Top 10 on My "Holy Week" Food List

Growing up with a baptist background, I have always been diligently participative in my mom's plans, from attending the 3pm church service on Good Friday (regardless of the excruciating heat), watching the procession of the different statues that would traditionally pass by our ancestral home and attending the early morning service on Easter Sunday. 

The ultimate reward would be the different foods that mom would either buy or prepare for us and if one dish would be missing, I would feel so incomplete. 

Let me share with all of you my gastronomic wish list for this Holy Week.

1. Valenciana - made from glutinuous rice (pilit as we call it in Ilonggo) mixed with chicken liver, chicken cuts, shrimp, raisins, and chorizo bilbao. 

Owen Segovia Bayog Photography

2. Ibos - Another dish made from "pilit" wrapped in young coconut leaves and steamed. Usually served with mangoes but my favorite would be dipping it in "Milo". Sooooo chocolatey!

http://philippinescuisine.blogspot.com/2010/11/ibos.html

3. Suman Latik - This one is similar to ibos but the topping is only Latik and in Bacolod usually it's young coconut strips mixed in thickened brown sugar syrup. 

http://flavoursofiloilo.blogspot.com/2009/05/suman-latik.html

4. Suman (Bacolod Style) - There are a lot of interpretations when it comes to suman but for me this is "THE One"! It is a "MUST" to top it with the original latik which is just simmered coconut milk until it solidifies and fried in its own oil. Definitely, no "UMAY" with my mom's suman, as in!

http://sallylyngestrella.blogspot.com/2011/11/you-know-youre-from-bacolod-philippines.html

5. Bibingka - Who would miss this one. I think in every outside premise of any church, you would see vendors selling bibingka. 

6.  Barquillos - In every procession I would witness, the very first to catch my attention is barquillos. Vendors would walked with it and sell these crunchy delicacy. (Just make sure you have water with you to avoid choking. )

http://tanglednoodle.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

7. Agogo - When I was younger, there was what we call "velvet", a popsicle with I guess lots of cornstarch and comes in violet (ube) and yellow (mango). Then came the much convenient "agogo". This time it comes with more flavors, avocado, sweet corn, strawberry, grapes and much much more.

8. Cansi - Come Easter Lunch, Cansi would top everything! 

Photo By: Lee Santiago

9. Lechon - Easter Sunday is more fun if celebrated at a beach. With one kilo of lechon, OMG, SUPERB!

Owen Segovia Bayog Photography

10. "Sisi" - Speaking of beaches, of course it will be perfect with the local cultured oysters, better known as sisi. Dip it in sinamak, what more could one ask for.

Owen Segovia Bayog Photography

Just remember that this indulgence will never be completely enjoyed unless we grasp the essence of gratitude towards God's sacrifice of allowing His Son to die on the cross just for us. 

Christmas Feast List: Arroz a la Valenciana

My 37 Christmases would've been incomplete if not for my my mom's Arroz a la Valenciana. Best eaten right after it's cooked, this rice dish can easily warm the tummy and personally, my heart. I have tried various versions but I always go back to my mom's cooking. She has this unique ability to come up with tasty dishes with flavors just right. Her ingredients are not elaborate but she is able to bring out the best in every single one. I think her secret is she tries to get all of the flavor from the ingredients themselves and does not just depend on artificial seasoning like those available at the local grocery store.

Ingredients that are often seen on Mommy's dish would be chorizo bilbao which brings the smokey sweet flavor, raisins which is her natural sweetener, chicken liver that adds more texture, chicken gizzard to demand robust chewing by the way, chicken and pork meat (how I love this combination), garbanzos, red bell pepper and potatoes so veggies are well represented and shrimp to provide the twist. 

Just last night, my bestfriend Minnie enjoyed the valenciana as we commonly call it, batch by batch. Diet slipped through the window without the guilt. I guess my mom's cooking has greatly influenced my taste on what good food is all about.

Fun Facts:

     * Arroz a la Valenciana is often mistaken as a Filipino dish but the truth is, it is Portuguese.

     * Paella and Ba Chang could be considered cousins of valenciana.

    * Paella is tomato-based and usually showcases food from the sea, from squid, shrimp to crabs and asian green mussels, more commonly known by Filipinos as "tahong." 

     * Ba Chang is with a chinese descent but also uses glutinuous rice, deboned chicken, monkey's ears (hey, it's just mushroom!) and dried chestnuts and are usually served during mid-June in celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival.

     * In Bacolod, the best ba Chang is served by the undisputed chinese establishment in the Shopping Area called City Lunch Restaurant. It's just so yummy that a single batch can't stay long enough on the steamer as customers rush to get one. Better call and reserve to make sure you're counted amongst the lucky ones to enjoy 'em.