Melanie Kowasch: "We're always eating in the Philippines."

Sisters Melanie and Ann Ronette Kowasch were born in San Pablo, in the Philippines. When Melanie and Ann Roette Kowasch came to Berlin in the early 90s, they had to get used to the "unusual" German food. Upon their arrival at the Frankfurt Airport, they sampled a German curry sausage – and it promptly made them ill. "We weren't used to it - it was awful," says Ann Ronette Kowasch. So as a natural consequence, the sisters completed their training as hospitality experts in 2011 and subsequently opened their own restaurant, Pan.

Pan Restaurant in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg

The name of the restaurant hints at it: the sisters let themselves be inspired by the cuisine of other Asian countries. However, their food remains Philippine – which is likewise influenced by Spanish, Chinese and Creole recipes. 

 

Beef tapa with grilled vegetables and fragrant rice

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the beef tapa:

• 600 g Argentinian beef filet
• 2 T honey 
• 4 t anatto condiment 
• 2 cups soy sauce 
• 4 t ketchup
• 2 t sesame oil
• 2 t sugar
• Oil

For the vegetables:

• 2 bell peppers
• 2 carrots
• 1 eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• Oil

For the rice:

• 4 cups fragrant rice
• 2 eggs
• Oil
• Sesame seeds for garnish

Preparation:

To make the marinade, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, sugar, and oil. Then stir in anatto condiment. Slice beef filet in thin strips, and marinate meat for two days.

Wash vegetables, peel carrots. Cut vegetables into large pieces. Boil fragrant rice in eight cups of water. In the meantime, sauté vegetables in a wok or pan with oil. In another pan, sauté meat in oil. When the rice is cooked, break an egg into the wok and stir, then add rice, combining thoroughly. To serve, plate everything together. Place meat on top of vegetables and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  

Restaurant Pan
Marienburger Str. 38
10405 Berlin

Tel.: +49 89392217

Pan's website