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Calayan Island, Philippines
This girl is collecting sea urchins on the beach in Calayan Island. The image to right is behind the scenes, when I took this shot of her. Read more about Calayan Island and the review of TPS Homestay.
Luang Prabang, Laos
Night market in Luang Prabang Laos
Such a cute girl in the car
This is really nice for swim, Luang Prabang Laos
A garden of Eden in Luang Prabang, Laos
Luang Prabang and the Mekong River
River cruise at Mekong River
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Chili ice cream, bagoong and sea urchins
When you travel around in the Philippines you will have the possibility to encounter food experiences unlike what you are used to from back home. So what can you expect? It's of course depending on your own curiosity and where and how you travel. Here I share just a few examples of my own experiences. But remember, be brave and stay curious... always!
Chili Ice Cream
Hot and spicy but still cold. How is that possible? This is really a perfect combo to enjoy the spiciness of the chili together with the mild taste and coolness of the ice cream. The scoop with two chili fruits is the most spicy one.
Chili pepper
This is filipino chili which is smaller but more spicy than thai chili. You often mix the chili with the juice from the calamansi and some vinegar.
Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet in the Americas since at least 7500 BC. The substances that give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically are capsaicin and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. The thai chili pepper or the bird's eye chili is small, but is quite hot and spicy. It measures around 100,000–225,000 Scoville units, which is at the lower half of the range for the hotter habanero chili but still many times more spicy than a jalapeño.
Bagoong or shrimp paste
It's primarily made from finely crushed shrimp or krill mixed with salt, and then fermented for several weeks. Some versions are in its wet form and other versions are sun-dried and either cut into rectangular blocks or sold in bulk. It's an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Shrimp paste can be found in many meals in the Philippines for example in the Bicol Express. It's also often an ingredient in dip for fish or vegetables.
Bagoong with unripe mango, red onions and bell peppers. So delicious. Can be served together with grilled fish or meat.
Fresh sea urchins
Fresh sea urchins
Sea urchins are small, spiny, globular animals that inhabit all oceans from the intertidal to 5,000 metres. The shell of sea urchins is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 cm (1.2 to 3.9 in) across. Sea urchins move slowly, feeding primarily on algae. The name "urchin" is an old word for hedgehog, which sea urchins resemble. They are a delicacy for your taste buds to eat fresh with a little bit of calamansi juice and vinegar. You can also eat it as sea urchin sushi or uni sushi.
Raw sea urchin, how does it taste?
Sea urchin, also known as Uni, is loved by chefs and features heavily on tasting menus around the world. The delicacy of the ocean has a strong flavour and a strange texture if you're not used to eating it. Raw uni has a fresh ocean taste, briny and slightly minerally but not salty or "fishy". The flavor is mildly nutty with a slight sweetness similar to raw scallops. The texture is smooth, wet and custard-like. While the flavor of uni isn't particularly strong or sharp, the combination of the briny ocean taste and creamy texture is definitely not for everyone.
Preparing it is simple. Just scrape out the content, add some calamansi and vinegar to taste.
Now it's ready to eat!
