star resort antipolo

Star Resort, Sitio Payong, Antipolo. March 8, 2015.

The summer just started and our group went to Antipolo. It was freezing cold going up to Star Resort at 5 am. The place is an hour away from Manila.

Rented a kubo and started cooking our breakfast. The nice thing about their kubo is that it has electrical outlets. So, you can bring your rice cooker and cellphone charger.

We were able to catch the morning sunrise overlooking the rice fields of Teresa and the mighty mountains of the Sierra Madre Range.

The best is that it is the first saltwater swimming pool in a resort in the Philippines. The saltwater softens your skin and hair and no sore eyes.

The facilities are great… very clean restroom and accommodating staff.  I would highly recommend this place.

The group: Vam, Pabs, Ramssel, Ea Son, Mery Jean, Laina, Crissy, Mikoi, Kennedy and me, Bea.

A favorite Bicolano dish........'NILANTANG PILI'

Many know pili for its nuts but the 'fiber in the fruit' itself is delicious......

In high school i tried the 'nilantang pili', I did not like it, it was 'mapakla' or 'acrid in taste'. Then, I tried it again when I was in college and loved that taste. But truly,

nilantang pili is a taste of its own. You will not like it the first time but it gets better later on.

The pili fruit has a violet covering. 

Once you peel it, it has green fibers (green, when it is dry). 
Then the shell of the nut, brown in color. 
Then the nut itself, cream in color. 

So 'nilantang pili' is the cooked green fiber in the pili fruit. Which a few know how to prepare and eat, but is a delicacy for the bicolanos.

Some eat it with sugar. Some with patis. Me? With patis and lots of rice.....it's a viand itself.

So here's how to prepare 'nilantang pili': 

1. pili - still with the hard violet covering.

2. water - boil water..... after boiling, turn off the heat.

3. place the pili nuts in the container of 'boiled water'.

4. the violet pili covering will then become soft that you can start peeling it.

5. there, your green fiber, ready to dip in sugar or patis... ready to eat.

You can keep the nuts for those who would like to hammer the hard shell and eat the nut later.