Meal #16: Philippines

One of the hardest regional cuisines to locate, even in multicultural Melbourne, Filipino promises flamboyant flavours accompanied, at Wow Pinoy at least, by equally flamboyant karaoke…

Wow Pinoy
Filipino Take-Away
5 Avondale St. Springvale

A suburban shopping strip in Springvale might seem like an odd place to have a karaoke restaurant. Clearly the locals thought so, because after noise complaints Wow Pinoy has had to stop offering a microphone to diners. Pictures of popstar wannabes still decorate the walls but otherwise Wow Pinoy is now a regular non-singing café and takeaway.

Seven of our intrepid team – Rami, Caroline, Paul, Deb, Nick, Naomi and Marty – travelled to Springvale for a taste of the Philippines. Although Wow Pinoy does offer a wider range of dishes for catering events (like karaoke parties), the lunch time selection was limited to a series of baine mairee trays of curry, some pork barbecue sticks and takeaway noodles. After our last baine mairee experience we decided to steer away from the more adventurous dishes, such as the black pudding and curry of “pork insides”, and tried to strike a happy medium between authenticity and western sensibilities.

Mains:
Pork barbecue sticks
Beef in peanut butter sauce
Beef steak in soy and onion sauce
Chicken and peas in tamarind sauce
Pork and vegetables in tomato-based sauce
Jackfruit in coconut curry

Dessert:
Glutinous rice jelly in toasted coconut

Mains:

The curries were simple, usually dominated by one or two strong flavours. The pork curry for instance tasted strongly of tomato and carrot, whereas the beef steak dish was overpoweringly soy-driven. Made with fatty meat, and the occasional touch of tripe, the dishes were quite heavy on the stomach. The barbecued pork, mercifully lean, was coated in a sweet marinade and served cold. On the whole the two pork dishes were probably the best handled and most enjoyable.

Jackfruit is unique to south-east Asian cooking and deserves special mention. The fruit has a solid meaty texture and it is used in the place of actual meat in curries. While the jackfruit curry was enjoyable, the strong coconut flavour and unfamiliar texture did put some diners off. For a western audience, it was perhaps a bit challenging to be the only vegetarian option on the menu.

Dessert:

There was a selection of takeaway desserts, including sweet bean drinks with coconut and tapioca puddings. We chose the colourful glutinous rice jellies, served sprinkled in toasted coconut. Although mild in flavour, these made for a pleasing afternoon snack.

Overall:

While our experience of the meal was mixed, the staff were wonderful: helpful and unfailingly friendly. Wow Pinoy is aimed specifically at the local Filipino community, so much so that they advertise their nearness to Tina’s Phil-asian Grocery on their business cards. While we were there Wow Pinoy seemed to be the hub of Filipino activity, so clearly they are doing something right. Although Wow Pinoy is only open until 7pm (due to them being in a residential area), the staff are willing to cook a Filipino-style banquet for group gatherings, and will even deliver. To book this call them on (03) 9547 8088.

For a cheap lunch ($7) it was not too bad but the selection was limited, especially for vegetarians and the thirsty – the only drinks on offer were coke, water and poppas – and the heavy curries weren’t to everybody’s taste. For what it was, Springvale was a long way to go, especially after all that time practising Bon Jovi…

Next Stop: The Philippines

Philippine cuisine has evolved over several centuries, influenced by Chinese, Malay, Spanish, Mexican, American, and Indian cooking.

Filipino food is a bold combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Whereas some Asian cuisines (e.g. Cantonese) may be known for a more subtle delivery and presentation of food, Filipino palates prefer a sudden influx of flavor. However, that is not to say that Filipino cuisine is in any way inferior; instead, it can be said that it is more flamboyant, as Filipino food is often delivered in a single presentation, giving the participant a simultaneous visual feast, an aromatic bouquet, and a gustatory appetizer. Dinner, while still the main meal, is usually eaten in smaller quantities compared to other countries. Snacking is normal, and it is possible that a person could have eaten five meals in a day.

Dinner may consist of soup (sinigang na baboy) that is soured with tamarinds and cooked with pork and mixed vegetables, which may be drizzled atop the servings of steamed rice on a diner's plate. Vegetables boiled with ginger resound with fresh flavors and can be highlighted with a dash of patis (fish sauce) or bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) for salt. Condiments that vary from sweet atchara (sweet pickled papaya shreds which look similar to sauerkraut and kimchi) to the sour suka at bawang (vinegar and garlic) is at hand. Fish in most kind, often inihaw (roasted) should be on the table. Desserts made with coconut milk and glutinous rice can also be sighted.

Some dishes will rely on vinegar for flavoring. Adobo is popular not solely for its splendid flavor, but also for its ability to remain fresh for days, and even improves its flavor with a day or two of storage. Filipinos also love salted dried fish called tuyo (meaning "dried"). Dried fish is usually eaten for breakfast with fried rice, tomatoes and coffee.

In addition, food is traditionally eaten with the hands sans cutlery. The diner could use broth (sabaw) or another type of sauce to moisten his rice, scoop it from the plate together with a piece of vegetable or meat and slide it into his mouth. The practice, known as kamayan, has seen something of a decline in recent years as the use of cutlery, particularly the fork and spoon, became more widespread. Despite this, eating with one's hands is still considered common practice and many Filipinos use their hands in conjunction with cutlery to eat food.

The Philippine islands are home to various ethnic groups resulting in varied regional cuisine.

Ilocanos from the rugged Ilocos region boast of a diet heavy in boiled or steamed vegetables and freshwater fish, but are particularly fond of dishes flavored with bagoong, fermented fish, that is often used instead of salt. Ilocanos often season boiled vegetables with bagoong monamon (fermented anchovy paste) to produce pinakbet. Local specialities include the soft white larvae of ants, and "jumping salad" of tiny, live shrimp.

The Igorots, prefer roasted meats, particularly carabao's meat, goat's meat and venison.

Laguna is known for Buko pie (coconut pie) and Panutsa (molasses clustered peanuts)

Cainta in Rizal, province east of Manila, is known for its Filipino rice cakes and puddings.

Pampanga is considered the culinary center. Among the treats produced in Pampanga are longganisa (original sweet and spicy sausages), Kalderetang Kambing (savory goat stew) and tocino (sweetened-cured pork). Kapampangan cuisine makes use of every regional produce available to the native cook, combining pork cheeks and offal to make Sisig.

Batangas is home to Taal Lake, a body of water that surrounds Taal Volcano. The lake is home to 75 species of freshwater fish. And of these, the Maliputo and Tawilis are two of the world's rarest. Maliputos and Tawilises are delicious native delicacies. Batangas is also known for its special coffee, Kapeng Barako.

Cebu is popular for Lechon; and sweets like dried mangoes; mango and caramel tarts

Iloilo is popular for La Paz Batchoy, Pancit Molo, Dinuguan and Puto, and Biscocho.

Bulacan is popular for Chicharon (pork rinds) and pastries like puto, kutsinta and many more...

Further south, dishes are filled with the scents of Southeast Asia: coconut milk, turmeric, coriander, lemon grass, ginger, and chillies – an ingredient not present in other regional cuisine (except in Bicol Region whose use of chillies is more liberal compared to others). Since southern regions are predominantly Islamic, pork dishes are hardly present. Popular crops such as cassava root, sweet potatoes (kamote) and yams are grown

Some popular Filipino dishes:

Balut - essentially ducklings boiled before they hatch. Duck eggs that have been fertilized are allowed to develop until the embryo reaches a pre-determined size, then boiled.

Betamax - common street food, roasted dried chicken blood, served in little cubes. The origin of the name is quite funny: due to its squared shape and black color, it is identical to a minitiurized Electronic Betamax tape.

Dinuguan - also called "blood porridge", a dish made from pig blood, entrails, and meat.

Isaw - Seasoned hog and/or chicken intestines. A popular street food.

Lechon - whole roasted suckling pig, piglet (lechonillo) or cattle calf (lechong baka).

Nata de coco - is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product produced by the bacterial fermentation of coconut water.

For more see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_the_Philippines