PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER TELLING THE FILIPINO STORY TO THE WORLD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010 1

LIFESTYLE
food icons and their favorite recipes
Inquirer which has dared to make a
By Vangie Baga-Reyes
difference in the Pinoy’s daily life.
Some are chefs, others not; some
are true-blooded Filipino, others
over and over again because we
know very well that their hard work
has already given the country
Glenda Barretto
The doyenne of Philippine cuisine, no
recognition and honor here and less. Founder of the fine-dining Filipino

N
O DOUBT these men
and women have
helped shape, ele-
vate and advance Philippine
cuisine to its finest. In their
immense and ingenious
ways, they have made im-
pacts on the culinary scene
in the last 25 years—much
like the Philippine Daily
DAZA’S Kare-Kare
Kare-Kare
1 ox tail
1 ox leg
6 c water
1 big onion, quartered
1 stalk celery with leaves, cut up
Salt and peppercorns
½ c achuete seeds for coloring
(annatto seeds)
½ c water
4 pcs eggplants
1 big bundle sitao (string beans)
1 banana heart
1 head garlic, chopped
2 onions, sliced
¼ c cooking oil
½ c bagoong alamang (salted fer-
mented small shrimps)
not, but have, nevertheless, proven abroad. restaurant Via Mare (now a cafe chain),
to be passionate advocates of Fil- As part of the INQUIRER silver an- and chef and caterer of various momen-
ipino gastronomy. Some are still niversary, we’ve asked them to tous events, including those of Mala-
alive and visible, some have gone share with us their dearest recipes, cañang. By putting up the Via Mare
ahead—all the same, each has which readers can cut, compile and restaurants, she has raised cooking and
try at home, if they wish to.
championed local cooking. catering to a first-class art. She’s the driv-
They are the icons we admire These recipes, say some of them, ing force behind the best-selling book
and respect for their dedication and have been staples on the family din- “Kulinarya,” which contains standard-
passion. We don’t need to enumer- ing table while they were growing ized recipes for Filipino dishes.
ate and emphasize their numerous up. A few have eventually become
achievements and contributions signature dishes of these icons. Humba (Braised Pork Belly)
4 c water, enough to cover pork
Nora Daza 2 k whole pork belly (liempo)
The epitome of Filipino gas- 8 cloves garlic
tronomy! She’s a best-selling ¾ tsp ground black pepper
cookbook author and restaura- ¼ c soy sauce
teur who took the risk of open- ¾ c vinegar (white, sugar, or cane co-
ing a Filipino restaurant in Paris, conut)
Aux Iles Philippines, and a 2 tbsp salted black beans (tausi)
2 tsp soybean paste (tajure) overnight in the chiller. An hour before
French restaurant in Manila, Au cooking, remove the bowl with the mari-
Bon Vivant in the ’70s. Her first ¾ c brown sugar
2 bay leaves nated pork and the reserved broth from the
cookbook, “Let’s Cook with No- chiller. Remove the layer of fat that has
ra,” has become a household 2 star anise
½ c peanuts, skin on formed on top of the reserved broth.
bible for millions of housewives, Place pork with the marinade in a pot.
across generations, eager to pre- This involves overnight marination. In a
pot, bring water to a boil. Add pork and Add the reserved broth and bring to a
pare easy but delicious meals boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and
for their families. Her culinary parboil for 10 minutes. Reserve the broth
and let cool before placing in the chiller. cook for two to three hours or until fork-
fans still swear by her recipes tender. The pork should be very tender af-
and techniques, collect her Trim the sides of the pork and remove the
portions with thick layers of fat. Cut the ter cooking so that the fat or top jiggles.
books, and pass them on to their When ready to serve, remove pork
RICHARD REYES children’s children. pork into 7.5 x 7.5-cm or 3 x 3-inch
squares. With a sharp knife, carefully score from the pot. Slice pork into 1-cm or ¼-
the skin side of each portion, making criss- inch thick pieces across the grain. Place
1 c ground peanuts ground rice. Bring to a boil then put these on a platter and pour sauce over.
1 c roasted ground rice in the meats. Dust before removing cross slits measuring approximately 1-cm,
¼-inch apart and ½-cm or 1/8-inch deep. Serve very hot with steamed greens.
Salt and MSG to taste from the fire, add the vegetables.
Boil ox tail and leg in six cups of Serve with bagoong guisado. Crash, peel and mince
garlic. In a big bowl,
water with onions, celery, salt and Bagoong Guisado:
peppercorns until tender. Cut into ¼ c cooking oil combine the garlic,
ground black pepper,
desired pieces and set aside. Soak 1 head garlic, chopped
achuete seeds in water (one-half 1 onion, chopped soy sauce, vinegar,
salted black beans,
cup); rub to bring out color. Set ¼ k boiled pork, diced
aside. 1 ½ c bagoong alamang soybean paste, brown
sugar, bay leaves, star
Cut vegetables into desired 1 tsp sugar
pieces. Boil enough water and drop ¼ c native vinegar anise, and peanuts.
Mix well until the sug-
string beans and parboil. Do like- 14 c broth from ox tail and leg
wise with eggplants and banana Sauté garlic and onion in cook- ar has dissolved. Place
the pork into the mix-
heart. Sauté garlic and onions in ing oil. Add pork, bagoong and sug-
cooking oil. Add bagoong and ar. Blend well, add vinegar and ture and marinate BARRETTO’S
Humba RICHARD REYES
achuete water. Let boil for five min- broth. Boil until quite dry. Serve
utes. Blend in ground peanuts and with Kare-Kare.
25 FOOD ICONS 2