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Laswa tricks
Ilonggo
kids into
eating their
vegetables!
8
9
LASWA
This ever-so-humble and healthy dish of boiled vegetables
has found a home on the Ilonggo table. “No meal is complete
without it,” emphasizes Tom Bascon. “
Laswa
is poured
over rice to soften it, and it makes the whole meal come
together. It also serves as the perfect accompaniment to all
our tasty dishes.” Pauline Gorriceta-Banusing is equally
adamant about her love for laswa, “Each family has their
own version,” she shares, “but common ingredients include
tugabang, alugbati, kalabasa
,
okra,
talong
—
any vegetable
that’s fresh. Freshness is what laswa is all about.”
PIAYA
A food trip to Negros, the Sugar Bowl
of the Philippines, is never complete
without a sampling of
piaya
. “
Piaya
is made with unleavened bread that’s
cooked on a griddle,” explains Tom
Bascon. “The dough is rolled out and
filled with molasses or
muscovado
(
raw
sugar). After a quick flip, it’s coated with
sesame seeds.” The flaky, addictive
snack often enjoyed with coffee comes
in many forms: flat, puffy, crispy, soft,
or chewy — and newer flavors such as
ube
and mango have popped up for a
fresh twist on a long-time classic.
Sweet-crazed Ilonggos
often pour four heaping
teaspoons of the sugar into
one cup of coffee.
T A K E A B I T E
PHOTOS
JAPOI CEQUINA
The laswa at Mely’s Garden
(
6
th Street, Bacolod City
)
is
healthy and tasty
Take home some piaya from Bong
Bongs (
Bacolod Public Plaza,
Under Backup 1, Bacolod City
)
