“It’s bigger and better,” boasts founder KF Seetoh at this 12 months’s World Street Food Congress in Manila, an event that shines a lightweight on street food as a tourism driver and global enterprise.
For five days, from May 31 to June 4, hawkers from 13 countries and influencers from around the globe will fill a festival space the scale of two football pitches at the brand new SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, a superb seaside location.
This is the second 12 months in a row that the event, which was launched in Singapore by Seetoh-based Makansutra in 2013, is held in Manila.
Organizers consider last 12 months’s event a hit; gathered roughly 300 international delegates and 24 stalls from nine countries.
This 12 months’s event is anticipated to draw 120,000 spectators, up from last 12 months’s 75,000, and can feature three principal events: a street food festival, a series of dialogues with traditional food advocates and industry think tanks, and the Street Food Awards.
According to data published by the organizers, the event was watched by 41 million viewers, each on traditional platforms and in social media.
“It’s a reminder of what a plate of food can do for industry, for tourism, for one’s culture and identity, for social entrepreneurship, for education – the list goes on, all thanks to at least one little plate of countless possibilities.”
Most stalls sold over 1,000 portions a day, with one selling 1,920. Here are the eight hottest:
1. Malaysia: Assam Laksa
Assam Laksa is a spicy seafood and tamarind soup – a serious affair in Malaysia, and nowhere more so than in one in all the biggest street food hubs in Penang.
The secret recipe for sambal – a mix of spices – is the important thing to the dangerously good dish that won her the coveted Assam Laksa award on the Battle of Penang Hawkers.
2. Indonesia: Sate Maranggi
During the Congress, a team from Sate Marrangi in Indonesia stuffed a staggering 125,000 satay sticks over five days.
The region’s signature dish is marinated, diced beef grilled over charcoal, served with a deceptively fiery salad of chili, vinegar and tomatoes.
3. Thailand: Hoy Tord
Hoy tord, or seafood omelette, needs no introduction to fans of Thai cuisine.
A mix of two kinds of flour, lime and water is made right into a dough, calmly fried with eggs and topped with seafood – oysters, shrimp or squid – together with coriander, bean sprouts, shallots, pepper and just a little fish sauce.
4. India: Hyderabadi Biryani
The word “biryani” may come from Persian, but probably the most famous master of this popular dish of spiced rice with meat or vegetables is India.
Among the numerous versions, the dish from Hyderabad stands out for its mixture of basmati rice, chicken, yogurt, lemon, masala spices, coriander leaves and fried onions.
5. United States: Churros Sundae
The Churros Locos food truck in Portland, Oregon, was founded by Mexican Americans Daniel Huerta and Isabel Sanchez. The owners work in an organization day-after-day, but at the identical time they’re enthusiastic about deep-fried dough sticks with ice cream, nuts and sprinkles.
6. Vietnam: Banh Xeo
These are seafood pancakes with herbs and dip. Ban Xeo is produced using a 100-year-old UNESCO-recognized strategy of using clay pots over a wood-burning fire.
7. Singapore: Kway Ch
Congress founder KF Seetoh explained that street food in Singapore “is price a billion dollars a 12 months and is an incredible economic driver that gives direct employment to 40,000 Singaporeans.”
One of them is Melvin Chew, who runs a 35-year-old stall belonging to his family, where he sells kway chap, i.e. pork offal, pieces of pork and duck braised in soy served with sheets of noodles.
8. China: Zhu Hou Chicken
In China’s southern province of Guangdong, salt-baked chicken often appears on tables.
Young chef Xu Jing Ye served his own version in Manila, featuring a 120-year-old recipe for Foshan sauce, made out of soybeans, sugar, sesame seeds and soy sauce.
