Dingras Home, Revisited

I have pushed back this Ilocos Norte trip for several times now and finally, it has pushed thru. So here I am--in Dingras, Ilocos Norte. Why this province? For starters, this is where my grandparents live, specifically the side of my mom. And another reason is to fulfill a promise--pay my grandma a [surprise] visit. 

And as mentioned, yes this is a surprise visit. Saturday morning I arrived--I stopped by her room, in disbelief, she looked as though she's seen a ghost. After 5 seconds of deciphering if it was really me, she then bursted into laughter. She must have been relieved to confirm that it wasn't a ghost she was seeing, instead it was me. :)

Dingras is a small town in the province of Ilocos Norte. If my navigation skills serve me right, it is almost about in the southern part, so from its capital city Laoag, you would have to drive for about 30-40 minutes more. 

This town is where my mom's side of family, the Taylans, lived ever since. My mom and her siblings grew up here. And as the only grand kids for the longest time, me and my sisters used to spend our summer vacations and Christmases here. 

One of the many things (aside from being a cheapskate--one that we got from our grandpa) that our grandparents, especially my Lola has imparted to us is the love for eating Ilocano dishes. All those Bagnet, inabraw, crispy dinardaraan, dinakdakan, bukto, and other exotic dishes we definitely have grown to love. I myself have learned to cook some...

Ilocano cuisine is basically a very veggie and meaty type of cuisine. One famous vegetable dish is Inabraw, otherwise known in Tagalog as Dinengdeng. The mixes of leafy vegetables are simmered in a garlic bagoong (another type of fish sauce) broth. This is one of the first Ilocano dishes I have learned to cook as it is very easy.

Another famous delicacy is the sinfully delicious Bagnet. This piece of pork belly cooked and crispyfied for hours has become the signature dish of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. The Ilocanos either serve it with tomato and onion enchilada or mix it in almost any vegetable dish as its salty and meaty flavors can intensify almost any dish. 

More than the marinade, it is the whole paintstaking procedure that makes this delicacy so sinfully tasty [reason that I never attempted cooking this]. 

Yesterday, Sunday, I took my Lola and auntie out for lunch and we tried this simple, quaint diner located at the Ilocos Museum, Laoag--Johnny Moon Cafe.

Their menu listed a lot of Ilocano dishes, gourmet style. And almost all had Bagnet in it. :) So we sampled a few--Bagnet enchilada and Bagnet Sandwich.

Amongst the 3, it was the Bagnet Sandwich that stood out. By the way, the Ilocano Burrito is not a Bagnet dish. For the meat, they used the Ilocano Longganisa--frankly speaking this burrito needs a lot of improvement. 

Over all, Johnny Moon Cafe is ok. Budget for their meals would start at P160-400. Not too shabby. 

So this is my 3rd day and my last day for this spur-of-the-moment vacay. A lot has changed around here, the house, the streets, the fixtures... Probably because, we've grown up. We no longer play around here like we used to. The house has been renovated and seemed a little smaller [because I've gotten bigger].

My lolo Tante (grandpa) is already gone. No more stacks of 12 ounces of coke [my grannies were heavy coke drinkers]. No more afternoon mirienda at the plaza. And a whole buncha things.

One thing has never changed though--the vibe. Our house and its surroundings still exude that laidback and you-know-you-are-in-Ilocos vibe... Kinda hard to explain unless you are Ilokano or Hawaiian [haha]... Or me. 

With that I close this entry with a photo of two of the most influential people in my life. The semi-odd Ilokano couple [what can I say, momentary chaos had always worked for them] but the most loving grannies in the world... And the reason that I am an Ilokano by blood and by heart---

Truth be told, I am indeed, a proud and courageous Ilokano cheapskate. :)

Putting the 'Yum' in the Tom Yum

Thai cuisine--this is what put Thailand on the map. Those aromatic, sour and spicy dishes that will either make you 'ahhh' or 'ooh'. Indeed, it is one of my most favorite cuisines. One well-loved dish is the Tom Yum Goong. It is a famous sour soup of the Thailanders. And for years, it had been a mystery for me how this red-orangey-and-amazingly-flavorul-and-fragrant soup was made, until--Bobby Chinn cooked it on his show. And good lord, this meal can be prepared in 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

6 Prawns / Big Shrimps (for a cheaper alternative)

Smashed Galangal / Ginger

Smashed Lemon Grass

Chopped Red Chillies

Thai Chili Paste

Sliced Shiitake Mushroom 

Coriander

4 tablespoons of lime/calamansi juice

Coconut Milk

2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce

Procedure

1. In preparing the prawn stock, slice off the prawn/shrimp heads. Set aside the rest of the prawns/shrimps. Now get a cooking pot and fill it with at least 2-3 cups of water. Put in the heads and let it come to a boil.

2. Put in the smashed lemon grass, galangal or ginger and red chillies.

3. Leave it boiling for about 2minutes.

4. Add in the Thai Chilli paste. This chilli paste is a little bit sour, salty, sweet and spicy. So the measurement depends on how you want your soup to taste and depends on the serving you are preparing. However for this specific serving, I'd say 2-3 spoonfuls of the chilli paste would do. 

*A brand suggestion would be Pantai. It is available in both SM and Landmark supermarkets. Choose the chilli paste variant.

5. Put in the prawns and mushrooms. 

6. Add the fish sauce.

7. Add the lime or calamansi juice. Let it cook for 3 minutes.

8. Add the coriander.

9. And finally add a little of coconut milk (just enough to make it red-orangey).

*Tip: If the dish is too spicy, you may add a little of brown sugar.

And--this is how you put the yum in the Tom Yum. :)

Flavorful and aromatic. Prepared and cooked in about 10minutes.