Knowing Filipino Food: Palapa, the sofrito of Mindanao

My introduction to the cuisines of Mindanao, and hopefully yours too

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You may remember in my last post that I mentioned a dish that was new to me: Sinina. A festive dish from Maguindanao, on the southern island of Mindanao, it sees beef or goat simmered in coconut milk with a variety of vegetables, aromatics and spices. For someone who is not familiar with Maguindanaoan cuisine and doesn’t know what the key flavours that make up the cuisine are, it can be a bit hard to imagine what this dish might taste like. Ang Sarap describes it as “like a cross between the Filipino Kaldereta and the Malaysian Beef Rendang”, which helps a bit… unless you don’t know what those are like either…!

Peruse the ingredients list, and you’ll come across something else that is likely to add further mystery to the dish: palapa. Ang Sarap’s recipe doesn’t really explain what this is, other than to instruct you to make a pounded paste of spring onions, ginger paste and chillies. What is it, what is it meant to be like, what is it meant to taste like? And what does it bring to this dish that makes it an important component?

Palapa found in Quiapo Muslim Town in Manila. Sourced from Yummy.ph