From its humble beginnings at the Havelano Square near Plaza Divisoria in the 1990s, Cagayan de Oro’s Culinary Adventure Trail has expanded in the past two and a half decades thanks to people from other places who’ve made this City of Golden Friendship their home.
Official Logo
One of those is Concon Ignacio, Maestra Kusinera of St. Ignatius Country Kitchen at Fernhill Street, Macasandig. Hailing from Asia’s Latin City Zamboanga, this compoblanos of mine has been in Kagay-an (as the Lumad Kagay-anons would call their beloved city) for the past two decades and counting.
Starting as a caterer, Concon has gained a niche with government agencies and high end clients who don’t mind paying a premium for her delicious creations.
However, Concon and St. Ignatius Country Kitchen would most probably be best remembered in Cagayan de Oro as the prime mover responsible for mainstreaming Zamboangueño (or as many insist Chabacano) and Tausug dishes into the Kagay-anon culinary lexicon.
Easy to find St Ignatius Country Kitchen along Fernhill St., Macasandig
For her latest foray, St. Ignatius Country Kitchen started offering Zamboanga Satti-All-You-Can for only P99 per head with a free Coke Mismo.
As Marjorie Bulahan of Filipino Bloggers Worldwide describes it:
Satti is the spicy dish popular among locals of Zamboanga. It is the food that perks up your morning. Satti is served with sticky rice uniquely cooked in a woven coconut leaf (puso) and sticks of grilled beef and chicken meat swimming in the thick, spicy and hot sauce.
Piping hot satti is perfect with freshly cooked tamal
Like all hard-core satti aficionados of Zamboanga, she concurs it is the sauce that makes all the difference giving it the special taste.
“The unique flavor of this food is what makes many Chavacanos (people of Zamboanga) miss their home. Mornings in Zamboanga for many joggers, students and office workers begin at a satti house. It has become the comfort food for many because of its rich texture and spicy flavor that gives a calming sensation. This is one food that can make your heart a beat faster and sweat glands get to work.”
Satti All You Can
That’s why St. Ignatius Country Kitchen offers Satti-All-You-Can only from 5AM to 10AM Mondays to Saturdays. This sked also enables Concon to continue serving her regular catering clients. However, she also accepts orders provided these are made at least two days in advance.
There are different varieties of Satti de Zamboanga and in fact, there’s also another eat-all-you can joint along Corrales Avenue which leans more towards the Malaysian variety. Then, there’s the Jolo/Tausug version with the green sauce. Those interested can view how it’s made from Tausug Online at this URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Another Tausug dish – Grilled fish with mango salsa
Concon can immediately tell if it’s is a Zamboangueño or someone from somewhere else from the way they eat their satti.
“A Zamboangueño would ask for more sauce since people back home really like slurping the hot sauce while diners from other places are more into eating the barbecue with rice dipped in satti sauce.”
Owing to the hot reception by compoblanos and Kagay-anons alike to her version of Satti de Zamboanga, St. Ignatius Country Kitchen now also offers other Zamboangueño and Tausug dishes like sikalang, saging rebosao, royale bibingka, tamal and pastil de moro.
Tamal de Zamboanga is perfect wth Satti
Maranao dishes have long been available at or near Cogon market and other regional recipes like sisig, pancit molo, pinakbet, kalderetang kambing, Bicol express, sapin-sapin, batchoy and many more had long made spiced the local culinary scene with their variety of tastes and textures.
We look forward to the day when Cagayan de Oro with a little help from the Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association’s (COHARA) long-running Kumbira Culinary Festival and Competition, can truly be for both Kagay-anons and their visitors the literal melting pot of regional dishes from around the country and its neighbors.
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