World Class Chefs
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Ramilo (Ram) Villaluna
Ram is a budding chef from Iloilo City (Molo). He gained his training in Culinary Arts at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies under food guru Gene Gonzalez, Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kumpps) in New York. He took up bread making, and he studied food styling under Delores Custer of the Culinary Institute of America. It all started in Antique where his father owned a restaurant many Antiquenos learned to love. He continued the culinary legacy of his father and now, Ram owns a catering business, Cindy\'s Catering. Food is Ram\'s life, seriously speaking. I am short in saying that he is married to the food industry that, he spends most of his time teaching and mentoring at the Department of Culinary Arts at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo. If one cannot find him in the classroom, Ram will be on the road crisscrossing Iloilo and Antique having first hand in the management of his thriving businesses from both provinces. He also has a once-a-week TV show in GMA 7 \"Food Trip\". I met with Ram once before and he exudes perfectionism, the character that will beam him up to the limelight of culinary arts. At present time, Ram is extremely busy in Manila. I believe he is one of the finalists in The National Food Showdown 2010 sponsored by ABS-CBN. We wish you all the luck, Ram! Maybe, after this showdown, Ram will have the opportunity share favorite recipe here at ILONGGO LIVING.
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Archive for April, 2010
Puto (Steamed Rice Cake)
April 28, 2010
I overheard from the chat box in Casa Baluarte the frustration and subsequent hesitation of my fellow bloggers Natie and Cecilia about making puto (steamed rice cake) from scratch. Cecilia never dared at all as she’s unsure of the result and, surely, puto can be bought at a Filipino store at her convenience. Well, tarry no more my friends, my chef is more than eager share her easy, no-nonsense puto recipe with you. If you want, you can visit my friend Noel’s site, Overseas Pinoy Cooking if you want a fancy Puto Special recipe. Give it a try and be proud! You will enjoy making your own puto, way better-tasting than the ones you buy from the stores. Take my word for it!
RECIPE:
Ingredients – 2 cups plain flour or rice flour, 1 cup sugar, 6 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2tbsp. oil or melted butter, 1 1/2 cup milk, 3 eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Procedure- mix all ingredients in a large bowl, stir until it’s smooth in texture (bubble free). Spray the muffin pan with PAM. Fill the mixture into the well and then put it in a large steamer.
After mixing the batter well, fill up the muffin pan. Do not overfill as the puto will rise when it's cooked.
Place pan in the steamer, cover and let it steam until cooked (about 10 -12 minutes).
Using a tong, remove pan from steamer once cooked and let it cool off for a bit before removing puto from the pan.
There you go, your home made puto, tastes delicious!
As an option, one can add pandan extract to modify the flavor & color of your puto. In this case, add 1 tsp. of pandan extract to the batch before steaming.
For people who wants vibrant-colored puto, one can add food coloring to each individual batches or portions of a batch you have prepared before steaming.
Flatbread – To bake or not to bake?
April 26, 2010
There are about dozens of different kinds of bread available at the supermarket. A few of them we buy regularly and are considered as family’s favourite. Flatbread is not one of them but, lately, I was intrigued by the food feature they have at the FOOD & DRINK magazine. I got this complimentary issue from LCBO and it featured “mushroom and tomato flatbread topped with fresh arugula”. It looked so tempting especially with all the fresh garnishing but the family was divided as to how it should be prepared__ fresh as is or baked. Let’s find out.
The flatbread was already pre-baked when one buys it. All one has to do is to add garnishing, in our case, we brushed the flatbread first with olive oil, added shiitaki mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, heart of artichoke, olives, loads of parmigianno reggiano cheese and fresh arugula. I love arugula for its bitter and nutty flavor, a good addition to a salad. Now, this bread was ready to eat but, the kids was a bit disappointed because they thought I was preparing pizza.
To make the family happy, I added anchovies and baked it for 20 minutes @ 400.
PRESTO! An instant transformation from fresh FLATBREAD into an instant PIZZA! It tasted good!
Dare Not Pig Out!
April 23, 2010
About a few weeks back, we were invited to a 50th wedding anniversary at King’s Buffet along Centennial Parkway. Space were limited to a handful invited guests and family members so, we were lucky to belong to the former. This restaurant is known to briskly compete with another Canada-wide Chinese buffet restaurant. Nevertheless, people tend to overeat at a buffet to make their moneys’ worth. And that day was no exception but, with a little twist. Let’s check out the foods!
PLATE #1 Since lobsters were available during that day, we concentrated our gastronomic adventure into sea foods! We simply ignored the other greasy and gravy-laden foods a buffet restaurant usually serves.
PLATE #2Alaskan king crab legs was also on the line of sea foods that was devoured. Followed by shrimps with grilled sweet corn on the side. So far, we were doing alright, still on tract (and mindful)!
PLATE #3 going Japanase this time... few sushis and sashemies with seaweed pocket.
PLATE #4 Getting picky now. A skewer of breaded scallops, squid, mussels and just 2 pieces of Chinese chicken wings & some grilled asparagus spears.
PLATE #5 Plain fresh fruits like blackberries, blueberries, watermelon and pineapple spears for dessert. no ice creams nor cakes were involved. We actually did great that time controlling our food intake. Would you not agree?
Synopsis of Pamahaw: Here & There
April 21, 2010
As I was having my breakfast this morning, my mind was lingering on the foods I had for breakfast back in the Philippines. Such gastronomic memories is hard to reckon with the foods I have here in Canada. But, my breakfast this morning was close enough to bridge the gap in flavors my taste buds was pampered upon for three weeks. Come on, let’s check it out for the last time as I present to you a synopsis of PAMAHAW or breakfast, Pinoy/Ilonggo style!
Here….
Here's our version of pamahaw, made up of garlic fried rice and two side dishes.
If one has discernable tastbuds, one will notice a subtle difference of flavor in longanisa (sausages) and the itlog na maalat (salted eggs). When we eat these foods here in North America, we instantly cross-reference them to the one we have back home. Slices of ripe tomatoes is a good pair for salted eggs and/or longanisa. It balances out the saltiness of the eggs and the greasiness of the longanisa.
There….
JD's Rice Square in Iloilo, the ultimate all-in-one breakfast, literally!
Breakfast at Marina's Restaurant in Makati. The unbelievably most unique of them all... it has 5 kinds of side dishes plus slices of tomatoes and atsara (pickled green papaya). One has the chance to savor different foodstuff such as sunny side up egg, longanisa, tocino, salted dried danguit fish, and beef tapa! How about that for a challenge?
Nothing beats home made breakfast! Here we had bestek and binurong bilong-bilong. My sister-in-law Bebet prepares sumptuous daily breakfast with extra load of Ilonggo dishes (most times).
After a sumptuous breakfast at home in Iloilo, Guimaras mango will help settle one's full stomach. Or not?
Ginataan nga Ige
April 19, 2010
In Iloilo, there’s a local snail called ige (suso in Tagalog), a very popular edible fresh water mollusk among locals. This snail is particularly harvested from rice paddies during rice planting season. But, the abundance of fish ponds in Iloilo makes way for a year-round supply of ige. Ilonggos are fond of eating them especially with gata (coconut milk) or just plain laswa (with local veggies). I would proudly say that, ige is the equivalent of the escargot, a French delicacy. For all we know, Ilonggos are sophisticated food connoisseur. Not to mention that we are very resourceful when it comes to utilization of foodstuff. Come, join me!
This variety of ige (snail or suso) are elongated compared to the usual round shaped ones. To prepare them, one has to wash them thoroughly with running water and, then soaked them in for an hour or so to remove remaining impurities. Then, remove the tail end (pointed side) by hitting that particular area with a blunt portion of a knife.
Again, batwan is used in this dish to balance the flavor of the coconut milk. I heard that batwan puree is available for export but, I have not seen them here in North America, yet.
Gabi (taro) is also added to make the flavor and texture more exciting while eating the cooked ige. Again, nothing much is wasted as the leaves, stem and roots are being utilized for the dish.
Viola! Guinataang ige! Very delish and unique Ilonggo dish. Some of my North American readers will wonder how to eat the snail. The reason why one has to chip off the tail end of the snail before cooking is to facilitate in sucking out the meat inside the shell! Otherwise, one has to pry out the meat with a piece of toothpick. But why bother when one can suck out the meat instead. It's fun eating ige.
A good combination for this type of a dish is, fried fish with sinamak saw-sawan. KAMAYAN ANYONE?
Fridays’ Sweet Treats
April 16, 2010
Nowadays, preparing native delicacies here in North America is a breeze. Once you gather your ingredients and armed with a recipe then, one is good to go! It is also exciting to prepare them, especially if it’s your first time. It may not turn out the way you want it to be but, as one keep preparing them, then one becomes an expert… eventually (hopefully). Some native desserts are a bit labor intensive to prepare them compared to others but, the thing is, you set your goal and go for it. No matter what! Let us see what my chef is up to in the kitchen on a Friday afternoon.
Ah! An Ilocano favourite, the BINATOG.
Binatog is simply fresh corn, boiled to almost overcooked. Then one adds evaporated milk and white sugar. Just before eating them, add grated coconut. Yes, as simple as that, it is also simply a delicious snack. There are few variations in preparing binatog: some, they add only salt and a bit of butter and, some; they add salt, butter and black pepper. It should be eaten warm though.
Kalamay Hati or Bibingka? Have a guess.. This native delicacy did not turned out to be what it was supposed to. BUT, the flavor was fantastic! It is a cross between kalamay hati and bibingka.
Banana-O-Rama
April 14, 2010
A few months back, I posted about banana from my native country, the Philippines. It is such an amazing experience reconnecting my taste buds with it, savoring the aroma and sweetness of the fruit. That same experience haunted me for the past few days that prompted me to search around for a banana delight. Indeed, an interesting kind of a banana recipe turned out to my surprise as I checked out the Asian store. Let’s see what it is.
Banana cake and, who would have thought that one can put slices of cooking banana on top of BANANA CAKE before baking them. I think, only Asians can do such a creative and innovative way of preparing banana cake.
Banana turon is a favorite snack (merienda) among Filipino. It tops the list.
Nilupak na saging. Simply delish with young coconut strips.
Ampalaya All the Way
April 12, 2010
Ampalaya (bitter melon, bitter gourd or Balsam pear) is a favorite vegetable among Asians. Lately, this wrinkled fruit invaded the North American supermarkets and has steadily increased in popularity. First time consumers may raise their eyebrows as to what it is and how it is prepared. Basically, ampalaya has a bitter taste that make some people shy away from preparing it, even among the Asian community. The native ones, especially, has the most bitter flavor but, thank goodness, the ones they sell at the supermarkets are of milder variety. The bitterness of this favorite vegetable challenges some people’s taste buds and usually is, an acquired taste.
Now, for the first time user of this vegetable, one has to learn how to extract the bitterness out of the ampalaya. First, slice the fruit lengthwise into halves and scrape off the inner pit including the seeds with a spoon. Then slice thinly, perpendicularly or julienne-style, sprinkle salt and try mush it up with bare hands until it becomes watery. Finally, squeeze out the bitter juice and dump the fluid and the vegetable is ready for cooking. One might repeat the process if using the native variety to remove the bitterness further.Let’s go check them out.
These are the native variety, for the brave and pro in bitter taste. They are usually smaller in size, pear-shaped and tightly knitted wrinkles. This kind of ampalaya are usually available at your local Asian stores.
In comparison, the "North American" variety are huge, elongated with larger wrinkles. They are way less bitter than its native counterpart. Needless to say, this variety are available all year round at your favorite supermarkets and Asian stores alike.
The most favorite ampalaya dish is guinisang ampalaya con carne. A very popular dish in the Philippines. One has to sautee garlic, onions and tomatoes with either pork or shrimps or both. Then, optionally, one can add beaten egg at the final stage of cooking.
Another popular dish where one can add ampalaya is the pinakbet. The bitterness of ampalaya balances the other flavor of the dish.
The easiest way to prepare ampalaya is, the ensalada or salad type. Here, one can just simply add freshly sliced tomatoes, onions and drizzle it up with lemon. A very healthy way of preparing them. By the way, ampalaya is packed with nutrients such as vitamins and iron.
Dinner in Bacolod – Part 2
April 10, 2010
Now, for the second part of my dinner in Bacolod, a no-fuzz Ilonggo cuisine dominated the dinner table. All along, I suspected my niece, Evita and her mom was in connivance as to what food they will prepare for the occasion. They know that I like seafoods and the like. So, here we go, let’s check it out!
Guess what? A fully charged-KBL! I won't say much more as this KBL was loaded. I mean, with everything!
Arroz a la Valenciana! Is it Christmas or what?
Chicken Liver Adobo. Yummm to the max!
Chicken loaf, it's been a while since I tasted this special dish.
Here they are: a loaded dinner table made up of 7 dishes! To me, this was some sort of extraordinary celebration! Thanks to my brother Nong Junior, Nang Edith and Evita and the rest of the gang in Bacolod city for making my trip memorable. THANK YOU!
Dinner in Bacolod- Part 1
April 9, 2010
It has been ages since I set foot in Bacolod City and, to make it more exciting, I got the chance to visit my siblings whom I have not seen for quite sometime. Needless to say, I did a “two-birds-in-one-stone” adventure of the said city. No denying here as food was partially the main instigator for my visit. My niece, Evita, has been brokering this visit of mine since we met in Facebook last year. She promised to pamper me with seafoods as it’s quite abundant in their area. That was quite enough encouragement on her part to keep my seafoods quest alive. To say that I was very excited was an understatement. I was super thrilled! Today, I will be posting the sea foods portion of that dinner and, next time, the other half of it. Okay, let’s check it out, shall we?
Alimango (crabs) topped the list of them all! Its got to be crabs as the ones here in North America are quite different from the ones in the Philippines. Now, that is a fact!
Sugpo or lukon (prawn) and large-size shrimps followed the list. Because they are all fresh seafoods, the flavor was exquisite!
Grilled pisogo fish (baby red snapper) tasted so good! Beyond compare to the one we get here in Canada.
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