(image borrowed from www.southbound.ph)

This is Serye’s newest bestseller, the Boneless Crispy Pata, is one of my all-time favorites! I don’t know how to make this but I am sure that it tastes wonderful. It’s all bite and no fuss! I like Crispy Pata when it’s really crispy, much like this one. You will surely love the new menu.

When it’s dessert time, I highly recommend that you try this cake. It’s the Pandan Macapuno cake. It is so good! Not too sweet, the texture is soft and feels like it melts in your mouth. I so love this cake! Feels kinda refreshing too!

Another view. You’d love this cake too!

What is Macapuno?

After an initial search I found these things about the Macapuno.

• that it is not young coconut but a “mutant” of the regular coconut.
• that it only grows in the Philippines
• that only one Macapuno fruit can be found in one tree

Those in the know, please correct me if my research is wrong. Or you may add to it. I’d love to know more about my favorite dessert!

This is the Laing to end all Laings!!!This is a vegetable dish made with taro leaves, minced meat and coconut milk. I didn’t realize that adding Camaron Rebusado (prawns fried in batter) would greatly enhance the taste. I love this dish! You MUST TRY IT at Serye Cafe Filipino.

Can’t stop thinking about the Boneless Crispy Pata. Here’s a better view.

Their barbecues are legendary. I’m sure you know that Serye is a play on the name of the Reyes clan who started Aristocrat Restaurant and the Mama Sita sauces and seasonings that we all grew up with. However, did you also know that Serye Cafe Filipino bakes their own breads and cakes? All the while I thought they were getting this from Alex III Restaurant, who happens to be from the Reyes clan too. The staff was emphatic when they said “NO!” Apparently they are very proud about their baking expertise. The Pandan Macapuno cake should really win your heart.

The Arroz ala Cubana in Pan de Sal is divine! Great for breakfast! Those aren’t huge pandesals, they’re using quail’s eggs fried sunny side up!

SERYE CAFÉ FILIPINO
Address: Eastwood City Walk 1, Quezon City
Tel No: (632) 911-2334, 9115869

I am not an American, but I did have Thanksgiving dinner with friends from the US Potato Board. Their turkey looked great! I bet it tasted great too. Wish we could do the same with chicken. Turkey tasted like white meat all over, even when you have the leg and thigh part. For the Americans, Thanksgiving is a major holiday. As big as this holiday is to them, the US Agricultural Attache decided to spend Thanksgiving by breaking bread with Filipino foodies and local restaurant aficionados.

Chef Sau Del Rosario was good enough to have whipped up a special menu that would fully utilize the good taste and quality of US potatoes.

Foie Gras in potato pea soup. How can anyone say no to foie gras?

Cooking with Potatoes

Potatoes are just as good in Continental cuisine as it is with our local cooking. To prove this, the US Potato Board had a culinary challenge called “Pinoy na Pinoy na Potato Recipe Challenge”. Chefs from all over the land were challenged to take a popular Filipino dish and re-invent it using US Frozen Potato products. The result? Thirteen recipes by some of the best chefs. The Grand Prize winner is Chef Liza Decasa of Annabel’s Fine Dining Restaurant. And as an added treat, here is that winning recipe.

Note: Pinangat is also known as Laing.

Potato Pinangat

Ingredients:

2 kg     US Frozen Potato Wedges (bruniose)

Brunoise is a method of food preparation in which the food item is first julienned and then turned 90° and diced again, producing cubes of a side length of about 3 mm on each side or less. Common items to be brunoised are leeks, turnips and carrots. The diced vegetables are blanched briefly in salty boiling water and then submerged in ice water for a few seconds to set the color. The brunoise is often used as a garnish in many dishes. A common dish which often uses a brunoise as a garnish is a consommé. A brunoise must be very consistent in size and shape, as it helps to ultimately create a visual effect.  (from Wikipedia)

1/2 kg     Onions (coursely chopped)

250 g      Shrimp paste

500 g     coconut cream (thick)

2 tsp     Iodized salt

1/2 tsp     white pepper

40 pcs     taro leaves (big)

4 tsp     vegetable oil

Sauce

1 liter     coconut milk (thin)

50 g     fresh turmeric (chopped)

30 g     chili finger

2 tsp     iodized salt

1/2 tbsp     granulated sugar

Garnish

80 pcs     Dried banana blossom (fried)

Cooking directions

1. Saute the onion and shrimp paste in oil under low fire until onions have sweat. Add the US Frozen Potato Wedges and continue to cook until the US Frozen Wedges are heated through.
2. Pour the coconut cream into the pan with the mixture and slowly bring to a boil; simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper then set aside to cool.
3. Divide the simmered US Frozen Potato wedges mix into the taro leaves; wrap in the leaves and set aside until service.

Making the Pinangat Sauce

1. In a saucepan, mix in the coconut milk, chili finger and turmeric. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer in low heat for about five minutes.
2. Put the US Frozen Potato Wedges wrapped in taro leaves mixture in the sauce and let it cook until the leaves are tender and cooked.
3. Strain the cooked taro leaves from the sauce and set it aside. As for the sauce, let it reduce until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper off the fire.

Plating the Pinangat

• Placed the cooked Pinangat on the center of a large dinner plate then pour the sauce over it. Garnish the dish with the fried banana blossoms. Serve while hot.

This recipe is from the Pinoy na Pinoy na Potato Recipe Challenge.