What food brings back beautiful memories for chef Miko Calo of Metronome?
When it comes to a memorable meal, what tops our lists are usually linked to beautiful moments in life. We asked Tatler Dining’s Chef of The Year, Miko Calo of Metronome to share a nostalgic recipe.
This Filipina powerhouse melds her background with an international perspective, pouring her creativity out onto every dish. Chef Miko Calo trained in classic French techniques at Ferrandi in Paris. Then this gourmand went on to cook under the mentorship of the legendary chef Joël Robuchon. She honed her skills in La Table de Joël Robuchon in Paris, at L’Atelier in London and then Singapore. She has since taken her talents home where she now holds court at Metronome.
In the Philippines she has impressed diners with her command of classic French cookery and the way she is able to meld Asian and European influences into a cohesive dish.
During the lockdown in the years past, Metronome created the brand Lazy Oeuf, an off-shoot that produced sophisticated bistro-fare with a menu that mainly featured sandwiches. Here, Calo proved to diners that she can not only thrive in the realm of fine dining but that she and the team had conquered delivery-only meals too.
Chef Calo believes that a menu and a meal are successful when she is able to infuse a part of herself into it– and of course by how clean the plates are after service. Be it her life experiences, favourite flavours, or unique skillset, making cooking personal can truly bring a dish to life. At Metronome, she certainly runs a tight ship. With her dedication to excellence and penchant for speaking her mind, you can be certain that she always prioritises quality, aiming to produce nothing short of something deliciously memorable.
See also: What Does it Take to Make a 4-Hands Dinner Successful? We Talk to Chef Miko Calo
Try your hand at cooking this recipe–one that evokes memories of home for this top chef:
Here, she shares:
This recipe is called buntáan or buntáa. A Butuanon dish made of crabs stuffed with buko meat and cooked in coconut milk. This dish is usually served during special occasions and during fiestas. It's very luxurious and pretty laborious to make. Growing up, I remember getting excited during fiestas or even certain relatives' birthdays because I knew I would get to eat buntáan. I would always put lots of sauce in piping hot white rice. The sweet crab fat, silky sweet coconut milk with warmth from the ginger, and alliums plus the distinct aroma of lemongrass all in one bite, tastes like home to me.
Ingredients :
- Crab (female) - 1 kilogram
- Buko (young coconut) - 2 pieces
- Red onion - 250 grams
- Ginger - 200 grams
- Scallions - 100gms
- Coconut (grated) - 2 pieces
- Chili - 2-3 pieces
- Garlic - 1 bulb
- Lemongrass - 2 pieces
- Banana leaves - 1-2 pieces
- Salt
- Pepper
Mise En Place:
- Crabs - place in freezer for 1-2 hours before cooking
- Red onions, sliced
- Ginger - 100 grams julienned and 100 grams sliced and pounded
- Garlic - peeled and pounded
- Buko - grated into strips
- Scallions, sliced
- Grated coconut
- First pressing used for coconut cream
- Second pressing used for coconut milk
- Lemongrass - pounded
- Garlic, peeled and pounded
- Chilli - sliced or leave whole, depending on how spicy you want it