Arts & Leisure
Posted on February 03, 2016 05:54:00 PM
- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
On heirloom rice and sustainable seafood
WHITE RICE may be a Filipino staple food, but for the diet conscious, a steaming cup of rice is a sin that must be avoided at all cost. Unfortunately, not many Filipinos know and have access to the wonders of the Cordillera heirloom rice. Unlike the processed white rice found in every market which is stripped of fiber, iron, and other nutrients, the heirloom rice varieties are healthier and more filling.
In the hopes of preserving the dying Cordillera rice tradition and culture, IRRI initiated the Heirloom Rice Project. According to the IRRI Web site, the project “aims to enhance productivity and enrich the legacy of heirloom or traditional rice through empowered communities in unfavorable rice-based ecosystems.”
Many chefs, including the 2016 Asia’s Best Female Chef Margarita Fores of Cibo, Lusso, and Grace Park, and chef Chele Gonzales of Vask, have started adopting heirloom rice in their recipes.
Through the word of mouth and interaction with his chef friends, Discovery Leisure Company, Inc. corporate chef and F&B director Anthony Raymond has also incorporated heirloom rice into his recipes. His creations are available at select restaurants in Discovery hotels at Boracay, Ortigas, Tagaytay, Palawan, and Makati.
Discovery only started offering heirloom rice dishes six months ago, “but the heirloom rice is here to stay. We’re the first hotel chain in the country to promote our heirloom rice. With today’s health-conscious clientele, it helps that the [heirloom] rice contains more nutritional value than the typical white rice. It has great flavor and texture, too,” Mr. Raymond told BusinessWorld at the sidelines of Discovery Leisure Co.’s media appreciation on Jan. 19.
The sustainable project, he said, aims to help the livelihood of farmers (“98% of Cordillera farmers are women”) while promoting the survival of our rice tradition and the lifestyle of eating a healthier variety of rice.
According to chef, heirloom rice -- especially the black rice -- is rich in anti-oxidants and has less cholesterol. “It has a distinct aroma and nutty taste,” he also said.
A must-try heirloom rice dish from the group is Restaurant Verbena’s arroz loco. A favorite in Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay, the sinful paella-like creation has aromatic heirloom rice covered with tiger prawns, clams, herb-baked oysters, sausages, crab fat, crispy chicken thighs, barbecue red-braised pork belly, salted duck egg, shaved queso de bola, and chicken fat croutons.
There’s also Club Paradise Palawan’s coriander-crusted yellow fin tuna citrus with spring onions, topped with miso dressing and served on a bed of black heirloom rice. At Discovery Primea in Makati, a two-hour cooked chicken and heirloom rice is the hero. The chicken tagine (earthen pot) has green olives, lemon confit, and saffron-scented heirloom white rice salad.
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
Besides championing heirloom rice, the Discovery group has also entered a partnership with Meliomar, Inc., which aims to introduce sustainable seafood to hotels and restaurants.
Besides Discovery, other hotels and restaurants, at least in Metro Manila, are at the helm of making our seafood both sustainable and delectable. They are: New World Hotel Makati, Fairmont, Raffles, Shangri-La (Makati, Edsa, and The Fort), Vask, Le Club, Marco Polo Ortigas, Manila Peninsula, Hyatt, and Marriott are part of the seafood crusade, as is Alab Restaurant, owned by chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou. The number of members are still growing.
On Feb. 15-21, the participating hotels and restaurants will celebrate Sustainable Sea Food Week with cooking shows and demos, chef collaborations and presentations of sustainability projects, and workshops.
“We all have to start somewhere. By 2020, my vision is to ensure that 100% of all our menus across all our hotels and resorts will only serve seafood sourced from sustainable fishing,” said Mr. Raymond.
And, oh, don’t forget the heirloom rice, too.
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