We were on a mission...
a mission to get these:
Cholesterol levels be damned, we would get some o' these flavor bombs!
I once had fried chicken skin at Alchemy in South Park but that was the "hipster" version complete with the hipster price. I think we paid about $5 for a tiny bag of it. But over here, it was a POUND for $7.99
The meaning of "kababayan" stems from the root word, "bayan" which means "country". In this context, it would mean "from the same town" or "townmate" but can also mean "fellow countryman".
The store is very small but is clean and neatly organized. They had a variety of Filipino snacks (chips and candy), canned items, drinks, dried goods (noodles for pancit), and a few baked items. There was also a fresh vegetable and fruit section right in the middle.
Cathy noticed this when we walked in - "Bibingkang Galapong" (bibingka, a rice cakemade with "galapong" or rice flour, with coconut and cream cheese cooked in banana leaf). This is only offered on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. This is a special occasion type of dessert, one that my mom would only make once a year but nowadays you can find them at select Filipino markets.
In the back is the mother lode...Lechon Kawali (fried pork), Bulaklak (pork ruffle fat), Dilis (anchovies), and Chicharron manok (fried chicken skin)! The word "Pulutan" refers to "finger food" or food that you eat when drinking beer.
I asked the guy to scoop me a little bit of each item, the Dilis (fried anchovies), chicharron manok (chicken skin), and bulaklak ("ruffle fat").
Hellz yeah man...Fried stuff! The bag came in at a little over a pound which we would end up dividing amongst ourselves later on.
Previous visit to Kababayan:
April 2012 during a food crawl with CAB
Kababayan
1840 Coronado Ave
San Diego, CA 92154
(619) 575-0800
There is no website and it's not even reviewed on yelp.
Just for fun, here's a recipe I found for making your own bulaklak:
ThePeachKitchen
In another blog I saw, there was a detailed description of what "EXACTLY" the bulaklak is:
"In anatomy, mesentery refers to the fold of the peritoneum (membrane lining the cavity of the abdomen) attaching the stomach, small intestine and other organs to the posterior wall of the abdomen. However, the word mesentery usually refers to the small bowel mesentery, a fold of tissue which anchors the small intestine to the back of the abdominal wall. It is the thin, web-like structure that supports the small intestine while allowing for the changes in their size and position. When the intestine is detached from this mesentery, the outside thin part of the latter forms a frill or ruffled-like ornament resembling a flower, hence the name of the meat and dish."
(Courtesy of PetitChef) - You can see detailed photos of the "mesentery" before and after frying it up.
But wait, there's more! Here is a link so you can get some lovely visuals of this anatomical region. I got a little too grossed out trying to choose even one photo so I opted not to inlcude one, ugh!
The paper bag smelled so good and we each had a piece of the fried chicken skin before heading over to the market across the parking lot...
11 comments:
Wow! I need to visit and get me some.
Yeah, in your old 'hood too! Top it off with some ice cream from Oasis! :)
Oooh, I have been having the biggest craving for fried chicken skins. I was just saying to the husband that I want to plan a weekend to go try some places out. I will make sure this is one of my stops.
hi kirbie, there are other places that sell fried chicken skin like chic boy (haven't been there but faye blogged it; it cost $8.99/lb). seafood city might even have it (mira mesa) or some other Filipino fast food place up near you guys.
Mercado International had a sign about chicken skins on weekends only at the front counter (next to the 'oriental' signage and bakery items). I liked all three of the choices...probably the chicharones were great also. So glad I got the bibingka-wonderful dessert.
I meant lechon. Forgot where I was...similar but different...
hi cathy - glad you liked the special bibingka. those take a lot to time to do so they are a 'special' dessert.
I haven't been to this part of town but fried chicken skin is worth any drive right! I saw Cathy's post about the market today. Did you like the garlic vinegar sauce that comes w/ the skin? I wonder if it's easy to make?
hi faye - that garlic vinegar sauce is pretty easy to make. just use coconut vinegar (found at Filipino stores like Seafood City) and crush some fresh garlic cloves. you can also add a few tiny chilis to give it some kick.
Thanks for the fried intestines lesson!! I'm still a bit timid to try it out but I figured anything fried can't taste all that scary.
You're welcome, haha. It's fried, so the crunchiness isn't so bad. give the 'bulaklak' a try next time you try chic-boy. just one piece then you can say, 'all right, i've tried it', then never touch it again!
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