marunggay solo dinengdeng

Dinengdeng a solsolo a marunggay. Marunggay, its leaves (and all its edibleness, fruit, and flowers), is simply my favorite leafy veggie, not just because of its richness in nutritive or mineral value, but because of its simplicity and versatility as a truly Ilokano vegetable, just like saluyot. I can make in it a quick salad express when I'm in a hurry for a meal, especially when I'm hungry for a kilabban....

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what's cooking: ilokano cooks are the best

Ilokanos, the lowly folks, can cook, and cook extraordinary dishes right in their backyards in simple makeshift stoves and with only firewood. Especially in some festive occasions where large amount of food are to be prepared, the Ilokanos are experts, they can make the most palatable and even most presentable dishes, out of even the most crude or most unconventional way, the "cowboy" way. This one here, you can see there an open pot...

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kardis, kadyos, pigeon peas

Dinengdeng a kardis with saluyot. [Photo from Sikat ang Camiling] Kardis (kadyos, pigeon pea, also called "pusi" in Ilocos region when dried), is an important vegetable legume all throughout the Philippines, in either its young pod or its dried seeds.It is the "K" in the popular KBL dish in the Visayas, the kadyos-baboy-langka combination of a dish of boiled pork knuckles and/or hocks. Ilokanos simply make the young pods and seeds into a dinengdeng...

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"The Dinengdeng Debate: Authencity and Cuisine"

An authentic Ilokano dinengdeng: prepared by an Ilokano, and cooked in bugguong no less. You've here tarong, sabong-kabatiti, kubay (bilonak, alugbati). So, the so-called debate on the "originality" or authenticity of regional dishes or cuisines, rages on. Still. Specially and specifically, this time around, on the venerated Ilokano dinengdeng... I'm surprised and apparently awed when I found this out featured by one of the most respected...

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more platefuls of ilokano dishes, labay 2

And here's more of the plates of Ilokano dishes I enjoyed. Back from previous sumptuous labays... (click on the photos for a larger view): Pakbet/paksiw a saluyot (also called tinimtiman a saluyot), and boiled mung beans with young langka....

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dinengdeng a mais, white corn stew/soup

Mais, corn, young corn kernel, is one of the best for soups, well, Ilokano-wise, Pinoy-wise. Well, besides being boiled and/or grilled on the cob. And the best, for me, is the small "native" diket (malagkit, "sticky") white corn. The dish is popular all over, it's called "sinuwam na mais" by the Tagalogs, the Ilokanos simply call it as "dinengdeng a mais....

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Filipino food is the 'next big thing'

(... and of course, Ilokano food!) The famous Ilokano pinakbet.Photo by Baltazar B. Simpliciano. By Veronica Meewes via TODAY.com Few types of cuisine are hard to find anymore. Mexican and Tex-Mex are readily available, Indian buffets are standard fare, sushi just seems to keep growing in popularity, and Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese are easily accessible. And food experts claim that Peruvian and Korean cuisine are the fare du jour. So...

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daludal, sagibsib, taro shoots/suckers

Paksiw (inalseman) a daludal. Aba (gabi, taro), besides its preferred leaves and stems, and its inevitable bagas (corm), is also an important vegetable specially among Ilokanos because of its daludal (or sagibsib, also sammimit), the shoot or sucker which grows from the corm. It can be consumed as regular veggie and can be in the company of other leafy greens and veggie fruits for a delicious and hearty dinengdeng, prized for its slimy...

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Home-cooked meals add to life expectancy

From time to time, as a respite, I'll be featuring some "guest" articles here, like this one about home-cooked meals, relevant to our quest for a more healthy lifestyle. Dinengdeng a marunggay being cooked at home. (click on photo for a larger view)  Tucking into a home-cooked meal up to five times a week could add years to your life, according to new research.The study, recently published in Public Health Nutrition by researchers...

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saluyot & tarong

What to do with these? Saluyot and tarong. And this tarong, the "white" variety (actually green but called "puraw a tarong") which is somewhat rare and not usually available every market time, and which is good for some simple tarong dishes. Saluyot ken tarong. (click on photo for a larger view) First with the tarong, I want it fried (prito a tarong) as this variety of eggplant is perfect for frying as it is...

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