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

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.

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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