Diplomats enjoy Filipino hors d’oeuvres at Foreign Consuls food festival
‘Kutsinta’ or rice cake (left) and Empanada were crowd favorites at the Society of Foreign Consuls in New York International Food Festival. Photos: Philippine Consulate
Consul Felipe Carino III and Cultural Officer Olive Magpile led the consulate delegation to the event held at the Gandhi Hall of the Indian Consulate on February 9. Each participating consulate brought their country’s famous hors d’oeuvres and beverages and offered cultural performances to the delight of the attendees.
Participation was high despite a snow storm that slammed across the Northeast that day. The consulate shared home-cooked “kutsinta” and “empanada” as well as calamansi juice, which were enjoyed by guests from various consulates particularly Columbia, Thailand, India, Kosovo and Estonia.
The Philippines was among five consulates, including Algeria, India, Kosovo, and Paraguay, which rendered traditional dance performances. The Foundation of the Filipino Artists Dance Ensemble, a group based in Staten Island, performed the “Kuratsa”, an indigenized form of “La Curacha” courtship dance introduced by Mexican traders to Filipinos during the Galleon Trade period from the 1500s to the 1800s. This dance evolved in different versions among the Warays in Eastern Visayas region.
Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega underscored that the consulate’s participation this year would highlight the culinary specialties and traditional folk dances of the Philippines.
The International Food Festival is a flagship project of the SOFC that counts 113 New York-based Consulates General. The Philippines represents the East Asia and Western Pacific Region in the SOFC Executive Committee.
Recipe for ‘Kutsinta’ (courtesy of PanlasangPinoy.com)
Ingredients
• 1½ cup rice flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups water
• 1½ tsp lye water
• 2 tsp anatto seeds
Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients starting from the rice flour, all-purpose flour, and brown sugar then mix all the ingredients.
2. While mixing, add water gradually and continue to mix until all ingredients are completely distributed.
3. Add lye water and anatto water (soak the anatto seed in 3 tbsp water) then continue mixing.
4. Place the mixture into individual molds and steam for 40 minutes to an hour.
5. Serve with grated or shredder coconut on top.
Consul Felipe F. Carino III welcomes Consul General Maria Isabel Nieto of Colombia (left photo), president of the Society of Foreign Consuls New York, and Consul General Riva Ganguly Das of India to the Philippine table.
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