A taste of victory in Vigan

A TASTE OF LIFE By Heny Sison

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 thats 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 Vigans 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 Spains 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
its 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. Theres 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. Isnt 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 stouthearted 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 saut 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.