Eats more fun in Malabon

Driving through Malabon, one cannot help but notice the many stores bearing the name “Nanay’s,” “Mommy’s,” “Inang’s,” and other terms of endearment for “mother.” And then of course, there is the famous “Dolor’s” whose kakanin (rice cake) stores seem to outnumber the popular burger joints in this city north of Manila. 

 

Seeing all these signs on the way to the Malabon Kulinarya Festival at Dampa sa Paseo, held in celebration of the city’s 413th foundation day on Tuesday, I wondered how many mothers have opened a store here, and if the famous Dolor and these other “mommies” were, in fact, just one and the same person.

 

These “mom” stores speak volumes as to how the womenfolk of Malabon have held on dearly to the culinary traditions of this once sleepy coastal town. They kept close to their hearts the recipes that were passed on to them from generations past. It’s as if they need to cook this food, the food that nourished them and they grew up with, so as not to forget where they come from.

 

Pancit Malabon at iba pa

 

This is a city where heirloom recipes of almost a hundred dishes and delicacies still flourish. 

 

And on top of that list are the two things Malabon is famous for: bilaos with colorful swirls of kakanin, maja blanca, ube and cassava cakes, and the quintessential Pancit Malabon – thick rice noodles swathed in a bright and sunshiny yellow-orange sauce, a mixture of patis (fish sauce), achuete, shrimp juice or aligue (crab fat), and topped with an assortment of seafood that’s abundant in this area—shrimps, squid, mussels, oysters and tinapa (smoked fish) flakes. Of course, no bilao of Pancit Malabon is worthy of desire without the slivers of hard-boiled eggs that go on top, making this the most festive noodle dish in town.

 

Annie Guerrero, founder of the Center of Culinary Arts (CCA) and a native of Malabon, said it best when she told those who came to the Malabon food fest, “Anong sinabi ng japchae sa Pancit Malabon?” Looking at this dish and how it has become the life of the Filipino party over the years, indeed, the japchae or any other noodle dish does not come close to the liveliness of color and the richness of flavor of the Pancit Malabon.

 

There is, however, more to Malabon than its famous pancit as the Kulinarya Festival had shown. A project of acting mayor Len-Len Oreta, this festival, held for the first time in the city on May 15 this year, showcased the sapin-sapin, pichi-pichi, menudo, okoy, lumpiang hubad, kusilbang saging, and more dishes that define the flavors of Malabon.

 

Preserving its culinary heritage

 

Interestingly, one of the less visited stalls in the festival was that which featured the one ingredient to which the city owes its name. This was the stall that had Ginataang Labong (bamboo shoots cooked in coconut milk). As legend has it, the name Malabon comes from having had an abundance of bamboo shoots, “maraming labong” or “ma-labong.”  

Still, we owe it to the people of Malabon for keeping their culinary heritage alive. Oreta said, “We are proud that our City has maintained its distinct food culture despite the continuous increase in the number of fast-food chains in the city.”

 

The acting mayor is especially proud of the “gifted chefs” of Malabon who have developed delicious recipes without formal training. One of the beneficiaries of the city’s livelihood projects is Empananay’s Lourdes de Jesus. She has been cooking her famous ham and cheese and pork asado empanadas for five years and now sells them through the outlets of Dolor’s Kakanin in the metropolis.