Dalawa'ng Bahay

L-R: Pheeyah Salones, Mercy Imbuido Nebria, Vica Tigno, Addel De Dios Lapira, Presy Vivar, Ofie Palma, Ferdi Bolislis and myself at the back

I was cordially invited by two friends on the first weekend of May for breakfast and lunch at their homes. It was something I had looked forward to because it was not going to be any ordinary get to together. We had formed a clique of fun loving, heritage admiring, boisterous, gregarious friends composed of different people from different backgrounds. 

Breakfast spread at Bahay Makabayan

Weeks in advance, we received the invite from Maestro Jose Benigno Salvador (a.k.a. Jimmy Corpuz) and Mercy Imbuido Nebria (fondly called momshie Merce) to visit their homes in Marilao and Malolos, Bulacan respectively. Right after the Bacolod and Iloilo heritage tour we attended, Pheeyah Salones, Ferdi Bolislis and myself together with Vica Tigno, Ofie Poblete and Presy Vivar met up early at the Trinoma Parking Area where collective vans to the north wait for passengers. It didn't take long for the six of us to negotiate a reasonable fare to Marilao to visit the Bahay Makabayan which Jimmy Corpuz lovingly put together. We each paid P65.00 for our  UV Express fare with the driver's assurance that we were to be dropped off at the Bahay Makabayan's door step. We took a little time getting there as we didn't exactly know where it was. 

Puto

Karioka

Naturally, when maestro saw us, he welcomed us in and was it ever a welcome!!! The table was already partially laid out with some food that was all there for the tasting. I skipped breakfast that day knowing we were going to be treated to Bulacan's heritage cuisine. I was flabbergasted at the breakfast spread! As in any Filipino home, after the customary greetings of "good morning" (or evening) the guest is normally asked "kumain na ba kayo?" ( have you eaten?) But since we came there specifically for the food, Maestro Jimmy casually waved for us to take our seats at the table. Maestro Jimmy's new millenial mom dotingly served us other items coming from her kitchen. I mentioned millenial mom here because she's 72 and doesn't look a day over forty.

Suman

Puto Maril

Bulog

Now what comprises a typical Bulaqueno  breakfast? Well, for one, you can't escape the usual pan de sal and brewed coffee. Their pan de sal was densely rolled and weighed heftier than what we have in Manila. The bakery it came from has been operating since the 1930's. The itty bitty puto ( steamed rice flour cakes) from Marilao was soft and chewy while another bigger variant of puto had either slices of salted egg or slivers of cheese on top. I tried the  suman (cylindrical steamed rice wrapped in young banana leaves) sweet enough as is, it had a sauce of, get this... BULOG! Bulog is a mixture of condensed milk, dayap (local lime) and smashed jackfruit seeds that's boiled to soften, peeled and then coarsely chopped for added texture. It not so much as crunchy as it is nutty with the consistency of macadamia nuts. I relished the salty taste of queso'ng puti (carabao's milk fresh cottage cheese) and the pan de sal  over steaming hot coffee with cream. What a perfect combination!

Carabao's milk

Plump duhat that I mixed with carabao milk

I also had Karioka (gelatinous sticky rice deep fried to a crispy exterior with the inside staying soft and chewy). It had just the right sweetness and consistency the crunchy part tasting like a caramelized soccarat coating. A brilliant combination I just had to try was the duhat ( a purple endemic fruit) mashed with some fresh carabao's milk. It was unusually tasty. If you've never tried duhat, when it is ripe it has a sweet taste and a little mushy mouthfeel as you eat the flesh of the fruit but having too much of it has a bitter sticky mouthfeel when eaten. The carabao's milk get's rid of that sappy, sticky after taste when you've eaten too much of it. Dessert was kusilba of Kaong, Nata de Coco and langka. Sweet syrup laden jackfruit , coconut jelly (nata de coco) and kaong (sweet palm fruit). 

plows and tillers on the background at Bahay Makabayan

We had our fill and then moved to a later addition of the house to Bahay Makabayan which is sitting over the garage area of Jimmy's home. He has a collection of memorabilia from old magazines, soda bottles, books, artwork and brochures that were culled over the span of his career. It seems that the collection has been assigned different areas in the small addition. Not a single item is out of place. The collection interestingly delves on Bulacan arts and culture. Incidentally, Jimmy is or was  the director of Bulacan heritage studies at the Bulacan State University, ergo the monicker Maestro. The house has been featured in various art and culture shows and magazine shows like rated K. Each item on his collection has a story to tell. Plans are afoot for extending the Bahay Makabayan for Jimmy's ever-growing collection. amid the laughter and the photo ops we had to bid our leave as Jimmy was expecting another set of guests to his home for lunch so he showed us ho to get to Mercy's area by public transport.

Eggplant salad and salted egg halves

We went to the Marilao Public Market so we could take the jeepney to Malolos. The fare was ten or twelve pesos for a short trip to the outskirts of Malolos as Merce instructed us to get to the crossing and alight there which we did. Apparently, Merce's home is inside the gated community right smack along the main highway and in a few minutes she was greeting us and showing us the way inside the village. We were ushered out onto the patio of her home where tents were set up for shade and  tables and chairs were set-up for alfresco lunch. When your with a small group like this, don't be misled into thinking it's going to be a quiet affair. Not ever!

Bagoong rice and grilled tilapia

Funny stories and jokes were being bandied about during the conversation. Some of them were off color. Some were quite demure. All of them were funny. We started to get ready for lunch and one by one the dishes started coming out from Merce's kitchen. We prayed for thanks and praise and then attacked the food! There was a bowl of  red, plump macopa which I totally ignored. I don't eat it, anyway. I started with a fresh salad of pechay and shaved veggies like squash and carrots with a slight drizzle of  vinaigrette that was really restaurant quality. I had a second helping of course. And then as the lunch was getting more animated, who should arrive but dear amigo Addel de Dios Lapira? He was expected to be at Bahay Makabayan with us but didn't show up. It was, indeed, a pleasant surprise that he followed us to Merce's house. Right then, our conversation went totally immodest. Laughter induces one to eat more, I think.

Pansit with anato seed oil

Bowls of Bagoong rice and Tinola with native chicken was served. I could never eat a meal without rice so this was totally welcome. There was a variant of Pansit Bihon that was cooked with anato seed oil. I thought it was of the Malabon variety but I was totally surprised. It was very tasty with a different flavor profile as I could taste the fresh chives on it.  I was just really happy feasting on the grilled Tilapia that I paired with roasted eggplant salad with shrimp paste and onions and salted egg halves . Everything I tasted was so totally delicious. Take note, these are dishes that are not traditionally served for special occasions but  for a gathering of  foodie friends like us, this was indeed special! For dessert, I tried Merce's Turon Camote with a drizzle of caramel. What makes it different is that the filling is not the traditional sweetened banana slices but mashed sweet potato. I baked a loaf of Banana chocolate bread and made a caramel glaze to go with it. It was served for postre as well. We had a short sharing to end the gathering whilst reading some verses to make the gathering more meaningful and had loads of photo ops and coffee to prevent us from going groggy after so much food.

Merce's Turon Camote

Interestingly the way back to Manila was faster. we crossed the main highway and took a van to Trinoma in Quezon City and I took the MRT and LRT to get home. This was just too hilarious a gathering... I now wonder... would there be a part II?

My chocolate banana bread with caramel glaze