bvmisa

Does anyone know if you can make soy sauce with rice flour?

Uva has taba ng talangka risotto. It's vinegar-y and quite good, but it's what some people call a "heart attack special".

I am not exactly sure how to get there as I don't drive, but it is in the FTI complex which is in Taguig, Metro Manila, about 10-15 minutes from the Central Business Disctrict. If you are definitely going, I can ask my dad for particular directions. I like it as it brings a good mix of the traditional producers from the province and a few newer organic farms. There are also native handicrafts like baskets, etc. Of course, there are pirated DVDs in a few stalls. Zamboanga was mentioned, and I can attest to the fact that Zamboanga City has an awesome market. Aside from the great piles of raw sugar (of many kinds, called azucar de caballo there or "horse sugar"... people prefer white sugar any day ), there are many good vegetables and different kinds of fish. Also you can find the more traditional cooking materials and baskets. And flowers, for very cheap prices, as many are grown in backyards and fresh! A little off Manila there are wet markets everywhere, with different things to offer! Almost every wet market has a unique and interesting thing going on... Mindanao has good ones, but so does Manila. For a "giant" market, check out Divisoria, where you can roam the streets of the district and find many seasonal delights for really cheap.

In the Philippines, some people (including myself) eat their mango with rice. This is done while eating any dish, like for instance a vegetable stir-fry. The mango is just scooped out and mixed with rice, and eaten with the viand! Other than that, fruit is usually served sliced after the meal.

I grow my own sugarcane (tuba), malabar spinach (alugbati), sweet potato (camote), beans (sitaw), peanuts (mani), papaya, soursop (guyabano), jackfruit (langka), drumstick tree (malunggay), pandan, guava, mango, cassava (camoteng kahoy), jicama (singkamas), chilli peppers (sili), kadyos, and lots more! I am a fan of homegrown vegetables!!! obviously

Did you mean non-static markets, like farmers' markets? There are a whole bunch around Metro Manila, particularly one in TESDA that sells things from all over the Philippines... plants, sea cucumbers, exotic fruit, wild boar, hard-to-find unshelled nuts!

The most consistently good restaurant for me is Uva in Greenbelt. I also like Bollywood for good, made-from-scratch Indian food (also in Greenbelt). It's much much better than the small Indian restaurants in Makati. There is a Korean restaurant near Makati Ave which is really a cut above all others... but I don't remember the name! Bykes Cafe along Pasong Tamo has great Mascobado Cheesecake! There is a great restaurant in the Cavite area called LZM. People say their bangus is great (I'm vegetarian, I can't say speak for that), and it has great Filipino dishes. People come from all over to eat there. Circles in Shangri-La Makati has a good buffet selection, and Dusit's Thai restaurant is great too.

I love rosewater on ice cream-- I make a syrup and dribble it over. The Indian brands usually have some weird preservative. It's difficult to find stuff without, so I make my own with organic roses.

I am a hot chocolate addict and frequent Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar. About a year ago, I began buying copious amounts of pure cocoa tablets (100% cocoa beans) and experimenting with various flavors. My staple so far is made of 1.5 cups of coconut milk, 2 tableas, and 1.5 tablespoons of raw muscovado sugar. Sometimes I throw in a cinnamon stick or some anise. Any other cocoa addicts, and variations??