Ilonggo stew of pork, pigeon peas and green jackfruit soured with batwan
LunchDinner450–600 kcalSpice ●●●
KBL (Kadyos Baboy Langka)
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KBL stands for kadyos (purple pigeon peas), baboy (pork) and langka (green jackfruit): three ingredients that, together, act as the flag of Ilonggo cooking in Iloilo and Negros. The sourness does not come from tamarind, as in sinigang, but from batwan, a wild fruit (Garcinia binucao) of the Western Visayas that yields a cleaner, fruitier acidity. The pigeon peas stain the broth an unmistakable slate purple: if the dish is not violet, it is not KBL.
Ingredients
500 g pork (hock or belly), cut in chunks
1 cup kadyos (pigeon peas), soaked
300 g green jackfruit, cut in pieces
5-6 fresh batwan (or 2 tablespoons tamarind as a substitute)
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
1 onion, quartered
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
1 siling haba chili (optional)
450–600 kcal per typical serving.
per serving with fatty pork cuts, no rice (estimated from the typical recipe)
Where to try it
Iloilo
How it is made
Simmer the pork with the pigeon peas, onion and lemongrass in enough water for 1 hour; the broth will slowly turn purple from the legume.
Add the green jackfruit and cook 20 more minutes, until tender like an artichoke heart.
Add the crushed batwan or the tamarind and let the broth sour for 10 minutes over low heat.
Adjust with patis and drop in the whole siling haba if you want a hint of heat.
Serve steaming, with the purple broth piping hot and white rice on the side.