IMAGES: ALAMY; RUTH CALDER-POTTS
SMART TRAVELLER
MU S T-T RY DI SHE S SISIG
This dish of sizzling pork originated in Pampanga province in the 1970s. Locals would take leftover meat and marinate it in a mix of calamansi, vinegar, soy sauce and chillies. It’s often topped with an egg yolk.
SINIGANG
This soup is made by cooking meat or seafood in tamarind-based broth with vegetables, and can be soured with fruit like calamansi, green mangoes or santol. It varies between regions.
A TAS TE OF
The Philippines
A TRIO OF BIG, BOLD FLAVOURS DOMINATES THIS ARCHIPELAGO NATION’S UNIQUE CUISINE
Filipino cuisine is dominated by the bold balance of three elements of taste: salty, sour and sweet. These fl avours stem from a medley of cultural, historical and environmental infl uences that have shaped Filipino culinary traditions for centuries. Salt is used both to highlight
other fl avours, but also as a standalone taste. Filipino soy sauce is extra salty, while snacks like chicharron (fried pork belly) and puff ed fi sh crackers are loaded with it. Bowls of sawsawan (Filipino soy dressing) and dishes of bagoong (a condiment of fermented fi sh, krill or shrimp paste) are both used as table seasonings. Salt’s also an important part of native
Filipino heritage. In the Bohol region, they make a salt called asín tibuok, which is sharp, earthy and smoky. Meanwhile, jolting acidity isn’t only
acceptable in Filipino cooking — it’s key. Vinegars, calamansi (a local citrus fruit) and tamarind are vital, used to enhance fl avours, brighten up heavy dishes and tenderise meats.
They can also be used in palate cleansers, such as atchara (pickled green papaya). The high acidity also has the purpose of preserving food in the tropical climate, so dishes such as adobo (a vinegary stew) and sinigang (tamarind- spiked soup) can be left out all day without spoiling. Filipinos also have a very
sweet tooth. You’ll fi nd American
doughnut shops and fast food chains scattered all over, and there are local cake shops on every corner. Traditional sweets like leche fl an (creme caramel), halo-halo (shaved ice), biko (sticky rice cake), banana cue (fried bananas) and bibingka (baked rice cake) are fi lled with sugar, but it’s also used in savoury dishes like adobo, tocino (cured pork), longanisa (sweet sausage) and even in spaghetti sauce. You’ll be hard pressed to fi nd coff ee that isn’t pre-sweetened, while teas and juices are usually fi lled with syrups and sugar. Sugar is everywhere. This is an edited extract from Masarap, by Richie Castillo and Alex O’Neill (£13, Blasta Books).
CHICKEN INASAL A grilled chicken dish from the Western Visayas region. Chicken legs are marinated in vinegar, calamansi, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and annatto oil, then grilled over charcoal. Served with garlic rice and atchara pickle.
Essential ingredient Calamansi is a native citrus that’s a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin. It has the sourness of a lemon but the appearance of a tiny lime with orange fl esh. It’s used in marinades and sauces, and as a table seasoning, too.
Above left: Sisig, a dish of pork, calamansi, vinegar, soy sauce and chillis, is at its best when topped with an egg yolk Below: Richie Castillo
RICHIE CASTILLO is a Dublin-based
chef and co-founder of pop-up Bahay
JAN/FEB 2024
25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180
