A jeepneyful of Pinoy cuisine
It’s always great to hear about culinary events that promote Filipino cuisine. I grew up on my mother’s cooking, in my hometown of Orani, Bataan. I have always craved her embutido, morcon and adobong alimango among other local classics that she prepared at my school, Mommy Lily’s Recipes. And I am happy that classes featuring homestyle Filipino dishes are as strong as the other courses featured. It just goes to show that despite the world being a global village, we manage to remain strongly rooted in tradition, and I share in the vision of preserving and promoting our culinary heritage.
It warms the heart to know that The Intercon Manila, part of an international hotel chain, is presenting the rich and delightful cuisine of the Southern Tagalog region. Called “Kulinarya Tagala,” this food fête features the creations of Laguna-bred chef Paul Poblador and Lucban’s pride, Milada Dealo Valde of Koffee Klatch.
It’s a joyous salo-salo at the Jeepney Café of the Intercon the whole month of November as patrons get to sample traditional dishes coming from the provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Quezon. The atmosphere is bright and merry as the place is decked out with kiping in festive, bold colors — all of it actually edible. Kiping are basically rice wafers colored and formed using a leaf as a mold. These are used to adorn houses in Lucban during the popular Pahiyas festival every May, a thanksgiving celebration in honor of the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro Labrador.
With our country bursting with a myriad of flavors, the Cuisine of Quezon has a delightful charm of its own. And the Jeepney Café’s featured chefs are truly ambassadors of the Southern Provinces when it comes to promoting taste.
They say Lucbanins make the best cooks. And Milada Dealo Valde is a culinary gem. She might as well be called the Broas Lady for her famous ladyfingers. Always eager to learn more as well as share her passion for food, she has passed on to me her recipe for the classic hardinera which was oftentimes requested by the late President Manuel Quezon. This dish should not be missed during the buffet, which is served for lunch and dinner. Another one of my favorites is the morcillas a tasty broth with dugo ng baboy at baga ng baboy, blood sausage, garbanzos, potato, and chopped blood and lungs of carabeef. A famous Lukban attraction which has stood for over 20 years is the Dealo Koffee Klatch which she owns and manages. But one does not need to go all the way down south to buy her famous pasalubongs such as her espasol, puto seko and tikoy because it is sold at the hotel’s take-out counter for a limited period. Lukbanins are known for their cooking ingenuity and artistry, and Valde is perfect example of that. I tried her version of puto bumbong, which was cut into squares. The coconut meat shreds are packed in the ground rice cake and it’s surprisingly delightful even without muscavado to sweeten it. Although heavy on the tummy, I could not resist going for seconds.
The pleasures of the table become more pleasing when passion has been poured into its offerings. And I do not doubt that love becomes one of the main ingredients in chef Paul’s culinary creations. Just a bite of his signature adobo antigua becomes an emotional experience. The tenderness of the meat and its delicate, slightly-sweet, slightly-spicy taste is indescribable. Later on I found out that his version, marinated in a mix of garlic, bay leaf vinegar, peppercorns and soy sauce together with rum and coconut water, sits soaking for three days in the sauce and is then cooked twice over until a reduction is reached. The elaborate process shows that slow cooking makes a big difference in elevating the taste of food. Chef Paul Poblador who is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy never forgets his roots, and it is with much pride that he offers only homegrown dishes in his rustic dining place Kusina Salud in San Pablo Laguna, a lovely ancestral house amid open spaces of lush greenery and foliage.
Other palate pleasers that I’ve sampled during the opening of the event was the ginataang pla pla at mustasa, chef Paul’s famous ensaladang pako, kamatis, wansoy at kesong put and Kinulob, which is pork simmered in turmeric. Simplicity at its best was the ensalada Filipina, a mix of steamed vegetables such as okra, pechay, cabbage and talbos ng kamote which you can dip in a choice of bagoong Balayan, bagoong alamang or spiced Quezon vinegar. Makes for a healthy but totally delish dish.
Jennifer Peña, the Intercon’s director of public relations, tells me of their plans of mounting more events such as these to promote the country’s culinary treasures primarily to their foreign guests so they get a taste of the Philippines right in the heart of Manila. That’s good news to hear and I am certainly looking forward to it. There’s no better cuisine in the world than what our parents and grandparents have served us. Let’s always take pride in that.
There’s a Filipino saying that goes, “Kung nasaan ang asukal, naruon ang langgam.” For me that means, wherever there’s local culinary temptations to be explored, let me be the first one at it!
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