Paella Tinola
MANILA, Philippines — Fast food joints and ‘take-out’ places have started to intensify their advertisements for their take-out party packages. That’s because, in these really hectic times, between finding the perfect presents, braving the holiday traffic, and making sure that work deadlines are met before offices close for the Christmas vacation, there are those who really cannot spare the effort and energy to prepare an extra-special home-cooked Noche Buena spread.
Unlike our grandmas who had less stress and leisure (not to mention reliable helpers) to cook traditional dishes from scratch, many may opt to take the easy way out by buying prepared sauces and marinades, or simply pick up the phone and order delivery from their chosen restaurant. Because really taking the Noche Buena task to heart would mean hours of prepping and slaving over a hot stove to come up with a real feast of truly Pinoy
festival food.
It is a good thing then, that renowned Pinoy cuisine Chef Ed Quimson and his M Fine Foods Catering associate Booj Supe rolled up their sleeves and took over the Mandarin Oriental Manila kitchen to prepare a truly fascinating feast, with goodies that in the hands of home cooks will take hours of preparation and practice to perfect. Here, they and their families plus balikbayan and expat friends can simply sit back and savor the flavors of a Pinoy Christmas in an exciting buffet menu, which will be available from December 5 to 18 at the Paseo Uno.
Among the dishes that Chef Ed himself introduced to the media is a mean Kilawin na Tanigue sa Gata, which, together with a scrumptious Tinapa pate on Melba toast set the palate in the mood to try out more of his cuisine creations. Another appetizer must-try is the Suha Salad, with its tart mouthwatering flavors that set the mood for an eating binge. And what a binge it was, with the Bangus Embutido, which had a good solid texture and enough moistness where one can still taste the milkfish as it was not “extender-ed” to oblivion; and another delicious fish dish in the Caprisa, which is tender buttered dory served with fried bananas. In Chef Ed’s hands, Chicken was not merely fried, but fried whole for an hour and stuffed with very young sampalok leaves that gave the dish an appetizing aroma. His traditional Afritada was redolent with flavors, with a dreamy creamy texture.
The meat selection needed applause, with surprising entries like the Binagoongan sa Calamansi, where he stewed the tender pork together with three kilos of whole calamansi fruits that gave it an extraordinary taste dimension. His crispy pork belly was also remarkable, as it was twice fried for crunch and crispiness. One dish that the media guests could not stop raving over was the Pancit Buko, as one could really enjoy the flavor of fresh coconut juice that the noodles were simmered in. Another star of the spread was the Tinola Paella – honest-to-goodness Tinola served without sabaw as a rice meal that can satisfy all on its own.
Of course a Pinoy Noche Buena would not be complete without the sweet stuff, and aside from the bibingka and puto bumbong that are available year-round in the Paseo Uno buffet, Chef Ed added his sweet Leche Flan with Dayap and the Carabao-milk Pastillas de Leche that guests kept popping in their mouths until it was time to leave.
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