Cagayan de Oro City- Four of the city’s public and private groups recently got together to reacquaint the growing population of the Philippines emerging 4th Metropolitan area with its heritage of Chinese cuisine.
The Oro Trade and Investment Center (Oro TIPC) headed by Department Head John W. Asuncion organized “Wok of Fortune: Culinary Showcase” held February 2, at the West Event Center of the Limketkai Mall.
“In China, not every family’s kitchen has an oven, but every Chinese family’s kitchen will have a wok,” Asuncion noted. “We are introducing this culinary exhibit as another of our new events this year to add spice to our Chinese New Year Festival.”
“Much of our attention has been focused on Filipino Cuisine. This is in relation to our government’s push to promote the Philippines and its identity,” noted Cagayan de Oro Hotel & Restaurant Association (COHARA) President Jeffrey Limbonhai.
“While that may be a very good thing, it’s always nice to feature other cultures that have influenced us our culture, clothing, celebrations, superstitions, and food. There’s no denying that the Chinese have added color to our already wonderful culture. In our case, food.”
Traditional Chinese dishes were presented by chefs from Limketkai Luxe Hotel and David’s Tea House. Chefs Ruben Remedios and Donal Constancio Jr of Limketkai Luxe Hotel presented two dishes each, as did Executive Chef Sheng Chen Chan (Chef Aaron) of David’s Tea House.
The Limketkai Luxe Team personally led by no less than General Manager Jerome de la Fuente, presented the following traditional Chinese Dishes: Stir Fried Garlic Chicken Wings, Yangzhou Fried Rice, Prawn Vegetable Cake, and the ubiquitous Sweet and Sour Pork.
In China, many people like to eat chicken wings and the many ways they can be cooked: deep-fried, stir-fried, stewed, grilled, baked, and so on. The main nutrient of chicken wings is collages and are very popular in China.
Yangzhou fried rice (yáng zhōu chǎo fàn), also called “Yangzhou rice fried with egg”, is a classical delicious dish from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, mainly made from rice, ham, egg and shrimp.
It is said that when Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty visited Jiangdu (current Yangzhou), he introduced his favorite “Broken golden rice” (Fried rice with eggs) into Yangzhou, although some scholars believe it originated came from ordinary folk.
According to oral traditional, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, boatmen sailing on Hangou (Yangzhou’s ancient canal) began to eat fried rice with eggs. The Hangou Canal is the ancient section of the Grand Canal in the southern city of Yangzhou, Zhejiang Province, in China, which is the world’s oldest and longest man-made canal.
In the old days of Yangzhou, if there was leftovers for lunch, one or two eggs were beaten, seasonings such as chopped onions were added, and leftovers were fried to make fried rice fried with eggs at dinner time.
In the Ming Dynasty, the chefs in Yangzhou supplemented ingredients and shaped the embryonic form of Yangzhou fried rice. During Jiaqing of Qing Dynasties, Yangzhou prefecture official Yi Bingshou began to add shrimp meat, diced lean meat and ham to the basic fried rice with eggs, which gradually evolved into a variety of mixed “Fried rice with eggs”, making it even tastier. Nowadays, Chinese chefs in Yangzhou, especially those working abroad, have spread Yangzhou fried rice all over the world.
For their part, the David’s Tea House Team was headed by the young Executive Chef Shen Chen Chang, whom everyone call Chef Aaron. He presented their “Imported Abalone” topped with his special Abalone Sauce and “Fried Shrimp Cake”.
Abalone is a valued shellfish in Chinese cuisine, and a traditional part of Chinese New Year celebrations. It is considered a luxury item, and a symbol of wealth and good fortune, believed to bring abundance in the year ahead, and is also considered to have health benefits, such as improving visual acuity, and relieving internal heat.
Abalone can be braised, steamed, or stuffed, or served with vegetables like broccoli or lettuce, or paired with wine, such as Barolo (xiang zao lu) wine. Among its more popular dishes are Abalone Yu Sheng, which is tossed at Chinese New Year celebrations to symbolize prosperity and good luck; Braised Abalone, a juicy, flavorful dish that is often served in upscale Chinese restaurants, and Steamed Abalone with Mandarin orange peels, a dish that is sometimes served in Hong Kong.
On the other hand, Fried Shrimp Cake is a traditional way of pan frying minced shrimp and meat seasoned with spices, formed into patties and sautéed in a wok until golden brown and served hot.
With the lively audience interaction led by COHARA President Jeffrey Limbonhai with the assistance of Limketkai Luxe GM Jerome de la Fuente, the audience were treated to games which challenged their retention of the presentations, followed by tasting sessions of the dishes presented.
The audience were treated to first-hand tasting the classic Chinese Dishes.
(photos courtesy of Oro TIPC)
Nollie Arguelles, COHARA Executive Secretary, suggests the event can be expanded next year with the participation of more restaurants and hotels, better promotion of the event to attract a bigger audience, and a more accessible area with better foot traffic.
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