Arriving at Perfect Loaf around 8 p.m., the buffet table was already laden with the dishes the General (I shall call him that, being commander-in-chef for the night) had prepared. He was all refreshed and smartly dressed, considering all the cooking he had done. Much earlier that day, Marsha (herself an excellent baker) and the General went marketing at Farmers in Cubao, Quezon City. It must have been quite a long day for the two.
Just as we were about to serve ourselves the sumptuous meal, he gave a short introduction on the distinctive features of Bicolano cuisine. There was the signature laing (gabi leaves); Bicol express (see recipe below); dinuguan na manok (chicken dinuguan with green papaya); prawns cooked in gata; and a soup dish called cocido (actually a fish sinigang); rice cooked with kamote cubes; and the wonderful dessert santan, a creamy concoction of coconut milk, panocha, pili nuts and latondan banana.
The General explained that eating Bicol food is like a symphony. It has to have the right blend of tastes, textures and smells. And it is all bound together by the boiled rice (a chapter in his book is solely dedicated to rice, which he calls "The Main Dish"). When cooked, each grain has to be separate but soft without being soggy. A companion dish is not eaten before or after as in the western style. For example, if cocido (sinigang na isda) is served, after a bite of ginataang gulay, a spoonful of broth is taken to wash down the oily taste of the gata. The sourness of the soup complements the oily taste of coconut milk-based viand or vegetable.
Of all the regional Philippine cuisines, Bicolano cooking (encompassing four mainland provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon, and two island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate) is perhaps the only one that could be described as homogeneously spicy and extensively uses coconut milk, be it in its sauces, viands and desserts. With a total population of more than five million Bicolanos, speaking diverse tongues and having different customs, they are, however, bound together by their fanatical devotion to their patron saint, the Virgin of Peñafrancia, and their unique indigenous cuisine.
The General recounts in his book that he was in his teens during the Japanese Occupation when he was left to the mercy of the frying pan. There being no househelp, the household chores were distributed among him and his six siblings. Disliking housekeeping chores, especially scrubbing the floor, he volunteered to do the cooking without really knowing what he was getting into. Firsthand, he got to learn the rudiments of cooking from his parents, both experts in Bicolano cookery. From his father (one of the earliest practicing lawyers in Naga), he learned how to cook with gata, and from his mother (the first municipal librarian in Bicol), he learned simple and hearty ways of cooking fish.
He recalls that his father, who was born and bred in Ligao, Albay, had chili with his scrambled eggs at breakfast. And during lunch and dinner, he took a whole chili with each spoonful of food. The General postulates why the Bicolanos have this long-standing love affair with chili. He says it must be during the Spanish galleon trade, when the galleons passed the historic San Bernardino Strait coming from Mexico – it was in the Bicol area that the galleon first did their layover after the long voyage of crossing the Pacific Ocean, before proceeding finally to Manila. It was manned by mostly Mexican crew, and with them, they introduced their fiery cuisine.
According to writer Eric S. Caruncho, in an article he wrote many years ago, one pimentologist (yup, it’s a serious science) has theorized that chili pepper lovers surf the pleasure-pain threshold; i.e. the distress caused by a particularly spicy mouthful is soothed by bland, starchy foods (like rice) that invariably accompany hot viands, offering a masochistic sort of relief that is habit forming. Those who develop a liking for chilies build up a tolerance like any other kind of addiction; one needs more and more of the stuff to get the same high.
If you are just starting to enjoy cooking with chili peppers, start with the more mild ones and work your way up the heat scale. Note that nearly all of the heat from chilies is derived from the membrane that holds the seeds in place (that soft whitish flesh inside the pepper). By removing this membrane and the seeds, you’re left with the pepper skin, which can flavor dishes nicely without overpowering them.
Here’s a recipe from the General’s cookbook that will surely be a baptism of fire to anyone.
This dish is named after the express train that used to run from Tutuban Station in Manila to the southern terminal at Legazpi City in Albay and back. It is probably so named because, in its original form, it is so fiery hot that it can send you on an express trip to the john.
The original recipe calls for siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili) but this is too hot even for most Bicolanos. Use finger chilies instead (the green ones used for sinigang).
1/4 kilo finger chilies
kakang gata (first pressed milk from 2 medium-size coconuts in 1 cup water)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 thumb ginger, sliced
6 heaping tablespoons of bagoong alamang (balao in Bicol)
100 grams of liempo (pork belly), cut to 1/2-inch cubes
1 stick tanglad (lemon grass), crushed
Cut the chili crosswise into 1/4-inch lengths, discarding the stems. If you wish to reduce its sting, soak the sliced chili in water until you are ready to add it to the boiling milk mixture. To cut the sting even further, discard the seeds.
Put the gata with all the ingredients (except the chili) in a cooking pan. Cook over high heat. Stir constantly to prevent curdling until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Scrape in any cream that sticks to the sides of the pan. Add the chili. Stir frequently to ensure even cooking. The dish is ready when the chili is done.