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.