The Best TUNA ENTRéES and durian Desserts at SM-Philippine Star Contest:Highlights of Davao's culinary culture

MANILA, Philippines - Mindanao’s rich culinary tradition, as well as its exotic cultural influences, was showcased when My City, My SM, My Cuisine recently made a stop at SM City Davao. During the event, mallgoers had the rare opportunity to taste authentic Manobo and Maranao cuisine as prepared by the members of the tribe who came in their exotic costumes, as well as heirloom recipes from prominent families in this bustling city.

A joint project of SM and The Philippine STAR with support from Homeworld, My City, My SM, My Cuisine celebrates the flavors of Philippine regional cuisine through a culinary contest featuring two signature recipes from 14 cities where SM malls are located.

Held just in time for the Kadayawan Festival, the event also showcased two of the province’s signature dishes using ingredients that celebrate Davao’s bountiful gifts from the seas and orchards in a cookfest — tuna for the entrée and durian for the dessert.

Young chef Rabbie Garcia’s tuna steak with spicy santol and tamarind sauce and Floyd Wences Bascones’ passion fruit-glazed chilled durian cheesecake were adjudged winners by the board of judges, which included Marco Polo Davao executive chef Ed Tuazon, cheese maker Olive Puentespina, lifestyle writer/architect Michael Dakudao, SM City Davao mall manager Lynette Lopez, and Metropolitan Museum of Manila vice chair Corazon Alvina.

The winners each received P5,000 worth of SM gift certificates and gift packs from Homeworld from SM vice president for marketing Millie Dizon, and SM assistant vice president for operations-Mindanao Debbie Go. The rest of the finalists received P1,000 worth of SM gift certificates and gift packs from Homeworld.

Guests, including Malaysian Consul General Mohammad Azhar Maslan, Vice Cocnsul Murul Ezhar Salehuddin, and Maranao Deputy Mayor Randy Usman had a glimpse of the province’s rich culinary tradition in a video showcasing its foodie destinations.

The video, hosted by Metropolitan Museum of Manila vice chair Corazon Alvina, also featured members of some of the city’s prominent families demonstrating their heirloom recipes. The first stop was the ancestral home of Mary Ann Maceda-Montemayor of Binggoy’s Gourmet, who graciously showed the audience how to prepare Heritage Creamy Stuffed Chicken, a recipe enjoyed by the family for three generations.

The next stop was the home of Tiny Kitchen baker-chef Vincent Narciso Rodriguez, who delighted the audience with the family’s signature dish cocido Espanol, a recipe his mother brought from Andorra.

The highlight of the event was the spread of authentic Manobo and Maranao cuisine. Manobo Deputy Mayor Arthur Ali brought to the antique table generously lent by Orly Escarilla of Museo Dabawenyo his tribe’s dishes cooked and served in bamboo stalks and banana leaves. Among these are talombo, rice cooked and served in a bamboo tube; binugsong na karneng baboy, ground pork with ginger, onions, and lemon grass wrapped and boiled in banana leaves; and binaki na mais, boiled grated corn with coconut milk wrapped in leaves.

Traditional Maranao dishes, on the other hand, were served by tribesmen led by 2011 Hiyas ng Kadayawan Rahima Usman in intricately designed silverware. Among these were giyatan na manok, a chicken dish prepared with shredded coconut meat, palapa, and kalawag; and kiyoning, rice with coconut milk and kalawag, or tumeric.

My City, My SM, My Cuisine in Davao is the eighth stop of this exciting culinary event. The first took place in April in Santa Rosa where participants competed for the best puchero with lauya and puto maya with kilawing puso ng saging. It then proceeded to Lucena in May, where contestants whipped up the best hardinera and bucayo recipes; and then to Cavite in June for the tamales and sapin-sapin cookout.

More recently, great music and great food highlighted the event at SM City Batangas, where food lovers competed for the best kaldereta and coconut dessert recipes. My City, My SM, My Cuisine made a stop at SM City Cagayan de Oro in August for the best sinuglaw and pineapple dessert recipes; and just recently in Naga in time for the Our Lady of Peafrancia celebrations, where contestants competed for the best laing or pinangat and pili desserts. Just last month, the Bulacan specialties in a fiesta like spread as local foodies shared the best pancit Marilao and pastillas dessert recipes.

The event to Pampanga next week, where contestants will compete for the best bringhe and/or tibok-tibok dessert recipes.

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My City, My SM, My Cuisine is a joint project of SM and the Philippine STAR with support from SM Homeworld and Homecrest Residences and Gasera Corporation.

SM shoppers and Philippine STAR readers can submit their recipe of their city’s selected entrée and dessert along with their name, address, and occupation to sm_starculinary@yahoo.com. They can also mail these to the Publicity Department, Building C, SM Corporate Office, JW Diokno Boulevard, Pasay City, or the Lifestyle Section of the Philippine Star at R. Oca Jr. and Railroad Streets, Port Area, Manila.

Ten finalists will be selected — five for entrees and five for dessert. Two winners — one for entrée and one for dessert — will be selected from each city during the culinary contest that will be held in time for the city’s festival. The two winners will each receive P5,000 worth of SM gift certificates, while finalists will receive packs from SM Homeworld.