17 June,2011 08:05 AM IST | | Promita Mukherjee
Get a taste of Philippines at this food promotion at Pan Asian
For years, India has had trade relations with Philippines. But surprisingly, even though food from its neighbouring countries like China, Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia has been popping up in restaurants around town with frequent ease and some have quite a fan following, there has hardly been a place which serves up Philippino cuisine. But for all those who have a taste but new and exotic fare, this food promotion sounds like good news.
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Pan Asian at ITC Sheraton has come up with a Philippines food festival and have also flown in one of the top chefs from the country. And what we found out is pretty interesting.
Mix and match
For starters, sample this. Philippino cuisine is heavily influenced by Chinese, Malay, Spanish and even American! The cuisine also varies from island to island. So the fare in Luzon has more Spanish influences, that in Visayas has a sprinkling of Spanish and Chinese while at Mindanao, it is mostly influenced by Malay cuisine. And all of this is adjusted to suit local tastebuds.
The people at Philippines mostly use garlic, onion, tomatoes, bay leaves, lemongrass and vinegars to cook their food. For the promotion, the chef has prepared dishes the way she cooks at home, with recipes that have been handed down over generations.
On the mark
We started the meal with Fresh lumpia which are spring rolls filled with vegetables, caramelised sugar and flavoured with soy sauce. It was very mild and had a sweet touch to it. Next came Simigang, a tamarind soup that can also be eaten as main dish. It had a mix of seasonal vegetables and was mildly spicy with a tangy taste. For main course, we had Chicken adobo which is a traditional dish. Adobo is a braising technique making use of garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, black peppercorns. In this process, meat is braised till it is tender.
The main course consisted of sticky rice, a meat dish and a seafood dish. The seafood was fresh and the meat was tender. Together, it is very filling. The rice here is stir-fried in the same sauces in which the meat is made.
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The soup can also be served as an entr ufffde. A customary condiment with this dish is pickles, which they call achara in Philippines. Touch of India, we say! The inhabitants of Philippines eat a lot of meat and seafood. Pork and chicken are very popular. We rounded off the meal with Banana turrones and the very Spanish Litchi flanu00a0-- a caramel custard. A sweet end to a healthy meal!
Pan Asian
Food: healthy
Service: attentive
Ambience: awesome
At: Pan Asian, WelcomHotel Sheraton, Saket Timings: 12.30 pm to 2.45 pm (lunch) & 7.30 pm to 11.45 pm (dinner) Ring: 42661122 Meal for two: Rs 3,500 plus taxes
