As in kilawin, in Tagalog. But it is kilayin in Pampango. It has nothing to do with kilay (eyebrow), but has a lot to do with uric acid. It’s like adobo, but not quite. It is definitely a kind of stew, but again it’s not.
Kilayin is a regular dish in my Inang’s kitchen for as long as I can remember. Inang was how I called my grandmother on my mother’s side–mga purong Kapampangan–as opposed to the usual Lola, which was how I called my grandmother in my father’s side, who hails from Masbate. A contrast of tastes, huh? Ginisa (sauteed) for Kapampangans versus ginataan (cooked in coconut milk) for Masbatenos!
I had the luxury to have a taste of kilayin again, served from Thursday but till Sunday this past Holy Week. You see, kilayin tastes better when it’s older. Sunday was best to eat it not only because it was three-days old, but because it was Easter already.
Kilayin is made up of pig’s organs:heart, liver, lung, and pork, cooked in vinegar, water, garlic, pepper, and chili. The stew is set aside when tender and drained from the remaining sauce. And then garlic, onion, and chopped lung are sauteed until brown. Then the drained stew is added to the pan until everything is golden brown. The remaining sauce is poured and then simmered until thick.
Now you see why it has a lot to do with uric acid. And why it’s not exactly adobo since there is no soy sauce. And not stew, since there’s sauteeing at the last step. Kilay has nothing to do with kilayin, obviously.
Dominant tastes are that of the vinegar and the liver. With steaming boiled rice, kilayin is a knockout. The mild spicy sauce is usually sprinkled on the rice to the point of soaking it, and then together with the meats, kilayin is gobbled by the mouthfuls by hand. Superbly addictive.
I haven’t dared cook this but I will someday especially that my eldest daughter has acquired a taste for it. A visit to Tarlac is not a visit for her without her favorite kilayin.
Check out any kapampangan kitchen. It will have kilayin stewing.
hey dee, does your family eat it in a restaurant in tarlac? my grandfather’s from paniqui, tarlac and we got there quite often. haven’t tasted the dish yet, tho.
Lem! I am half Kapampangan! My mother cooks it every time we visit the folks. I haven’t tried anything that’s cooked in a restaurant.
Here’s what we can do. If you happen to be in Tarlac City, text or call my father ahead so they can prepare it for you. You can picked it up from the house…yummy!
Email you details!
uy cool! yes please, i’d really appreciate that, i love trying out all sortsa food =) thanks dee!
Hi I wish you had written a detailed recipe on kilayin. I love this dish though I only stumbled on this dish in Kapampangan carinderia in SM foodcourt. I think this dish is not popular even to some kapampangans.
I am not kapangpangan but I am convinced that among Filipinos they are the best, if not the ultimate authority when it comes to fiesta cooking.
My mother has the secret recipe! I hope she shares it with us!
ahh, Kilayin. I really love that dish but now that I’m 34 and uric acid level’s rising I just cant enjoy it as much as I used to.
I do agree with you that Kilayin tastes a lot better when aged by a few days. Thanks for the post on this classic Capampangan dish.
this is a regular kapampangan dish, i just cooked it last night. manyaman pin pag mikabukasan ne, mas lalu yang mag lasang kilayin, nayman na! mangan tana!
this is a regular kapampangan dish, i just cooked it last night. manyaman pin pag mikabukasan ne, mas lalu yang mag lasang kilayin, nyaman na! mangan tana!
my mom always cook this when we go to province pampanga . i’m pure kapampangan and this is the only kapampangan recipe that i didn’t master cooking it..i’ll get the recipe from my mom next time.
Noong akoy namamasada pa ng jeep sa fairview, mga 1994 may nakainan akong 1 maliit na kainan ng mga driver. at dito ko natikman ang kilayin. mula noon tuwing akoy kakain sa tindahan ni IMA un ang twag namin sa tintera. ay kilayin lagi ang order ko. masarap kasi at tamang tama ang timpla ng asim at anghang nito. kaya ngayon hinanap ko sa yutube ang recipe nito. para ipagluto ko ang aking mga anak na nandito na lahat sa dubai.