Featured Region: Region 2, Cagayan Valley

   Featured Recipe: Sinigang na Banak

by Chef Socrates Z. Inong, AFC, CCE

Last week, we featured Batanes' Guinataang Alimasag, one of the sought-after delicacies enjoyed by the natives and tourists of Cagayan Valley or Region II. This time, Isla Kulinarya presents another recipe that highlights Cagayan's rare lobed river mullet, locally known as the banak or ludong as the main ingredient.

Highly regarded not only as the country's most expensive food fish, the banak was also dubbed as the "president's fish," as it was believed to be one of former president Ferdinand Marcos' favorite dish. Marcos, being a native of the northern Philippines himself, was known to always have a year-long supply of the fish stocked away.

The banak, which dwells in the headwaters of the Cagayan river, and Bantay-Santa of the Abra river system in the provinces of Ilocos Sur and Abra, only eats the filamentous algae that live on rocks and boulder and near river rapids. It can grow up to 32.5 centimetres (12.8 inches).

On days when banak can be consumed, however, a lot of people still wish to eat the fish (despite the high price) because of the good aroma it releases when cooked; more important, because of its exceptionally delicious taste.  One of the most popular way to serve the banak is cooking it as sinigang (a Filipino soup characterized by its sour flavor and is usually associated with tamarind).

Other version of the sinigang dish derive its sourness from guava, calamansi, raw mango, among others. Powdered soup base or bouillon cubes are also used as replacements of the natural fruits. The Sinigang na banak is usually eaten with rice similar to a main dish. 

Sinigang na Banak
(Lobed River Mullet in Sour Tamarind Soup)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20minutes
Serving: 6

Ingredients:
-4 pieces tamarind
-6 cups rice washing
-1 small onion, sliced
-1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
-6 pieces fresh banak, cleaned
-1 cup sliced stringbeans
-1 tablespoon salt
-3 cups kamote cops

Procedures:
1. Boil tamarind in 1 cup rice washing. When soft, mash fruit.
2. Strain and add juice to the remaining rice washing.
3. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Add onion, tomatoes and fish.
5.Cover and let it simmer for 3 minutes
6. Add eggplant, stringbeans, and cook for another 3 minutes
7. Season with salt
8. Add kamote tops and cook for 4 minutes longer.

To serve:
Serve hot with rice.

Isla Kulinarya lets you explore the islands, taste the food, relive the memories--- all made possible by Island Pacific Supermarket. Go and visit an Island Pacific near you with branches in Southern California located at Cerritos, Canoga Park, North and South Vernon in Los Angeles, Panorama City and West Covina; Union City and Vallejo in Northern California. Check out our website at www.islandpacificmarket.com. Stay connected with us--like us on Facebook (island pacific market), follow us on Twitter (islandpacificUS) and Blogger (island pacific market). Fro your comments, suggestions, and request for recipes that you want us to feature, please email info@islandpacificmarket.com. "Presyong Sulit...sa Isalnd Pacific."

Featured Region: Region 2, Cagayan Valley

Featured Recipe: Guinataang Alimasag

(Crab in Coconut Milk)

by Chef Socrates Z. Inonog, ACF, CCE

This January, Isla Kulinarya takes you to the region of Cagayan Valley, a part of the country that not only takes pride in its historical treasures and unexplored locales, but also boasts of having picturesque deep caverns, wide arable lands, and the long, immense Cagayan river that is abundant of fresh water fish, crustaceans, and other seafoods.

The Cagayan Valley region, otherwise known as region II, is located at the northern tip of the Philippines and is composed of five provinces:  Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Batanes. Its capital  is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern part of the of Luzon. Cagayan, not to be mistaken from the city in Mindanao named Cagayan de Oro, also includes the Babuyan Islands to the north.

Among its many features, Region II is also known to be the country's tilapia capital (species of cichlid fishes from the tilapine cichlid tribe), as well as the country's rice and corn granary because of its  fertile lands.

People say that although the Cagayan might lack commercial sources, its people, known as the Ibanag, Ybanag, Ybanak ,Ibanak or simply the Cagayanos, will be able to survive through tough times not only because of the region's abundant resources, but because of the flair of its people for making delicious delicacies.

Delicacies mostly served in the Cagayan region include rice cakes, Pinakbet, Pansit Cabagan, Tapang Baka, Ginisa Nga Agurong, Tuguegarao Longganisa, Pancit Batil Patung, and the Guinataang Alimasag (crabs in coconut milk) of Batanes.

Guinataan, alternatively spelled as ginataan, is a Filipino term which refers to food cooked with gata or coconut milk. Thus, coming up with the word ginataan, or "done with coconut milk."

Aside from being cooked in coconut milk as its name suggests, Guinataang Alimasag is very easy to make because the dish does not require much other ingredients other than the basic garlic, onions,  spinach leaves (for garnishing) and of course, the crabs and the coconut milk.

Ivatans (people of Batanes) and tourists alike enjoy having the Guinataang Alimasag mainly because the usual size of the crab plated here is the largest living arthropod in the world and is a type of hermit crab that is known to have large pincers strong enough to crack coconuts and eat its contents. These crabs from Batanes are not only known for its unusually large size, but are also known for its creamy crab meat which has the aftertaste of a coconut when its sac is squeezed.

Aside from its fine and distinct flavor, the Guinataang Alimasag has been a Filipino family favorite because of its health benefits. The Guinataang Alimasag is rich in iodine and other minerals that makes it a nutritious dish.

Guinataang Alimasag

(Crab in Coconut Milk)

 Prep time: 5-10 minutes

 Cook time: 25 minutes

Serving: 6

Ingredients:

- 4lbs crabs

-8cups coconut milk

-1/8 cup cooking oil

-4 large cloves garlic, crushed

-3 tbs. ginger, julienned

-3 tbs white onions, minced

-3 pcs jalapeno pepper

-2 tbs rock salt

-  spinach leaves (optional)

1. Wash and clean crabs, discard carapace and claws then set aside

2. Saute garlic in oil until light brown

3. Add onions then crabs. Stir well until crabs change color.

4. Add coconut milk and jalapeno pepper.

5. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes.

6. Simmer for 15 minutes.

7. Season with salt.

8. Add malunggay/spinach and continue simmering for 1 minute.

To serve: Place crab on a platter then glaze over with gata and garnish with spinach. Serve with hot steamed rice.

 

Isla Kulinarya lets you explore the islands, taste the food, relive the memories--- all made possible by Island Pacific Supermarket. Go and visit an Island Pacific near you with branches in Southern California located at Cerritos, Canoga Park, North and South Vernon in Los Angeles, Panorama City and West Covina; Union City and Vallejo in Northern California. Check out our website at www.islandpacificmarket.com. Stay connected with us--like us on Facebook (island pacific market), follow us on Twitter (islandpacificUS) and Blogger (island pacific market). Fro your comments, suggestions, and request for recipes that you want us to feature, please email info@islandpacificmarket.com. "Presyong Sulit...sa Isalnd Pacific."