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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
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Posts: 10,820
As much as I love the country and its people, I'm with others who don't rank Philippine cuisine among the world's greatest.
Still, there are a couple of dishes I really like. My absolute favorite is pangga (sp?), which is tuna cheeks. The cheeks are rather large, given that they come from tuna. The way it's best made is grilled, and presented with very hot chilis (I think called sili), soy sauce, vinegar and lime (or more typically calamantsi (again, sp?), a small, slightly sweeter version of lime). You mix those four other ingredients together in a small bowl to your taste, and dip the fish into it. Pangga is often served in more informal eateries rather than fancy places. There was a place called Davao Inihaw in Quezon City that served it year ago, but the restaurant may be long gone by now. For visitors, it could be that the staff at whatever hotel you visit could direct you to a place that serves the dish.
My other favorite is chicken adobo, which is a basic dish that involves braising the chicken in a combination of garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and sometimes calamantsi.