Real good food with the absence of impurities and natural is done by going back to nature. In my recent Tour with Lakbay Norte 2, we visited the isolated forest town of Adams in Ilocos Norte. After our hike to visit Anuplig falls, we had a late lunch where they served us meals which they consider organic. It’s those simple dishes with ingredients freshly hand picked from their surroundings which made them good on their own.
The first thing that caught my eyes were the Ants and Ant Eggs they called Bu-Os, an Ilocano delicacy. They were larger than the usual house ants and the eggs were half a centimeter long. These boiled Bu-os tasted alright actually with a slight creaminess from the eggs. These ant eggs are said to be good for lowering blood pressure.
Their laing (gabi leaves on coconut oil) was a bit unusual since they bundled the leaves together like a rope. It doesn’t have as much coconut milk or spice as I’m used but it still flavorful dish. Maybe because the vegetables were organically grown like the peas and string beans on the table.
I was surprised to see shrimps and eels there which I couldn’t say as seafood because they were taken from the freshwater streams of the falls. The shrimp which they call “Suahe” was simply boiled and the eels “Palos” seems to be stewed in vinegar, garlic and and salt. They both tasted fresh and good.
The other surprising dish was the Fried Frogs which they call “Tukak“. I’ve tasted frogs before but this one has really tender meat and was evenly fried. I liked the flavor that I stripped the meat down to the bones.