Aired (September 8, 2024): Bitter days are here! For our second featured flavor, Chef JR Royol presents a selection of dishes that showcase the complex taste of bitterness. What unique flavors can it offer? Find out in this episode!
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00:00Bitter is a taste not usually preferred by many, but you, Food Explorers, how can we appreciate it more?
00:16Are you bitter? I think this is where his bitterness comes out in life, guys.
00:22Coffee, cocoa, bitter gourd. They are not just bitter to drink and eat.
00:30They reflect our wealth and prosperity.
00:36We are the 16th farmer in the world to be designated an heirloom variety in 2019.
00:42Usually, Sir Marky, how many pieces of fruit can he produce from one tree?
00:48In my estimation, he can produce up to 50.
00:5150 pieces?
00:5250 pieces.
00:54We will travel again to see the taste that has a deep connection to our culture and has a big impact on the future of our economy.
01:03Tonight, let's discover why bitter is also better.
01:07Bitter is a type of vegetable that we have learned to eat because of its bitter substance.
01:19Hello, Mommy Asuncion.
01:21We remember when my siblings and I used to talk, if we pass by, bitter gourd used to fill our stomachs.
01:29When we were young, vitamins that can be bought over-the-counter were not popular yet.
01:37This is the vitamin that Ms. Asuncion uses.
01:43What she does here is, she buys bitter gourd leaves or bitter gourd leaves.
01:49Sometimes, we plant them at home.
01:51She will squeeze it.
01:52Then, she will give us a spoonful of the juice.
01:56At present, Central Luzon has the largest production of bitter gourd, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
02:04That's why we visited Nueva Ecija and met a farmer and YouTuber who was able to predict a good life from planting bitter gourd.
02:17How often do you harvest this?
02:20We harvest this every four days.
02:23Four days?
02:24Yes, every four days.
02:26Why four days?
02:28So that the fruits will grow.
02:30That's the best time?
02:31Yes, because if we harvest it in the morning, like this one.
02:35It's a waste.
02:36It's a waste.
02:37Because if you can see in the bitter gourd, when it's ready to be harvested, its buds are already big.
02:42That means that it should already have buds.
02:46Ah, okay. This one right here.
02:48Yes, its buds.
02:49It's called buds.
02:51It should be more plump?
02:53Yes, it should be more plump.
02:54Like this.
02:56There you go.
02:57It should be more plump.
02:58So this one is ready to be harvested.
03:00In growing bitter gourd, is there a common pest that can be found?
03:04Yes, there are many.
03:06Like this one.
03:07Just like this one, it was stung by a fruit fly.
03:11We call it putakte.
03:13Once it was stung, it will leave its buds inside.
03:18That's why it turns yellow.
03:19How long does it take to reach the end of its season?
03:25It usually takes 5 to 6 months.
03:285 to 6 months.
03:29That's its life cycle?
03:30Yes, that's its life cycle.
03:32What about this one? Once it's harvested, it can't be grown again?
03:37Once it's harvested, we only harvest up to 15 bitter gourds.
03:42Ah, 15.
03:4314 to 15, something like that is possible.
03:44Usually, in one tree, like this one, how many pieces of fruit can it produce in 5 to 6 months?
03:55There are many.
03:57In my estimate, it can produce up to 50.
04:0050 pieces?
04:0150 pieces.
04:02That's more or less.
04:04That's more or less than 50.
04:05This one is grafted.
04:06It means that its main tree is not bitter gourd.
04:10It's a patola.
04:11That's why it's different.
04:12The bitter gourd is just grafted.
04:14Why is that?
04:16It's because the grafted bitter gourd is stronger compared to the seeds.
04:23That's how it is.
04:25So that's the new technique.
04:28When you buy a bitter gourd tree, sometimes you'll see flowers.
04:32Yes.
04:33Is it advisable to let those flowers and fruits grow?
04:36Yes, you can.
04:37Check if you're going to buy a punla or binhe.
04:39If it's already grown, put it on a tray.
04:42Okay.
04:43You'll see that its roots need to be white.
04:45Oh.
04:46That means that the punla or binhe is healthy.
04:52We're still at Lucky Farm in Nueva Ecija.
04:56It's time for me to cook a dish that will convince those who don't eat bitter gourd.
05:10Bitter gourd is a classic.
05:14It's a Filipino dish.
05:17It's usually served for breakfast.
05:21It's served with nostalgic dishes.
05:25Especially for those who grew up in the province.
05:28There are a lot of stories about bitter gourd.
05:34It's served with stir-fry.
05:37It's served with mung bean.
05:39It's served with a lot of dishes.
05:41I'm going to give you something that you can include in your cycle of bitter gourd dishes.
05:49We're going to make bitter gourd curry.
05:52When we say curry, the more spices for me, the better.
05:57So we have here our aromatics.
05:59Tomatoes, onions, and of course, our garlic.
06:04We also have here grated ginger.
06:07Of course, we have chili to make our bitter gourd spicier.
06:12So our pan is hot.
06:14Let's start with our stir-fry.
06:20Next up, our onion.
06:23And finally, our garlic.
06:28While we're sautéing our onion, garlic, and tomatoes,
06:31let's also add two pieces of chili.
06:36Chili, and our ginger.
06:44And then, our cumin powder.
06:52And curry powder.
07:00Then, our coconut milk.
07:05Then we'll just season this with some fish sauce and brown sugar.
07:17So our sauce has reduced.
07:19I'm going to let our curry thicken before I totally transfer our bitter gourd.
07:37We're also going to add the bitter gourd stalks.
07:50If you're tempted to eat a bitter gourd,
07:54the Ilocanos won't let you down.
07:57In fact, there's a bitter gourd that will test the strength of your tongue
08:02and the firmness of your spine.
08:06Here in Pangasinan,
08:07we rented the eatery of Tatay Itong inside Balungaw Hilltop Adventure.
08:13The visitors here are eager to eat when Sir Barlito feeds them
08:18with his Kinigtot.
08:22When we say Kinigtot, what does it mean?
08:27We're going to pour the pespas.
08:30The pespas.
08:31Yes.
08:32So onion, a little bit of garlic.
08:35When we say pespas in Itongkot,
08:38this is what's in our intestines.
08:41When other Ilocanos bite,
08:45the substitute we use is the apdo.
08:49But in fact, when you say papaitan,
08:51or this is the variation of Kinigtot,
08:54the pespas is what's needed
08:56because the apdo is too bitter.
09:04What we're really doing here, Sir Itongkot,
09:06is we're cooking the sauce
09:09and we're pouring it on the meat.
09:13What Tatay Itong is saying is
09:16when you see that it's raw,
09:19you need to repeat that process
09:21until it's grayish.
09:27I won.
09:33That's it.
09:37The bitterness of the pespas
09:40and the bite of the raw onion
09:44and Sir Dido's seasoning.
09:46It's simple.
09:47This is just salt and pepper, right?
09:49It's like our meat is considered half-cooked.
09:52It's still tender.
10:00To wake you up.
10:02To warm you up.
10:05To make you happy.
10:06To make you happy.
10:10Whether you're alone or with someone,
10:12a drink of choice for many,
10:14coffee.
10:16A drink that has a bitter aftertaste
10:18can now be bought in different specialty concoctions.
10:22We're also using different techniques,
10:24brewing methods,
10:25to bring out the natural, unique flavor
10:28of our local beans.
10:30Look at that.
10:31That's the craft beer at the bottom.
10:34I got it from Batangas.
10:37Oh, wow.
10:40Yes, I can really feel the coffee
10:43and beer that compliments with one another.
10:47This is delicious.
10:48The siphon is, we boil the water.
10:50When it reaches a certain temperature,
10:53you vacuum it up and around the upper chamber.
10:56Then once it's at the top,
10:58we mix the coffee inside.
11:01Then slowly stir.
11:05Then we wait for 2-3 minutes
11:09before turning off the fire.
11:13Then when we turn off the fire,
11:15the coffee from the upper chamber
11:17goes down back to the lower chamber.
11:19Then that's the time we pour it over
11:21either a glass of ice or a hot glass
11:24to serve to customers.
11:35In our coffee beans,
11:37we serve local coffee beans
11:39and international coffee beans.
11:42What we sell the most
11:44is the local coffee beans.
11:46We serve it either with ice,
11:48hot, or frappé.
11:50When I wake up in the morning,
11:52this is the first thing I look for,
11:54which is coffee.
11:56This is their Calinga Hot Latte.
11:59It's perfect for me
12:01because I like strong coffee.
12:04Rock salt because I'm using Linggayen rock salt.
12:08In the coming years,
12:09the Philippines' beverage industry
12:11is expected to receive a huge amount of coffee.
12:13200 billion pesos to be exact
12:15before the end of this decade.
12:17At present,
12:18the Philippines is the 14th largest producer
12:21of coffee in the world
12:23and the second largest coffee consumer in Asia.
12:27I must say,
12:29I must say,
12:30we're still in infancy,
12:32but we're going there.
12:35So there's a lot of coffee roasters here in the Philippines
12:39like me,
12:40who are independent,
12:41who supply local coffees.
12:44We have the ability to sell local coffees
12:47in a manner that we can pay the farmers
12:50the rightful price
12:52depending on their quality.
12:54Even though Mark Abrod has a promising career,
12:56he returned to the Philippines
12:58to share his knowledge as a coffee roaster,
13:01teacher,
13:02and entrepreneur.
13:04Our coffee is like a normal drink,
13:07but actually, there's more to it.
13:10We can grow a lot of varieties here in the Philippines
13:14and also,
13:15we can process it properly.
13:18We have four varieties of coffee.
13:20Arabica,
13:21Robusta,
13:22Excelsa,
13:23and Liberica.
13:25These are of different origins
13:27and each has its own distinct flavor profile.
13:30Arabica and Robusta are commonly found in coffee shops.
13:36They say you can store this for up to three days.
13:41That's true.
13:42It's actually made from gingo or beans from Misamis Oriental.
13:45So if you want to wake up,
13:47if you want to be alive,
13:48this is your go-to.
13:50It's strong,
13:51the type that you can carry.
13:52I like it.
13:53I really like it.
13:54We, as coffee roasters,
13:56we give transparency to Filipinos,
14:00to drinkers,
14:01on what coffee is from,
14:03not just our brand,
14:05but also to the farmers.
14:11Here in their warehouse in Cavite,
14:13Mark and Brian taught them
14:15the modern technique of coffee roasting.
14:27For those who want to experience
14:29the traditional way of making coffee,
14:31you can always go back to basics
14:33at Amadeo Artesano Coffee Farm.
14:35Here,
14:36you will be the one who will
14:37peel,
14:38peel,
14:39cut,
14:40cut,
14:41grind,
14:42grind,
14:43and brew your own coffee.
14:51Along with the development of coffee culture in the Philippines,
14:54Mark also dreams that Filipinos
14:56will have another product
14:57that he will continue to develop.
14:59The cascara is a skin of coffee cherry.
15:03So, its skin,
15:05it was removed,
15:06it was pulped from the fruit,
15:08and then,
15:09it was drenched in a manner
15:10that its sweetness is still there.
15:14And also,
15:15it became tea.
15:17So, we made tea out of it.
15:19In other countries,
15:21the top varieties of Arabica,
15:23the ones that grade 90+,
15:25they are the ones that are chosen
15:27to make tea.
15:29The owners are friends of mine,
15:32and I also became a coffee consultant.
15:40So, I believe that
15:42when we plant a lot,
15:44the sustainability here in the Philippines
15:46will be solved.
15:49And we will avoid
15:50getting coffee from other countries.
15:54The Puente Spina family
15:55is one of the biggest suppliers of chocolate
15:57here in Davao.
15:59Inside Golden Sunset Farm,
16:01Sir Rex showed us
16:03how they maintain
16:04their product perfectly.
16:06The flowers,
16:07only 5% of the flowers become a fruit.
16:10Sir, if it's like this,
16:11from flowering to harvesting,
16:13how long will it take?
16:15It's about 5 to 6 months.
16:17What's fun here, Sir,
16:18is that we're having
16:20an in-depth absorption of information.
16:25Because when you talk about chocolate,
16:28it's easy to just buy it from the store.
16:31But when you get to know
16:32the specific process,
16:34you will have a new appreciation.
16:36And we're just talking about harvesting.
16:38What would be the next step?
16:39After harvesting,
16:40we will bring it to the fermentation.
16:43It smells good.
16:46Sweet.
16:47But it's like,
16:48it's like,
16:49it's being let to drip.
16:51It's dripping here.
16:52And then,
16:53we will collect it.
16:54At the end of the day,
16:55we will pasteurize it.
16:57We will cut it.
16:59When there's a lot,
17:00we will cut it.
17:01In the end,
17:02we will just consume it.
17:03It's just like,
17:04it's like a chocolate.
17:05It's sweet.
17:06It's a chocolate.
17:07It's a chocolate.
17:08It's a chocolate.
17:09It's a chocolate.
17:10There's a lot of it.
17:11We will collect it.
17:13In our container.
17:14In our container.
17:15And then,
17:16we will collect it
17:17to the fermentary box.
17:21Is this where you're saying
17:22where the magic is happening?
17:25Where the flavor is being developed?
17:27Yes.
17:28I just noticed that
17:29in your setup,
17:30I noticed earlier
17:31that there are people
17:32who are joining.
17:33It's like,
17:34this has levels.
17:35Yes.
17:36Because this is designed
17:37to have three levels
17:38so that it's easy to turn.
17:39Okay.
17:40So for ease of turning the beans,
17:42this is the setup.
17:44So,
17:45this is Day 2.
17:46Day 2,
17:47usually,
17:48the beans are still wet.
17:49Yes.
17:50The beans are still wet.
17:51So,
17:52there are drippings.
17:53Do we also collect the drippings?
17:54We collect the drippings
17:55to make
17:56cacao juice
17:57or cacao vinegar.
17:58Alright.
17:59So,
18:00we will drip the cacao first
18:01and then,
18:02after two days,
18:04we will turn it.
18:05Okay.
18:06It will heat up
18:07after two days.
18:08Yes.
18:09The fermentation will start.
18:11It will go up
18:12from 45°C
18:13to about
18:1450°C.
18:15Yes.
18:16It will stay there for two days
18:17and then,
18:18you will turn it again
18:19on the fifth day.
18:21You will turn it again.
18:23After fermentation,
18:24Yes.
18:25for six days,
18:26in the sixth day,
18:27we will transfer it
18:28to the dryer.
18:29Dryer.
18:30The sun dryer
18:31is carried there.
18:32It's plastic
18:33so that it won't get wet.
18:34Every two hours,
18:35you will turn it
18:36on the fifth day.
18:37You will turn it.
18:38Actually,
18:39you will turn it.
18:40Yes.
18:41You will mix it.
18:42You will spread it
18:43so that
18:44the dryer will be even.
18:45So,
18:46we will sort it here.
18:47So,
18:48another important step
18:49Okay.
18:50is the post-harvest step
18:51for creating
18:53good quality chocolates.
18:56This is what
18:57we are removing.
18:58So,
18:59there are many kinds of defects.
19:00This one is broken.
19:01So,
19:02we are not joining it.
19:03It's broken.
19:04Then,
19:05it's double.
19:06It's double.
19:07Earlier,
19:08we called it double.
19:09It means that
19:10it's triple.
19:11That also explains
19:12why a delicious chocolate
19:13is so delicious.
19:14Because your commitment
19:15as we were saying
19:16to quality
19:17is really there.
19:18Because if you don't
19:19take care of it,
19:22it will come out
19:23in your product,
19:24in the taste.
19:25Your buyers
19:26and consumers
19:27will experience that.
19:28So,
19:29they are the judge
19:30at the end of the day.
19:31I think I've mentioned this
19:32multiple times in the past.
19:33What really makes
19:34my job
19:35exciting
19:36is when I get to encounter
19:38exciting ingredients.
19:40And second,
19:41the stories,
19:43the jamming,
19:45the passionate
19:46farmers
19:48like Sir Rex.
19:50And you know,
19:51you can feel their love
19:52for their product,
19:53their dedication
19:55and
19:56perfecting their craft.
19:57To honor
19:59their sacrifice
20:00and dedication,
20:02I need to highlight
20:04the product
20:06they invested
20:07time and effort in.
20:09We'll make a steak
20:11and the sauce we'll use
20:13is their
20:14dark chocolate.
20:16And this,
20:17this is the first time I've seen
20:19their
20:20cacao beer.
20:22So, I'm just preparing
20:23our
20:25onions
20:26that we'll use
20:27later for the sauce
20:28while
20:29we're increasing
20:30the temperature of our pan.
20:33Also,
20:35our
20:36garlic
20:37that we'll infuse
20:38in the oil
20:39and at the same time
20:40we'll use the garnish
20:41later on.
20:42Generous amount of oil
20:43and while I'm not
20:44putting our steak
20:46I'll put
20:48our garlic
20:50to again infuse
20:51its flavor
20:52in our oil.
20:54So, we're just gonna generously
20:55season our steak.
20:58So, I'm gonna use
21:00this side first
21:03and then
21:04I'll flip it.
21:09So,
21:10the technique
21:11that I got
21:12from Heston Blumenthal
21:14is
21:15to flip it
21:16every 30 seconds.
21:18This side
21:19we're not yet
21:20breaking the meat
21:21which means
21:22its temperature
21:23is higher
21:24versus
21:25if you'll just
21:26flip it
21:27at the same
21:28position.
21:29So,
21:30this side
21:31is still cold.
21:32So, for the
21:33caramelization of our meat
21:34you would wanna use
21:35the other side.
21:36Let's not
21:37flip it.
21:44So, this is the browning
21:45that you're aiming for
21:47because it's just
21:48quick.
21:52We're just gonna add
21:53in our butter.
22:00So, at this point
22:01I'll get it
22:02by pressing our meat
22:04towards
22:06medium rare.
22:08So, at this point
22:09I'll remove it.
22:19So, in less than 10 minutes
22:20this is the caramelization
22:21that we got.
22:23And the doneness
22:24if you'll peel it
22:25you'll see the bounce.
22:27Medium rare, baby.
22:29And I'm gonna
22:30turn off the heat.
22:31This is the sauce.
22:32Basically,
22:33we're gonna maximize
22:34the flavor
22:35that we have
22:36in the pan.
22:37So, we're just gonna
22:38caramelize our onions.
22:41And then later on
22:42that excess oil
22:44we're gonna pour it
22:45over to our steak
22:46so that
22:47the flavors
22:48that we put
22:49in here
22:50will be more
22:51absorbed.
22:53We're just gonna
22:54pour
22:55the excess oil.
22:56Woo!
22:57We're just gonna
22:58pour in
22:59some acid.
23:00So, we're gonna
23:01use our vinegar.
23:05And then we're just
23:06gonna reduce this down.
23:07I'm sure
23:08it's good to drink this
23:09but I'll use it
23:10in our sauce.
23:17As you can
23:18already imagine
23:19I'm going for
23:20a bitter kind of sauce.
23:22The bitterness
23:23from the beer
23:24since
23:25it's reduced
23:26and the alcohol is gone
23:27what's left
23:28is the fruity
23:29and bitter notes.
23:31To emphasize
23:32the bitterness
23:33that I want
23:34to put in our dish
23:35I'm just gonna
23:36add in
23:37a few knobs
23:38of our dark chocolate
23:40that they processed
23:41right here.
23:46And this
23:47is our sauce.
23:56What did you put here?
23:57Of course,
23:58our products here.
23:59We have the cacao,
24:01tablea,
24:03our dark chocolate
24:05and
24:06our beer.
24:08So, I'm aiming
24:09for the bitter
24:10flavor profile.
24:11There it is!
24:12The winner!
24:13It's good!
24:14It's good!
24:15It's good!
24:16It's good!
24:17It's good!
24:18It's good!
24:19It's good!
24:20It's good!
24:21It's good!
24:22It's good!
24:23It's good!
24:24It's good!
24:25It's good!
24:26It's good!
24:27It's good!
24:29Bitterness is a flavor
24:30that encourages us
24:31to go out
24:32of our comfort zones.
24:34To see the substance
24:35behind the bitterness
24:37and find success
24:38in whatever
24:39you're struggling with.
24:40As long as
24:41you keep winning
24:42in your ability
24:43and
24:44dreams.
24:54© 2012 University of Georgia
24:55College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences