(Part 2 of 2)
Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts on Odette Keeley’s coverage of the 2nd Kulinarya Cooking Showdown Grand Finals last January 21, 2012 held at the San Francisco’s Carnelian by the Bay restaurant. Keeley is host and executive producer of ‘New America Now,’ NAM’s TV show airing on weekend nights (6pm PST) on Comcast Hometown Network channel 104.)
Healthier Filipino food: The new niche
For some Filipinos it’s a bit of a paradox -- since many traditional recipes call for deep-frying, fattier cuts of meat, salt and sugar. But at the Kulinarya competition, chefs found ways to stay true to the flavors of beloved classics while using healthier ingredients and techniques.
Gloria Ramos, a self-confessed foodie and published author who competed in the amateur division, believes that’s the ticket for Pinoy food to make it big time in the culinary world.
“I veganized it,” she said of her Afretada, a tomato sauce-based stew traditionally made with chicken or pork, which Ramos replaced with soy protein and tofu. “My daughter turned vegan and I had to create different things for her,” she added.
Ramos’ spin on the classic Adobo, featuring lettuce wraps, is another example of how “Filipino food can be healthy, attractive and tasty,” appealing to even the most health-conscious of mainstream consumers, like those found at Whole Foods.
A new line of frozen appetizers named Kusina ni Maria, or Maria’s Kitchen, is now available in almost 20 Whole Foods Markets and select Costco Stores across Northern California. Linda Zavoral of the San Jose Mercury News described these new products, which were featured at the SF Winter Fancy Food Show, as “a great answer to those late-night lumpia or adobo cravings. The chicken is antiobiotic-free and both the adobo and “pancit” kit (stir-fry noodles) are gluten-free.
Re-inventing Filipino food for the American palate
Filipino food’s global heritage may be the biggest key to its breakthrough, according to Nancy Freeman, who for years has been touting its wine pairing characteristics. “I believe this is primarily because of the Spanish influences in the dishes…Spaniards drink wine all the time,” she explains.
Freeman cites Kare Kare as a perfect example, because it’s very similar to a Spanish dish, only that the Filipino version uses peanuts instead of almonds. “But since it’s not hot/spicy nor sour, you don’t have to compensate for heat nor sourness when you pair it with wine.”
Of adobo, she said she’s paired the dish “with white wine and who would have thought that would be fantastic? It worked very well, none of us expected it!”
Freeman was married previously to a Filipino man and lived many years in the Philippines, and in that time she learned many of the traditional recipes. “I divorced him, but I didn’t want to divorce the food… I don’t want to leave a culture I’ve adapted to,” she says.
Freeman also stresses that another important step for Filipino chefs is to consider veering away from “lutong bahay,” or home-style cooking, as much as possible and work towards making it more creative and commercially appealing. “It can’t just be as my mom or grandma makes it. It can be however you want to make it, it can be a modern take, it can be fusion, it can be whatever tastes good, as long as it reflects its roots,” she said.
At the Mercury Lounge in San Francisco’s South of Market district, Chef Dominic Ainza showcases his unique Filipino fusion creations. At a special culinary event, he prepared Kare-Kare Dumplings, Pinakbet (ratatouille of long beans, onions and tomatoes in a shrimp paste) Pizza; and Tocino (cured pork) Truffles, a dessert he collaborated on with Kulinarya judge Jo Boston-KwanHull.
Chef Kristela Mendoza is also doing her part as executive chef at Berkeley’s Pyramid Breweries. Mendoza described one of her entrees in the competition. “I’m making hand rolls with Sisig, which is traditionally pork belly rendered down with “calamansi” (Filipino citrus fruit) and a lot of spices… I make that into a soy-sushi wrap.”
Mendoza’s got a secret ingredient of her own for this popular dish. “One of our signature beers is Thunderhead IPA. So instead of San Miguel beer,” popular in the Philippines, “I use our own brew to de-glaze the meat and because of that, I am able to serve sisig in an American restaurant.”
“And everybody loves it, even if they have no idea what it is,” she says.
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