PINAKBET (Mixed Vegetables with Anchovy Sauce) SECRET RECIPE

PINAKBET SECRET RECIPE UNFOLDED!!!
HOW TO COOK PINAKBET

In this healthy Ilocano dish, bitter gourd, eggplant, okra and long beans are simmered in a tasty fish sauce—though some Filipinos prefer sauteed shrimp paste as in the photograph above. I have tasted different versions of Pinakbet but no one makes it like the Ilocanos.

Ilocanos discovered long ago that stirring bitter gourd makes it even more bitter. Do not stir the bitter gourd while it is cooking, just let the steam cook the vegetables. If you have some fried pork rinds in your cupboard, use them as a topping.

Place the bitter gourd in the bottom of a large saucepan, and then add the ginger, long beans, onion, okra, tomato, eggplant and sauteed shrimp paste, if using. Pour the water and anchovy sauce into the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Leave for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and cooked. Do not stir, but instead, shake the pan once or twice. Garnish with the crushed fried pork rinds, if using, and serve hot with steamed rice.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 small bitter gourd (about 1/2 lb/255 g), cut in half lengthwise, deseeded and sliced
One 2-in (5-cm) piece ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 lb (125 g) long beans or green beans, trimmed and sliced into 2 in (5 cm)
1 onion, chopped
1/4 lb (125 g) fresh or frozen okra, trimmed 1 tomato, diced
1 Japanese or Italian eggplant or 1/2 globe eggplant (about 1/2 lb/250 g), cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
3 tablespoons bottled anchovy sauce (page 12) or bottled sautéed shrimp paste (page 16)
One 3-oz (75-g) bag fried pork rinds (chicharon), crushed (optional)

BICOL EXPRESS (Fiery Pork Stew with Coconut) RECIPE

THE WORLD'S FAMOUS BICOL EXPRESS SECRET RECIPE UNFOLDED!!!


This is the signature dish of the Bicol Province in the Southeastern part of Luzon, a cuisine known for its generous use of hot chili peppers and coconut milk. One teaspoonful of this spicy recipe will send you running for a glass of water like an “express train.”

Reducing the amount of chili peppers will lower the “heat” if you’re not into spicy food, but if you like your food hot then this is the perfect dish for you. Filipino farmers love this dish because it gives them an energy boost before they spend the day under the scorching Philippine sun.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

INGERDIENTS
2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of knife and minced
1 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
2 lbs (1 kg) pork butt or belly (also called “side pork”), cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 13 1/2-oz (400-ml) can coconut milk
4 to 6 finger-length green chili peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon bottled sautéed shrimp paste (page 16)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a skillet over high heat and add the oil.

Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned.

Add the onion and tomato, and sauté until the onion is translucent.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the pork and salt, and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the chili peppers and cook 5 minutes more.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sautéed shrimp paste.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

THE IGOROT RESISTANCE DURING THE SPANISH OCCUPATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Igorot Resistance

Attempts to Christianize the Igorots were led by the Spanish friars--the Augustinians from the Ilocos, and the Dominicans from Cagayan--and a few secular priests from Abra. While Christianization was the major concern of the religious orders, the conquistadores and crown officials mainly concentrated on occupying the Igorot gold mines. 

During the first fifty years of Spanish rule the crown sent numerous and costly expeditions to the Cordillera but all were failures. While the Cordillera terrain worked lasted for ten years. 

For instance, in the Trinidad Valley north of Baguio, the Spaniards successfully deflected every Igorot defense including rocks thrown from above, bamboo "ground-spears," and sharpened stakes hidden in the grass and camouflage pits. When the Spaniards finally reached the valley, they burned 180 Igorot houses. 

In fact, Spanish raids left a pattern ofdestruction and desertion. Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, the Cordillera was constituted into a series of comandancias politico-militares or political-military districts. 

Spanish military expeditions crisscrossed the Cordillera to establish Spanish authority, curtail the tobacco smuggling, and collect tribute. The Spanish military control of the Cordillera allowed Spanish missionaries and even foreign travelers to roam the region. 

New agricultural crops were introduced like coffee, cacao, and citrus fruits as well as new technologies such as wheelbarrows, the potter's wheel, and coffee-husking machines. Hundreds of Igorots became literate and about 8,000 became Christians. 

Yet, the occupation also resulted in untold devastation: houses were burned down, crops destroyed, and livestock seized or slaughtered. The military raids also left a trail ofdead Igorots while many other Igorots succumbed to smallpox, which the Spaniards had introduced. 

The Igorots who survived for the first time lived under a colonial order symbolized by tributes and forced labor. The Spanish domination of the Cordillera was short-lived because the Philippine Revolution of 1896 ended its colonial rule.