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.

Marabukakaw, Spotted Hard Shell Crab

marabukakaw in sinigang

In Ilocos we call this crab “marabukakaw”—a kind of hard shelled brown crab with three spots in its back. Commonly found in the rocky part of coastal in Ilocos it is called “camilo” in Batangas (as what I search online). But aside from these names, I could not get the English name except it’s a hard shelled 3 spotted crab.

Hard as may it seem with its brown shell but it’s a delicious food among Ilocanos particularly in coastal areas. It’s a rare you can find this crab in the market in our place. This is usually being sell by the fish vendor who roam around the villages.

Just like any crabs the most common for this food is sinigang. Of course it can also be cook over the heat we call “tinuno”. There are other recipes but this is the common for this crab.

Sinigang, the tamarind based soup is usually for homecook. You just need the usual ingredients which is tamarind fruit (for sour tasting), onions, young leaves of non-hot chili or kamote and of course the salt and other seasoning.

Cook as sinigang. Just like that… just add the marabukakaw or hard shells crab and serve in the table. As I have said, the shell is hard so you need some knives to crack the shell from the bottom.

The rock may be hard as rock but the taste is yummy as… well, seafood. You going to love it.###

How To Cook Sapsapuriket

sapsapuriket

Sapsapuriket is an Ilocano cuisine of native chicken in its blood. Using the coconut milk and other ingredients, this very Ilocano dish is famous during special occasions in homes like birthday celebrations or anniversaries.

During the Tobacco Festival 2017 of Candon City fiesta, a cooking contest was held and one of the dishes to be prepared was sapsapuriket. The Farmers Association of zone 3 composing Alex Almazan, Ismael Lozano and Elmer Perez presented this recipe of sapsapuriket.

What you need?

1 native chicken with its blood

¼ butter

1 piece onion

1 ginger

3 cloves garlic

Ground pepper

Coconut milk

Seasoning

How To Cook.

1.       Prepare all the ingredients

2.       Dissolve the butter in small heat.

3.       Sauté the chicken meat with garlic, onion and ginger until the color become reddish.

4.       Add small amount of water and let it boil making the meat tender.

5.       Add the coconut milk.

6.       Let it boil until the water decreases.

7.       Add the chili pepper.

8.       Add the chicken blood and stir thoroughly.

9.       Sautee to taste with salt and seasoning.

10.   Ready for plating

ramanam

Dinengdeng, Ilocano Dish

dinengdeng, ilocosboy

Ilocano are people located in the northernmost part of the Philippines.  One food so popular with them is called dinengdeng or fish sauce (baggoong) soup base.  Only us can really appreciate the taste of dinengdeng which is mostly composed of vegetable leaves like jutes (saluyot) leaves, malunggay (horseradish) leaves or pods, bamboo shoots, eggplants, squash blossoms and other kinds of vegetables.  Depending on where region an Ilocano leaves, ingredients may differ according to their culture.

But the main ingredients and will never be dismissed is the fish sauce or baggoong.  Dinengdeng will never be dinengdeng in the absence fish sauce.  Of course, adding some ingredients may be necessary like putting the dried shrimp, fried tilapia (freshwater fish) or grilled milkfish .