Kainan Na! When hunger strikes Pinoy expats

Dubai - Inspired by Malay, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, American and even Indian cuisines, the Philippine culinary arts serves up a diverse mix of flavour and creativity, springing some pleasant surprises.

While not the most recognised in Southeast Asia or Asia, Filipino cuisine can certainly put up a good food fight with its peers - just ask Anthony Bourdain.
Inspired by Malay, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, American and even Indian cuisines, the Philippine culinary arts serves up a diverse mix of flavour and creativity, springing some pleasant surprises.
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Try sinigang, meat or seafood soured with tamarind, calamansi or kamias with vegetables; bulalo, melt-in-your-mouth beef shanks and bone marrow cooked in a light broth; kare-kare, ox tail cooked in peanut sauce; pinakbet, a generous mix of vegetables sautéed in shrimp paste; and adobo (see pic 5) - no Filipino food list is complete without this ubiquitous dish made of meat simmered in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorn.
Filipinos also have a knack for some smelly dishes, most notably tuyo and daing, dried fish that are fried to perfection, and bagoong, shrimp or small fish paste. Seriously, the fragrance is like the most expensive perfume (when this stuff is on the stove). And who can forget the infamous balut? Yes, the duck-fetus-in-ahalf-shell specialty - admired by some and reviled by others - is also a trademark Filipino delicacy.
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Two distinct food places that Filipinos love: those that offer so-called "boodle fights", or food scattered on a table (usually on banana leaves) then taking turns eating from it with hands, and eat-all-you-can buffets. Of course, the cheaper, the better!
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai
• Philippines