Four Genuine Ilocano (GI) Dishes

  Dr Abe V Rotor 

1.  Ngarusangis shell soup, a rare recipe of Ilocanos.  

Because I can’t find ngarusangis in the Internet and in references on Philippine shells, I took it upon myself to call this extremely small marine bivalve, Fairy Shell. (It sounds like Pearly Shell, a Hawaiian folk song.)  In Nagtupacan, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, I remember as a child fisher folks gathering ngarusangis on the estuarine by the ganta (around one liter, the size of a large pineapple can), as this was the common means of measurement at that time. The shells are as small as rice, so that there is a technique in removing the shell. Basang, my auntie, would first boil water, then immerse the washed shells immediately, stir the pot until the shells which being bivalves easily open, thus exposing their white to grayish flesh which automatically separate from the shell and settle at the bottom of the pot, which is then gathered. This is done repeatedly until the shells are empty.  The soup is very rich in calcium and other minerals. It is served as soup, cooked with vegetables (bulanglang), or made into omelet.

This shell is now being endangered for a number of reasons. 

• It is gathered in large quantities together with other small shells and fed to ducks. The ballot industry requires tons and tons of live shells which are gathered along shorelines.
• Pollution has destroyed the natural habitat of this shell as well as other organisms.
• Beaches and shorelines continue to shrink as a result of tourism and advancing settlements.
• Conversion of mangroves, beaches and estuaries into fishponds has either destroyed or displaced countless species of marine and terrestrial organisms.  
• Aquaculture of mussels, oysters, seaweeds and fish does not include the culture of less important organisms such as ngarusangis. 
• Global warming renders water temperature intolerable to many organisms.  Rising sea level exacerbates this condition.   
  

      2. Glutinous rice with chicken blood is a rare treat.

The practice of gathering the blood while dressing the chicken is now rare. Well, it is because we get our chicken from the supermarket or grocery already dressed or frozen.  But in the good old days, chicken blood is mixed with glutinous rice (malagkit).  This is done by getting just enough rice, wash it quickly in a small shallow plate, and blood directly coming from the chicken is mixed and allowed to settle, solidifying in a minute or two.  It is easily dislodged from the plate when it is time to cook it with the chicken when cooking tinola (stew). We kids would automatically pick it up even while the stew is still in the pot, but our elders would divide it among ourselves to settle the issue.    

  3.  Padas Bagoong, a rare specialty but ecologically destructive.

Padas is the fry of spinefoot or rabbitfish, locally known as Malaga or samaral.  mainly of the species Siganus canaliculatus and S. concatenates and S corallinus and S. spinus. These species occur in schools in coastal areas around rocky and corals feeding on phytoplankton and browsing on seaweeds and seagrasses.  The grow up to 280 mm.  They tolerate a wide range of salinity that they enter rivers or go down to the open sea.

When passing through Urdaneta and Villasis Pangasinan you find padas bagoong in bottles sold on the shelf or by peddlers.  Sometimes the small fish is beautifully arranged in rows covering the entire bottle.  How skillfully and patiently is the art done considering how small the fry is.  It is preferable to buy  seasoned padas bagoong. Ask the seller; better still check it yourself.  The fish are well settled in the bottle with an appreciable amount of patis appearing as a layer on top. Get a bottle that is sell sealed – and of course, well filled.

Padas is the fry of Malaga or samaral which grows up to a kilo apiece, so that the practice of gathering padas must be strictly discouraged.  Ecologically we are destroying the species every time we patronize padas bagoong.  One kilo of padas probably amounts to several hundreds of individual fish that potentially matures in six months time. It is no wonder the price of samaral in the market is about twice that of ordinary fish.    

 (Ref. Conlu P V 1986 Fishes: Guide to Philippine Flora and Fauna Series) 

4. This is a favorite dish of Ilocanos known as “jumping salad.”  What is it really?

In Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (school-on-the-air) program, five callers phoned to give their  answers.  Except one who said he learned about this rare dish from a friend, the callers apparently Ilocanos, said they have actually tasted jumping salad.  This dish is prepared from newly caught small to medium shrimps from the estuaries and rivers, and while they are still very much alive are served right there and then with calamansi and salt, momentarily agitating the fated creatures.  Pronto! The shrimps, on removing the cover, frantically jump out of the plate, save the dazed one.  You should be skillful in catching them from the table (and even on the floor) deftly picking them by the head, taking caution so as not to get hurt by their sharp rostrum.  You can imagine the danger you face as the creature makes its last attempt to escape.  You must get a firm hold before putting the struggling creature into your mouth, tail first and quickly bite off the head, severing the sharp dagger in your hold. The creature wriggles in the cave of your mouth and you can actually feel its convulsion fading as it undergoes the initial process of digestion. Being an Ilocano myself, eating jumping salad is an adventure and rarely do you experience having one nowadays, unless you are living near the sea, river or lake, or a good friend brings live shrimps to town in banana stalk container to keep them alive. Try it; it’s one for the Book of Guinness. ~