Sooo Pinoy in Davao at Kusina Selera

Our fourth day in Davao started with this appetizing serving of Sizzling Tuna Sisig at Kusina Selera. I can still vividly remember its aroma that "whet" my appetite then. And when the tasting portion came, it was a very delicious start for our second to the last day on this great food trip in Davao City

I was part of Sooo Pinoy, Food Trip na Pilipinas! which is set to visit 300 restaurants in 10 key regions/areas all over the Philippines. Davao is the 4th food stop after Iloilo, Bora cay and Cebu that started last March. The goal of the Food Trip is to show that Filipino dishes per region have different identities based on the culture, lifestyle and history of the area. The Food Trip also aims to show that there are many Filipino recipes from different regions of the Philippines, each having its own specialty that has to be recognized for the unique flavor it adds to the Filipino Cuisine.

Kusina Selera is located at the Legaspi Suites complex made up of a boutique hotel, shops and rows of restaurants and coffeeshops. Forming somewhat an inverted "U", the area is among the upscale places in the area but has a sort of old charm right in the middle. I'm not sure if it's a renovated old house or just designed to be "classic", the structure is like the centerpiece of the modern complex.

But it didn't distract me from the food binge that was about to start and we're back to the delicious sizzling tuna sisig. As this fish is abundant in Davao, tuna was a sort of staple during the last three days but this is the first tuna sisig I've tried during the entire duration and I loved it. Small cubes of already flavourful tuna mixed with more spices and sauces that made it not only sizzle on the plate but also into out gastronomic memoires of Davao. Namit gid!

Chicken Binakol is a staple Ilonggo dish and had among the most number of appearance during the Sooo Pinoy Iloilo-Boracay leg and surprisingly we had two here in Davao. Kusina Selera's version is more like a Chicken Tinola made Binakol-style by the addition of coconut milk and meat. Nonetheless, its one of the best versions of stylized binakol I've tried.

If Lechon is the centerpiece of fiestas and home celebrations then Crispy Pata is always at the center of most restaurant gatherings and occasions. And during that time it was a breath of "fresh air" to have some crispy pata after the "deluge" of delicious tuna and other seafood for the last three days. It was a welcome treat for our taste buds.

But I enjoyed the Crispy Tadyang more for it was among the onyl instance we had it during the 5 day course of the gastronomic event. Even without dipping it in the sawsaw, I enjoyed getting all the beef from the bone and even licking the bone itself to have more of the goodness.

Our Kusina Selera gastronomic adventure came to end (me still licking the bone-lol) but it was a really delicious start for the day - our fourth in this delicious Sooo Pinoy adventure in Davao City. And surely, there will be more delicious things to come.

Filipinos are encouraged to join and support the Sooo Pinoy movement, a partnership between Unilever Food Solutions and the Department of Tourism, and go on a gastronomic adventure that both fills the stomach and enriches our awareness of our own identity. To know more about the campaign, food lovers are invited to like the Sooo Pinoy page on Facebook and follow @SoooPinoy on Twitter

The Sooo Pinoy Davao foodie team at Kusina Selera.

Sooo Pinoy Epic DAVAO Food Trip: June 25-29, 2012

DAY 1: Round up | Dencio's Kamayan | Grand Regal Hotel | Barbeque Boss

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice . I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the usu

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

An Ilonggo favorite - Suman Latik

Suman Latik is one of my favorite native delicacies - plain suman/ibos topped with sweetened coconut strips or bukayo . Most of the time those sold in the markets have this two (suman and bukayo) already in one wrap and all you have to to is devour it. But most of the time, the bukayo portion is bitin that I wish there's more. So why not make our own suman latik so you can have all the suman we want with all the bukayo toppings we desire! Here's a simple recipe for Suman Latik

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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