Aired (October 29, 2023): Who thinks that rice fields' pests can't be turned into delicious meals? Join Chef JR Royol and John Feir as they show us how to transform bugs into delectable cuisine!
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00:00 One of the most astounding characteristics of Filipinos is our rock and roll.
00:04 Especially when we have problems, or we have peste.
00:10 We're the ones who experience it.
00:12 Like when we went on a food adventure here in St. Isidoro, the Farmer Resort.
00:18 Where they use ingredients that we consider as peste.
00:23 But instead of being a salad, we Filipinos know that
00:27 as long as it's edible, as long as it's not poisonous,
00:30 the only way we can address that is by cooking them.
00:34 And of course, we're enjoying this delicacy.
00:36 Come on, join me on this adventure.
00:39 We'll get some exotic ingredients and solid dishes that we'll be making later.
00:44 They say that a frog is fast or slow?
00:47 Slow.
00:48 Slow. Let's see.
00:50 -It's not fast. -Hey!
00:53 -It's not fast! -It's still young.
00:56 There!
00:57 This frog is fast.
01:00 Oh, you're so slow!
01:03 Try it!
01:06 -What? -You don't know how to cook?
01:08 -This is how you do it. -Like this?
01:10 Yeah!
01:11 One of the ingredients that we have today,
01:24 that we'll be foraging or hunting for,
01:27 is what they call "Ahas Pagong".
01:29 This is a soft-shelled turtle that is being hunted by fishpond
01:34 where they eat seabass and medium-sized fish.
01:40 And that's it. The fishpond owners got a headache.
01:43 Why are we here? I thought that the Ahas Pagong are in a fishpond.
01:49 One of their hidden talents is that they are afraid of fish.
01:54 -They also bite? -Yes.
01:55 You should be careful when you catch a fish like the Ahas Pagong.
02:01 Because they bite.
02:02 They bite because it's a bit painful.
02:07 -Is it painful or just a bit? -It's painful.
02:10 It's a blood-like thing.
02:12 -It can't cut your finger. -Yes, but it won't let go.
02:16 [music]
02:22 There you go.
02:23 [music]
02:25 [screams]
02:29 It has strong nails and feet.
02:35 So, you really need to be careful.
02:37 Normally, how big is the Ahas Pagong that you're hunting?
02:43 -More than 1 kilo, sir. -1 kilo?
02:44 This one is still a baby.
02:46 What do you normally cook?
02:56 We usually cook Sisig and Adobo.
03:00 -Sisig and Adobo? -Yes, sir.
03:02 I think I can handle Sisig.
03:04 But I think I can handle Adobo better. Let's try that.
03:07 Yes, sir.
03:07 While I was busy catching the Ahas Pagong in St. Isidore,
03:11 I visited Kuya Pecto. He's already warmed up
03:14 with the exotic delicacies of Pampanga.
03:17 And when it comes to the unique, but delicious and legit Kapampangan,
03:22 it's a specialty of Apag Marangle in Guagua.
03:26 Apag Marangle is an authentic Kapampangan restaurant
03:29 here in Guagua.
03:31 It is our advocacy to keep the authentic dishes
03:35 served in a traditional way.
03:38 So, when you eat here, you'll experience how the food is served at home.
03:44 At first glance, I'm already full.
03:49 Let's start.
03:50 Where can we start? Let's start at the end.
03:53 Let's start with the Dinuguan.
03:55 This is delicious. Their Dinuguan is white.
03:59 We usually see Dinuguan with a dark color, right?
04:03 Of course, that's our rice.
04:06 Their rice is like fried rice.
04:09 And Pinakbet is like a rice.
04:13 Balenciana-type Pinakbet style.
04:15 Of course, here in the vegetables,
04:18 Pako!
04:20 They call this "Tidad."
04:23 You know, the Dinuguan is unique.
04:30 Pako!
04:32 With salted egg, Pako.
04:35 Onion and tomatoes.
04:37 Crunchiness.
04:44 It's delicious. It's very fresh.
04:46 Here in Apag Marangle, this is a must-try.
04:49 Let's try the Begukan.
04:51 This is a Binagoongan.
04:54 This needs rice.
05:05 It's delicious with rice.
05:07 Let's try the Kalios.
05:10 This is really made by Pansin.
05:15 You can't leave this out because it's soft.
05:19 It's delicious.
05:21 Crispy Pata.
05:23 Can you hear that?
05:26 Of course, you can't leave this out.
05:30 It's really handmade.
05:33 Skin.
05:35 I won!
05:42 Lagat Hito.
05:43 It's cooked with yellow ginger and cinnamon.
05:47 It's delicious when you eat it with Hito.
05:54 In Adobo, something.
05:56 My mother's asado.
05:58 My mother.
06:01 My mother.
06:04 Mmm.
06:05 This is delicious.
06:08 The chicken.
06:10 The tender chicken.
06:12 The potato.
06:14 Everything is there.
06:15 The taste is there.
06:17 Even the inside of the rib.
06:19 Okay, so this is the Balacong.
06:22 They call this Balacong.
06:24 Which is mung bean.
06:27 Okay, so why is it like this?
06:29 You can't see mung bean, right?
06:31 The round ones.
06:32 Because
06:34 what they do here is
06:36 they peel the mung bean.
06:38 What?
06:39 They peel the mung bean?
06:40 That's crazy.
06:42 First time.
06:43 I'm really amazed by mung bean
06:44 because you can't see the round ones.
06:46 Right?
06:50 It's like mung bean.
06:52 But you can't see the mung bean.
06:54 It's amazing.
06:55 This is delicious.
06:56 Ay!
06:57 But of course,
06:58 Kuya Pecto shouldn't finish
07:00 the two specialty dishes of Apag Marangle.
07:03 The stir-fried shrimp
07:05 and the fried fish.
07:07 Can he do it?
07:08 This is a different food experience
07:10 despite his secret.
07:12 The food adventure continues in Pampanga
07:15 where we went to St. Isidoro Farmer Resort
07:18 for a different delicacy.
07:21 The Ahas Pagong.
07:23 A soft-shelled turtle
07:25 that is considered a pest
07:27 by the fishermen
07:28 because it only works
07:30 on small and small fish.
07:33 They say that the turtle is fast or slow?
07:37 Slow.
07:38 Let's see.
07:40 It's not fast.
07:42 Hey!
07:43 Kuya Pecto is fast!
07:45 Hey!
07:46 Kuya Pecto is fast!
07:48 That's one.
07:50 Because this turtle is fast.
07:54 Let's see, sir.
07:55 Let's see.
07:56 Let's see.
07:57 Let's see.
07:58 There.
08:00 There.
08:01 Wow!
08:02 The wood cracked.
08:04 After catching a few Ahas Pagong,
08:08 I helped prepare this
08:10 for cooking by Kuya Marvin
08:12 who is one of the locals
08:13 who ate this for the last time.
08:15 There's no doubt that Kuya Pecto
08:18 is waiting for him in St. Isidoro.
08:21 Well, because he's busy
08:23 with one of his most exciting
08:25 food adventures in Marangle.
08:27 Now, he's in front of me.
08:29 Oh, my!
08:31 They say in history,
08:37 why is it delicious to cook Kapampangan?
08:41 Because during the Spanish time,
08:45 when the Spaniards were here,
08:47 they trained Kapampangan to be their cook.
08:50 So, every time they have guests,
08:52 Kapampangan are the ones who cook.
08:54 Kuya Pecto tasted
08:57 some of the classic Kapampangan dishes
09:00 of Marangle.
09:01 But one of the dishes you should try
09:04 when you eat here
09:05 is the shrimp cooked in a type of Kuliglig.
09:09 It's cooked in garlic, onion, and tomato.
09:14 Seasoned with fish sauce, salt, and pepper.
09:19 And when the shrimp becomes crispy,
09:21 it's ready to serve.
09:23 Here it is.
09:28 This is also special.
09:29 This is it!
09:33 Kamaro.
09:36 Crickets.
09:38 Let's try it.
09:39 It's crispy.
09:44 Crunchiness.
09:47 Crunchiness.
09:48 It's delicious.
09:54 This is a treat.
09:56 It's good.
10:01 Kamaro.
10:03 Check.
10:04 What about the next specialty dish?
10:06 Can he handle it?
10:07 That's the shrimp cooked in a type of Kuliglig.
10:11 Did you know that I'm afraid of Kuliglig?
10:14 I just want to go to the garage,
10:16 but I'm already behind.
10:17 Now, it's in front of me.
10:21 Oh, my!
10:23 Here it is.
10:28 There's a crab.
10:33 Oh, my!
10:35 There's a crab.
10:37 I'm getting nervous.
10:39 Don't be nervous.
10:43 Oh, my!
10:44 That's a chicken.
11:05 It's delicious.
11:10 And if you want your Palakka experience to be more delicious,
11:13 they also serve salted egg betute.
11:16 The salted egg betute is cooked in a sauce made from crushed salted eggs,
11:22 garlic, and paprika.
11:25 Then, the fried salted egg betute is mixed until it's coated with the sauce.
11:29 A little garnish, and that's it.
11:37 You now have salted egg betute.
11:39 Come here.
11:40 Ha! I'm okay now.
11:45 If you ask me what my favorite meat is,
12:02 to cook and eat,
12:04 it's not chicken or pork,
12:07 but this, our salted egg betute.
12:09 For me, the salted egg betute is more flavorful,
12:13 and the meat is not that hard, even though it's that big.
12:16 So, for me, if you have a better or a better meat to take care of,
12:23 I think salted egg betute is one of the best to take care of.
12:27 Since we're here in Pampanga,
12:29 we thought that we could use one of the most famous condiments for flavor,
12:36 or seasoning, or sauce,
12:38 that Pampanga has, which is their burong.
12:41 This is not the first time that we're using burong.
12:44 We can remember when we visited Tarlac,
12:47 we also saw how to make burong hipo here,
12:51 which we used to cook half of the carp and tilapia.
12:55 Once we portioned our betute,
13:04 and the oil is hot,
13:06 we can now sear our carp.
13:08 The browning that's happening in our wok is good.
13:18 We can now go for our saute.
13:21 We'll add onions,
13:23 garlic, and ginger.
13:26 [sizzling]
13:28 We can already smell the sauteed ginger, onions, and garlic.
13:38 Our burong is now ready.
13:41 Of course, our component,
13:50 to balance it,
13:52 to make it more delicious,
13:55 we'll add more flavor by adding in some sugar.
13:59 What I'm trying to do here by adding sugar is
14:02 to balance the sourness of the burong.
14:05 Not to give it sweetness,
14:07 but to make it more flavorful.
14:10 Finally, some salt.
14:12 And,
14:16 to enhance the color and aroma,
14:19 our annatto powder.
14:22 And then, our chicken stock.
14:24 We've let it boil for almost 2 hours,
14:35 and the meat is now tender.
14:37 The sauce has reduced nicely.
14:40 To finish off our dish,
14:41 a little kick.
14:43 We'll add long green chilies.
14:45 And of course,
14:48 our labuyo.
14:49 [music]
14:51 It's now ready.
15:00 This is now my role.
15:01 We can now serve.
15:02 When we say "asado",
15:06 it's different versions.
15:08 But typically,
15:09 what we think of is
15:11 the sweet side of this seasoning.
15:14 But when we say "kapampangan asado",
15:18 it's more on tangy,
15:19 or a little bit sour and savory.
15:21 The flavors that are probably more prominent
15:24 in the dishes that they call "asado".
15:26 And that's what we'll do here
15:28 in one of the things we consider delicacies,
15:31 our "igat".
15:32 We'll cut our "igat" into portions.
15:35 Next, we'll grill this.
15:42 Garlic.
15:44 But this is different.
15:46 Once we portion our "igat",
15:48 we'll add some seasonings.
15:51 To remove the bit of its chunk,
15:53 calamansi juice.
15:55 Salt.
16:00 And soy sauce.
16:01 We'll just massage this.
16:04 We'll marinate this for at least 30 minutes.
16:08 We'll coat it with cornstarch,
16:10 then we'll deep fry it.
16:11 So here, we've marinated our seasonings earlier.
16:14 And before we deep fry it,
16:17 to add some texture to our dish,
16:20 we'll just add some cornstarch.
16:40 [music]
16:42 Once we've deep fried all of our "igat",
16:57 we'll remove the excess oil.
16:59 Then, we'll add some margarine.
17:08 Then, we'll add some onions.
17:10 We'll also add some leeks.
17:18 Then, our garlic.
17:27 Once our "panggisa" smells good,
17:34 we'll add our whole peeled tomatoes.
17:36 If you don't have fresh tomatoes,
17:38 you can also use tomato sauce or tomato paste.
17:42 We'll just add some soy sauce.
17:48 A bit of sugar.
17:52 And then, the stock.
17:59 [music]
18:01 And before we return our fried fish,
18:13 we'll just add our "tokwa".
18:27 [music]
18:29 [music]
18:32 [music]
18:35 [music]
18:38 [speaking in Tagalog]
18:41 "Igat".
18:42 "Igat"?
18:43 Yeah.
18:44 Oh, "igat".
18:45 "Igat". What's "igat" in English?
18:46 What's that? "Il"?
18:47 It's like "il". It's like river "il".
18:49 "Ki"?
18:50 "Kiwet".
18:51 "Kiwet"?
18:52 "Kiwet".
18:53 "Kiwet", right?
18:54 "Kiwet"?
18:55 In our mountain province, we have "chalet".
18:57 Ah, "chalet".
18:58 In our "igat", in Visayas,
19:00 it's "maharuk".
19:02 "Igat".
19:03 Ah, that's the meaning.
19:05 Yes, "igat".
19:06 Our "gansa" is fried in "buro".
19:09 What's the favorite rock band of "gansa"?
19:15 What?
19:16 What?
19:17 "Gansan Roses".
19:19 [laughter]
19:22 Chef, the food is a bit spicy, but it's delicious.
19:25 Spicy.
19:26 Uh-huh.
19:27 This is delicious.
19:29 "Igat"?
19:30 "Igat".
19:31 "Igat"?
19:32 "Igatsu"?
19:33 I think I love it.
19:35 But how did it become a pest?
19:37 The residents are drilling holes.
19:39 Now, the water is running out.
19:42 And the residents are getting ahead.
19:44 Yes.
19:45 They will have holes.
19:46 The residents will not be able to hold the water.
19:49 Who is the favorite action star of "gansa"?
19:52 Who?
19:53 Edu.
19:54 "Gansano".
19:55 [laughter]
20:03 After cleaning the "pagong" we caught earlier,
20:07 we can now cook a special dish for Kuya Pecto.
20:13 The question is, is he ready to taste "pagong" for the first time?
20:19 "Labanos".
20:20 "Labanos".
20:21 This is a bit sour because it will be like a pickle.
20:27 Just a quick one.
20:29 Oh.
20:30 Okay.
20:31 Let's put it in a hot pan.
20:34 But because my slice is thick,
20:39 I will boil it in the stock.
20:41 If we're going to cook something else,
20:50 like a stainless pot,
20:51 you can put vinegar in it.
20:53 But because we're using carbon steel,
20:55 the reaction to acid is not good.
20:59 I will not put vinegar in it.
21:02 I will boil it in the stock.
21:06 When it softens, I will put vinegar in it.
21:11 Salt.
21:12 Salt.
21:13 A quick one.
21:14 And a bit of sugar.
21:16 Sugar.
21:17 That's what you're bringing?
21:19 Yes, sir.
21:20 We'll put vinegar in it later.
21:23 While we're waiting for the "labanos" to soften,
21:26 I'll cook it for 5 minutes.
21:28 We can now chop the "pagong".
21:31 Maybe you're the only one who can eat that.
21:34 No, this is enough.
21:36 I'll extend it so you can taste it.
21:39 That's enough for you.
21:42 Onion.
21:46 Of course, onion.
21:47 So, our "labanos" is ready.
21:51 I'll just put vinegar in it.
21:54 So that we can experience the sourness.
21:58 Vinegar.
21:59 Garlic.
22:16 "Paguwa".
22:18 Like we said, to remove the--
22:23 A bit of ginger.
22:24 That's it.
22:31 Stock.
22:32 Soy sauce.
22:41 Sugar.
22:44 Of course, pepper.
22:46 You can also add laurel.
22:48 And of course, a bit of vinegar.
22:52 Let's put this back in the pan once it's soft.
22:55 We can serve it after.
22:57 Alright.
22:58 The so-called "festi" in Palaistaan in Pampanga
23:05 was used to cook Adobo.
23:09 And after the "pagong" was cooked,
23:13 Pekto is still excited about this unique food adventure.
23:17 Here you go, Pekto.
23:19 I can feel your excitement.
23:22 I'm so happy!
23:23 -Anticipation. -I'm so happy!
23:25 So happy!
23:26 Let's just taste it.
23:28 We don't have any sauce to thicken it, but--
23:30 -The sauce is thick, right? -Yeah.
23:33 -Are you gonna bring it to our guests? -No.
23:35 -We're gonna taste it. -Us?
23:37 -We're gonna taste it. -I can't wait to taste it, Chef!
23:40 -I'll be in a hurry. -That's perfect 'cause you can't go hungry.
23:44 What else?
23:45 -Just the garnish. -Just the garnish.
23:47 -Can I just eat the garnish? -No.
23:49 -No? -No, you can't.
23:51 -This is different. -It's our first time trying this.
23:55 -Pagong? -Yeah.
23:56 -This is mine? -Yeah.
23:57 -You can have it first! -I'll just taste it.
23:59 The meat is nice and tender.
24:02 Hey!
24:03 -I knew it! -You're so mean!
24:10 It's delicious!
24:11 It's not chicken-flavored, it's pork-flavored.
24:14 Are you serious? Don't lie to me.
24:16 I'm not.
24:17 -It has... -Just a little bit.
24:22 You're so mean.
24:24 No!
24:30 See?
24:40 -It's pork-flavored. -It's pork.
24:43 -The meat is like chicken. -But it has a kick.
24:48 It does.
24:49 I can't think of anything else.
24:55 Is this mine?
25:02 This is so good.
25:07 It's like pork fat.
25:10 It's good.
25:12 -I'll take a lot. -You're so mean.
25:14 You should've put your lips closer.
25:17 -You didn't even drink anything. -Later.
25:21 -I thought of something. -We're competing.
25:24 -Alvin, it's beautiful! -Yes!
25:31 So, what should I do, Director?
25:35 I want to take pictures of the kids.
25:38 Because Alvin is here.
25:40 I don't want to ruin their dreams.
25:43 Alden Richardson. I don't want to ruin his dreams.
25:50 I'm Alvin.
25:51 (upbeat music)
25:53 (upbeat music)