Rainy day food: Recommendations from ‘Biyahe ni Drew’

With the rainy season bearing down upon us, we can expect to spend more days indoors. That’s not always a bad thing — keeping warm under a blanket with a bowl of soup sounds great.

Here are several rainy day dishes from around the Philippines. Cook up your own at home or, if you’re in the area, get these soups straight from the source!


Bulalo from Tagaytay 
Did you know that Tagaytay has its own “Bulalo Belt,” or a street full of bulalo restaurants?

This simple yet hearty beef soup is always a crowd-pleaser thanks to the rich, melt-in-your-mouth marrow. Apart from keeping you warm on rainy days, this is perfect for those windy days Tagaytay is known for.


Sinanglaw from Ilocos 
Sinanglaw is a bitter stew of beef bits, bile and lamang-loob like intestines. The taste is similar to papaitan but with a kick of Ilocos’ famous vinegar.

This dish takes a bit getting used to (“Hindi ko ito nakasanayan,” admits Drew), but to locals, sinanglaw is just another way to enjoy a hearty breakfast.



Hu Tieu from Bataan 
Vietnamese noodles in Bataan? Aling Loleng, who learned the recipes from refugees at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center, runs this carinderia frequented by locals and students of Morong, Bataan.

Nothing beats a warm bowl of soup on a rainy day — and at P50 a bowl, there’s no reason to say no.



Lomi from Batangas
A few hours drive south of Metro Manila is Batangas, a province known for its beaches, hot chocolate, friendly way of speaking (ala-eh!), and their hearty noodle soup known as lomi.

The thick broth has egg and meat mixed into it, and the egg noodles make it a filling enough snack to pass for dinner, too. Thinking of visiting Batangas? Here are some recommendations from Drew Arellano. 



Kansi from Iloilo and elsewhere in Negros 
If bulalo and sinigang had a baby, this would be it. This stew with tender beef shank and marrow has just enough sourness to cut through the richness of it all.

For vegetables, this has unripe jackfruit slices mixed in with the broth. [Related: Six restaurants to try in Iloilo] 



La Paz Batchoy from Iloilo 
There’s a saying in Iloilo that if you can’t finish two servings of batchoy, you’re obviously not a local. The original comfort food from La Paz, Iloilo has warm broth, veggies, noodles, pork, beef, liver and a handful of chicharon.

When in town, visit the La Paz market and try Netong’s Original Batchoy (P55/serving), Ted’s Old Timer La Paz Batchoy (P65/serving) and Deco’s Batchoy (P60/serving).


Pho from Puerto Princesa 
For a food trip and history lesson rolled in one, make sure to include a visit to the Vietnamese Village on your Puerto Princesa itinerary. The island province was once a safe haven for refugees of the Indochina Wars. Their village is now tourist destination, but two Vietnamese refugees chose to stay and work there. One of them, Pham Thi Anh, cooks up authentic pho. Her take on the Vietnamese noodle soup is stewed for over ten hours!

—Cristina Tantengco/PF, GMA News

Illustrations by Isabelle Laureta

--

More from “Biyahe ni Drew”
Drew Arellano recommends: The best of “Biyahe ni Drew” 
From cashew shakes to taco pizza, a one of a kind food trip in Bataan