Karima Magazine Sep-Oct 2017

TASTE BUDS
Red Orchids
and manually ground to a paste to flavor the stew,
Rice is toasted brown and also ground up to make the
powder to thicken the peanut sauce, and Annatto seeds
are steeped in water/broth to give the Kare-kare a
reddish, orange color. That’s not all. Then, leafy
vegetables and eggplant are stir fried separately—
and served along side with the shrimp paste dipping
sauce that’s salty to an otherwise mild tasting peanut
sauce. The creativity is noteworthy, and the taste is one
of a kind.
Here at Red Orchids, the Kare-kare is an oxtail
stew that you must try. With the smooth peanut sauce
and savory taste of shrimp paste (ginisang bagoong), it’s
a staple and well accompanied with steaming hot white
jasmine rice.
Pancit Palabok
Pancit to a non-Filipino is the “Filipino noodles”.
Known to have originated from the Chinese influence,
the Philippines has eight varieties of Filipino noodle
dishes. The word ‘pancit’ is neither Filipino in origin
nor did it necessarily bring to mind images of long,
thin strands of rice or wheat. The name comes from
the Hokkien “pian e sit,” which literally translates to
“something conveniently cooked” (i.e. fast food). A
birthday celebration is not complete without pancit
because this signifies “long life”.
This one particularly is made with round rice
noodles (specifically labeled for pancit luglug or palabok)
that are the same size as spaghetti. It is smothered with
a thick, golden shrimp sauce, and topped with shelledoff
shrimp, chicharon grinds, quartered hard boiled egg,
and green onions.
This is also a dish that is crucial to each Filipino
feast as rice is to every complete Filipino meal. A variation
of Pancit Palabok is Pancit Malabon where the texture
is dryer and added ingredients call for squid, shucked
oysters and shrimp. It’s a favorite at Red Orchid’s and
always something to look forward to on the Thursday
buffet menu.
Ginataang Halo-Halo
A Filipino desert dish made with coconut milk,
plantains, tapioca pearls, glutinous rice balls (bilo-bilo)
and is usually served during meryenda, a mid-afternoon
meal in Filipino culture. Ginataan are dishes cooked
in coconut milk. The word as derived from the word
“gata”, which means coconut milk. Halo-halo means a
combination of different ingredients that are used
to complete a dish. At Red Orchids, the Ginataan is a
delicacy that customers go for seconds, and thirds. The
purple yam, also known as taro root gives the mixture a
purplish color and hue. I love ending my meal with this
desert as well as, the biko or sticky sweet rice.
Overall, the buffet lunch starts at 11:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. To check daily buffet
menu, go to Red Orchids facebook page or call at
(209) 467-8150. Price for lunch is $7.99. Located in the
heart of downtown Stockton, Red Orchids is one of
Stockton’s well-kept secrets.
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