Ar-arosep (Sea Grapes)

Some people never heard of it but a lot knows about it and loves to consume it as their appetizer. This seafood is abundant in our province, Pangasinan. It can be eaten alone or with sliced ripe tomatoes. It's a perfect sidekick dish for any grilled meat and plain rice. Lately I have been craving for this dish, a long time ago I used to hate eating it. Realizing it is edible, chewy and tasty, I came to learn about the health benefits of sea grapes or green caviar. It contains some minerals and is said to be rich in Iodine.

Veggie Balls

There are variants of veggie balls cooked in different places. But this kind of snack I had was the best tasting veggie balls, at least for me. A veggie ball consists of crushed malunggay leaves, chopped cabbage, some chopped carrots and chayote (I think), flour, egg and water. My guess is that the balls were cooked using chicken oil to make them taste better and to give a chewy texture. My mother bought me one afternoon a bag of them along with sweet-spicy-sour sauce and vinegar mixed with bean sprouts, red onions and chili pepper for dipping. She asked the vendors if she could get some recipe for me to experiment their veggie balls but alas, they wouldn't share it. They sell their veggie balls for 2 pesos each. Their location was just 10 minutes walk from our place.

Their veggie ball stand located just beside their residence.

The vendors. 

The veggie balls. I wish to have more of them.

The veggie ball dip. Sweet and sour mixed with chili peppers and sliced onions. This is one of my favorite "sawsawan" or dips.