How PHL Dumagat tribe cook fish sinigang, steamed rice using bamboo; wrapped chicken under the ground
(Eagle News) — The Philippine Dumagat tribe in Luzon has a unique traditional way of cooking food, harking backing to the old days when their ancestors had to cook food using what could be found in the forest. With the use of bamboo, they are able to cook rice and even the Philippine dish “sinigang”. They also cook chicken in a unique way while buried in the ground.
-Sinigang with katmon fruit, lando leaves inside bamboo-
Sinigang, a sour savory soup cooked either with fish or meat, is cooked using katmon fruit which can be found in the Philippine forests. Katmon is also known as elephant apple (Dillenia philippinensis) and is endemic in the Philippines. They also use Lando leaves, along with Katmon, as souring ingredients.
The Philippine indigenous katmon fruit which is used in the “sinigang” cooked by the Philippine Dumagat tribes. From the Eagle News report of EBC correspondent/stringer Raymard Gutierrez (Screenshot of Eagle News Service video from EBC program Mata ng Agila/Eagle News Service)Leaves of “Lando” that are used to sour the sinigang as cooked by the Philippine Dumagat indigenous group in Tanay, Rizal. From the Eagle News report of EBC correspondent/stringer Raymard Gutierrez (Screenshot of Eagle News Service video from EBC program Mata ng Agila/Eagle News Service)
The fish, vegetables, salt, water and the natural souring ingredients — Katmon and Lando — are placed inside a bamboo. The bamboo is then placed directly on the fire.
-Cooking rice inside a bamboo –
The Dumagats also use bamboo to cook rice. First they put water inside the bamboo, then a cup of rice is wrapped using a leaf from the indigenous Tagbak plant, also endemic to the Philippines. The piece of bamboo (kawayan) or buho is also placed directly on the fire until the rice is cooked.
A cup of rice is placed and wrapped in a Tagbak leaf befor it is placed inside a bamboo with water for the traditional way of cooking steamed rice by the Philippine Dumagat tribe. From the Eagle News report of EBC correspondent/stringer Raymard Gutierrez (Screenshot of Eagle News Service video from EBC program Mata ng Agila/Eagle News Service)A cup of rice is placed and wrapped in a Tagbak leaf befor it is placed inside a bamboo with water for the traditional way of cooking steamed rice by the Philippine Dumagat tribe. From the Eagle News report of EBC correspondent/stringer Raymard Gutierrez (Screenshot of Eagle News Service video from EBC program Mata ng Agila/Eagle News Service)
-Whole chicken cooked while under the ground-
They also have a unique way of cooking meat. In this case, chicken, which they first marinate in their favorite sauces and spices. Lemongrass can also be placed inside the chicken too. Then the whole chicken is wrapped in banana leaves.
The marinated chicken in wrapped in banana leaves before it is covered with clay mud and placed under the ground where it is cooked the traditional indigenous way of the Dinagat tribe in the Philippines. From the Eagle News report of EBC correspondent/stringer Raymard Gutierrez (Screenshot of Eagle News Service video from EBC program Mata ng Agila/Eagle News Service)
Then they prepare the soil that will also be used to cover the chicken. First, they set aside the soil (mostly the clay type of soil), putting water into it until it becomes a sticky doughy clay mud. This is then used to cover the whole banana-leaf wrapped chicken.
The chicken that is first wrapped in banana leaves and then covered with a clay mud is placed under the ground where it will be cooked. This is how the Philippine Dumagat tribe cook the chicken in the traditional way. From the Eagle News report of EBC correspondent/stringer Raymard Gutierrez (Screenshot of Eagle News Service video from EBC program Mata ng Agila/Eagle News Service)
The clay-covered chicken is placed in a hole in the ground, and covered with dried grass (dayami) which is then set on fire. This will serve as the undergound oven that will cook the meat inside.
Dayami or dried grass is used to cover the chicken that is cooked the traditional way while buried in the ground by the Dumagat tribe. (Screenshot of Eagle News Service video from EBC program Mata ng Agila/Eagle News Service)
The Dumagats in Luzon still cook the traditional way to preserve their culture and way of life, Their food is simple but delicious and healthy as shown in this video report by Eagle News stringer/correspondent Raymard Gutierrez.