Sunday, March 18, 2012

Curang-Curangan FEAST!



Receiving invitations to cover events still never fails to 'jolt' me even with the number of invites I have already encountered.  Especially when it's an invitation related to my being a wannabe 'FOODIE' (yes, even with an impending allergy attack, I still said YES and happily ate ALL that there is to offer)The Event that I was referring to was a one organized by HRM and Tourism students of Systems Plus in Miranda, here in Pampanga.

The event was dubbed as 'Curang-Curangan: Rediscovering Capampangan Cuisine'.  Just seeing the use of the traditional 'c' in place of the more modern-tagalized versions of 'k' made me think that this is an event I should not let pass.  So a few days before the event, I received my special invitation to visit the event as a resident blogger.  Thanks again to Sir Mike of (HARP) and Jonathan (Systems Plus faculty). Above shows my invitation (I really love the perks of blogging).

The event's main guest of honor was no less than CHEF LILIAN BORROMEO, a very popular Traditional Capampangan cuisine chef who has been featured in a lot of TV shows (including one of my favorite but now defunct Secrets of the Master).  Also invited were Angeles City Vice Mayor Vicky Vega (a strong supporter of culture and the youth) and members of Angeles City Tourism Office (ACTO).  The students actually adopted their menu from the entries in Chef Borromeo's cook book, and having accessed the back-stage kitchen, I was sure they would not disappoint her (ehe assuming me,,,,)
 
So, what's in the menu?  Here's a shot of the menu with the nice table design and some appetizers given while waiting for the program to start ---- boiled peanuts!

The starters covered:
Sabong Banging Nasi -- which was literally translated as soup from the burnt bottom part of cooked rice.  This one really intrigued me.  It only shows how creative Capampangan's are and how nothing goes to waste.

Lagat Mustasa --- Sauteed Mustard leaves.

Paksing Demonyo --- Vegetables cooked in vinegar and sugar. Chef Borromeo shared the story behind the weird name.  Yes, the story really involved the devil.
  
Binulung Manuk --- bulung in Capampangan is 'leaves' and manuk, is well, chicken (not sure though if dissecting the title would justify it's meaning ehe). This was a sort of a one-dish-meal with chicken cooked in stock, vegetables and Kamias (a natural sour tasting fruit).

Bobotong Asan --- boboto in Capampangan is the Mexican Tamale version.  Asan is fish and/or viand.  This was a milkfish topped with kamias, mustasa and was very flavorful.

Asadung Matua --- is well, the famous filipino asado (a tomato-based dish with liver paste), but i think the name use of 'matua' which means old, refers to the old-ways of cooking it.  And man, the liver flavor was very good.

and the rest of the offerings I will showcase a little later.  I was also privileged to have been given the 'kitchen access' so I was able to see the food line-up even before they were served.  Here are some of those shots.

Desserts line-up ehe... I had to go to this side first
Sabong Banging Nasi ---- a proof of Capampangan ingenuity
The smell was breath-taking
Gotta love the 'height' ehe.. plating 101
Salabat, anyone???
simmering feasts....
Ingredients galore!
With a smile like that, who wouldn't be delighted???
Wonder how the venue was designed?  Here are shots of the place as well as some of the program proper.

Even give-aways === pasty baskets...
cookie design molds...
Nice fire effect...
Chef Lilian Borromeo being presented with Certificate of Appreciation
Vice Mayor Vicky Vega sharing her thoughts
 
 
 
 

And of course there was the food...

 
 
 
 
 
Over-all the event was good.  There were minor glitches in the program but nothing too serious.  The food was great and truly worth the trip.  It was an evening well spent and I hope this can start to really flicker the interest of people particularly the younger generation to revive the good old Capampangan dishes.  Danupan naku (I am hungry).



31 comments:

  1. Seeing all those foods made me hungry--- hmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nagutom ako after seeing all your food shots! As in literally, dahil di pa ako nagaalmusal. And I'm also allergic to certain dishes, especially the seafood kind. But that doesn't stop me from eating those either. Nandyan naman ang Claritin, hehehe!

    ReplyDelete
  3. the dessert!
    The food!
    the culture!

    Surely not one to miss!
    Lucky you were invited to cover!
    I also feel elated when I get invited t functions and events..
    Though its not really my cup of tea

    ReplyDelete
  4. Curang-Curangan is new to me... Though might sound strange, mukang astig kainin yan ha. Let me find one whenever I'll set foot in Pampanga

    ReplyDelete
  5. My family is very traditional. We still used palayok and old practices of cooking back home, and we have dirty kitchen at the back of our house. Mula tsokolate (hot chocolate) Kanin, paksiw, tinola at iba pa clay pot pa rin gamit ng mama at papa ko. Culture nga naman hindi pwede kalimutan. The photos are fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a lot! bunch of food! I haven't heard curang-curangan. Just now but it sounds interesting! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. this is the first time that I've heard about Curang Curangan Festival. Really interesting! Thanks for sharing this! :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tnx but no tnx for the salabat. Apart from that the food looks so delish! Specially yung desserts nila and yung mga ulam. Ang sarap2x mag food trip! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow pinoy na pinoy!! I so LOve this post! kapangpangan dishes are the best! halos lahat din ng kilala kong kapangpangan sarap magluto..

    ReplyDelete
  10. i love kapampangan (er, Capampangan, haha) food.

    and Capampangan friends I know cook really delish dishes. It would've been an amazing experience to taste the traditional delicacies.

    and your photos make me salivate already. sarap!

    ReplyDelete
  11. paksing demonyo, i want.. hahaha :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. this is heaven!! andaming foodies!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Aru! The pictures make me go hungry again. XD

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Vonn! Slow day at work so I was able to catch up on my bookmarked blogs :)
    I found this particular post very interesting, I guess 'cause it brings nostalgia on my part. I would love to attend something like this while I'm in town not just for the food but mostly for the experience; the menu is ingenious and the concept impressive.
    Great job too on your writing; keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  15. the way they prepare the foods mukhang pinoy na pinoy! delicious post, luv ur photos!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is culture in spoonfulls. Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your photos of the 'banga' or clay pots simply brought me back to my childhood. Those 'luto-lutuan days' when cooking random leaves from the garden would easily put a smile on my face. Anyhow, the Curang Curangan Feast was definitely a treat, even just for my eyes.. Authentic filipino dishes, what more can you ask for? =)

    ReplyDelete
  18. If the invite goes to me...never will I say NO for it. Foods will get tastier when they are free. And with all the food you were served...I can just imagine - YOU had a perfect food tripping!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Waaaa... Kapampangan Dishes.. :)
    Makaranup.. :)

    Siguradung manyaman ngan yan.. hehehehe...

    ReplyDelete
  20. wow!! looks so yummy!! even the preparations were absolutely amazing!! good efforts and you will really see how yummy those foods!! xx

    ReplyDelete
  21. pinoy food = the best ever!
    *nagutom bigla*

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am curious to try the Paksing Demonyo.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Excuse me while I drool. Hahaha! Me thinks I'm gonna love Lagat Mustasa.

    ReplyDelete
  24. yeah Capangpangana's are great cooks, how does the burnt rice (tutong) soup taste? the presentations are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  25. mouth-watering naman!!! alam ko basta pampangeno nagluto e masarap! ako din basta may food.. attend ako hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  26. despite the unusual sounding name, the food looks good and delicious. it reminds me of my many trips in Pampanga and being treated to the best buffet of Capampangan dishes by my friends. And now that i'm having dinner, i am craving for the dessert!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I guess I need to visit my folks in Pampanga to try them out. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh my! That was heaven. Filipino Foods never fail to make me happy. It shows too that Pampanga has a lot to show off when it comes to food. I want to taste some of their foods. All I know from them is longanisa and tocino. :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. @ enzo maybe u can come to our curang-curangan part 2

    ReplyDelete
  30. Whilst good nutrition is among the most significant facets
    of a child's health, that which you give our youngsters to drink
    is as significant as the caliber of food we let them have to eat.
    Having other items or obstacles close by will disturb your
    kid and ask him to get them instead, which might cause him being
    affected by accidents and slips. It is not uncommon on an orphan to go through various therapy
    sessions having a psychologist.

    ReplyDelete