Resourcefulness in Cookery
Posted on Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Resourcefulness in Cookery
By Apolinario Villalobos
By the time we have grown old, we must have
tasted plenty of dishes, some of which we have learned to like and craved to
taste again while disdained by others, that we do not even want to imagine
them. And, from those exposures, we are supposed to have learned how to prepare
what we like best. Those who are creative
enough may have come up with their own based on what they have tasted using
occidental and oriental ingredients to come up with a “fusion cuisine”, or just
any that are available.
Delectability of foods may be enhanced by
the color that they assume when cooked, ready for the taking. For this, some
people use roots, seeds, and leaves to add color to their dishes, such as
Valenciana rice (arroz Valenciana), Java, and Mindanao rice that are colored
yellow using turmeric root or powder. The adobo in some regions of the
Philippines is colored red due to “achuete” (istiwitis in Ilonggo). The beef
curry of the Tausugs is dark-colored akin to “dinuguan”, due to the milk of the
coconut meat “burnt” by roasting before it is shredded.
Another come-on of the dish is its aroma
that tickles the palate. Herbs and spices are employed in this regard. Pasta
dishes, especially, spaghetti becomes more scrumptious if sprinkled with
sparsely and thyme, or oregano. Herbs hide and preserve meat…this is the reason
why the spices of the orient were so longed-for by Europeans during the time
when Spain, Holland, England, and Portugal dominated the maritime exploration of
the vast oceans in their search for the “spice islands” in the East.
Then, there’s the presentation of the dish.
High-end restaurants, in trying to have an exotic ambience, serve food on
coconut shells, banana leaves, iron dish for sizzling preparations, earthen
pot, etc. The way, even the simple steamed rice as the center piece of the
dining is presented counts a lot, too. Roasted suckling pig served on the
dining table is always with an apple or orange in its gaping mouth, and the
whole glistening roasted carcass is surrounded with other fruits and greens.
But my most memorable fried rice was served
in a coffee mug. It was simply cooked with small bits of carrots, onion,
roasted garlic and an added flavor which could be the secret of my host.. It was served to me by Tiya Prax Lapuz, wife
of Tiyo Mending Lapuz, pioneer settlers of Tacurong. Despite my having just
taken breakfast when I visited them for an interview on their experiences as
they embarked on a journey from Luzon to Cotabato, I delightedly finished the
fried rice to the last morsel downed with a cup of coffee.
As a race known for innovation, we should
come up with more dishes based on locally available ingredients. We should not
look down to our herbs and spices. Our vegetables can compare well with the
imported, and with that, regional dishes can be “fused” with twists, and which
can then, be served during special occasions. We should not be limited to
spaghetti topped with ground meat and canned tomato sauce or pancit.
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