Filipino International Talents

        Filipinos are average-sized Asians, usually around 4 - 5 feet tall, brown-skinned, whose facial features vary from the interracial marriages from different cultures that have come and were conquered by charming natives.

        Because of the diminutive built, Filipino Athletes have few international sports where they could shine. This is specially true of sports that require height and bulk like basketball, swimming, gymnastics, running, water sports, athletics etc. 

        So, the enterprising Filipinos have to look within, for inherent attributes that will allow them to shine on the international stage. There's our Boxing superheroes Manny Paquiao and Nonito Donaire. 

8 division Champion Manny 'the 
Pacman' Paquiao

Nonito " The Flash" Donaire

       There's our Billiard mavericks Efren " Bata" Reyes, Djanggo Bustamante, Alex " the Lion" Pagulayan, Ronaldo Luat and Dennis Orcullo.

Django Bustamante foreground, and Efren " The Magician" Reyes, background

        But one arena that Filipinos continue to shine and conquer international markets, is singing. At least four Filipinos, three of them women, have taken center stage, and wowed audiences with their vocal prowess.

        There's Lea Salonga, who debuted on Broadway in the lead role of Miss Saigon, along with 20 other talented Filipino theater actors. Later, officially becoming a Disney princess  twice, as the singing voice for Mulan and Jasmine in Alladin. Watch Leah's video in  Miss Saigon.

Leah Salonga

        There's Charice Pempengco; then 15 years old, when she was discovered on Youtube by the staff of Ellen Degeneres, and invited over to sing at the latter's show. The producers and others who watched were so captured, that no less than the queen of talk herself; Oprah Winfrey  took her in, and personally sponsored the former's entry into American show business. What Ms. Pempengco accomplished in three short years was unprecedented in Philippine history: singing duets with vocal greats Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Michael Bolton, Justin Bieber, David Foster and a host of other Grammy royalties. Watch Charice Pempengco's video US debut.

Charice Pempengco

        Then there's American Idol first runner up Jessica Sanchez, who by height, hair and diminutive figure alone, screams, "Pinay po ako!" who is outshining winner Philip Phillips with international invitations and albums. Watch Jessica Sanchez display vocal muscle.

Jessica Sanchez

        And then there's Arnel Pineda, the Filipino rocker who shot to the limelight, when rock band  The Journey searched high and low to find the best male voice to replace lead singer Steve Perry. Watch him and The Journey perform live on the Ellen DeGeneres' show.

Arnel Pineda

        This post will not be complete if I do not mention my favorite choir of all: the University of the Philippines' Philippine Madrigal Singers. Founded in 1963 by National Artist Andrea Veneracion, the choral group has garnered International awards since its inception from prestigious competitions worldwide. Allow me to share just one of their performances : Wind Beneath My Wings.

Philippine Madrigal Singers

        Before Leah Salonga captured Broadway, every Filipino artist's dream was to just make it to an international stage. Now, as more and more Pinoy's  make a name for themselves, we as a people have come to terms with how God has distributed gifts and talents. We might not be basketball giants or football stars, but world singers suit us just fine.

Pako Salad ( Fern Salad )

         Three other events are also commemorated during Kadayawan Festival, the Stallion Fight and the Bancarera ( or Boat race ) and the Off-Road Challenge. Two other events, the Autocross and Motocross also draw participants from as far as Manila.

Stallion fight

         The Stallion Fight, though met with protests from the Animal Rights group is a little-known tradition of native Mindanaoans where a mare is presented to two Stallions and then a fight for the mare ensues. I, personally cannot bear to watch this event, though I know the Stallions  do not consider the practice unusual as this is just the way they settle matters of courtship,but still, I do not have the stomach to watch horses getting bloodied.

        The Bancarera on the other hand is a high-speed race of locally made fishing boats maneuvered by only one man and is held in stages, elimination, semi-finals and championships. Watch last year's championships here.

Bancarera

        The Off-Road Challenge, Autocross and Motocross happen at different areas in the city, and enthusiasts and professional participants troop to the city to compete for bragging rights and top prizes.

Kadayawan Off-Road Challenge

Kadayawan Autocross

Kadayawan Motocross

        So, there's something for practically everyone during Kadayawan, from food fest, shopping, festivals, cultural shows, nightlife, concerts, parades, pageants, races, everything! And when you want to take a dip in the ocean or go snorkeling or whitewater rafting or paragliding, or wakeboarding or ziplining, we all have those, too, Kadayawan or not.

Snorkeling in Davao

Whitewater Rafting in Davao River

Sometimes the simplest things in life, give it the most flavor. To give you a sample of that is this Fern ( Pako) Salad that is the best thing to serve as a side dish to grilled or fried seafood.

Let's make Pako Salad

INGREDIENTS:

ingredients

1 bundle Pako ( edible Fern stalks) trim tender shoots with knife, discard hard stalks
white vinegar
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 tomato chopped finely
1 thumb-sized ginger or turmeric, chopped finely
salt and sugar to taste

PROCEDURE:

Pako ( Fern) Salad

1. Blanch tender shoots quickly, about 5-15 seconds. Drain and arrange on shallow plate.

2. In a cup, pour about 1/4 cup vinegar, add salt and sugar to taste. 

3. Arrange the remaining chopped veggies on top and drizzle dressing. Serve as a side dish.

Halo-Halo ( All-Filipino Icy Cooler )

        This Summer in the West, one very Filipino dessert I am very proud to recommend that you try is Halo-halo. I promise that it's like nothing you have ever eaten before. Instantly eye-pleasing, the name Halo-halo alone, literally suggest a mix of various ingredients. One has to, with a long handled spoon, mix everything; ice cream and all, into the ice ( without spilling! ), including the milk and sugar before taking an entire spoonful. This is one dessert every Kadayawan tourist should try after enduring sun exposure on account of the parades and festivities. 

Halo-halo

        Kadayawan Festival is commemorated with a city-wide sale on almost everything; from common dry goods like clothes, toys, souvenir items to big ticket items like furniture, construction materials, house and lot packages, condominiums and  life plans. So much so, that locals buy their Christmas goods on Kadayawan Sale. 

        Lately, Halo-halo ( literally, mix-mix ) has received much attention, specially when Chef Anthony Bourdain of TLC Channel's No Reservations, recently listed it as one of the top 10 things to try this Summer.

commercial version Halo-halo by Chowking restaurant

       Halo-Halo is so easy to put together, the only drawback might be the sourcing of the ingredients. Hopefully, you have a local Filipino or Asian Store in your locality.

Halo-halo with wafer sticks

        Halo-halo is widely known nationwide as the go-to refreshment, whenever the weather is too hot. Following, and a close second is the Maiz Con Hielo ( Corn with Ice ). 

Maiz con Hielo

        It's distant relative is the Japanese desert "Kakigori" which is basically boiled red mung beans served with shaved ice, milk and sugar popular during the Pre-war era and known as Mongo-ya.

Kakigori

        To get the best tasting Halo-halo, go for finely shaved ice instead of crushed ice. To make these, you may choose to buy store-bought ingredients. I will include a recipe for Leche Flan, a stand-alone dessert that always crowns a Halo-halo mound.

serve it on young coconuts as Buko Halo-halo

Let's make Halo-Halo!

INGREDIENTS:

Ube or Purple Yam jam
Candied or sweetened Jackfruit strips
Sweetened Macapuno strings ( Coconut sport )
Red Kaong
Sweetened Red Mung beans
Sweetened Saba bananas
Canned Sweet corn kernels
Nata de Coco cubes (green)
Leche Flan slices
Ube Flavored Ice Cream
Pinipig Flakes or Corn flakes
Milk
Sugar to taste
Shaved ice

Procedure:

1. When using either a dessert boat or a bowl,  smear a spoonful of Ube jam on the bottom and sides of the bowl. Heap about a cup of finely crushed ice on top. Arrange a spoonful each of all the other ingredients around the sides of the ice heap, except for the ice cream and Pinipig Flakes. When using tall dessert glasses, all the ingredients except for the ice cream and Pinipig go under the ice. See pictures.

2. Pour enough milk on the ice, add a teaspoon of sugar. Place a generous scoop of Ube Ice Cream on top, and sprinkle with Pinipig Flakes. Serve immediately.

3. To eat; carefully mix all the ingredients with the ice and milk. Adding sugar only if necessary. Halo-Halo is best eaten with your dessert spoon, but when you are about to finish up, it's quite acceptable to drink up the remaining globs.

delicious Halo-halo

NOTE: The best thing about this dessert is that, it is as exciting as the main dishes in a Filipino celebration. You can always have seconds or thirds. Some people intentionally, eat little during the mealtime, to make up for the Halo-halo at the end of the meal.

My children and I have a favorite buffet restaurant " Probinsiya" located at the back of Victoria Plaza in Bajada. Aside from their usual buffet of Filipino dishes of grilled seafoods and meats, ceviches, salads, veggies and main dishes, all the desserts are also served buffet style. This is Halo-halo heaven for the entire family. We can have as much Ube jam and Leche Flan on our Halo-Halo and there's pretty much nothing that the waiters can do as it is a buffet service. Oh! I almost forgot; here's the recipe for Leche Flan:

Probinsiya restaurant

dessert buffet with buko pandan on the foreground

Leche Flan Recipe:

leche flan

Ingredients:

12 egg yolks ( Large ) 
1 big can sweetened, condensed milk (430 g.)
1 big can evaporated milk (320 ml.)
1 tsp. vanilla

Procedure:

1. With a hand whisk, combine evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, break the egg yolks with a fork and pour into the milk mixture, stiring until well-combined. Let stand awhile to diffuse the air bubbles that may have formed. Straining with a fine sieve also gives a smoother texture.

2. Prepare ramekins or leche flan aluminum tin llaneras, by placing 1/8 cup white sugar in each. Grabbing one end of a llanera with a tong, place over stove to melt the sugar into a golden syrup, do not let it burn or turn dark brown. Set aside. ( When using ramekins, make the caramel on a stovetop pan and pour into the ramekins) Do the same to 2 or more llaneras ( depending on the size of your llanera or mould). The syrup could turn solid like a toffee topping, that's ok. If it stays liquid, that's still ok.

llanera or use aluminum molds

3. Pour egg-milk mixture into caramel-lined llaneras up to within a centimeter from the top, cover with llanera cover or foil, folding over to seal. Steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes over steady boil ( not rolling boil ). Set aside until cool enough to handle.

4. Remove cover or foil, run a table knife around the edges of the flan. Place a plate over the llanera, and grabbing both plate and llanera rim, flip over to release the flan. Cool completely. Slice into cubes, serve cold. Leftovers, if any can be stored in a covered container in the fridge.

Note: the unused egg whites can be made into Coconut Macaroons or Brazo De Mercedes or meringues.

All the pictures I used are courtesy of Google images. Halo-halo cannot sit long enough on my table, for me to take pictures of them.

SINUGLAW ( GRILLED PORK CEVICHE )

        Among the most awaited non-events in Kadayawan Festival is the onslaught of surplus bountiful fruit harvest in the month of August. This alone attracts millions of local tourists as local fruits go their lowest price whilst being in its prime. Fruit traders from other parts of the country cash in on this event as they ship fruits outside of Davao. 

        Durian, the king of Phillipine fruits is grown extensively in Davao. The varieties are endless, but  there is a native variety, which has smallish seeds and thin, but super sweet meat. And then there are the bigger varieties like the Arancillo, Puyat and other varieties, with extra thick meat. Durian candies and Durian Jam naturally are great gifts to bring home to loved ones along with the fresh fruit. It is not uncommon for locals to eat Durian and pair it with a Coke. I am not a great fresh Durian fan, but a big fan of Durian Pie, jam, cake and candies. Maybe I should make Durian Pie again, come August and feature the same here.

Durian

        A good friend of mine deserves special mention for his original Durian concoctions. Mr. Jojo Raakin, owner of Apo ni Lola Durian Candies, single-handedly elevated Durian candies to gourmet items. His Durian bar is milky, soft and chock-full of fruit. He has also invented Durian Mallows, Durian Nuggets, Durian Yema among others. I highly recommend his products as the best of Durian confections. I can't help but be proud that his store is in Davao and his success story is so close to home. Visit his website here. Personally, I give expats and touring guests these items, and they always ask for more These items have been sent all over the world and now they accept orders online, too.

        Mangosteen is also on the cheap here. Prized for its exotic, silky, sweet-sour taste and cultivated intentionally as main ingredient for food supplements these last few years.

Mangosteen

        Rambutan is another bountiful seasonal harvest. Sweet, fleshy and satisfying. Always go for the mound of fruits with swarms of black ants. The critters tell us that these are the supersweet variety.

Rambutan

        Lanzones will keep your mouth and fingers busy. It is not unusual for one person to consume a kilo while chatting away with friends. Ants will tell you which ones are the sweetest, too. ( In Davao City, the ants come with the fruits, and they are not harmed, because everyone knows the critters are like tiny salespersons)

Lanzones

        Other fruits that are available year-round that will even go dirt cheap are bananas,( all varieties), jackfruit, guyabano or graviola, pomelo, watermelons, musk melons, santol, star apples, pineapples, avocados, dalandan, papaya and mangoes. Oranges, apples and grapes are usually imported, as our tropical climate do not support it to be grown commercially.

Guyabano

Star Apple

Santol

Dalandan

Pomelo

        Today we are making Sinuglaw or Grilled Pork Ceviche. Sinuglaw comes from two words; Sinugba or grilled and Kinilaw, meaning raw or ceviche. This is a popular dish specially in the South as those like me who cannot eat raw fish in Kinilaw, get to taste the dish minus the danger of eating raw fish if, like me you have an aversion to raw fish.

Sinuglaw

        Traditionally both can be mixed, Kinilaw with grilled pork as the dish will most probably taste the same, and the meat and the fish naturally complimenting each other in flavor. But, apart they make two very different dishes identifiably Davao and Mindanao.

        Let's make Sinuglaw!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 kilogram or 250 grams Pork belly, salted, grilled then cubed

1/4 kilo or 250 grams white fish fillet, cubed ( optional )

1 small onion, sliced

1 green finger chili, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced

3 T vinegar

3 pcs Calamansi, juice only

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

2 cs. bird's eye chili, sliced ( optional )

cucumber slices for garnish

PROCEDURE:

1. Place the cubed, grilled pork belly (and fish fillet) in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss lightly. Season to taste.

2. Garnish with cucumber slices before serving.

Sinuglaw up close

NOTE: Make sure you have a little of everything; cucumber, pork, fish and spices in your first bite to get a feel of how it's supposed to taste like. A melody of textures and flavors is what we are getting at. Other folks add thin slices of radishes, too. If you don't prefer spicy food, simply omit the chili.

Linat-an ( Boiled Pork )

        Recent days had been both emotionally and physically exhausting for me, but today I simply decided to be happy and blog away!

        Another highlight on the KADAYAWAN Festival is the HIYAS NG KADAYAWAN,  which is some sort of a beauty contest among members of the ten Indigenous tribes in Mindanao. Hiyas means "jewel or muse", so to be crowned Hiyas ng Kadayawan is to be a focal point in the celebration and the usually camera-shy natives take on the cameras and bright lights, in a show of talent and knowledge of tribal customs. The crowned Hiyas along with her court will be featured in a royal float and paraded around the city as one of the highlights of Kadayawan Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan. 

2012 Hiyas ng Kadayawan and her court

        In its early days, the Hiyas event was participated by regular Filipinas, but as the festival took on a more indigenous and in effect, a more meaningful celebration, the organizers relegated the regular Filipinas to the Mutya ng Dabaw contests in March, and made the Hiyas contest exclusively for Indigenous tribal beauties. 

the ten tribes in their native finery

        Among the tribes that will be represented are: 1. Maranao, 2. Matigsalug 3. Kalagan 4. Tausug 5. Ubu Manobo 6. Ata 7. Maguindanao 8. Tagabawa Bagobo 9. Sama 10. Bagobo Klata. Unfortunately, I have to be honest that the tribal costumes still confuse me and I am only familiar with  two. But here are pictures of some of the tribal beauties in their native garbs:

Maguindanao

Ubu Manobo

Tausug

Matigsalog

Ata Tribe

Maranao

        I would not be entirely honest if I do not reveal my tribal background. My great-grandmother was a Tausug princess in Sulu,( the farthest island in Mindanao) who married a Chinese trader. Being a princess in a tribe only means that you are a daughter of a tribal chief or sultan, in a simplified monarchy in an indigenous community. Sulu happens to be a purely Muslim island, so I guess her dad had quite a kingdom in his time.  My aunts tell me that my great grandma had a servant whose only job was to wash and comb her floor-length hair. Hair fetish? maybe, but tribes have their own curious traditions. So, being a 4th generation mix of Chinese and Tausug blood, I am way too further down the royal line of succession. I have never even don a Tausug costume in my lifetime!  I'd like to try, though. I look neither Chinese nor Tausug, but I am fully Filipino. 

        Today we're making a traditional Mindanaoan dish called Linat-an. Linat-an simply translates to boiled pork. Its a delicious, filling and satisfying dish that's simple and easy to prepare. Let's make Linat-an.

Linat-an

INGREDIENTS:

500 g. Pork ribs, cut into serving pieces
2 cups rice washing or water
1 whole onion, quartered
1 taro root, peeled and sliced into cubes
3 pieces string beans, sliced 3" long
1 stalk lemon grass, tied into a knot
1 red bell pepper, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

ingredients

PROCEDURE:

1. Boil pork ribs in rice washing or water. Wait until all the scum have surfaced and remove before adding lemon grass and onion. Boil until pork is fork-tender.

2. Add the taro root and boil until tender. Add the string beans, bell pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sliced spring onions on top and laddle into a soup bowl. Serve hot with rice.

simple, quick, delicious Linat-an