kaliente, boiled beef skin ceviche

Kaliente made in Tuguegarao City.

Kaliente or simply naanger a lalat (ti baka wenno nuang) is a popular pulutan (finger food) in the Ilocos region and elsewhere. It's cow's or carabao's skin boiled for hours until sticky tender and then made into a kind of kilawen or ceviche: garnished with vinegar or calamansi, salt, chopped onions, minced ginger, and if available, mashed with some of the cow's brain for a creamy texture and more tasty appeal, just like dinakdakan.

Beef hide or skin is naturally tough so preparing it for a chewy soft kaliente entails a lot of time and patience boiling it in low fire to become tender. You can either prefer it tougher or softer by testing and tasting the boiling skin. Boil it some more if you want a more tender kaliente. 

Cut, dice the drained cooked skin into bite pieces. Spice it up and season it and stir/mix thoroughly for the flavor to seep in perfectly and completely into the skin pieces.

And this is it, the kaliente is ready. It can be served hot or slightly chilled. Spice it more with pepper or chili if you it hot.

:::::