A TALE OF TWO CHICKENS CITIES

 
By Rebecca Torres
Tayabas City-Quezon
April 26, 2019
 


The cities of Tayabas, Quezon and Vigan, Ilocos Sur share a common heritage, being two out of the eight villas established as regional centers during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines between the late 1500 up to 1898. Both cities have their own must-eat native delicacies, such as the Tayabas native “longganisa” (sausage) and “budin” (cassava cake), and the Vigan longganisa and royal “bibingka” (rice cake).



What many may not know is that both cities have unique and tasty native chicken dishes, the Delino of Tayabas and the Pipian of Vigan. The Philippine native chicken, commonly raised in the backyards of provincial households, has a unique tasty flavor compared with the commercially raised chickens.

 “Sinumang” Sticky Rice Stuffing of Chicken Delino

 Down south of Manila is the city of Tayabas, home of the Tipas Food House. A year ago, the Jaballa brothers, Fr. Angelo and Celso, converted their home into a restaurant. Their vision was to revive Tayabas’ culinary offerings while also providing livelihood to their town mates who raised native chickens. One of their specialty dishes is the Chicken Delino which is traditionally served for “pamamanhikan” or engagement parties, but which Tipas has made accessible to everyone—even if you are not getting married!



At first glance, the Delino seems like a simple boiled chicken but it is very tasty with a unique “malagkit” (glutinous or sticky) rice stuffing complementing the flavors of the native chicken. Joselito, chef of the Tipas Food House, reveals that what makes this dish unique is that the chicken head is retained and the chicken liver and gizzard are included in the malagkit. The sticky rice is cooked together with the sautéed chopped chicken liver and gizzard, cut-up “sotanghon” (glass noodles), and seasoned with “patis” (fish sauce). Then the malagkit mixture is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed using the chicken stock, a process similar to the cooking of native “suman” (rice cake). The chicken is then stuffed with the malagkit rice and “nilaga” (boiled) in a pot for two hours with garlic and onions and seasoned with patis.

 For the pamamanhikan, two chickens are plated facing each other like love birds. The stuffing of the malagkit rice represents a close-knit marriage, and the sotanghon represents long life for the couple. A hard-boiled egg is added in the stuffing to signify fertility.Pasotes , the Important Herb of Chicken PipianUp north in the Heritage City of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, the Pipian is a native chicken dish that is usually served for merienda, similar to the more well-known “arroz caldo” (rice porridge). The native chicken plays a starring role in the Pipian, the flavor of which is a combination of sour and salty (think sinigang and kare kare!), with an added taste of pasotes. The pasotes, an herb endemic to Vigan, has its roots from Mexico and was brought to Vigan (previously called Ciudad Fernandina) through the galleon trade during Spanish times.Casa Lita, owned by the Florentino family in Vigan, is dedicated to preserving vintage Vigan cuisine. The restaurant has included the Pipian along with the ubiquitous longganisa, “bagnet” and “pinakbet.”

 Chef Rusty, a popular Pipian chef, is a fourth generation caretaker and chef of the historic Syquia Mansion. He shares his recipe for cooking Pipian: stir fry the ginger in hot cooking oil and then saute and fry the cut native chicken until cooked but not browned or totally fried. In a separate pot, boil the chopped “pias" (or “kamias,”) until softened and the "na-alsem” (bitter juice) will have been extracted from the fruit. Dilute the “atsuete” (annatto) seeds in a bowl of water to let the red coloring seep out. Then strain the atsuete seeds and mix the atsuete water in the bowl of roasted malagkit rice. Place the mashed kamias with its water in the pot. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the chicken, and chopped chicken liver and gizzard, and when it comes to a boil again, add the softened malagkit rice, stirring constantly so that the rice will not stick together or burn. Season with salt to taste. Once the roasted rice mixture is cooked, add a generous amount of pasotes leaves until the dish comes to a boil, after which the Pipian is ready to be served piping hot. Preserving Native Chicken CuisineBoth cities of Tayabas and Vigan have dedicated folks, like the Jaballas of Tipas Food House and the Florentinos of Casa Lita, who are passionate about preserving their rich culinary history. Both families are committed to reviving their locality’s unique native chicken cuisine and through their efforts, these not so popularly known Chicken Delino and Chicken Pipian will surely be preserved and become “top of mind” must try for both visitors of Tayabas and Vigan.