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We’ve all
wished for it to happen one time or the
other. But as always, frustration creeps in
when those pan-roasted lamb chops swimming
in its juicy goodness on TV becomes just
that: pan-roasted lamb chops swimming in its
juicy goodness on TV. And we can only stare
so much at that savory pile of sizzling hot
barbeque right off the grill. If at least
someone could invent a taste-a-vision, or
even just a smell-a-vision, watching cooking
shows could be less of a self-torture.
If it’s any feat, one restaurant did just
that. Bacolod Chicken Inasal, that 14-year
old restaurant famed for its grilled
skewered inasal (flavorful chicken pieces
marinated in soy, vinegar, sugar and
‘secret’ spices) popularized from the
Visayas, has come out with a real version of
a TV dish. Partnering with a major
broadcasting company, ABS-CBN, which is
running a telenovela (TV novel) series
entitled Ysabella, the chicken house has
developed a recipe similar to that of the TV
series’ main subject: a prized inherited
chicken recipe that is bound to make the
lead character Ysabella rises from the
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of
poverty. That is, once she gets it back from
the unscrupulous chef who stole it.
Called Ysabella’s Chicken and is available
since the program started in July and up
until it ends in February next year, the
innovative dish is made of locally-sourced
chicken prepared with tabon-tabon (a dark
brown fruit found only in the mountains of
Mindanao), wild honey, dayap (local lime),
bagoong balayan (mud-like fermented fish
paste), tanglad (lemon grass), onions,
tomatoes and garlic. The diverse mix of
ingredients marries into an indescribable
unique taste punctuated by the hints of
spices used. It’s not grilled, as opposed to
the best-seller inasal, rather it is steamed
and lightly fried.
Rosa Meim, vice-president of the restaurant
explains that in the TV series, the recipe
is called Kinasal na Manok (married
chicken), because “it is a marriage of
different flavors from the bitter
tabon-tabon, sweet honey, sour dayap, very
salty bagoong balayaan and hints of
tanginess from the tanglad.” And truly so,
because in the TV series, the mother of
Ysabella explains the nomenclature as: “just
like in marriage, it is a sure mix of
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Ysabella’s chicken at Bacolod Chicken Inasal
jumps from the boob tube onto the dining
table
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bitterness, sweetness, sourness and
a hint of surprise that individually
makes the relationship a special and
complete one.”
Now that’s a literal dining room
drama! Fingers crossed, eyes shut,
I’m wish |
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ng
that all of my favorite dishes
cooked on TV crosses over from the
boxed tube onto my table. It doesn’t
have to be as dramatic but a dash of
mise-en-scene would make every
spoonful a theatrical feast.
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Spiral Restaurant in Sofitel
recently concluded the French Spring
Festival with an elegant dinner
showcasing the fine cuisine of
France. In this week’s recipe of the
week, we put our forks on this
delicate fish dish from Nice
punctuated with the contrasting
flavors and textures of tomatoes,
olives and anchovies.
Ingredients:
500 grams tomatoes
60 milliliters extra virgin olive
oil
100 grams finely chopped onion
3 pieces crushed garlic cloves
8 pieces red mullets fillet (besugo
in local parlance)
8 pieces anchovy fillets in oil
50 grams black olives
Salt and pepper
How-to:
Peel the tomatoes by blanching it in boiling
water and cooling it in ice water.
Cut in half, squeeze out the seeds
and chop the tomatoes. Season the
fish fillets with salt and pepper.
Heat half of the olive oil in a
nonstick pan and sauté the chopped
onions. Stir in the tomatoes and
season again with salt and pepper.
Let it cook over high heat for five
minutes. Set aside.
Heat the rest of the olive oil and cook the fish
for four minutes on each side. Serve
with the tomato sauce on top and
farnished with the Anchovy fillets
and olives.
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King’s
Breakfast at Dencio’s
By Joan Teotico |
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Undoubtedly, breakfast is the most
important meal of the day. I
remember back in third or fourth
grade, my health teacher taught us
three things: to eat like a king
during breakfast, eat like a prince
during lunch and eat like a pauper
for dinner. Some sound advice, huh?
I used to eat like a king (or should
I say queen?) for all my meals
including snacks, but not anymore. I
also read that breakfast is actually
“break the fast.” A vital meal not
meant to be skipped, it fuels our
brain so we will be able to think,
walk, talk and carry on with our
daily activities.
Dencio’s, a Filipino restaurant
known for its best-tasting Filipino
specialties recently launched Gising
Na! (Wake-up) Breakfast Meals.
Hearty choices include Beef Adobo
Flakes (fried flakes of
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Dencio’s, home of
delicious Filipino
food, now offers
hearty breakfast
meals |
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marinated meat seasoned with garlic,
soy sauce, vinegar and spices), Beef
Tapa Tips (soy-cured meat), Daing na
Bangus (fried marinated milkfish),
Lucban Longganisa and Vigan
Longganisa. These pork sausages are
made in Lucban, Quezon Province and
Vigan, Ilocos Sur respectively.
All breakfast meals are served with
a generous and flavorful mound of
garlic rice, atchara (pickled
papaya) and two sunny-side up eggs
except for Daing na Bangus, which
has only one egg. As is usual,
condiments are mainstays in Filipino
dining. So after taking my order, a
waiter served small bowls of
calamansi (Philippine lime) and
siling labuyo (small hot pepper)
which may be mixed with vinegar,
toyo (soy sauce) and patis (fish
sauce).
I was served the Beef Tapa Tips. It
was quite tough and it could have
been better if it was softer and
easier to chew but that’s just my
opinion. Also, one serving is
actually good for two. I wasn’t able
to finish my meal since there is so
much viand and rice. Next time I am
at Dencio’s, I’ll definitely share
this breakfast fit for a king! For
those with big appetites and eat
like kings for breakfast, the new
meals of Dencio’s will surely
satisfy.
Gising Na! Breakfast Meals are
available in ten outlets of Dencio’s:
Capitol Hills, Scout Albano;
Makati—Jupiter, Paseo Center,
Rockwell; Pasig—Metrowalk, Eastwood;
Pasay—CCP Complex; San
Juan—Greenhills. |
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