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KBL (Kadyos Baboy Langka)
Ilonggo stew of pork, pigeon peas and green jackfruit soured with batwan
Lunch
Dinner
450–600 kcal
Spice ●●●
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)
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.