How One Chef is Bringing Mindanao's Hidden Culinary Gems to Light
If you were to choose a dish that is truly Filipino, what would it be? Which region would it hail from? The Philippines, after all, is much more than its capital region. The more remote the area, the less known its cuisine is, and Chef Miguel Cabel Moreno wants to give an equal playing field to the food of Mindanao.
“I was born in Jolo, Sulu, and grew up in Zamboanga City. I've always been proud of the cuisines from where I come from. So, I thought of putting up a restaurant here in Metro Manila to champion the best of those cuisines and introduce them to people who have never traveled to those areas,” Moreno says.
Palm Grill is located along Tomas Morato corner Scout Castor in Quezon City.
With this intention, he put up the only restaurant in Metro Manila of its size serving authentic southern Mindanaoan cuisine (specifically food that comes from the Zambasulta region which comprises of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi) called Palm Grill along Tomas Morato corner Scout Castor back in 2017. The southernmost part of the Philippines has struggled with a negative image, with many travel advisories cautioning visitors over the past couple of decades. The situation has drastically improved, with even the Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary, Christina Frasco, promoting Sulu as the next must-visit destination in the Philippines.
Kaliya Puso (banana heart)
The stigma associated with the region has also created resistance for outsiders to try the food. “You know, even after eight years, I would really say that it’s still a struggle, although not as much as when I was starting. The thing with regional cuisine, especially from the area I come from, is that aside from being less traveled due to past safety and security concerns, it’s unknown to many,” Moreno continues. “It’s always been a constant struggle to introduce something that’s unknown. There are still people who come into the restaurant, look at the menu, and after we explain what we offer, they step out simply because they are not familiar with it.”
Sambal Pampano
Preserving Pamapa
The restaurant has an extensive menu that prominently features an ingredient used in many of the region’s dishes called pamapa. Pamapa is a fragrant mix of spices such as ginger, turmeric, galangal and lemongrass, with the addition of an unexpected ingredient—burnt coconut meat.
“Little do people know that the Tausug tribe of the Sulu archipelago are the only group of people in the Philippines that incorporates burnt coconut [meat] into their cooking. What’s more important to that method of cooking is that it dates back pre-colonial time. So even before the Spaniards came in the 16th century, there was a flourishing sultanate of Sulu with its neighboring countries like Sabah Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, etc,” explains Moreno. “During those times, there was peace and harmony, exchanges of spices and textiles and marriages. That basically started it all of their cuisine.”
Tiyula Itum, a rich beef broth blackened with charred coconut (pamapa).
Since the Tausug tribe resisted many attempts of Spanish invasion, the tribe was able to preserve their methods of cooking such as the pamapa. Pamapa is the base for dishes such as pyanggang manok (a grilled chicken dish slathered with the burnt coconut sauce adding a punchy umami) and tiyula itum (a beef broth turned black thanks to the pamapa’s charred coconut). Moreno keeps the recipe for his pamapa a trade secret with the commissary that makes it located all the way in his hometown of Zamboanga City. “We source it out to keep the authenticity alive and to help local farmers from our area. It’s a tedious process making pamapa. It takes a whole day to produce,” he shares.
Selecting the right aged coconuts is essential for the right flavor profile of the pamapa. Burning the coconuts takes about three hours, making sure that a certain temperature is strictly followed. It’s these little details that Moreno tries to follow to achieve the most authentic dishes.
Chicken Pianggang gets a a punch of umami from burnt coconut sauce (pamapa).
One dish that they serve, the beef satti, is a piping hot bowl of gelatinous soup with skewers of barbecued beef on top. Hidden inside the thick soup are rice balls. Beef satti is a breakfast staple, with its slightly sweet and spicy soup being quite filling. “A few months ago, a family came with their mother to celebrate her 68th birthday," Moreno begins to tell a story. “She came and ordered the beef satti, and the moment it touched her lips, she cried. No kidding. She said that she used to work in Sulu as a teacher and the last time she was there was in 1970. She’s never gone back after that.”
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Beef Satti
Heritage on a Plate
Food has the power to transport us back in time, to a certain place, or to an exact memory. “I’m just happy. I think more than anything, I put up the business not because I want to earn a lot of money. Of course, money is essential to keep the business afloat, but that’s not my top priority. For me, it’s really being able to have the avenue to change the perspective and narrative of things. I want people to appreciate Mindanao more,” he says.
Food also has the power to bring people together. The dulang is a special platter made up of an array of dishes from the menu to be shared. Perfect if a small group wants to sample several dishes together.
Palm Grill's warm and inviting interior.
“I have always been an advocate of Filipino cuisine and I’ve always considered myself as a modern day warrior,” Moreno says. “I fight my battles in changing people’s perspective and narrative through food. Food can help us better understand our history and our culture.”
When searching for the most ancient and authentic Filipino dish, could it be the dishes from the Tausug tribe? Moreno believes so. “It’s something that we can really, really be proud of because it’s truly ours.”
