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. 

Healthier Noodles With Vegetable Twist

miki

            Have you ever heard of “mikilungay” and “mikikalabasa” and “mikiampalaya”?

            In Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, Nemia  Sinabal is making not just a twist of noodles but it is making healthier and nutritional. Well, it’s simply adding the nutrition of vegetables like malunggay (moringga) and the kalabasa (squash) and ampalaya (bitter gourd) in her noodles through her Nimia’s Miki.

            No preservatives. Healthier packed with the nutrition value coming from these vegetables. This is not a noodles, its super-noodles.

Special Crispy Opia

So crispy and so crunchy, have you ever thought that a kind of our favorite hopia would be like this. This why many people—in local and even abroad – are so crazy to have this Special Krispy Hopia.

Actually, this krispy snack food made from the Ilocano “bellaay” or powdered rice have been here and cooked by the old folks long time ago particularly in Pandayan, San Juan, Ilocos Sur. Not until Engr. Arlene Singson ventured and made this available for the people longing for the taste of the rice crispy snack.

Jenny Priala, one of the cook of Lemar’s Food Product said the main ingredient is made from the bellaay combining the regular rice and the glutinous rice. Added with the sesame seed and a little bit of sugar, the crispy Krispy become a favorite.

How To Make Tableya

ilocano tableya

Tableya is the simplest form of chocolate. The original color as never alters with artificial food coloring. The original taste was there as it was not added with milk or any kind of nuts. Except for a little bit of sugar to sweetened, tableya is the original form of chocolate made directly from cacao fruits traditionally.

Cacao fruits now are not just kind of fruit that children sipped the nectar because of the sweetness then throw away the seeds. People now know the fruit is the best and only source of chocolate. So throwing them elsewhere is not a good thing to do. Make it into tableya.

How to make tableya the traditional method?

Bunog, The Ilocano Fish Favorite

Bunog fish and the dishes include paksiw and fried.

Bunog is a kind of freshwater fish commonly found in the shallow parts of river, lakes and ponds.

The fish usually grow up to around 4 inches when maturity but can be harvested when it reaches 1 inch or more. The fish also have tiny fish scales but it’s fleshy specially the upper body. The stomach part becomes bulky and that’s because of eggs in it. That would be the best part to it.

There are many recipes for bunog but Ilocanos usually cooked this as pinaksiw or cook in vinegar with onions, pepper, salt, ginger. This is common recipe because it’s a fast cook dish. Folks love this goby fish because of the roe that makes the tummy bulker. When cooked as pinaksiw, the roe make it so tasteful that they choose the tummy part to eat.

How To Make Ata-Ata Dish

ATA-ATA dish

Ata-ata is an Ilocano food made from very lean meat of either cow or carabao. For common Ilocano meat eaters this is first class meat dish especially when added with the so called "papait".

The meat is thoroughly cleaned and is cut into desired sizes, sometimes is smaller cube sizes. Yes sir the meat will not be cook but just let the vinegar or calamansi to sterilize and mint the meat.

Add some ingredients like chopped white onions, pepper, ginger and other seasoning that you want to add.

Papait is signature to Ilocano ata-ata dish because of the bitter-sweet taste of the meat.

Of course, though considered to a good food in every meal but the best serving of ata-ata is with favorite wine or beer.