Ramanam!