Recipe: Sampling the Tausug's breakfast staple Satti

Satti are bite-sized barbecued meat skewers that are common breakfast fare in Southern Mindanao.
Philstar.com / Earl D.C. Bracamonte

MANILA, Philippines — Tausug cuisine is pre-colonial and mostly found in Southern Mindanao. 

Chef Miguel "Miggy" Cabel Moreno's family hails from Jolo and Zamboanga, and they have grown up eating Tausug fare. 

The chef and his family currently operates the restaurants Palm Grill and Cabel in Metro Manila that put the spotlight on Southern Mindanao food.

"The Satti, akin to your barbecued meat on skewers (albeit bite sized), is a Southern Mindanao staple and a breakfast delicacy. In the ZamBaSulTa (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi) region, the sauce is refillable, unlike here in Quezon City (where the two Palm Grill restaurants are), the sauce only comes once with the dish," Chef Miggy shared. 

"The sirloin parts of beef meat are sliced into bite sizes. You can easily tenderizer the meat through a pressure cooker prior to slicing. In Mindanao, they start cooking the Satti as early as 3 a.m. for breakfast. While anywhere else, this dish is served by itself or with a bowl of rice, but in Mindanao, it is usually served with rice balls," he added.

For the skewers, chicken, liver, or gizzard can be the options.  Freshly prepared sauce can be frozen and can last in the fridge for five years or more.

Chef Miggy conducted a cooking demo simply dubbed "Colors of Mindanao" at the Palenque section  of Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City.

Satti

Ingredients:

For the broth:

4 liters water for the base soup. Use it to boil beef or fish. You can store the remaining stock for future use. Place them in clean jars and store them inside the refrigerator.

For the sauce:

Ripe tomatoes

Ginger

Turmeric (wear gloves to prevent getting stains)

Garlic

White onions, diced

Chili (siling labuyo or jalapeño)

Lemon

Cooking oil (vegetable)

Dried shrimps

Magic Sarap powder

Salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Saute the white onions until translucent. Add the Magic Sarap powder from its pouch. Stir continuously so it does not burn.

2. Add the 4 liters of beef or fish stock.

3. Add the Satti mix (composed of washed sugar, chili powder, and salt made from scratch) and bring to a boil.

4. Add a bit of slurry (made from corn starch and water) to thicken the sauce. Set aside.

5. Serve the Satti skewers with ample amounts of sauce.

RELATED: WATCH: How to make Pyanggang Manok, Mindanao's delicious 'burnt' chicken dish

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