100
FARM TO TABLE
Real patis
Patis
, or fish sauce, is one of
those ingredients that puts off
foreigners, while locals can’t live
without it. It’s made, depending on
the region, from native fish large
and small like
padas
,
cuyog
and
tamban
, as well as
alamang
(krill
shrimp), shellfish or crablets.
And the real stuff is glorious: deep
and caramelly, it is pure, brawny,
natural umami. From
monggo
to
nilaga
,
it fills Filipino food with a
distinctive savoriness. Besa keeps
two bottles of
patis
around, one
fromNavotas and the other from
Nueva Ecija. The most striking
thing about them is that they are
flavorful and salted, yet not salty.
Much commercial
patis
hovers
around one-third real fermented
fish; the rest is a dilution of water
bolstered with even more salt and,
inexplicably, MSG— basically
artificial umami — added to make
up for the dilution. “It drives me
crazy,” says Besa. “It’s so good
when you don’t tamper with it!”
Chillis
and infused oils
Tiny and very spicy
siling labuyo
has a fruitier aftertaste than the
larger, Taiwan-grown Thai chillis
that are pushing native labuyo
out of the markets. Light green,
finger-sized siling haba is mild
with a herbal, floral taste and a
freshness that cleanses the palate
when eating offal, particularly
dinuguan. The infused achuete
and turmeric oils include a mix of
Philippine spices and aromatics,
including lemongrass, garlic
and black peppercorns. The oil
weaves the classic Filipino flavors
throughout a dish, and can go
on anything from fried rice to
steamed fish.
1
Siling labuyo
2
Pangasinan salt (naturally iodized).
Unlike regular rock salt, this has a very light texture,
more like flakes than rocks
3
Kalingag powder, a local
spice from Davao and South Cotabato
4
Dried banana
blossom
5
Cocoa husk from roasted cacao seeds that
has been husked to turn into chocolate
6
Maguindanao
palapa. Not to be confused with the scallion-based
maranao palapa, this one is made up of coconut meat,
red onions, ginger, siling labuyo and salt
7
Bugnay berries
8
Turmeric oil
9
Tibaok salt from Bohol
10
Dried leaves
of the star anise
11
Apayao chilli powder
12
Achuete oil
(Annatto oil)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
