kilawin is raw or steamed?
By Ritchelle
@Ritchelle (3790)
Philippines
May 14, 2009 2:56am CST
recently my husband and i got to eat at gerry's grill. of course i ordered "ginataang kuhol" or snail with coconut cream that happens to be my favorite and he got to order "kinilaw na tanigue" or fish in vinegar. my in law asked if it was really raw and my husband said, "no, it is steamed." and i said, "raw."who is correct?also, other meats can be used for "kinilaw" right?
2 people like this
7 responses
@eichs1 (1934)
• Philippines
16 May 09
Kilawin are never steamed. It is either raw, blanched, grilled or boiled. Fish and shell kilawin are most often raw but others blanched them with boiling water primarily to get rid of some unwanted microorganisms. I have heard that others are making kilawin with raw meat but I never tasted and will ever taste one. I have tasted half-cooked meat kilawin and it made me throw up, I don't think I can ever eat raw meat.
2 people like this
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
18 May 09
hey, thank you for that additional information. you're not the only one who cannot eat raw. i mean i like pork kinilaw but the one that uses our smallest fish here in the philippines, i forgot what it is called, i almost gagged on it the first time i tasted it as kinilaw.
@Danielle010507 (221)
• Philippines
17 May 09
It is raw meat. I know how to cook kilawin since kilawin is an ilonggo cuisine.
Usually, it is cooked in vinegar but other kilawin like kuhol is cooked in boiling water. Usuallu, they just put a boiling water in meat and strain it. I like kilawin because of it's taste and I like to eat it during drinking sessions. lol
1 person likes this
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
18 May 09
i like kuhol so much. it is more than 3x i think since i've mentioned it in mylot. but i didn't know it can be "kinilaw". does it taste better than the one with coconut milk?
@cecillecarmela (3818)
• Philippines
14 May 09
Kilawin is really my favorite :) but according to my cousin, kilawin is raw meat. It is cooked just in vinegar because vinegar is an acid. And based from the studies, raw meats are healthier than cooked meat. :)
1 person likes this
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
15 May 09
i wonder if it makes a lot of difference if we use datu puti vinegar or silver swan vinegar. we all know the former can really burn a hole in your esophagus while the latter is more like water (?) 
thanks for the post!
thanks for the post! @netpabelonio (99)
• Philippines
15 May 09
i make kinilaw myself. I make them raw. It's not steamed at all.
I like using tanigue rather than tuna since I think tanigue is more softer than tuna.
Anyways, kinilaw is made from raw fish meat that's why it gets spoiled easily. I'm just not sure on how Gerry's Grill make their kinilaw...
@agv0419 (3022)
• Philippines
15 May 09
I love kilawin but only fish not meat. If meat going to make into kilawin it should be cooked because I can't eat it if still blood on it. I prefer fish because vinegar can cook the fish unlike meat. I think kilawin is still raw but I think vinegar cooks it.
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