The Do-It-Yourself APEC Menu
We can’t all be Obama, or Abe or Bachelet but we can sure dine like them VVIPs at the APEC Summit. Manila Bulletin Lifestyle asked some of the country’s finest and most respected chefs and these are the Filipino dishes they’d want to introduce to 21 of t
PORK AND BEEF
Adobong bagnet with taba ng talangka Chef Bernice Pimentel Ilustrado
Ilustrado’s adobong bagnet with taba ng talangka is another straight-up, no-pretense Filipino dish that is a must-try. It’s sour and salty and made rich with taba ng talangka (crab fat) and served with slow-cooked, then fried pork belly. The dish represents different parts of the country. Its version of adobo comes from the central part of Luzon while the bagnet is from Ilocos, a northern part of the country. The taba ng talangka, on the other hand, is a popular delicacy found in Pangasinan.
Another must-try dish is the Callos Madrilena, a moderately spicy, thick stew made from ox tripes, chorizo de bilbao, and paprika, which Chilean President Michelle Bachelet ordered when she dined at Ilustrado last Monday. The slow-cooked stew is introduced to the Filipinos during the Spanish Era. General Luna St., Intramuros, Manila
Calderetta Sulipeña Chef Gene Gonzalez Café Ysabel
Café Ysabel’s Calderetta Sulipeña is a perfect introductory Filipino dish, especially to those who like their favorite varietal or vintage to go with their food. This classic Filipino dish from Pampanga consists of a long-braised young goat in wine and olives, served with saffron rice. The flavors of this dish and its ingredients like saffron, olive oil, peppers, chili, and goat meat will appeal to all nationalities.
P. Guevarra St., San Juan City
Binakol ala Melchora Chef Niño Laus Dekada
Coconut is one of the major products of the Philippines and what better way to introduce this local crop than through a version of the local favorite tinola cooked in coconut water. Dekada’s binakol ala Melchora is basically nilagang manok (boiled chicken) on coconut water with papaya, tanglad (lemongrass), ginger, onion, rice, garlic, and dahon ng sili. It is a dish that is rich in flavor and history. The dish was inspired by one of the country’s heroes Melchora Aquino, who used to cook tinola and secretly fed them to the katipuneros during their fight for independence. Has branches in Makati and Quezon City