PASALUBONG: DURIAN! DURIAN! DURIAN!

B.C., who just returned from a trip to the Western Visayas, gifted me with some of the best things one can possibly ask in life. Ha ha, that was pure exaggeration, of course, but being Davao born, there is no way I'd turn down anything that has to do with the king of all fruits - the durian. But these durian products come with a clincher - they come from Negros Occidental, home to the majestic Mount Kanlaon. These products are from the farms of the Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., Hacienda Candelaria (which is racked by labor issues and exploitation, but that's another story) and produced by Reliance Core, Inc. in the town of San Enrique.


Durian in a bottle. Now, there's no more reason not to bring this king of fruits anywhere now that the smell has been hermetically sealed in a easy-to-carry bottle. For the longest time, the actual fruit has been banned in public vehicles and hotels.

O.M.G. I have always been a fan of durian. We used to have durian every now and then when it was in season during my childhood days in Davao. The air then would be filled with the characteristic pungency that has made durian both loved and hated by many Filipinos. The newest variety, a mix of the Davao and Thai varieties, already has no smell but has the same great taste. I still prefer the Davao variety because although it is not as meaty as its Thai counterpart, it tastes so much better. As for this bottled version, try not to use it as bread jam. Pointless. Scoop it out and eat it as it is. It's soooo good, I swear.

Chips galore. For those who want to eat durian but cannot afford to lug around the bottle, there's the chips version. I can only imagine how many seeds it took to make one bag of chips considering that the meat isn't that much.

These have faint nutty tones and the durian flavor is just somewhat subtle. If blindfolded, you wouldn't guess you're eating dried durian fruit.

ECJ Farms
Reliance Core Co., Inc.

Hacienda Candelaria, San Enrique

Negros Occidental

Tel. Nos. (034) 460.3186

CHILDHOOD TREAT: BUKAYO

I was on an errand when I espied these being sold on the streets of Divisoria. I just couldn't resist buying some because I was too overjoyed! These are something we used to eat as children in Pampanga. Bukayo (coconut marzipan) is made by simmering strips of young coconut meat in water. Molasses or brown sugar gives them that rich, very attractive color. They are then rolled into balls and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds (the latter are a fairly new addition, I think).

Children liked them because they can be very sweet, with the lethal combination of sugar, coconut and tosted sesame exploding in your mouth at every bite. I recall that there's another version of this - flatted into little cakes but are dry instead of moist like the ones pictured above. These were sold at Php 10 per pack of 12 pieces.

PASALUBONG: STREET CAKES (JARO)

I have no great fear of street food. I always take the chance of finding out how street food taste like. Wherever there is a queue or a crowd, I always try to find out what the commotion is all about. You can say that this is a quintessential Filipino trait - to be perpetually curious.

In Jaro, I chanced upon a row of shops on the street selling something in brown paper bags. We walked past them, but I just couldn't contain my curiousity and went back to one and asked what was inside. A-ha! Miniature rice cakes or bibingka! At Php 20 per bag with around 10 cakes, it was a steal. The cakes were tasty, redolent of coconut milk. It was worth the risk.


The cakes are cooked under a stack of burning wood and hot ash.

Miniature bibingka delights in a paper bag!

BACOLOD'S CHICKEN INASAL

When in Bacolod, one must never, never, never miss out on the chance to eat chicken inasal. Inasal is a generic term for any meat that's broiled or grilled. It usually applies to chicken and pork. Beef inasal, of course, is unheard of in the Visayas.

In front of Manokan Country, a threat looms on the horizon - another SM Mall. It probably has opened by now.

Fresh chicken marinated in sinamak - a local vinegar concoction

The reason for their juiciness and tenderness upon serving is that meat is cooked only when ordered. In Manila and elsewhere, meat is half-cooked, then returned to the grill when someone orders hence the meat comes out dry and tough.

My intuition guided me to this shop...

Oysters at Php 30/plate. We had a larger serving in Iloilo for the same price, bah!

Service De Luxe. They manicure while you wait for your meal to be served.

A newspaper clipping from the Philippine Star written by chef / cake artist Heny Sison

The vinegar with chilies is sinamak while the other one is the infamous chicken oil. Readers of this blog encountered this first in my Boracay Trip Report.

Toyo, sinamak and sili. The best sawsawan! By the way, in the Visayas, "toyo" is actually fish sauce or what we all know as patis. If you want patis, say "Rufina". Soy sauce is finally gaining popularity in this area.

The best chicken inasal in the world! (as if may iba pa...)

OKOY / UKOY

Photo by Dylan Gozum

Here's a childhood favorite of my mine. This is okoy or shrimp fritters. The base is shredded green papaya mixed in batter, then topped with several pieces of shrimps and deep fried. Other households also use potatoes, fresh banana blossoms, or bean sprouts but in Pampanga, green papaya is normally used.

Dipping sauce would be vinegar with crushed garlic and black peppercorns. Yum! Yum! Yum!

What's your favorite Pinoy merienda?

PASALUBONG: BULAD = TUYO

Bulad is Visayan for dried fish. It comes from the word, uhm, "bulad" which means to dry in the sun. In Tagalog, it is called tuyo from the the word "tuyo" which simply means dry. See the difference in context? :-)

PASALUBONG: MARANG

One of the perks of visiting the Visayas is the chance to eat fruits that most Manila people find unusual or exotic. Marang is one of them. Sold at Php 35/each here in Bacolod, it sells at Php 50+ in SM Malls.

The Johey Oak (Artocarpus odoratissimus), also called Marang and Tarap, is a tree related to Jackfruit, Cempedak, and Breadfruit, native to Borneo. Once opened, the marang should be consumed quickly (in a few hours), as it loses flavour rapidly and fruit oxidises. The seeds are also edible after boiling or roasting. More here.

The tree is not cold tolerant (as is the breadfruit). It can grow between latitude 15º north and south, and in coastal regions where temperatures never stay under 7 ºC. It is cultivated for its fruit in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and southern Thailand. The species is largely grown for local consumption; the short shelf-life of the fruit limits its wider use.

Information source: Wickipedia
Photos: Dylan Yap Gozum, Bacolod 2006