Savor Filipino-style Christmas with Jordy Navarra’s Festive Feast

Image Name: The World’s Longest Festive Season

Regarding celebratory feasts, few can match the friendly festivals of the Philippines. Jordy Navarra is one name that really helps to highlight the rich gastronomic legacy of this country. Gentle and soft-spoken, Navarra challenges the conventional wisdom about a noisy, arrogant cook. Having trained at renowned venues like Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck and Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, Navarra has gained appreciation for his modesty and environmental commitment in addition to his cooking skills.

Navarra’s Manila-based restaurant, Toyo Eatery, has been a beacon of Filipino cuisine since its opening in 2016. Named the Best Restaurant in the Philippines by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, Toyo Eatery stands out for its commitment to sustainability, working closely with small farmers and producers to champion biodiversity across the Philippines’ more than 7,000 islands.

The World’s Longest Festive Season
In the Philippines, Christmas is not just a day; it’s an extended celebration that starts as early as September 16th, making it one of the longest festive seasons in the world. Decorations, carols, and a feeling of community that ties families together—especially important for the millions of Filipinos living and working abroad—mark this time of celebration. Navarra’s festive offerings are much more unique since his personal connection to this season is firmly based in family customs and the delight of reunions.

Noche Buena: Filipinos’ Christmas’s Heart
Celebrated on Christmas Eve, the Noche Buena feast is central to Filipino Christmas celebrations. Families attending church then assemble around a table loaded with cuisine reflecting the great variety of the nation. Among the pleasures that define this dinner are plates of honey-cured ham, queso de bola (Edam cheese), pan de sal (sweet bread rolls), and ensaymada (sugar-topped buns). Add to the celebratory mood tropical fruit salad sweetened with condensed milk, fruit cake, and tsokolate hot chocolate created from roasted cocoa beans.

An original Christmas Day Kamayan Feast
Navarra celebrates the Filipino custom of kamayan, a group eating event whereby food is presented on banana leaves and consumed with hands, on Christmas Day. Deeply ingrained in Filipino society, this kind of eating promotes unity and sharing. For Navarra, this meal is an opportunity to showcase ingredients and cooking techniques from across the Philippines.

“Using your hands to eat is a very Filipino, very intimate way to eat,” Navarra explains. At the heart of his kamayan feast is rice, the ultimate comfort food for Filipinos. Perfectly balancing the other foods on the table, cooked in banana leaves over a wood fire, this rice has toasted aromas and an elegant texture.

Image Name: Christmas Day Feast

Dried Fish and Kinilaw
A mainstay of Navarra’s kamayan feast is Tuyo, salted and dried fish. Made with humoy-humoy, a kind of anchovies, one unique variation, pinindang, has a strong scent and salty taste that is Filipino. Another highlight is kinilaw, a seafood meal that accentuates the inherent umami of fish like mackerel or tuna using sourness from calamansi or vinegar. “Kinilaw is one of the simplest yet most profound approaches to Filipino cooking,” Navarra notes.

Crispy Pata and Grilled Pork
No Filipino festive feast is complete without pork, and for Navarra, this means crispy pata (pork hock). Using black pig from Batangas, this dish is cooked three times to achieve the perfect balance of tender meat and crispy skin. Served with dipping sauces like a reduction of broth and homemade vinegar, crispy pata is a festive favorite. Grilled pork also features prominently, reflecting Navarra’s love for smoky, charred flavors.

Mango Salad and Traditional Desserts
To complement the rich, savory dishes, Navarra serves mangga at bagoong (mango salad). This salad creates a pleasing contrast by combining the sourness of green mangoes with the salted overtones of shrimp paste. Navarra loves tupig, a sticky rice cake made in banana leaves, and a variation on the classic bibingka (cassava cake), a Christmas delicacy.

The Joy of Sharing and Togetherness
For Navarra, the essence of a festive feast lies in the joy of sharing food with loved ones. “Food just tastes better when you eat with your hands,” he says. “It’s also a nice change of pace from normal eating, making you more present and in the moment.” This philosophy is at the heart of his Christmas kamayan feast, making it a unique and memorable experience.

Conclusion
Jordy Navarra’s festive Filipino feast is more than just a meal; it’s a celebration of the rich culinary traditions of the Philippines and the joy of togetherness. Whether you’re exploring new flavors or indulging in familiar favorites, Navarra’s dishes offer a journey through the diverse and vibrant food culture of his homeland. This Christmas, why not take a leaf out of Navarra’s book and embrace the spirit of sharing with a kamayan feast of your own?