Filipino dishes Abi Marquez wants the UAE to discover

Lumpia Queen Abi Marquez poses with the Expat Media Special Edition magazine with her first exclusive interview. JONATHAN YBERA/EXPAT MEDIA

Adobo and lumpia may already be global favourites, but Abi Marquez says Filipino cuisine has so much more to offer.

In Dubai, Abi shared her excitement about spotlighting lesser-known regional dishes for international audiences, including food lovers in UAE. “I’ve been amazed by dishes like suwan-suwan and kinilaw made with tabon-tabon,” she tells Expat Media.

Abi also believes ube still has massive untapped potential beyond desserts. She has even experimented with dishes like ube sinigang to show how versatile the bright purple ingredient can be.

For UAE readers surrounded by one of the world’s most diverse food scenes, Abi believes Filipino cuisine deserves a bigger place at the table. “The world hasn’t even scratched the surface,” she says. Here are the Filipino dishes she believes the world should definitely not miss:

From left: Sinigang sa ube, Kinilaw with tabon-tabon and Suwan-Suwan.

Sinigang sa ube

A playful twist on classic Filipino sinigang, this version swaps taro for purple yam, giving the sour tamarind soup a vibrant violet hue, creamier texture and subtle sweetness that softens its signature tang.

Kinilaw with tabon-tabon

Northern Mindanao’s kinilaw gets its signature creamy texture from tabon-tabon, a rare fruit that reduces fishiness and naturally enhances raw seafood dishes.

Suwan-suwan

A Tausug heritage dish from Sulu, suwan-suwan combines fried fish, coconut milk, black beans, pineapple and mango into a rich, sweet-savoury stew bursting with Mindanao flavour and tradition.

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