Batotay, tilapia ice cream, atbp.: The flavors of Nueva Ecija

They say that Nueva Ecija is more than just the rice granary of the Philippines. Batotay, carabao’s milk, kesong puti. Those are just some of Nueva Ecija’s well-known delicacies.

If you’re going to this province, then you have to set your strict diet aside as it will surely make you request for extra rice because of the various specialties that this province has to offer!

Hapag Vicenticos
1077 Del Pilar Street, Cabanatuan City, 3100 Nueva Ecija
 

Hapag Vicenticos used to be an abandoned house which the owners renovated into a restaurant. The capiz shell windows and antique furniture give the reso a quaint and homey feel.

Must-trys at Hapag Vicenticos are their Crispy Kare-Kare and Chicken Binakol, sold for P495 and P250 respectively.

They serve the pata separately from the other ingredients of their kare-kare to make sure it stays crispy while their Chicken Binakol just has the right amount of sweetness to it.

But their signature dish is their tortang Cabanatuan (P180), torta filled with longganisa. The spices in the longganisa bits definitely adds flavor to this eggplant dish.

For dessert, make sure to try their leche flan (P105). What makes this sweet treat different is it’s mixed with carabao’s milk which gave it a creamier taste compared to a regular leche flan.

Batotay Longganisa

Batotay is a beef-based longganisa the town of Cabanatuan is known for. During “Biyahe ni Drew’s” visit to the town, Drew Arellano was lucky to have been taught how to make this famous delicacy.
 

First, batotay makers put garlic and beef into a grinding machine and mix it with soy sauce, pepper, vetsin, salt and sugar. After the grinding process, the ground meat is stuffed in longganisa casing and sealed with thread.

When eating batotay, you can’t go wrong with pairing it with garlic rice! But Novo Ecijano’s infuse batotay with other dishes like burgers and even salad! Drew, on the other hand, balanced the taste of the longganisa with bread. He says that its taste is actually close to that of pork but less fatty.

You may buy batotay longganisa at Nueva Ecija’s city market for around P200 a kilo.

Carmel Flakes

Did someone say holy dessert?

Another specialty which can only be bought from Nueva Ecija is their Carmel flakes. These are ostias with a twist that are made by Carmelite nuns in Cabanatuan City.

The nuns put their unique touch to it by adding butter and sugar trimmings to add more flavor to the ostias.

These ostias have a similar taste with barquillos and would serve as a good topping for ice cream.

Carmel flakes are being sold for only P10 per pack within the grounds of the Carmelites’ monastery.

Harvest Hotel

For a different kind of burger experience in Nueva Ecija, head on over to Harvest Hotel! They serve Burgerniza, or hamburger infused with batotay! The batotay and kesong puti gave a distinct flavor to the burger.

Milka Krem
 

The Philippine Carabao Center or PCC in Nueva Ecija thought of maximizing the use of their carabaos by milking them. They say that the milk coming from carabaos are actually healthier and tastes better compared to the milk of cows.

Milka Krem is the marketing arm of PCC and is located along the National Highway in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija. Here, they sell different kinds of finished products which are made out of carabao’s milk from the dairy plant of the PCC such as kesong puti for P70, mozzarella cheese for P135, frozen yogurt for P30 a cup, ice cream for P20 a cup and chocomilk for P120.

Recommended items to try here are their frozen yogurt  and kesong puti.

Unlike others, their frozen yogurt wasn’t too sour and it was topped off with some cereal bits to add some crunch to it.

Their kesong puti tasted really fresh and it quickly melts in your mouth. You may also add this to your salad for the full experience!

Tilapia Ice Cream

You’ve heard of bacon flavored ice cream, but what about fish-flavored ice cream?

Central Luzon State University or CLSU in Nueva Ecija is known for coming up with tilapia ice cream. A lot of people might become skeptical about it at first, but it’s worth a try!

Once you taste this, you’d be surprise with how they were able to eliminate the fishy smell and taste of the tilapia. It’s just plain ice cream but made extra creamy because of the cheese that was mixed into it.

What’s distinct with it though is its texture since it’s topped off with some tilapia flakes and walnuts.

You can buy tilapia ice cream from CLSU for P700-P750 per pint.

Edna’s Cakeland
Kapitan Pepe Subdivision, 1 Don Manuel Avenue, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija
 

Some locals say that you can’t go to Nueva Ecija and not try Edna’s Cakeland. The “Biyahe ni Drew” crew was able to try three of their bestsellers which are their cheese roll (P170/box), ensaymada (P360/box)---Drew’s favorite!---and sylvanas (P120)/box).

Don’t forget to bring some of these goodies home to your loved ones when you go here!

When in Nueva Ecija, prepare your tastebuds for a treat once you try out the various specialties that this humble province has to offer!---BMS, GMA Public Affairs

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