A taste of victory in Vigan

What happens when a bunch of hardcore chowhounds trek off to a dreamland of exotic gourmet delights for five whole days? You get to bond with colleagues and reap refreshing insights, gain a wealth of delicious memories from all the food exploration, not to mention add a couple of pounds and inches to the midsection. But it is all worth it!

Who could say no to an invitation to fly off to romantic Ilocos Sur, a place of old world charm? The colonial houses, the cobblestoned pavements, and the rustic landscape transport you to a different world where time stands still. Its haunting beauty served as backdrop to many Tagalog movie hits. And it recently set the stage for my renewed love affair with Ilocano cuisine.

Ilocos Sur Governor Deogracias Savellano, DV as I fondly call him, is an old friend of mine. We used to be schoolmates in UP. As early as last year, he got in touch with me for a pet project of his to promote Ilocos Sur through its food and native products, which he feels seems to be overlooked.

Just recently, Governor DV got hold of me again, excited to relate the news about the major culinary competition his administration is mounting. The winners will represent them at the Chefs on Parade to be held in Baguio City this month. He solicited my support in inviting fellow gastronomes to witness this event. A man with a taste for the finer things in life — anything that’s bound to be delicious, that is — he takes pride in the culinary industry of Ilocos and hopes this would further boost the trade.

I gladly accepted his offer, and invited good friends from the gourmet world Nancy Reyes Lumen, author of Adobo Cookbook and editor of Cook magazine; her husband Bob Lumen, COO of Buttercrust Bakeshop; Ed Quimson, chef consultant of JAKA Food corporation; Cherry Mijares, brand manager of Food and Moms magazines; Sylvia Azarcon, columnist of Food magazine; Maricel Manalo, culinary services manager of San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center; and Ben Go, floral stylist, to join me in the judging of the ISHORE Chefs on Parade competition. DV made sure it would be an experience to remember the minute we touched down on Ilocos soil.

We stayed in comfort and style at the cozy Cabugao Beach Resort, which is owned and managed by the Savellano family. Sleeping to the sound of ocean waves makes for restful slumber.

On our first day, Governor DV and her sister Queenie gave us the grand tour around Vigan’s famous sites. He brought us to the burnayan, where the famous Vigan pottery is made. The Ilocano clay jar called burnay is used for storing suka (local vinegar), basi (local wine), and bagoong (fish sauce), and has also been used as a decorative item in household interiors and outdoor landscapes.

I was fascinated by the abstract art of the famous abel Iloco utilizing the fascinating pre-historic pagablan, the machine they use to weave this intricate art form. The most efficient and skillful of the lot was this old lady focused on weaving a placemat. The other workers were twice younger than she but it was clear that she was adept at what she does.

We had lunch at Uno Grill, a popular Vigan food attraction serving sapsapuriket, pinakbet with bagnet, and many more authentic Ilocos Sur cuisine. I enjoyed their serving of binagoongang baboy and krispy bunog.

We also took a side trip to a sugarcane plantation, which produces the intoxicating basi. History recounts that Spain introduced sugarcane over 300 years ago to produce sugar to run Spain’s empire, but the Ilocanos found a better use for it. They fermented it into basi, which today is the choice of the locals over beer.

Here in Ilocos, the locals still stick to traditional practices and basi making is no exception. A carabao pulls around a contraption that is used to press sugarcane stalks to squeeze out the juice. Alternatively, the boiled cane liquid is turned into suka (vinegar), another Ilocos bestseller.

And now to talk about my obsession — food. I have a feeling that certain Ilocano dishes have their roots in Mexico. The empanada seems like the Ilocano version of the fried Mexican quesadillas, since it’s a one-dish meal made of grated papaya, egg and longganiza, all stuffed inside an orange-shaded dough and deep-fried in simmering oil.

My notion was confirmed when we were invited to eat at Felicitas. There’s more to delectable Ilocano food than the bagnet, pinakbet, and papaitan. At Felicitas, a whole lot of delicious regional specialties wait to be discovered. We were treated to a demonstration of its papaitan and pipian (a chicken dish like tinola flavored with epazote).

While preparing a dish called pipian manok, I was thrilled to find them using this hard-to-find herb called pasotes. In Mexico, they call this herb epazote, a staple ingredient in most Mexican dishes. Who would have known that it would be locally grown in Ilocos? For that discovery alone, my trip to Vigan is significant. No wonder the dishes we sampled in Felicitas were Mexican-inspired.

Another treasured find was a malunggay-based food item: malunggay ice cream! I am such a fan of malunggay, touted as the miracle vegetable, for it is vitamin- and mineral-enriched and offers endless health-giving properties. Gov. DV knows this that he surprised me by bringing me to a sorbetero who creates malunggay, kalabasa, and pinipig ice cream. Finally, vegetables that children can actually enjoy. Isn’t that great? The best part is you can indulge yourself as much as you want without feeling guilty!

We rode on horse-drawn caretelas to open the Chefs on Parade competition with the robust and stout-hearted chef Ed Quimson insisting he ride solo because of his weight. ISHORE, which stands for Ilocos Sur Hotels, Restaurants and Related Association, mounted the event for the second time around, and the response was positive.

After the parade, Ed and I did a cooking and baking demonstration entitled “A Taste of Victory” at the University of Northern Philippines Gym, in cooperation with San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center.

The competition started the following day. The participants competed in 21 categories, which showcased their culinary and hospitality skills. It was a display of grace under pressure as Ilocano foodies, amateurs and professionals alike battled it out in events such as Market Basket, Iloco Fusion Freestyle, Longanisa Fusion Freestyle, Filipino Desserts, Table Setting, and Cocktail Mixing, just to cite a few.

I was not there to see the entire contest since I had to fly back on the last day to be at the graduation of our students at the Essential Cooking Class. Food demos were scheduled at the same time, but I was able to judge the Market Basket, Dim Sum, Fruit Flambe, Cordillera Fusion, Iloco Fusion Cheesecake, and Longanissa Fusion competitions.

I was amazed by the display of resourcefulness and creativity of certain participants who utilized indigenous ingredients and fused them with contemporary dishes to create something entirely different, such as the Spaghetti ala KBL, which is pasta mixed with kamatis, bagnet and longanisa. I was totally knocked out by this rather offensive sounding dish called Poqui Poqui (ha ha… figure that one out), which is the most inventive and tasteful entry of the event (name of category). It was truly a winner in terms of flavor and presentation. It is so good that I am sharing you its award-winning recipe.

Poqui Poqui Balls With Red And Yellow Curry Sauce With Bagnet Bruschetta

For the potato meatballs:

1/8 cup Nutri-Oil

20 grams garlic, minced

50 grams onion, chopped

300 grams Monterey ground pork

1 tablespoon fish sauce

400 grams mashed potatoes

1/8 cup all-purpose cream

salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste

For poqui poqui:

1/8 cup Nutri-Oil

20 grams garlic, minced

50 grams tomato, diced

500 grams eggplant, grilled then peeled and mashed

1 egg

For red and yellow curry sauces:

garlic

onion

chicken stock

curry powder

coconut milk

salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

For bruschetta:

5 French bread slices

olive oil

basil, finely sliced

pasotes, finely sliced

black olives

bagnet meat

Magnolia Quickmelt cheese, grated

bagnet cracklings, crumbled

For the potato meatballs:

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic and onion, then add ground pork. Season with fish sauce and pepper.

Boil water. Cook potatoes until soft. Mash the potatoes, then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix in all-purpose cream to the potato mixture. Roll into balls.

For poqui poqui:

Grill eggplant. Peel the skin then mash.

Heat oil in a skillet. Saute garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Set aside.

For curry sauce:

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic, followed by onions, and sauté until transparent. Add coconut milk and curry mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar.

For bruschetta:

Brush bread with olive oil. Top with basil, coriander, and pasotes. Add bagnet. Top with grated cheese and bagnet cracklings. Garnish with basil, coriander, and olives. Grill in the oven until the cheese melts.

For poqui poqui balls:

Put meat and mashed potato in a bowl. Mix until blended. Form into 1-inch balls. Roll in flour.

Cover the potato mix with poqui poqui. Roll in flour, then in egg, then in bread crumbs. Fry.

To assemble dish:

Pour in two curry sauces at the same time in a bowl. Top two poqui poqui balls. Garnish with parsley and pepper.

In another plate, arrange bruschetta.

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Food is one fixation that binds us all. The happiest moments with company are usually surrounded by food. On our last night we feasted on lechon, spread eagle with the innards intact and roasted. The sauce was absolutely yummy: it was pig’s blood mixed with vinegar, sort of a pate… It was a night of delicious food, fine company and pleasant talk. Life is truly something to be savored! Enjoy!