Maliputo in Lipa

To escape the prospect of war and to seek relief from anxiety, we took a drive with a close friend to Lipa City in Batangas. It is easier to reach the city through the highway off Santo Tomas. One enters the Star tollway, apparently so named to suggest project ownership by the city’s actress-mayor, reaching the town proper in about ten minutes. The roads are good and the place is clean (maybe the actor-mayor of Parañaque can get some ideas from his friend on how to free his city of litter), but traffic is heavy on the main road leading to the cathedral, which was the first place we visited. Smoking is not allowed around the church, an imposing testament of the intricate art of frescoes and life-size religious figures.

We had a difficult time getting directions from the townsfolk, giving us the impression of indifference towards visitors. We made our way to Fiesta World Mall, a huge complex of low buildings, half of which are empty. There is a Wal-Mart, selling their usual grocery items and dry goods. When finally we found the Ayala portion of the town, we made some progress with regard to our desire to have a lunch of typical Batangas food. To our delight, the Hapag Filipino restaurant on Gen. Luna street, owned and managed (for the last 20 years) by the gracious Aling Nene, carries the precious and rare maliputo, the fish we grew up with in Tanauan, which has nearly become extinct. Found only in Pansipit, Taal, it is the king of fishes with its soft, milky (in flavor and texture) flesh, perfect for sinigang, just as Aling Nene prepared the head for us, cooked in fresh tomatoes with radish and mustasa leaves. It is served with bagoong Balayan, given that special zing by chili and calamansi. Maliputo comes in various sizes (and sells at P500 a kilo), from the muslo, which is about half foot long, to the giant of 5 to 6 kilos. With that we had Kalderatang Kambing, super delicious in a gravy of subtly blended flavors.

The Lipa public market on Mayo Street is another multi-building complex. From the dry goods section, we met another Aling Nene from whom we got Liliw slippers with beautiful abalorio at P150 a pair. The fish and meat sections are rather dirty, murky with mud and water. Beef and pork prices equal those in Manila. Tambakol, which the fishmongers call yellow fin, is plentiful and go from P75 to P100 a kilo. From Aling Gloria we got adobo longaniza (P160 a kilo) which they guarantee is not done with salitre. The secret: the meat is mixed with garlic, vinegar and a bit of soy sauce. At breakfast the following morning, they were a hit with our brood.

Have you been to a State Fair? Shopwise did a mini version, Fresh Fest, on a vacant lot across Filinvest SuperMall, where they are housed. Our two-year-old apo thrilled to riding the pony, petting the furry chicks and sampling chicharon at Pork’s Best, while we did the rounds, noting fresh mangoes from Dizon farms and other fruits, vegetables from Farm Fresh, including those raised with the hydroponic system, and flavored water from France (Nutra clear brand). All produce in the fair are available at promo prizes in the store.

We also visited the "Pistahan", a Southern Tagalog tourism and trade fair, at the Carousel court of Filinvest Supermall where products, from food to home décor, are on offer. Today is the last day; the Karangalan Philippine Dance Company from San Pedro, Laguna performs at 4 p.m.

Here is good news for residents of BF Homes, Parañaque. Export grade fruits, like very sweet mangoes, are now available at the store called Pelican Fresh, right across the Phase 1 wet market. The outlet is a division of Marsman Drysdale Food Corporation, which means the stocks are truly of A1 (export) quality. They are priced low as well, mangoes from P45 to P60 a kilo (depending on its ripeness), onions at P30 a kilo (for both red and white) and sugary water melons from P75 to P110 a piece.

For this period’s meatless days, jazz up your steamed, grilled and fried fish with a variety of flavors, using lime juice, honey and even mango jam and chutney. We will share some recipes with you in our next column.

* * *

Lydia D. Castillo’s e-mail address: [email protected]