alukon leaves stew with smoked fish

Well, yeas, of course, the leaves of the alukon (allaeanthus glaber), also alokon, bungon, baeg, himbabao, is also edible, and is a great leafy green for an Ilokano dinengdeng. It's not just the flowers, you see. 

Here's one tasty dinengdeng using alukon leaves only, made more delicious and flavorful with smoked fish (tinapa):

Cooking this Ilokano dish is simple. Just boil bugguong first, with some onion slices and then put in the washed leaves and the flaked tinapa into the boiling broth:

Simmer for a few minutes....

And it's done:

Serve the dinengdeng immediately while hot and steaming, the smoky aroma is so overwhelming it makes you salivate:

Here. it's perfect for your steamed rice, old or newly cooked. The broth is so tasty, perfect for a hearty labay:

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See another delicious dinengdeng/inabraw a bulong ti alukon!

salsa

(from Simple Recipes and Our Best Bites)

Actually, Pinoys have their own fresh salsa, sliced tomatoes (kamatis) with grated green mango and sliced onions dressed with patis (fish sauce) or salted shrimp paste (bagoong alamang). The Ilokanos especially has it with bugguong (salted/fermented fish) and they fondly call it as KBL (kamatis, bugguong, lasona; not to mistake as the old political party of the late Apo Marcos).

Photo credit: ourbestbites.com

Photo credit: simplyrecipes.com

But I want the real Mexican fresh salsa there is, I'll note it on my recipes-to-do list, and maybe dress it with bugguong juice instead of just simply salt to taste.

Here is a simple fresh salsa recipe from Simple Recipes and from Our Best Bites.




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