Kulinarya Tagala tour - Part 2

Grills and More
After a couple of hours of rest, we all proceeded to have dinner in Tayabas. As if we haven't eaten enough, dinner was a sumptuous meal of grills and more coconut dishes at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan in Tayabas, Quezon. We were treated to Sinigang na Hipon (Shrimps cooked in Tamarind Broth, Guinataang Suso (snails cooked in coconut cream), Grilled Smoked Tilapia, Grilled Pork ribs and Ice Cream served in a buko shell. I personally enjoyed the refreshingly fresh and sweet buko (young coconut) juice that somehow cleansed me of my sinful feasts that day.



Tagayan Ritual
Hoping that our full schedule would lead us to an early sleep-in, our guide then led us to Graceland estates' restaurant for the Tagayan ritual which highlights the traditional way of enjoying fine lambanog (coconut liquor). The ritual (which took about 1 1/2 hours) is led by the tanggero, who facilitates the pouring of the liquor and ensures that each one would have an equal share of the lambanog. Each member will drink from just one common shot glass. Admittedly, this is quite a turn off, especially if you are a food safety junkie, but, as our tanggero insists, the ritual is based on trust and respect for each other, thus, this practice is a must and is non-negotiable. The lambanog is measured, not by ounce but by the height of the fingers embracing the glass. Thus, when measured from its base, the more number of fingers would mean the higher the height of the lambanog in the glass is, therefore, the more the amount would be.



We were 25 in the group and there was a total of 3 rounds before the entire 500ml bottle was consumed. Water was used as chaser, though, as I practiced years ago during my college years in UPLB, Coke would have been better. Interestingly, should one refuse to drink their share, there is another person in the group who would gladly take over and drink it on their behalf. Not bad for those who love to drink.


Pancit Habhab
The following day, we went to see the production of the famous Pancit Habhab noodles in Lucban. What's interesting to note is that the noodles are baked, not fried unlike egg noodles.



Made primarily with flour, salt, shortening and water, it is rolled then kneaded, flatted and dried, cut and steamed, baked and packed. Habhab is the poor man's snack or meal, as mentioned by our tour guide. It is the affordable snack of the locals and the noodles are cooked with basic ingredients such as garlic, onions, diced pork, caldo (chicken and pork stock), sayote and carrot slices. It is traditionally served and eaten on a piece of banana leaf and eaten habhab style (meaning, with your one hand, lift the leaf to your mouth and enjoy the noodles without the use of a fork).


Lucban Favorites
Dealo Koffee Klatch owner Mrs. Valde graciously hosted our lunch plus a cooking demonstration of popular Lucban dishes such as hardinera (sweet and chunky pork meatloaf), budin (cassava cake) and longanisa lucban (local sausage).


Hardinera resembles Marikina City's everlasting, since both are traditionally molded in llaneras (oval shaped moulds used for leche flan) and steamed upon assembly. However, everlasting normally uses ground pork rather than diced pork.




Ugu Bigyan and Kulawo
Saving the best for last, our final stop was the Ugu Bigyan pottery place in Tiaong Quezon. With his works of art in beautiful forms of kitchen and home implements, Ugu's creations although pricey, boasts of the ingenuity and craftsmanship innate in Filipinos.


After our merienda of Pinaltok (glutinous rice balls in sweet coconut milk), mamon tostado with kulawo and sago't gulaman, we were taught how to make Kulawo (blanched banana heart in smoked coconut vinaigrette). It is a form of a salad since the coconut cream is not cooked but is just smoked and mixed with garlic, onions, chili and vinegar then tossed with the cooked banana heart and served best with fried fish or as an appetizer.


Of course, with each stop, one couldn't help but buy a pasalubong for their loved ones. As we head back to Manila, I realize that I have no less than 5 different pasalubong items for my family to enjoy. We Filipinos are truly blessed with such deliciously creative wonders. I am truly proud to be Pinoy!

My Southern Tagalog Food Tour - Part 1

So there we were, a group of foodies aboard a toyota coaster, who's primary objective was to learn authentic southern tagalog regional cuisine. It was a two-day activity, and we were all psyched up and ready to eat whatever looked perfectly edible during this trip.



Buko Pie, Chicken Pie
First stop was El Mare Buko Pie and pasalubong in San Pablo City. Pre-arranged by our tour guide, our stomachs were warmed by a generous serving of Arroz Caldo, Chicken Empanada and Coconut Macaroons in their quaint cafeteria. El Mare is known for its buko pie and chicken empanada.






As if not sinful enough, the arroz caldo had slices of chewy ox tripe and was served with tokwa't baboy in soy-vinegar sauce. The chicken pie, which i thought looked like hopia was surprisingly good, with its really meaty filling complete with raisins and bell peppers.




We were treated to a brief cooking demonstration afterwards. We found out that they use chicken breast meat for the empanada. The flaky dough is actually a combination of flour, salt, water and shortening and comes out very white, thus, to address this, they brush it with eggwash which provides a yellowish finish similar to hopia after baking.

Kusina Ni Salud
Twenty minutes later, we found ourselves in Kusina Salud, Patis Tesoro's vacation abode featuring various antique furniture and decor reminiscent of our grandparent's times. Here, you will truly marvel at the magnificent collection of pottery, woodwork and even classic doll collections. Be sure to have your cameras working, since the place is a nice spot for souvenir photos.


Da Coconut NutAs if we haven't just eaten, we were treated to a coconut lunch festival featuring the delightful ways and dishes that can be made with coconut. Soup was chicken binacol, a light soup of diced chicken, young coconut meat, coconut (buko)juice, tomato and ginger. It actually resembles our usual tinolang manok, with its distinct ginger flavor, but is further enhanced by the natural sweetness of the buko broth.

We were off to a good start, but the entrees were even better - Kulawo (boiled banana heart with smoked coconut cream sauce) with calamares; Adobo Antigo (braised pork in rhum), Laing (taro leaves in coconut cream sauce) with Lechon Kawali; Lumpiang Ubod (crisp fried spring rolls with coconut palm stuffing) and finally, Saba turon (Caramelized spring rolls stuffed with bananas)for dessert. After all the solids, we were also treated to a tall glass of lemongrass and pandan tea, really refreshing.





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Because the area is rich with edible fiddlehead ferns, the in-house chef demonstrated a simple salad recipe of fern, salted egg and various vegetables with honey-mustard and fish sauce-calamansi (Philippine lemon) dressing













Sariaya Delicacies
Next stop was Sariaya Quezon, where a local demonstrated to the group how to make Tamales, Espasol and local dishes which I've personally never heard of - Pirijil and Higote. The first two, uses ground rice as its base are two of the more popular pasalubong favorites in the area.


Made with steamed galapong (ground rice paste), it is blended with coconut milk or evaporated milk and cooked until very thick. It is rolled in ground and toasted rice, espasol is served in thin cylinders or sometimes cut into thin round cakes and packed in greaseproof paper or in boxes.


Tamales, on the other hand is made from raw galapong, then mixed with salt, pepper, ground peanuts and "caldo" (chicken/pork stock)and steamed with hard cooked eggs, boiled chicken or ham while wrapped in banana leaves.
Quezon has its own version of the sisig in the form of Pirijil and Higote. Using the esophagus of pork plus other innards like liver and lungs, these variety meats are boiled and then coarsely chopped. Our local then proceeded in sauteing these in garlic and onions and seasoning it with calamansi and soy sauce. The two are quite similar, although Higote would also incorporate finely chopped chicken neck as well - yup, complete with bones and skin, absolutely no waste.

Flavorwise, both had a more mellow flavor than the spicy sisig one is accustomed to. Our guide mentioned that the Tagalogs are fond of serving the best during special occasions, and to maximize the whole carcass of hogs they purposively slaughter for a special occasion, they utilize the innards in the form of these dishes.