Highlights
- Each region in the Philippines has their own unique variety of dishes
- For Ilocanos, the most popular dishes are bagnet, pinakbet and pinapaitan
- With every Ilocano dish served by Chef Omar Ramos, it brings back memories of childhood and happy family
Though he grew up in Manila, Western Sydney chef Omar Ramos considers himself a true-blue Ilocano. His father’s side of the family is from Ilocos Norte and his mother’s family is from La Union.
"My dad's an amazing cook. Growing up, he cooked classic Ilocano dishes like pinakbet, kinilaw and papaitan," shares Omar Ramos.
A fun-filled family cooking
The chef from Parramatta came from a big family from Manila. Of the seven siblings, Omar developed a passion for cooking.
“We are seven in the family. At sa aming magkakapatid ako yung parang naiwan sa kusina because I enjoy cooking,
"Na-enjoy ko yung mga conversation sa kitchen. Yung nagluluto kayo at nagku-kwentuhan. Nasa kitchen kasi ang action sunod sa dining room. Magku-kwentuhan kayo kasama mo 'yung pamilya mo, mga kasambahay o mga kaibigan."
Growing up with Ilocano dishes
"My dad cooks mostly Ilocano dishes like dinengdeng, pinakbet, kinilaw at pinapaitan. We were hardly exposed to other regional cooking. I can say about 75% of our cooking is Ilocano," he furthers.
Some of his favourites and memorable ones are:
1. 'Pinakbet'
Pinakbet is the most unforgettable dish that the chef from western Sydney loves to cook. It was a family recipe passed on by his late father.
“Pinakbet ang talagang isa sa nakasanayan ko na talaga na lutuin."
"My dad would get any available vegetables from our front yard. We would also have plenty of bagoong (fermented anchovies) that we got from my grandma who used to have a bagoong factory in Zambales," he recalls.
'Pinakbet' (local vegetables like snake beans, okra, bitter melon, tomatoes, eggplant cooked in fermented anchovy fish) Source: A. Violata
"A true Ilocano is someone who would see their home-grown vegetables, harvested and cooked. Whatever vegetable you have in your backyard or garden, you'll use them for 'pakbet' (short for pinakbet). As long as you have bagoong, then you're all good," says Chef Omar.
2. 'Bagnet' and 'Dinuguan'
One of the most popular dish from the North is 'bagnet', a popular Ilocano dish, where pork is boiled and deep fried until it is crispy.
Omar's dad used to cooked this and one of his favourites too. Despite it's long cooking process, it's all worth the wait because it is a very versatile dish.
"You can use it for pinakbet. I also use it for kare-kare instead of pata (pork hocks) or buntot ng baka."
'Bagnet', pork cooked through the process of marinating, tendering, boiling, spicing it up again, then drying it up again, then deep fried to get that crunchy and crackling on the skin. Source: Getty Images/junpinzon
I even have my own improvised version of 'dinuguan' (meat cooked in pork blood). Instead of using pig innards, I use bagnet.
3. 'Pinapaitan'
Family gathering, particularly Christmas, at the Ramos' residence becomes special when 'pinapaitan' is served.
Pinapaitan, is a known Ilocano dish consists of goat or beef tripe and offal flavoured with tamarind, chili, and bile to add to its sour and bitter taste.
"We have to go all the way from Manila to Marikina to get the best and fresh beef ingredients, including the intestines, bile," reveals Mr Ramos.
'Papaitan', a bitter Philippine stew usually made with goat or beef tripe and offal with bile as a flavouring Source: A. Violata
4. 'Patupat' (rice cake wrapped in coconut leaves)
He also looks back at how his family would cook and make patupat, a rice cake known in the northern Philippines.
The glutinous rice is slowly cooked in creamy coconut milk (kakang gata) until the rice becomes oily. It is then wrapped in coconut leaves.
Making the coconut leaves wrapper is a very tedious task. Fresh green coconut leaves are weaved into a small boat-shaped form then ecah one is filled with the cooked glutinous rice. Once all wrapped, it is placed in a steamer for about 1 hour to complete its cooking.
The lengthy process of making the wrappers and cooking the patupat gave a lot of opportunity for the Ramos family to bond making each cooking time very memorable.
'Patupat', rice cake wrapped in coconut leaves Source: Getty Images/Irina Marwan
Coconut leaves are interwoven into a shape like boat where it is used to wrap the cooked glutinous rice and further cooked into a 'patupat' (rice cake). Source: Getty Images/Ferdz Decena
5. 'Tupig' (grilled glutinous rice cake)
Another popular delicacy from the North, particularly in the Ilocos, La Union, Pangasinan and Tarlac regions, 'tupig' is distint for the Ilocanos.
Made from a mixture of ground glutinous rice with coconut cream and red sugar, and fresh coconut flesh, tupig is wrapped in banana leaves and then wood-fired grilled. Omar Ramos learned cooking tupig from his mother who was also fond of cooking.
'Tupig', a Filipino rice cake originating from northwestern Luzon, particularly the regions of Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Ilocos. Source: Rod Dingle
Passion for cooking
Omar Ramos’ passion for cooking is undeniable. From the Philippines, he brought this passion when he first settled in New Zealand in 2003 where he set up his Gold Riboon cafe.
When he moved to Australia in 2012, he continued the food business and set up Angelees Kitchen where he offered mostly Filipino dishes including dinuguan, bagnet and pinakbet.
Although his business closed in 2017 after he was severely affected by the death of his mother, Chef Omar continues his passion for cooking. He is now focused on his online food service offering Filipino kakanin (sweet delicacies).
Chef Omar Ramos with his late mother, Dely. Source: Omar Ramos Facebook
His passion for cooking remains and those happy childhood memories are kept alive through cooking.
He calls on everyone in Australia to try Filipino food, not only because of its unique taste and flavour but also to learn more about the country's rich history. Each dish is adapted from the different cultures Filipinos inherited.
"It’s a mixture of the East and the West and the traditional ones. Once in a while, tickle your buds with Filipino food." ends Chef Omar.
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