Sidcor Weekend Market, p2

A week after our first visit at the Sidcor Weekend Market, Ria and I decided to visit it again to buy Christmas gifts, and we tagged my mom along, because she might like the place. Well, she did like the place, but of course the travel was something she didn't like. We got to buy the things in our list, but since this is my food blog, I will concentrate on the foods we bought for this post.

Roasted Cashew Nuts. We were walking along this aisle, when mom's attention was caught by a kiosk selling cashew nuts. There were different packaging (the biggest was 1 kilo), and even if my mom has problems with rheumatism and that she complains about nuts making her joints ache, she really wasn't able to resist this. I actually tried to prevent her from buying this because it was a bit expensive (if I remember correctly this was about 300 pesos), but she really wanted it, so she bought it. The nuts were unsalted, which made it more delicious and flexible. Aside from us eating it, I also used it in cooking a dish.

Thai Crispy Pork. On a different aisle, mom saw a stall selling Thai products, when the vendor asked her to try a sample of their best seller. We thought mom was just going to sample it so Ria and I walked ahead. When we looked backed, mom wasn't following us and was still at the stall. I knew then mom bought something. Hmmmm.... my mom is every salesman's dream come true. :) About the product: well, it was good, but it was too bitter for me. It had a hint of sweetness, but I guess it was toasted well that's why it became a bitter.


Aparagus. It didn't look fresh because we actually have steamed this before I took a picture. :) First time in the market, Ria and I saw different stalls selling asparagus, and mom loves this vegetable so we roamed around to find the best bunch of asparagus. One lesson we learned: ask around first before buying. We saw three stalls selling asparagus, and in the end we bought this 500-gram bundle for 100 pesos. The other stall was selling it for 75 pesos - cheaper, yes, but the bundle was 250 grams. Anyway, I am not a big fan of this vegetable, but I admit it taste good steamed (and buttered).

Dried Biya Fish. Whenever I visit weekend markets, I always try to buy this boneless dried fish (it was anchovy, I think), but while checking one stall, mom saw a different kind of boneless dried fish, and thinking it had more meat than the one I wanted, she decided to get this instead. 1/4 kilo was actually a lot already, and the family loved it because it wasn't really salty. If only we had champorado that time... :)


Purple Cabbage. The supermarket sells the purple cabbage at a much expensive price, so when I asked one cabbage to be weighed and I was told it cost 45 pesos, I went ahead and bought it. I wasn't able to take a picture of the actual cabbage, but I did take a picture of the coleslaw I made, which was a great pair to the many fried / roasted meat dishes we cooked that week.

We bought quite a lot more items, but most were cooked foods/dishes that we ate there as well. I did buy some different kind of regional longganisa, which I will feature next week, because I think it deserved a post of its own. :)

Happy Sunday!

*** Jenn ***

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Sidcor Weekend Market, p1

I totally forgot I had this experience and these pictures in my files... rewinding a bit to early December 2010 when I first went to the Sidcor Weekend Market, now located in Centris. I normally visit the one located at the grounds of Lung Center of the Philippines, but through our neighbor Ria, I learned that it was transferred to Centris - Quezon Ave. cor EDSA in Quezon City.

Through her invitation, we went there with my cousin Mhai, and we did take a look at the many things for sale (you can buy housewares, clothes, bags, shoes, garden materials including plants and tree seedlings, and pets), but half of our trip there was for the food trip, so it was the last area we visited. Here are some of the pictures I took, using my cell phone as I don't have a camera yet that time (my old one died at a recent vacation):


Entrance. The food area is just as big as the apparel / housewares area, and the first thing people will see were stalls selling fruits, vegetables, and regional foods. Each stall had their own prices, so if you come here, be prepared to walk and ask around because some stall would have their goods at a lower price. Some stalls also sell organic fruits and veggies, although their prices would be a little more expensive than the others.


Fern. I remember when I was still a kid, dad would buy a bunch of this and make a salad. I don't remember how this tasted now, and although I didn't buy some (because we will be out in the sun for the whole day and it might wilt), just knowing I can buy this here was already a blessing.


Bottled Foods. The Spanish Sardines is already something everybody can buy at the local grocery, but seeing bottled pitaw and bacalao (the ingredients list stated barracuda fish... was there a difference?) was something new for me. Well, I would love to give it a taste, but I seriously couldn't have the courage the buy a bottle each just to know how it tasted.


Lechon Kawali. They allow people to have a free taste, but I'd rather not because I am afraid. Hahahaha.


Nuts and Dried Fruits. The newbie baker's fantasy come true, in my opinion. Well, the packages were small enough to handle small baking needs, and if only we had an oven, I so would love to try my hands at baking, too. Well of course, it's not just for baking.


Pastries. Now, if you're not into baking and would rather buy baked goods instead, they also have it here. Some stalls would sell bars, some would sell cakes... there are just so many pastries to choose from. Some stall also sells different kinds of breads, and we hit a jackpot there when we found a stall selling foccacia bread the size of a table placemat (and about 2 inch thick) for only p60. We saw other seller selling the same kind of bread for p50, but it was just 1/3 the size of what we bought.




Drinks. Most food stalls offer free taste (they have lots of small plastic spoons to avoid saliva contamination), so if all those free food tripping made your throat dry, there are some stalls selling drinks, too. Well, most offer the regular bottled water, bottled / canned soft drinks and juices, but one that really caught our interest were these drinks. Citrus Malunggay and Pineapple Cucumber anyone? Well, Ria and I decided to buy a serving each, and I chose the Citrus Malunggay and it was really refreshing. They added finely chopped fresh malunggay (moringa) leaves into the drink, and I loved that not only did it quenched my thirst, I also had an intake of fiber. I got to taste Ria's Pineapple Cucumber, and although it was good, I found the drink thick and a little heavy (well my drink was like drinking water) for my liking. Before we left the weekend market, we bought a cup each of the Citrus Malunggay again. We just loved it.

I wasn't able to get much details about each products because the sellers were busy talking to other customers and that at times I was a bit hesitant in asking especially if I won't buy it. Some of the pictures were taken in haste, too, so apologies if the pictures weren't that good.

We traveled back there the next week, and pictures taken from that trip will be shared next week.

*** Jenn ***

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