EAT: Bacolod's Batchoy, the local merienda for all seasons

Batchoy, a Bacolod City's pride

Want something hot to satisfy your cold summer nights craving?
A bowl of piping hot batchoy will surely be a hit!

Batchoy is a favorite meryenda for the Ilonggos and Bacolodnons as well, ke umuulan o mainit ang panahon, a batchoyan is a go to place for those who want something that will satisfy their tummies, at talagang masarap pa. Piping hot bowl of batchoy with a pair of Manapla Puto–a perfect combo to fill my hungry tummy

Batchoy originated from La Paz, a district in Iloilo City in the the province of Iloilo, island of Panay. Later on, Ilonggos around the region created their own version of how they would prepare and cook this noodle dish. The specialty crossed the waters to Negros Island because as history says, folks from Iloilo would travel to Negros for either business or leisure. Others later on relocated to some parts of the province while most of them opted to stay in Bacolod.

Sarap!

At present, there are local restaurants in the city that include batchoy as one of the stars in their menu. Even in carinderias and small eateries anyone can order this Ilonggo noodle fare. It’s easy to prepare and one can even make his/her own homemade version. In fact, most of the ingredients are readily available in the public market. Just make sure the pork innards are well cleaned before cooking.

In Bacolod, some of the restaurants that serve Batchoy are 21 Restaurant, Super Batchoy House, Chinky’s, Roli’s, Ted’s and Quan. Of course, hindi papatalbog ang mga karinderya sa kanto, may sarili rin silang version ng batchoy.

A bowl of special batchoy usually has the following ingredients:

batchoy noodles
thinly sliced pork liver
thinly sliced pork meat
pork intestine (chopped)
1 fresh egg (optional)
bits and pieces of crunchy pork cracklings (chicharon)
loads of toasted garlic
sping onions (chopped)
batchoy broth

Batchoy with egg

Others establishments add extra trimmings such as the very sinful pork brain (Oh, your cholesterol pleaaase!), and other pork innards but I prefer to have my own batchoy fix without these cholesterol-loaded stuff. As long as the broth is flavorful and the noodles are firm, a bowl of special batchoy is enough for me. And I really do get excited as I smell that strong garlicky aroma while it’s being served. Come to Bacolod soon!