Regional variations

     It is not a surprise that the Philippines has different variations when it comes to the way the food is served and prepared.

     With its 7,100 islands embedded in the Pacific with varied ethnic groups and regions in it, each has their own exotic way of serving dishes. Don't get astonished if a Bicolano served adobo is different from how Tagalogs do it.

    Some factors of these diversities include; the resources in each region; the way how its people used to and their beliefs and inclinations.

     Each region has their own specialties in which they are known for though generally the Philippines is widely known for its mouth watering adobo and lechon.

     The  Tagalog region is the haven of those delicious made lechon, the northern part of the country, particularly Ilocos is known for their pakbet while the Bicol Region is famous to their hot and spicy coconut creamed foods like the Bicol Express and laing.

      And because I and Shana were Bicolanas, shalalafang would first offer you our own dishes here in Bicol,. Wewill make you experience and savor the taste of Bicol.

Bicol Specialties: 

    Bicol Express

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Bicol Express Recipe Ingredients:

* 1/4 kilo of Pork liempo – sliced into 1/2 inch strips
* 4 cups of Long green chili – pepper, seeded and julliened
* 1 cup of Alamang – fresh
* 1.5 cups of Water
* 1.5 cups of Coconut cream
* 1 pouch of Mama Sita’s Pang-Gisa mix

Bicol Express Recipe Cooking Instructions:
1. Soak Long green chili peppers in salted water for 30 minutes, rinse, then strain well.
2. In a pan,combine water,pork, and alamang.
3. Bring to a boil and then lower the fire and let simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add long green chili peppers and Mama Sitas Pang-Gisa Mix cook until dish gets a little dry.
5. Pour in coconut milk and cook until sauce thickens. Serve hot.


   Laing

                                           
Laing Recipe Ingredients:

• 25 pieces gabi (taro) leaves, dried and shredded 
• 1/2 kilo pork, diced
• 1/4 cup shrimp bagoong
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 5 red hot chilies or siling labuyo, sliced
• 1 cup coconut cream (katang gata)
• 2 cups coconut milk (gata)
• 1/2 teaspoon vetsin or monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cooking instructions:

• In a casserole, sauté garlic, ginger and onions then add the pork.
• Mix in the gabi leaves.
• Pour in the coconut milk (gata) and bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add red hot chilies, bagoong, salt and MSG and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Add the coconut cream and continue to simmer until oil comes out of the cream.
• Serve hot with plain white rice.

  Kinunot

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Kinunot Recipe Ingredients:
           

• 1 kg of stingray
• 2-3 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tbsp of garlic, minced
• 1 whole onion, sliced
• 4 thumb size ginger, slice
• 1 cup coconut milk (gata)
• 2 cup coconut cream (kakang gata)
• 2-3 pcs siling labuyo
• 1 1/2 cup malungay leaves
• salt to taste
• vetsin (monosodium glutamate)

Cooking procedures:
 

             1. Wash stingray by rubbing skin using salt, cut into quarter and boilfor 1-2 minute. 

             2. Drain to cool and flaked, set aside meat with cartilage. 

             3.In a pot, sautee garlic, onion, ginger.  

             4.Pour in coconut milk and mix slowly but continously until it boil to avoid coconut cream from curdling.        

             5. Add stingray and stir from time to time, simmer until the sauces almost dry. 

             6. Pour in coconut cream (kakang gata) and simmer until sauce dry and start to render oil, add vetsin, siling labuyo and salt to taste.

            7. Lastly add malungay leaves and simmer for 1-2 minute or until malungay is done. Served kinunot while it is hot with white rice.

Pinangat

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 Pinangat Recipe Ingredients:

 

5 coconuts,
1 head garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 bundle gabi leaves
lemon grass leaves for tying the pinangat
1 thumb-size ginger
5 cups coconut milk (second extract)
1 lemon grass root or bulb, crushed
2 cups coconut cream (first extract or kakang gata)

 

Cooking Procedures:

1. Combine the coconut milk, shrimp, garlic, onion and siling labuyo.
2. Place 2 to 3 tsps of the mixture in 2 layers of gabi leaves. Fold to form either a square or a rectangle. Tie each square or rectangle with gabi leaves.
3. Repeat the above procedure until the mixture is used up; set aside.
4. Meanwhile, simmer the coconut milk; ginger and lemon grass root for a few minutes in a deep pan. Simmer until aromatic.
5. Place the gabi square into the simmering coconut milk mixture. Allow to simmer for an hour.
6. After an hour, pur in the coconut cream. Allow to simmer until sauce thickens.
7. Remove the lemon grass and ginger prior to serving.