These are volutes — kibol hereabouts, although I am uncertain if they are Cymbiola aulica (princely volute) or Cymbiola vespertilio (bat volute). I took these pictures over a month ago, the first time I had seen this type of kinhason.
With their elaborate patterns, volute shells are popular among collectors (imperial volute from the southern Philippines, with a spiked “crown” that looks more elegantly menacing than any dreamed up by Game of Thrones’ design team, is especially prized). These snails range from moderately to fairly large — that thing with the fingerprint-like whorls is just the foot — so I was more concerned about how tough the meat would be. I boiled for 15 minutes before poking/pulling them out of the shell, then stir-fried with ginger and oyster sauce.
I should have boiled a bit longer: they were still quite tough, the prominent foot particularly so (I had taken the vendor’s advice to not waste anything). Still, I could taste the promise of a better dish. I definitely will take on kibol again, given there is enough of it to buy, which has not been the case since our initial encounter. For now, an abundance of aninikad (plicate conch) is enough to satisfy my kinhason craving.
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