Seafood’s Dishes: A Taste of Zamboanga
A Research Proposal
Presented to
Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University
Zamboanga City
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Research 2
By:
( Type your complete name and your groupmates )
Analisa Maruji
May, 2021
Chapter I
Introduction
Background of the Study
Eating and drinking are altogether essential elements of human life. When someone eats,
connects to reality, to the nature around. What’s more, it becomes part of its being, because it is
deeply tasted and felt. Human beings renew their body by partaking of products from nature
(Korthals, 2004).
Zamboanga City’s cuisine is just as festive, colorful and diverse as the culture of the
region. Because of their location near the Sulu Sea, you get a variety of fresh seafood. With
Zamboanga’s rich history as a former Spanish settlement, Hispanic flavors and food preparation
have been infused into dishes. The presence of ethnic tribes from the Sulu archipelago and the
Malay peninsula, known for their use of exotic spices, have added a unique touch to the cuisine
that you can’t find anywhere else in the country.
From traditional Filipino and seafood dishes, regional specialties with “a touch of
Spanish, American and Asian influences,” to ethnic delicacies, visitors to Zamboanga City are
really in for a culinary treat. Here’s my pick of what and where to eat in Zamboanga City from
various visits to “Asia’s Latin City” over the years.
Seafood’s are edible aquatic animals, excluding mammals, but including both freshwater
and ocean creatures. Most nontoxic aquatic species are exploited for food by humans. Even those
with toxic properties, such as certain blowfish, can be prepared so as to circumvent harm to the
consumer.
On the other hand, Alavar Seafood Restaurant is one of the pricier restaurants in the city
and is best for groups because of the family-style servings. For solo travelers and those on a
budget, a smaller branch of Alavar at Paseo del Mar serves combo meals where you can get
smaller servings of curacha, grilled fish, baked clams, prawns with Alavar sauce and
inasal/barbecue dishes.
In addition, Curacha is a chavacano name to a spanner crab or if translated literally it
means roach. This crab is actually a natural highbred from a deep sea crab and a big spiny lobster
that can be found in the deep sea of Zamboanga. The best way to eat curacha is with your bare
hands so you can pick out all the bits of meat hiding underneath the shell & savor every last bit
of the sticky, sweet orange goodness from your fingers.
Moreover, the Baked Imbao and green mango served with Bagon con gata, which
combines the staple fermented condiment with coconut milk, are both must-tries. The mango
really adds a different dimension to all the the rich seafood dishes. Be sure to try the refreshing
beverages like Kamias Shake and Zamboanga White, a creamy lychee-based shake that’s very
sweet and refreshing. Baked Imbao, a type of mangrove clam, that’s usually topped with butter
and garlic. The meat of the clam is naturally sweet. Great for an appetizer.
Furthermore, Try snails, locally called “chupa kulo” cooked in coconut milk and
squash. The only way to get the meat from the snails is to suck it out of one side of the shell’s
opening. Get fresh seafood cooked the way you want in Hai San Seafood Market and Restaurant,
a dampa-style restaurant specializing mostly in Chinese dishes. They have a wide selection of
raw seafood like fish, crabs, shellfish, prawns, squid, shrimp, fish and shellfish that you can have
cooked. They don’t have a fixed menu and prices vary according to the size of the dish and how
it’s prepared.
The purpose of this study is to determine Seafood’s Dishes: A Taste of Zamboanga.
Objectives of the Study
This study aims to produce Seafood’s Dishes: A Taste of Zamboanga. Specifically, it
seeks to answer the following objectives.
1. Prepare the ingredients of the Seafood Dishes namely
a. Curacha
b. Baked Imbao
c. Chupa Kulo
2. Perform the procedures of the Seafood Dishes.
Significance of the Study
This study is all about Seafood’s Dishes: A Taste of Zamboanga. This study would
benefit the student and future researchers. It will also help promote the Zamboanga Delicacy that
will pull up tourism in the Philippines.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The study focuses on the Seafood’s Dishes: A Taste of Zamboanga, namely:
Curacha , Baked Imbao and Chupa Kulo .
This study delimited among faculty and students of Food Technology Senior High School
Laboratory at the Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University and officially enroll in the
2nd Semester of the academic year 2020-2021.
CHAPTER II
Review of Related Literature and Studies
This chapter presents the related readings, related literature and studies, conceptual
framework, and the definition of terms.
Related Literature
Zamboanga City’s cuisine is just as festive, colorful and diverse as the culture of the
region. Because of their location near the Sulu Sea, you get a variety of fresh seafood. With
Zamboanga’s rich history as a former Spanish settlement, Hispanic flavors and food preparation
have been infused into dishes. The presence of ethnic tribes from the Sulu archipelago and the
Malay peninsula, known for their use of exotic spices, have added a unique touch to the cuisine
that you can’t find anywhere else in the country.
Curacha
Curacha, also known as "spanner crab" or "red frog crab", is a local Chavacano name
given to Ranina ranina, commonly found in the waters of Sulu
province and Zamboanga and Bataan province. It is a large crab with a red color, which stays the
same in color even when cooked. The crab is usually steamed or boiled so its flavor is preserved.
Unlike most crabs whose majority of meat can be found in their claws, most of the meat in
curacha is found in its body.
The word curacha is Chavacano for "cockroach", in reference to its appearance, derived
from Spanish cucaracha. It also is known as kagang pamah in Tausug and ipis dagat ("sea
cockroach") in Bataeño Tagalog.
This hybrid crustacean is usually big and brightly colored than the average crab. It is also
tasty and flavorful on its own. Interested to know how to cook one? There are actually many
ways but here’s how we cook ours.
Halabos – to steam in salt and little or no water except that which clings to the
crustaceans until dry. This is usually done for shrimps and crabs.
Recipe 1: Halabos na Curacha
As mentioned, this crab is tasty and flavorful. To bring out more of its flavor, simply
place the curacha in a wide pan or wok. Add a little water and salt then cook until dry.
Recipe 2: Curacha with Alavar Sauce
In a wok or wide pan, cook the curacha in a little water with a slice of ginger. Once done,
remove the ginger and pour in water and the Alavar Sauce. Boil it for 5 minutes then
remove the curacha. Simmer the sauce until thick then pour it on top of the curacha.
Recipe 3: Ginataang Curacha
First you need to prepare your gata or coconut milk which is extracted from a freshly
grated mature coconut. Take note that we will be using the first pressing (kakang gatâ) of
coconut milk which is thicker as well as the second pressing which is thinner.
Place the curacha in a wide pan or wok and add in two tablespoons of alamang as well as
the second pressing of coconut milk. When it’s boiling, carefully add in the first pressing.
Make sure that you constantly stir the mixture. Once cooked, add in some vegetables. We
used kangkong as well as siling haba for a little spice. Viola!
*Ginataan – anything (fish, shellfish, vegetables, sweets) cooked in coconut milk
(gata).
Baked Imbao
Besides curacha, this beautiful plate of imbao wowed us as well. These are clams found
in the mangroves of Zamboanga. Simple but so flavorful, this dish was baked in garlic and
butter.
This mangrove clam Anodontia edentula (locally known as imbao) is widely distributed in
the Indo-West Pacific, from East and South Africa, including Madagascar and the Red Sea, to
eastern Polynesia; north to southern Japan and Hawaii, and south to New South Wales. It
inhabits the muddy bottom of mangrove areas, or the adjacent mudflats. It grows to a maximum
size 8-9 cm shell length, total weight of 180-210 g and is a potential aquaculture species. Imbao
is a highly-prized shellfish in coastal areas where it is abundant; hence an important source of
food and livelihood. In the Philippines, imbao is ample in Visayas and Mindanao. It is sold in
some seafood restaurants at prices slightly higher than other clam species, at P5-8 apiece. Imbao
is often cooked as soup, steamed or broiled, others prefer to eat it raw.
Imbao or commonly called Mangrove Clam belongs to the family Lucinidae. It is one of
the hard to find shells in the province of Iloilo. This Mangrove clam buries itself in the mud of
mangrove areas or in the adjacent mudflats. It usually grows to a maximum size of 8-9 cm shell
length at a weight of 180-210 grams. This mangrove clam is a very interesting animal because of
its large size and its juicier taste than sea oysters. This shell can be found mostly in the Visayas
and Mindanao where it is an important food and source of livelihood for many farmers today.
Ingredients :
1 kilo Imbao Shells cleaned.
2 pieces tomatoes cut in halves.
1 onion leaves cut in 1 1/2 inches in length.
2 pieces lemon grass tied and knotted.
1 piece ginger skinned, sliced diagonally.
1 onion bulb, skinned, sliced.
Procedures:
1. Boil 6 mugs of water in a pot
2. Drop one by one by order – tomatoes, ginger, onion bulb sliced, onion leaves, 1 lemon
grass, and cover the pot for a minute.
3. After a minute, open the pot put in the Imbao Shells, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt of
your choice whether rock or iodized salt to taste, put in the remaining lemon grass, slow
down the gas stove flame.
4. To simmer for 30 seconds and serve.
The term use in cooking imbao soup is pakuratan – because shell foods seem to cook easily
when heated a little, somewhat similar to poaching.
Chupa Kulo
A traditional viand, the Chupa Kulo is a dish of cooked snails served with a thick, sauce-
like broth made from squash and coconut milk.The snails were not deshelled, so the meat stayed
moist and flavorful inside. Eating the snail meat required sucking it out of the shell.
Conceptual Framework
Seafood Dishes
Ingredients
a. Curacha
Procedures b. Baked Imbao
c. Chupa Kulo
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study
Figure 1 shows the relationship of Seafood Dishes , the dependent variable is the
ingredient and procedures ,while the independent variable is the seafood dishes
namely Curacha , Baked Imbao and Chupa Kulo
Definition of Terms
In order to have a clear perspective for this study, the following terms are defined.
Ingredients- in this study it refers to the raw materials used in producing Seafood Dishes.
Procedures- it is the step to follow in cooking the seafood dishes.
Curacha - also known as "spanner crab" or "red frog crab", is a local Chavacano name,
commonly found in the waters of Sulu province and Zamboanga and Bataan province. It is a
large crab with a red color, which stays the same in color even when cooked.
Baked Imbao - commonly called Mangrove Clam belongs to the family Lucinidae.
Chupa Kulo - also known as "Marisco" is one of the Zamboangenos favorite shell-food dish.
