Known as the most colourful harvest festival of the Philippines, Pahiya’s is a farmer’s thanksgiving festival. Celebrated with a lot of gusto around May 15th, this harvest ceremony witnesses a lot of pomp and grandeur, in every household of the country.
This celebration marks the grand display of colourful rice wafers, fruits, vegetables, and handicrafts. It also includes procession on the streets and contests such as the most decorated house cased on agrarian products. Truly the jewel of Philippines celebration, this is a hit or miss. It usually begins around May 15th and continues until the end of the month.
On this note, The Orient Kolkata pays homage to the different style of style South Asian cuisine and nothing deemed fit than celebrating this lesser-known festival, lesser known to the people of Kolkata and this side of the map – From celebrating cultures of Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia and more.
They have curated an entire menu based off the festival. The items are as follows:
Soup
•SinigangsaSampalok: A tamarind based soup with vegetables/shrimp/pork
•BinakolnaMonok: Vegetables/Chicken soup with ginger, lemongrass and young coconut
Appetizers
•InihawnaManok: Chicken marinated with lemongrass, calamansi, salt, pepper and garlic
•Pinakbet: Northern Ilocos dish made out of okra, eggplant, bitter gourd, squash and tomatoes
•Taba ng Talangka: Small crabs sautéed with garlic and chilli
•Sinugno: Fresh Tilapia grilled and simmered in coconut milk and chilli
Sides
•Asparagus with Tofu: Cooked with oyster sauce, sesame oil, asparagus, mushrooms, carrot and tofu
•LumpidHubad: Steam vegetables with 2 sauces: peanut and garlic
•Bicol Express: Tender strips of mutton simmered in fiery chilli, shrimp paste and coconut milk stew.
•Pork Belly and Eggs: Grilled pork belly in Filipino barbecue sauce, two eggs and garlic rice
Staples
•Sinangag: Garlic fried rice with Vegetables/shrimps/chicken/pork
•PansitBihonGuisado: Rice noodles with shrimp or vegetables
Desserts
•Halo: Coconut ice cream with fruits, jelly, tapioca pearls, palm nuts, coconut gel
•SumasaLatik at Manga: Warm sticky rice cake and slices of mangoes served with caramel coconut sauce
The flavour profile of the dishes, in general, are quite robust and full of flavours. Although it does occasionally vary from heat and mild to spicy and tangy.
Recommendations: ‘InihawnaManok’, ‘Pork Belly and Eggs’ and ‘Bicol Express’ is definitely a must for the meat lovers.
I would suggest kicking off this sumptuous feast with one of their soups, whichever pleases your taste buds – my bet is on ‘BinakolnaMonok’ – the idea of ginger, lemongrass and young coconut is absolutely divine.
✓ InihawnaManok is spicy, tangy and brilliant flavoured. The lemongrass and calamansi definitely did a number on this dish. It is sheer brilliance in terms of the balance of flavours and texture. A must try!
✓ Pork Belly and Eggs is an absolute treat for pork lovers. The softest belly with a rich sauce and eggs make up for the perfect dish – pair that with a drink and you’re good to go.
✓ Bicol Express is another dish that one must not miss. It has a flavorful yet subtle hint of flavours. I really enjoyed the balance of flavours and this one is an absolute delight if you’re looking for a good balance of hot and mild.
Note: For pescatarians, there is Sinugno – what really needs appreciation here is the coconut and chilli broth that is the highlight of the dish which levels up with the rest. Although the choice of fish is probably authentic, my preference would’ve been the Asian sea bass.
✓ 'Asparagus with Tofu’ is a brilliant choice for vegetarians. Also, ‘Pinakbet’ and ‘LumpiaHubad’ would yield similar pleasurable results. Pair these side(s) with Sinangag (my personal favourite) if you’d like. However, the ‘PansitBihonGuisado’ or rice noodles with shrimps veggies are equally delicious and light – in case you’re not looking for a heavy meal.
✓ To end the sumptuous meal, one can choose the seasonal ‘SumansaLatik at Mango’ which is warm sticky rice served with a delicious caramel coconut sauce and mango slices or stick to the traditional but absolutely delicious ‘Halo Halo’ which is a fruity amalgamation of coconut ice cream, fruits, jelly, tapioca pearls, palm nuts and coconut gel.
The festivities start May 23rd so get your gang and enjoy a mini trip to the Philippines and celebrate their most colourful festival with a lot of good food, merrymaking and of course, don’t forget to order up a few coolers on the side to balance out that South Asian heat!
This celebration marks the grand display of colourful rice wafers, fruits, vegetables, and handicrafts. It also includes procession on the streets and contests such as the most decorated house cased on agrarian products. Truly the jewel of Philippines celebration, this is a hit or miss. It usually begins around May 15th and continues until the end of the month.
On this note, The Orient Kolkata pays homage to the different style of style South Asian cuisine and nothing deemed fit than celebrating this lesser-known festival, lesser known to the people of Kolkata and this side of the map – From celebrating cultures of Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia and more.
They have curated an entire menu based off the festival. The items are as follows:
Soup
•SinigangsaSampalok: A tamarind based soup with vegetables/shrimp/pork
•BinakolnaMonok: Vegetables/Chicken soup with ginger, lemongrass and young coconut
Appetizers
•InihawnaManok: Chicken marinated with lemongrass, calamansi, salt, pepper and garlic
•Pinakbet: Northern Ilocos dish made out of okra, eggplant, bitter gourd, squash and tomatoes
•Taba ng Talangka: Small crabs sautéed with garlic and chilli
•Sinugno: Fresh Tilapia grilled and simmered in coconut milk and chilli
Sides
•Asparagus with Tofu: Cooked with oyster sauce, sesame oil, asparagus, mushrooms, carrot and tofu
•LumpidHubad: Steam vegetables with 2 sauces: peanut and garlic
•Bicol Express: Tender strips of mutton simmered in fiery chilli, shrimp paste and coconut milk stew.
•Pork Belly and Eggs: Grilled pork belly in Filipino barbecue sauce, two eggs and garlic rice
Staples
•Sinangag: Garlic fried rice with Vegetables/shrimps/chicken/pork
•PansitBihonGuisado: Rice noodles with shrimp or vegetables
Desserts
•Halo: Coconut ice cream with fruits, jelly, tapioca pearls, palm nuts, coconut gel
•SumasaLatik at Manga: Warm sticky rice cake and slices of mangoes served with caramel coconut sauce
The flavour profile of the dishes, in general, are quite robust and full of flavours. Although it does occasionally vary from heat and mild to spicy and tangy.
Recommendations: ‘InihawnaManok’, ‘Pork Belly and Eggs’ and ‘Bicol Express’ is definitely a must for the meat lovers.
I would suggest kicking off this sumptuous feast with one of their soups, whichever pleases your taste buds – my bet is on ‘BinakolnaMonok’ – the idea of ginger, lemongrass and young coconut is absolutely divine.
✓ InihawnaManok is spicy, tangy and brilliant flavoured. The lemongrass and calamansi definitely did a number on this dish. It is sheer brilliance in terms of the balance of flavours and texture. A must try!
✓ Pork Belly and Eggs is an absolute treat for pork lovers. The softest belly with a rich sauce and eggs make up for the perfect dish – pair that with a drink and you’re good to go.
✓ Bicol Express is another dish that one must not miss. It has a flavorful yet subtle hint of flavours. I really enjoyed the balance of flavours and this one is an absolute delight if you’re looking for a good balance of hot and mild.
Note: For pescatarians, there is Sinugno – what really needs appreciation here is the coconut and chilli broth that is the highlight of the dish which levels up with the rest. Although the choice of fish is probably authentic, my preference would’ve been the Asian sea bass.
✓ 'Asparagus with Tofu’ is a brilliant choice for vegetarians. Also, ‘Pinakbet’ and ‘LumpiaHubad’ would yield similar pleasurable results. Pair these side(s) with Sinangag (my personal favourite) if you’d like. However, the ‘PansitBihonGuisado’ or rice noodles with shrimps veggies are equally delicious and light – in case you’re not looking for a heavy meal.
✓ To end the sumptuous meal, one can choose the seasonal ‘SumansaLatik at Mango’ which is warm sticky rice served with a delicious caramel coconut sauce and mango slices or stick to the traditional but absolutely delicious ‘Halo Halo’ which is a fruity amalgamation of coconut ice cream, fruits, jelly, tapioca pearls, palm nuts and coconut gel.
The festivities start May 23rd so get your gang and enjoy a mini trip to the Philippines and celebrate their most colourful festival with a lot of good food, merrymaking and of course, don’t forget to order up a few coolers on the side to balance out that South Asian heat!