A TASTE OF HOME: FILIPINO NATIVE DISHES

Have you always wondered what life was like in the province like in Mindanao? Today’s post I bring you food from faraway province in Calamba, Misamis Occidental, you will be introduced to the peculiar preferences when it comes to food. 

Recently, we had an ancestral home visit in Calamba, Misamis Occidental. It’s always a joy to visit my grandmother and to see my relatives smiling faces. It’s a 2 hours travel from Ozamiz City to Calamba by bus. 

Every time we visit my grandmother’s house she always prepared food for us like buying sea foods, vegetables and meat. Of course she will not cook for us but “we” instead. She always joking around us that she is already old enough to cook so she delegated the cooking to us. She will buy the ingredients and it’s up to us what will be the menu. Let’s check it below.

Escabeche with Milk. Fried fish that is marinated in an acidic mixture before serving and to the marinade itself. 

Lechon Paksiw. Pork slowly cooked in vinegar, crushed garlic, dried bay leaf, black peppercons and soy sauce.

Pinakulob nga Manok. Whole native chicken stew.

Amomongpong with Malunggay Leaves. A shell soup stew. You need to slurp the shell in order to get the shell meat.

Ampalaya with Egg. A simple vegetable stir fry mixed with eggs.

Adobong String Beans. A simple vegetable stir fry cooked with soy sauce.

Ensaladang Okra. A salad with boiled okra as the primary ingredient. Served in vinegar, tomatoes, onions, ginger, bell pepper and spring onions.

Guso. A salad with boiled sea weeds as the primary ingredient. Served in vinegar, tomatoes, onions, ginger, bell pepper, spring onions and chili labuyo.

Balat. Sea cucumber served in vinegar, tomatoes, onions, ginger, bell pepper, spring onions, carrots and chili labuyo.

Fresh Litob (Top) and Embaw (Above). Ready to eat.

Latu. Ready to eat sea weeds deep in hot and spicy vinegar.

Kinilaw na Sardines with Ampalaya. Fresh fish soaked in vinegar and spices.