Pancit for the soul

To say there’s a panciteria in practically every corner in Tuguegarao City is a gross understatement. Locals can’t seem to have enough of batil patung, that much revered noodle dish every native hankers for. It’s like a day without sunshine if one hasn’t eaten his daily dosage of that feel-good comfort food. It has a cult following that could rival in number the devotees of our Lady of Piat, the patroness of Cagayan Valley. And in this city of some 10,000 tricycles, at any time of day, a good gauge of how well a joint is doing is measured by the number of tricycles parked in front, patronized by both the passengers and its drivers as well, the great leveler crossing all economic barriers.

It’s the welcoming food for the soul that a local craves for after a trip, long or short. In fact, he’d go straight to the nearest panciteria before heading home to Mama or even the wifey. A panciteria is also where family and the barkada spend a lot of time bonding together, becoming a regular meeting place to socialize. Of course, one would claim his personal favorite suki is better than the others, while other batil aficionados boast they can tell the maker of the noodles in a blindfold test due to its taste, texture and bounce feel. In the more than 300 registered panciterias (and countless more holes-in-the-wall) in the city, a regular serving is uniformly priced at P45, while a hefty super special at P60, a price ceiling consensually set like an unwritten code, but a super bargain by any standards nevertheless.

Forest caviar: Forest ants’ eggs called buos, simply stir-fried with onion, garlic and tomato.

Batil patung gets its name from the manner it is cooked. The first word comes from the Spanish batir or to whisk or beat, while patung/patong from the Filipino “to place on top.” The favored meat cuts are carabeef and pork liver, which are first sautéed with onion in a large kawali, seasoned with dark soy sauce, pepper and MSG. It is then pushed to the backside with the use of two improvised ladles, the shape of a shallow cone. Some vegetables are added (like cabbage, carrots, string beans, tauge or mung bean sprouts) and after a few tossing, these are mixed with the cooked meat and then pushed back again. Copious amounts of broth (carabeef and pork bones) are ladled in, deglazing the pan, and more seasoning is added. The handmade fresh miki noodles are now introduced into the simmering broth and is allowed to wallow in it to absorb some of the liquid. Eggs are then broken and placed on top of the noodles, with the yolks remaining

Sinanta: an Ibanag special occasion noodle soup with chicken and alá or mini clams. It is usually served with pinakufu, those finger-sized fried sticky rice cakes coated in caramelized sugar.

above while the white part drips down into the broth. This is beaten vigorously (hence batil) underneath and is ladled out into soup cups (think of Chinese egg drop soup). The noodles are then portioned into waiting wide shallow bowls burying a fork and spoon already set in the center, some of the meat/veggie mix placed on top, and finally topped further (patung) with the poached yolk. The final dish is served with the soup together with a saucer of chopped onions and kalamansi. Soy sauce and/or spiced vinegar is ceremoniously mixed into this, and the mixture is poured into the pancit. Some favor to take a spoonful of the soup after every mouthful of noodles, while others pour it over the noodles for added flavoring. Though variants are inevitable, they’d go only as far as adding red hotdog or crushed chicharon here and there, or whatever vegetables the cook can get his hands on. The noodles is al dente when served and best eaten still piping hot, but tends to be soggy when taken out and consumed at a later time, hence the popularity of dining in.

Pickled tomatoes: Lola Illa Turingan’s pickled beefsteak tomatoes goes well with any fried meat or fish.

Meanwhile, further south in Cabagan town, Isabela, some 30 kms. away, is anoth-er noodle dish that fiercely rivals its northern counterpart in cult following and fame. Though both are basically the same handmade fresh noodles cooked in the same manner, the Cabagan noodles are thinner and differ in their recado or ingredients. The Cabagan version has lechon carajay (kawali), Ilocano igado (stewed pork liver), and hardboiled quail eggs as toppings. The noodles are also cooked al dente but served wallowing in a little puddle of broth it is cooked in. It is an orchestra of different flavors and textures playing a wonderful, harmonious music together: bouncy soft, slippery and wet noodles steeped in a salty savory goodness of a broth, crunchy hard lechon carajay, creamy tender strips of igado, with sour notes from kalamansi extract and vinegar, and an added layer of spice and crunch from the raw onion bits, and, the final coup de grace, crushed red chilies. One breaks into a sweat after every mouthful — “for every sweat a victory,” to paraphrase the great Apo ti amianan. The reputation of Pancit Cabagan, also the name of the fresh pasta, has traveled beyond its borders. An immigrant from mainland China, a Mr. Jangasia, who settled in this town in the early 1900s is credited to have started the noodle-making industry, famously branded as Pancit Cabagan in the whole Isabela and Cagayan Valley.

Stew good: Zinagan is Ibanag’s version of dinuguan with crispy pork and intestine cracklings.

There’s a third pancit, though appearing less seldom nowadays, in the form of a noodle soup, which is traditionally served by Ibanag families as a special occasion dish called sinanta. It may seem to be just another mami to the uninitiated, or at best, similar to Cavite’s pancit langlang with the use of a combination of miki and sotanghon. But the similarities end in their physical appearance, with the sinanta having a broth made with chicken and mini clams called alá (tucmem in Ilocano), resulting in a rich, full-bodied and malinamnam soup. It is usually served with pinakufu, those finger-sized fried sticky rice cakes coated in caramelized sugar.

Crunch time: Pindang bavi or sundried salted pork resembles lechon kawali when fried but taste like bacon with rind.

My special thanks go to the Caronan family of Tuguegarao City and their friends for hosting me in my lightning visit of just 16 hours last week. First off, my good friend Al Caronan (former Movement 8 member, materials expert and furniture manufacturer/exporter) for housing me in his spanking new, sleek and super neat bed and breakfast Balai B+B. His sister Gloria Caronan, who planned and orchestrated my itinerary, including a museum visit, kalesa ride around downtown and a spontaneous potluck dinner at Balai B+B, with some of their friends bringing such wonderful heirloom dishes at a moment’s notice. Arvin Caronan for chauffeuring me around the different panciterias. Batche and Myrna Caronan for fresh agar-agar salad, and their daughter for helping out in the preparation. Kuya Lidong Caronan for his homemade pickled kalabasa

Sweet and crunchy to the bite: Lidong Caronan’s homemade pickled kalabasa flower.

flower, pindang bavi (sundried salted pork), and zinagan (Ibanag’s version of dinuguan or blood stew). Diddi Dayag for guiding me around Don Domingo wet market, discovering along the way some wonderful finds like forest ants’ eggs buos, lasí or fresh water shrimps and birut or small fishes from the Pinakanawan River. Mang Domeng Nuguid for a saucy igado. Vice Mayor Danny Baccay for tsokolate, royal bibingka, kalderetang kambing, imbaligtad (seared beef loin flavored with bile), a dry igado, adobong pato (duck adobo) and papaitan (goat innards soup made bitter with its bile and mildly soured with kamias), all cooked by his staff Michael Avila. Manang Julia for the pickled native tomatoes from a recipe of Lola Illa Turingan. And last but not least, Dr. Iggy Pagalilauan for giving me free advice on how to keep my cholesterol level in check. “Just keep away from the Caronans,” he says in jest.