If you’re a fan of that popular TV show “Glee,” you’d know that a mash-up is a song created by combining two or more songs to produce an interesting blend.
The same theory apparently applies to food as well, with two seemingly ordinary dishes combined to come up with an altogether different or extraordinary recipe. Here are a few of the more unexpected snack food mash-ups I’ve come across.
Chicha-rabao or processed carabao (water buffalo) skin made into cracklings. They’re crisp on the outside but a bit hollow on the inside, with a rather strong smell and a gamey aftertaste. If you can get past what it’s made of, chicha-rabao makes for a pretty good snack as it doesn’t taste as heavy as the usual pork rind cracklings. We tasted the hot and spicy variant during a recent trip to Tuguegarao, Cagayan but this snack food also comes in plain garlic flavor. Makes for a tasty and interesting bar chow choice. Costs P40/pack or three for P100 at Tiendesitas and select groceries.
Fisharon. A more popular variant of chicharon is tuna chicharon (also known as Fisharon), which originates from the country’s tuna capital, General Santos City in Mindanao. The deep-fried tuna skin, which has been packaged as pasalubong fare, is very crunchy and quite good despite the scaly exterior and what some say is the fishy taste. It’s also said to have a lower cholesterol content compared to pork chicharon, but don’t chuck out Lapid’s chicharon for this just yet. Also available at the Mercato Centrale at The Fort for P100/pack.
Durian Coffee. Coffee flavored with the distinctively aromatic fruit synonymous with Davao has been around awhile, popularized by Davao City’s Blugre Café. Fortunately, Manileños who have yet to try this brew can check out Chicco di Caffe, a Davao-based coffee shop which opened its first Luzon branch at Robinsons Galleria earlier this year. The blend of strong coffee, thick froth, and aromatic durian makes for a very interesting combination. Give your coffee a good stir before drinking, as the pulpy durian bits tend to settle at the bottom of the mug. Expect the aftertaste of durian to linger a couple of hours after finishing your coffee. Interestingly, the coffee shop also serves Coffee Halo-Halo and a Yogurt Caramel Durian Shake. All drinks mentioned cost P130 at Chicco di Caffe, Ground Level, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas.
Chili cupcake. The chili chocolate cupcakes in Catanduanes look perfectly normal on the outside, but a bite reveals red specks of chili on the inside. The cupcake tastes predominantly sweet but has a little kick that’s not too hot to handle. Light but filling. Costs only P4 each at GZ Lopez Food Enterprise, Virac Public Market, Catanduanes.
Tahong Chips. The first thing you’ll notice upon opening a pack of crispy tahong chips is the extremely salty ocean smell of the dried mussels. The crunchy whole green mussel chips taste like very earthy dry peanuts and have a consistency similar to the fried crickets sold in Bangkok’s street stalls. A product of Cavite, home to mussel farming, tahong chips are said to be a rich source of iron, protein and magnesium, with no MSG or preservatives. Though I’m a big fan of baked mussels with cheese, I found this a bit hard to eat without a drink. But it makes for a flavorful pulutan (bar chow). Packs cost P80 in selected grocery stores and pasalubong kiosks.
Kare-kare Pasta. Yes, you heard right. Your favorite Philippine stew also works as pasta topping. Instead of being served with rice, this flavorful blend of ox tail and vegetables can be served on top of spaghetti noodles. Ilocos native Tina Tan, who first featured this dish in her blog www.blauearth.com, says the spaghetti sauce is made of banana heart strips, crunchy Ilocano utong (young string beans like the ones used for pinakbet, different from the Tagalog sitaw) eggplant slices (also the smaller Ilocano tarong), peanut sauce (basic kare-kare sauce) and a tiny scoop of bagoong alamang (shrimp paste). She describes the dish as appetizing, comforting and “bursting with Filipino flavors.” One order is big enough for two people. An order of Kare-kare pasta costs P80 at Frontrow Café, 2/F of the M&P Bueno Bldg. along Panganiban St., Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
Laing Pizza. Laing Pizza (also called Bicolano Special) combines a thin crispy crust, rich mozzarella cheese and a generous topping of spicy laing and Bicol express made with gabi (taro) leaves and pork bits cooked in coconut milk and chillies. The combination of vegetables, bagoong and cheese may seem really strange at first, but the novelty alone is what gets people, especially first-time visitors to Bicol, ordering this pizza. Share the pizza with someone else, as it can be quite hefty to finish on your own. Laing pizza costs P230 at the Camsur Watersports Complex, Naga City.
Ilocano Special Pizzas. Try the Longganisa Pizza in Ilocos Norte’s Herencia Café, which was really delicious. The thin crust, crispy longganisa and melted cheese really go well together. Herencia also serves other creations with distinctly Ilocano toppings such as pinakbet pizza, dinuguan pizza, bagnet pizza and poque-poque (eggplant dish) pizza, which are at the top of my must-try list (along with the Kare-kare pasta) next time I’m back in Ilocos Norte. Pizzas are the specialties of Herencia Café, McArthur Street, Brgy. 14, Sangladan, Paoay, Ilocos Norte.
Chocolate Pizza. Craving for a sweeter pizza topping? Try the thin-crust Chocolate Pizza, topped with bittersweet chocolate, sliced almonds, toasted garlic and either bacon bits or crispy anchovies. Served alongside dark Belgian chocolates and fruits dipped in rich chocolate in a cozy dessert café, the pizza provides a little salty kick to the rest of the sweet confections served there. Chocolate Pizzas cost P150 at Heavenly Chocolates, 127 Roces Ave., Quezon City.
Dinuguan Siopao. Since dinuguan naturally goes well with puto (rice cake), and the siopao bun has a similar look and taste, I guess it makes sense to combine these two snacks. I admit, I have never been a fan of savory pork blood stew or of siopao, which usually comes in asado or bola-bola flavors. My search for this elusive bun in various 7-Eleven stores was in vain, as it was just a limited promotional item sold last year. According to the cashier of the 7-Eleven Matalino St. branch, most customers preferred to stick with the tried-and-tested flavors. A representative at 7-Eleven’s Customer Hotline said they have no plans of bringing this back anytime soon. During its limited run, the dinuguan siopao was sold for P35 each at 7-11 stores.
Candied Bacon Ice Cream, Strawberry Basil Ice Cream. I didn’t think anything could top the Iron Chef creation of asparagus ice cream until I came across flavors like bacon and malunggay. I got a taste of the Candied Bacon ice cream, which combines creamy ice cream with salty bacon bits, at Merry Moo! stall in Mercato Centrale at The Fort and found the combination really fresh and fun. The bacon bits weren’t chunky, but more like tiny chips or nuts, so there was no overwhelming bacon taste. The ice cream itself uses fresh, non-ultra heated dairy locally sourced from dairy farmers in Laguna and tasted really creamy. According to Kelvin Ngo, Merry Moo’s “Chief Ice Cream Officer,” their bestsellers are Earl Grey Tea (a flowery aromatic tea ice cream) and Sea Salt Caramel (sweet caramel contrasting favorably with the salty taste). I also got to taste the Strawberry Basil flavor, a blend of strawberry puree and basil, which turned out to be a sweet treat with a minty tang. Merry Moo ice cream costs P70-P75 per scoop depending on flavor. Pints cost P270-290 at Mercato Centrale, corner 9th and 30th Streets, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Malunggay, Wasabi and Beer Ice Cream. Another ice cream shop popularly known for the unique flavors it serves is Elfav Ice Creamery, the main branch of which is located in Parañaque. Bizarre ice cream flavors which have gotten buzz from foodies include malunggay, wasabi, beer, and Yakult, among others. I have yet to try these, as the branch in Robinsons Galleria has closed down. Bestsellers include Bailey’s, Bubblegum and Tequila Rose ice cream. Ice cream costs P40/scoop for regular flavors and P70/scoop for unique flavors at Elfav, 2/F Pergolla Mall, Aguirre Ave. cor. Elsie Gaches St. Phase 1, BF Homes, Parañaque City. •
For more food and travel adventures, visit the author’s personal blog Travel Up at www.travelingup.wordpress.com.