HOW TO COOK DININGDING NA LABONG AT SALUYOT

This Diningding Na Labong recipe is very common in Norther parts of the Philippines most Specialy in Ilocos and Pangasinan where The Ilocanos live. Diningding Na Labong is an authentic Ilocano dish but became popular in the Philippines because many Ilocano travelers brought this dish wherever they came to. The Ilocanos are known for their being thrift. They are very wise in management of money like they don’t even want to spend a fraction of peso if it’s not important. So this Diningding Na Labong is very cheap and easy to cook. I did not know how to cook Diningding Na Labong until my mother asked me to cook it back in college. She knew I did not know how to cook this dish so she gave me the recipe and I kept it. Labong is a seasonal vegetable because the bamboo shoot only appears during rainy season in the Philippines so the month of June to September is the best time to cook it. Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

½ lb Labong or Bamboo shoots (thinly sliced)

1 regular pack of deboned Tinapa (smoked fish)

½ cup of Saluyot leaves (Jute)

1 cup of Sitaw or String Bean (cut into 3 inch long)

Bagoong Isda to taste

PROCEDURE

1. In a pot, boil the labong for 1 hour.
2. Add the Bagoong Na Isda. Be careful not to put too much Bagoong.
3. Let it boil until the Bagoong foam appears. Remove the foam.
4. Add the Saluyot leaves, let it boil until the green color of the leaves disappear.
5. Add the StringBean. Simmer until the String Bean is cooked.
6. Add the Tinapa and boil for 3 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and serve.

HOW TO COOK TOKWA’T BABOY (PINOY STYLE PORK TOFU)

Tokwa’t Baboy or Tokwa at Baboy is a Filipino authentic dish. Beer lovers in the Philippines like this dish as they like the Sisig to be their pulutan. Tokwa’t baboy is so easy to cook. You don’t need to be a professional chef to cook it. This dish is a good viand and sometimes I eat tokwa’t baboy as a snack. This dish is very popular in the Philippines that you can even find it in small food shops, food carts and turo-turo eateries. Tokwa’t Baboy infact is one of the most ordered dish in bars in the Philippines because of its extra-ordinary taste and cheaper price. I did many experiments on this dish and not bragging, all of them are so delicious. I can barely remember when I had learned to cook Tokwa’t Baboy. I can even remember me cooking this dish when I was in high school. Since this dish is very easy to cook, you can make your own version of it. You may add the amount of Tokwa or reduce the amount of pork, it is all up to you but one thing must not be forgotten, the sauce. Always mind the sauce because we know there are types of soy sauce like the low sodium one. But don’t worry because I am giving you the recipe so that you can have the idea. Here is how to cook Tokwa’t Baboy:

INGREDIENTS

1 Kg of Pork (cut into cubes)

2 cups of Tokwa or Tofu (cut into cubes)

6 cloves of garlic (minced)

4 medium size onions (chopped)

1 cup of soy sauce

½ cup acetic vinegar or 1 cup of natural vinegar

Salt to taste (1 tsp is recommended)

1 pinch of Monosodium glutamate (msg)

PROCEDURE

1. Boil pork and simmer until the pork is tender.
2. Fry tokwa (tofu) until golden brown.
3. In a pan, combine together the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, Monosodium glutamate, garlic and onions. Remove from heat right before boiling.
4. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients.
5. And serve.