Carmina is traveling to the United States to spend time with her family. My dad planned a family gathering for Mother's Day at their favorite Pinoy restaurant . Since reservations aren’t possible, we arrived an hour early to ensure we could get a table for twelve before everyone else showed up. As my dad approached Isla Grand , the branch we visited in Pleasant Hills, California , the host at the door said they could prepare a table for twelve at five o'clock. Later, the server called my dad's name and guided us to our table. The place was bustling with people enjoying meals and celebrating Mother's Day. On our first visit to Isla Grand, I was captivated by the décor, noticing many native items that gave the place a fancy yet authentic Filipino feel. They usually have a live band, but unfortunately, there was no entertainment the night we went. My family had spoken highly of Isla Grand and encouraged us to try the Filipino dishes we’ve been missing from back home. Lech...
Did you know there is a difference in mixed vegetables in the Philippines? Dinengdeng and laswa came from Ilocos Law-oy came from Visayas and Mindanao Bulanglang came from Batangas Do you wonder what the difference on each four mixed vegetables? Dinenegdeng uses fried or grilled fish Laswa uses shrimp instead of fish. Bulanglang uses fried fish, tuna or bagoong The difference in Bulanglang is the vegetables are steamed along with patoloa, malunggay, okra, eggplant, amplaya, kalabasa, string beans and tomato. Bulanglang na Gulay ng Batangas Recipe Ingredients: 1 1/2 Cup - Malunggay leaves 10 Pieces - String beans (sliced) 3 Pieces - Eggplant (cut in half and sliced) 5 Pieces - Okra (cut the top and slice in the middle) 1 - Patola (sliced) 2 - Cups Kalabasa - squash (cubed) 2 - Ripe Tomato (wedged) 4 - Cloves Garlic (minced) 2 - Tbsp - Ginger (sliced) 1 - Knorr Cube (any flavor) 4 - Cup Water Patis (fish sauce) to taste Cooking Instructions: Step 1: Sauté garlic, onion and gin...