Midnight Express: Bacolod’s porbidang kangkong and an Ilokano twist on a Thai dish

Saksi's Midnight Express continues to feature more recipes from different regions in the Philippines. This time, host Mikael Daez got a taste of Bacolod's ginataang kangkong and a Filipino version of a Thai dish featuring a popular Ilokano delicacy.

Porbidang kangkong from Bacolod



According to sous chef Josef Santiago of Kanteen in The Fort, home cooks in Bacolod told them that the name of the dish is due to its spiciness. "Pag nakain mo daw ito, sasabihin mo, 'Heaven forbid!'" he said.

This ginataang kangkong dish uses siling labuyo for that special kick. In fact, those are the only ingredients required for the dish: kangkong, coconut milk, and siling labuyo. To make this dish at home, you just need to sauté the siling labuyo to extract its spiciness. Then add the kangkong and the coconut milk.

During his taste test, Daez said, "I guess, in a way, para siyang our version ng creamy spinach na maanghang... Pwede siyang maging pinsan din ng laing ng Bicol."

Ilocano-style ukoy with green mango salad



Daez next went to a restaurant in Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati that's trying a homegrown spin on a Thai recipe.

Instead of using catfish for yum pla dook foo (crispy catfish green mango salad), Simple Lang restaurant used Ilocano-style ukoy, a Filipino version of shrimp fritters.

For the green mango salad's dressing, the restaurant uses calamansi. "Maasim na may konting sweetness naman, so nagba-balance yung flavor nila," said Simple Lang's corporate sous chef Frederick Arellano.

Daez said, "I like this kasi katamtaman lang 'yung asim tapos tama 'yung lutong ng ukoy. Talagang nababalanse, parang nahihigop niya 'yung asim." — Trisha Macas/BM, GMA News