After being left behind by its Asian counterparts like Thai, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine, the feisty Filipino cuisine is slowly but steadily making its mark in the international scene, just as it is doing it in Doha.
Exotic flavours aided by an assemblage of all the foreign influences that have played a crucial part in the history of the Philippines, such as Spanish and Chinese, the traditional dishes from the provinces of the Philippines won thousands of visitors at last month’s Kulinarya Qatar 2016, as it currently is doing at Hwang in InterContinental Doha — The City in an authentic spread, curated by international celebrity chef Michelle Adrillana.
As part of the Filipino Food Fiesta that was recently launched and will be on until October 25, the taste of the Philippines has been recreated to the last detail by Chef Adrillana. At the launch of the event last week, Wilfredo Santos, ambassador of the Philippines to Qatar, said, “Filipinos celebrate the important milestones through our culinary expressions ranging from the simple meals to the rich and extravagant fiestas. Through the initiative of Kulinarya Qatar, we aim to promote the Philippines as an ideal tourist and business destination in Asia. I invite everyone to try authentic Filipino food during the Filipino Food Fiesta. It will truly be a memorable gastronomical experience.”
Chef, restaurant consultant, and a member of LTB (Les Toques Blanches Philippines – the only WACS accredited chef organisation in the Philippines), Adrillana has been an advocate of Filipino food since the launch of her career. She was one of the four Filipino chefs featured during the World Street Food Congress 2016 in Manila spearheaded by TLC channel Singapore’s Kf Seetoh. A celebrity chef and brand endorser, Adrillana constantly promotes authentic home cooking through her TV show. Together with Executive Chef Emmanuel, Adrillana has brought out the real flavours of Filipino dishes.
The special menu that has been prepared for Qatar, includes dishes such as Kare Kare, an oxtail and beef stew with a rich peanut sauce served with sautéed spicy shrimp paste; Seafood Sinigang in Crab Fat, assorted seafood in a sour and spicy tamarind broth with crab fat; Pinakbet, a melange of vegetables stir fried in shrimp paste; and Adobong Manok, the popular dish of chicken stewed in vinegar, aromatics, and soy sauce.
“I feel it is high time for the Filipino cuisine to be on the culinary map. I am actively promoting it as people are hindered to sample it due to some of the staple ingredients, so as a chef, I found a way to present it to the world and make it enjoyable regardless of religion or ethnicity,” Adrillana said. Community caught up with Adrillana to know more. Excerpts:

What were some of the highlights of the menu for this Filipino Food Fiesta?
For this promotion, we have Beef sisig on crispy molo cups topped with fried quail eggs, Adobo bruschetta with Kesong puti, Prawns sinigang with crab fat, and Lamb kaldereta, among others. However, I have to say everything is a specialty as each dish has its own character and story to tell.

How difficult was it to prepare authentic Filipino food that appealed to the visitors and also stood out from the food available in other Filipino restaurants of Qatar?
The only challenge I encountered was sourcing ingredients. Other than that, I must say the locals and the international market accepted it wholeheartedly and warmly.

Could you share some insights into what ingredients, taste profile, or style, distinguishes Filipino food from other cuisines?
We are big on vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, bay leaves and whole black peppercorns (which we derived from the Spaniards), sugar, and fish paste. So I would say the taste profile is clean, layered, rich in culture, and leaning more on the sweet and salty side.

How was the experience of being part of this event, and receiving feedback from a diverse set of visitors?
I didn’t expect the Middle East to be so welcoming of our cuisine. I am overwhelmed by the tremendous success of the launch and also by how local and international market accepted our cuisine.

Personally, what are your three favourite Filipino dishes and why?
I love the richness of Kaldereta. I love the versatility of Adobo and Sinigang as you could change the main ingredients and it would still be as sumptuous. And yes, I love the texture and character of Sisig.