Filipino food with a twist comes to the streets of Christchurch

Tuesday, 21 February 2023

A new Filipino food vendor truck is cooking up Filipino food with a twist at the University of Canterbury.

Philippines-inspired meals are coming out of a new Christchurch street food truck named Sangkutsa, which offers traditional Filipino dishes served in a “modern way”.

Reuben Boiser and his partner Katrina Salceda opened Sangkutsa two weeks ago, the business offering “non-traditional and a bit elevated in a cheap-eats kind of way”.

In a twist on “loaded fries”, Sangkutsa incorporates their traditional kaldereta stew, which is usually made with beef and goat, into a topping.

The pair, who are originally from the Philippines, have created a Kiwi version of kaldereta with beef that has been slow cooked for six hours in a tomato-based sauce, which is then bedded over fries and topped with cheese.

Sangkutsa’s sticky fried chicken dish, Sinigang. It is a modern interpretation of a traditional Filipino savoury dish with a touch of spice, and is usually made with prawns, seafood or beef.

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Boiser and Salceda will be in Horbny on Thursday, New Brighton on Friday and at the Arts Centre on Saturday.

“Traditionally our food doesn’t look good, we adjusted the way we serve the meals so Kiwis and locals aren’t scared” said Boiser.

Sangkutsa’s second option on the menu – they hope to bring in more – is Sinigang, a sticky fried chicken that is traditionally a soup made with prawns, seafood or beef.

“We still stick to the flavours, which is a sour soup, but since we are here in New Zealand we try to recreate the taste, and we use local vegetables and produce that is found here in Canterbury” he said.

Boiser and Salceda moved to the country in 2015. He worked as head chef at Sari Sari Filipino Kitchen in central Christchurch until setting up their new food truck adventure.

In their first week, Sangkutsa was at the University of Canterbury’s community fair. Although things did not quite go to plan, Boiser said it was “challenging but fun”.

”That was our first week. We didn’t have eftpos, so we were not expecting much because people would have to pay in cash, but it went well”, he said.

There is a new special from Sangkutsa this week as they test out options to add to their menu, Lumpia spring rolls.

Boiser said they will be trying two different variations, a garlic pork mince spring roll and one stuffed with stir-fried rice noodles. Both options will then be deep-friend before being served.

This week Sangkutsa can be found at the Hub Hornby on Thursday, in its usual place at Common Ground in New Brighton on Friday and at the Arts Centre market on Sunday from 9am to 5pm.