No trip to Fulong beach (read more here) will be complete without a taste of the original Taiwanese lunch box. If Japan has bento, Taiwan has bian dang. First of all, I would like you to know that I saw at least three bian dang stores near the Fulong Train Station and all of them boast long queues of customers eager to taste the authentic bian dang from Fulong where it originated. You know what they say, the long lines must indicate that the food there is good. We went to where there were less people because hunger beats patience. Nothing beats sitting on the train station's exterior, next to two gigantic German Shepherds, and eating bian dang on my lap.
As you may know (or not), I was born on the island province of Palawan. I spent a few years there and we moved to Tarlac when I was still little. Quite frankly, I don't remember a great deal of my life in Palawan. So when my parents mention chaolong as their favorite dish back there, I can't relate. What is that? They seem to have enjoyed their days there with chaolong. So when I had the chance to go back to my birthplace, I wasted no time finding and eating this mysterious dish.
Every time they serve this, I eat a lot. I mean, A LOT. Kilayin is a traditional Kapampangan dish made of either pork or beef meat stewed along with some of its innards in vinegar and spices. This awesome combination makes the dish sharp and tangy yet creamy and flavorful. To describe it briefly: it is a flamboyant festival of feisty flavors. Kilayin should not be confused with kilawin, which is another Filipino dish where meat or fish are served raw with vinegar and other spices. And no, it has nothing to do with eyebrows ("kilay" in FIlipino means "eyebrow"). Analogous to the Bistek Tagalog (beef steak), this tuna delight is a stew of soy sauce and calamansi, giving that distinctly Filipino fusion flavor of toyomansi to the delicate flavor of yellowfin tuna. So when I got my hands on some fresh yellowfin tuna (from my Zambales adventure, read it here), I immediately went on to cook one of my favorites.
I love eating tuna, but when cooked the wrong way it ends up having that distinct fishy smell and flavor. In some fish dishes like paksiw, the fishy factor is eliminated by using vinegar and ginger. In the same way, we will be exposing the subtle flavor of yellowfin tuna in this recipe without that annoying fishy feel using citrus and ginger. Prepare your kitchen and strap on your apron, we are in for a fish fight. |
Kristopher Ray PamintuanNothing fancy. Chemical Engineer. Nerdy. Big, uneven eyes. If those did not repel you, click here to know more Archives
January 2016
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The Admiral Adventures