Make it Capiz...

...through the bounty of the sea. Fact: a big percentage of seafood available in markets all over the country come from the province of Capiz. Some 200 tons are off-loaded daily and thousands of Filipino homes cook kilos upon kilos of shrimps, oysters, crabs, scallops, etc. every day.

A few days ago, we discovered another type of shellfish, the diwal, fondly called by the Capizeños as “angel wings shell,” because when spread out, the shells look like wings. This nearly became extinct were it not for the dedicated preservation efforts of the public and private sectors in the province. The shell is called diwal, which means “to stick your tongue out” mainly because part of the tail extends out of the shell like a tongue. But then, on the other hand, after tasting a piece, one might put the tongue out for more. At first glance, diwal looked like an endive leaf to us due to its shape and grayish color. The meat has some sort of mussel-like head and a tail. One gulps the soup that develops while steaming to savor the sweetish flavor, much like our own Tagalog tulya (small black shells with tiny speckled flesh).            

We discovered diwal at a lunch hosted by Araneta matriarch Judy Roxas, on invitation of our friend Marla, a Capizeña, who is one of the dedicated group of men and women who compose One Capiz, an arm of the United Capizeños Foundation, Inc. They found a partner in the management of Araneta Center whose program “Fiesta-cular Philippines” jives with their aim to promote the province as a tourist destination with food as one of the main attractions. Capiz will kick-off the center’s series of festivals featuring a specific province every month. March is dedicated to Capiz in an event called Capiz-tahan.

Visiting the kitchen of the Gateway Suites on the fourth floor of Gateway, we found chef extraordinaire Gaita Fores, busy with the food she was to serve, but gracious enough to enlighten us on what she was preparing, especially the star of the day – the diwal. She calls Capiz the “Virgin State” – hardly any pollution, the waters are clean, the natural salt is the best, and it is definitely the “Seafood Capital” of the country. Gaita prepared the diwal two ways, grilled and wrapped in foil and with mushroom truffle paste drizzle. She did a flavorful light sauce for the pasta with lukon (shrimps), plus a pesto-topped bulgan (seabass). The innovative chef did a play on crème brulee, giving it a unique flavor and texture with Roxas bukayo.

Prepare to get your fill of Capiz seafood, which are all available at Farmers’ Market. Note the opening dates of Capiz-tahan – Friday, March 4, with a photo exhibit and formal opening of the seafood fair at noon (sale of seafood starts at 6 a.m.). The fair continues the following day, Saturday, March 5, from 6 a.m., capped by dancing (“sad-sad”) and a talent showcase. Go and choose from a wide selection of shells. By now, prices in Manila would have been finalized.

Now, let’s talk fresh mushrooms. We remember growing up with some elders saying “parang kabute,” meaning some things simply spring to life like wild mushrooms. Not very complimentary, actually. But mushrooms have crept into international cookery and have become regular ingredients in a variety of dishes. The early Greeks and Romans were the original cultivators of mushrooms, which grew wild initially. This fleshy fungus comes in a variety of shapes and colors, from white to black and in between. The caps can be smooth, pitted, ruffled. Flavors can be bland, rich, nutty and earthy, which make them versatile. We are all familiar with the more popular button mushrooms but now the more exotic varieties like portabello, enoki, shitake, oyster, etc. are cultivated and available. A variety of mushrooms from Korea and Malaysia is distributed in the country by Dizon Farms.

Portabello, to us, is the gourmet mushroom. It is big, dense and meaty in texture. It is normally done whole or grilled, and is often used as sandwich filling. Enoki, sometimes called snow puff, is delicately crispy, thin with tiny caps. They are ideal raw in salads or added to soups. The variety is wide. A pack, depending on kind, costs from P39 to about P300. Check your favorite outlets for this healthy fungus.

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