Working and living away from home gives me that nostalgic and longing feeling of home cooking. The aroma of sautéed garlic, onions, and tomatoes set the mood for homestyle cooking in Filipino homes. It is something that I love coming home to. Due to strict quarantine protocols, I can rarely go home these days that’s why I kept missing my homegrown dishes and delicacies. In this feature, I’ll introduce my top five (5) favorite Ilonggo dishes which you should try whenever you visit Iloilo. Most of them are easy to find in the streets and restaurants around the city. Some of them are like staples in Saturday lunch or Sunday beach getaway.
ROBERTO'S QUEEN SIOPAO
The first one on the list is Roberto’s Queen Siopao. Siopao is an indigenized version of the Cantonese steamed bun called cha siu bao. The common varieties of siopao are pork Asado and bola-bola. Siopao Asado is made up of a soft fluffy bun with braised and stewed pork shoulder, sliced boiled egg, soy sauce, salt, and pepper filling. On the other hand, siopao bola bola is made up of a soft fluffy bun filled with a meatball. This is a perfect snack for road trips, beach getaways, picnics, and school recesses. Roberto’s Queen siopao in Iloilo is exceptional because its bun is filled with bacon, Chinese sausage, Chicken-pork adobo, and egg.
Tinuom na manok is truly an Ilonggo savory dish that originated in the town of Cabatuan in Iloilo. “Tinuom” means “balot” in Filipino and “wrapped” in English. This dish is made up of native chicken seasoned with tomatoes, onion, and lemongrass wrapped in banana leaves (preferably saba leaves”. It is then served with the broth from where it is steamed. The spices and the native chicken’s natural taste and aroma are perfectly enticing for the palate Tinuom is excellently served with rice for lunch or dinner.
PANCIT MOLO
Rainy days in Iloilo are perfect when Pancit Molo is served. The name of this dish is derived from one of Iloilo City’s districts which is Molo. Chinese settlers in Iloilo influenced this dish to the Ilonggos. It is a unique take of Chinese wonton (dumpling) soup. This dish is made up of shredded chicken, meat-filled dumplings, and broth. Green onions and fried garlic are garnished to add more flavor. This is a pancit without a pancit dish that gives warmth on cold rainy days. It is available almost anywhere in Iloilo since it is cheap and easy to make.
One of the most favorite dishes of the Ilonggos is KBL which is Kadyos, Baboy (Pork), and Langka(Jackfruit). Kadyos is known as pigeon peas. Batwan or Garcinia binucao is used in souring this dish. It is difficult to find batwan outside this region in the Philippines. The secret in the procedure of making KBL is the grilling or broiling of the pork. This gives the luscious smoky taste of the broth of the dish. It is done in big batches since Ilonggos cannot have enough of it. KBL is always present during Saturday or Sunday family lunches.
LA PAZ BATCHOY
You can never leave Iloilo if you have not tasted La Paz Batchoy. This dish originated in the district of La Paz in Iloilo City. Batchoy or Ba chui (in Chinese) means pieces of meat. Batchoy is a noodle soup made up of crushed pork cracklings, beef loin, chicken stock, Miki (round noodles), and pork offal or organs (liver, spleen, kidney, and heart). Raw eggs or boiled eggs can be added to it. Batchoy is unarguably best paired with rice puto with gata. Batchoy brings back childhood memories of a laid-back summer afternoon snack together with family or friends.
These dishes resemble home. My palate is in heaven whenever I taste them since they bring memories of happiness, difficulties, hope, and of course, home. The distinct sense of flavor in every Ilonggo dish has a huge impact on the people who come and visit Iloilo. Whenever you come to the Philippines, take time to visit Iloilo and indulge in savory luscious warm dishes.
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