The Filipino Family Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Our Home Kitchen 9789814561426

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The

FAMILY COOKBOOK

Recipes and Stories from Our Home Kitchen

Angelo Comsti

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Editor: Melissa Tham Designer: Lynn Chin Photographer: At Maculangan Copyright © 2014 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited Published by Marshall Cavendish Cuisine An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: (65) 6213 9300 Fax: (65) 6285 4871 E-mail: [email protected] Online bookstore: http://www.marshallcavendish.com/genref Limits of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The Author and Publisher of this book have used their best efforts in preparing this book. The Publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book and is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe in this book. While the Publisher has reviewed each recipe carefully, the reader may not always achieve the results desired due to variations in ingredients, cooking temperatures and individual cooking abilities. The Publisher shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Other Marshall Cavendish Offices: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA • Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand • Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Comsti, Angelo, author. The Filipino family cookbook : recipes and stories from our home kitchen / Angelo Comsti. – Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, 2014. pages cm ISBN : 978-981-4561-42-6 (paperback) 1. Cooking, Philippine. 2. Formulas, recipes, etc. – Philippine TX724.5.P5 641.59599 -- dc23

I. Title

OCN885301282

Printed in Singapore by Craft Print International Ltd

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DEDICATION For my family, who always feeds my hunger and zest for life. And my country, which provides me an endless feast.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS What these pages fail to show are the team’s relentless support and hard work, which deserve as much recognition as the book itself. I send my sincerest gratitude to the people who allowed me to realize this dream. To At Maculangan and Sasha Lim-Uy who helped me attain the best in my work. Your contributions have not gone unnoticed and are greatly appreciated as they have turned our collaboration into a true keepsake. To Lydia Leong and the Marshall Cavendish team for welcoming my ideas and putting them in print. Thanks for recognizing my passion and love for my country. To the contributors, whose talents and trust I admire. Our friendship goes beyond these recipes and I extend the same generosity you have given me, even more. Thank you.

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CONTENTS Introduction 7 Contributors 8 Soups, Rice and Noodles 15 Vegetables 33 Feature: Recipe by Geography 45 Poultry 47 Seafood 69 Feature: Our Local Harvest 95 Meats 97 Desserts 129 Feature: A Taste of the Regions 150 Weights and Measures 153 Further Reading 155 About The Author 156

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INTRODUCTION Filipinos communicate through food and it is a language that often speaks volumes. We use food to welcome guests, a veritable expression of our trademark hospitality; we use food to wish someone well, whether he is in an unlikely state of health or going through trying times; we use food to express gratitude with a grand fiesta for a generous seasonal harvest. It’s a staple in many celebrations and momentous occasions and has in fact become witness to many events, including those in each and every Filipino household. My search for my Lola Ponying’s Taisan or Sponge Loaf Cake started me on this journey to preserve my family’s recipes. It surprisingly led to this—a book that allows my friends in the industry and myself to reminisce and savour our past, all while inviting many others to join the feast and embark on the same journey. Having been simmered in colourful history and perfected by generations of families, the Filipino dishes found in these pages are rich in flavour. More than that, they are rooted in home cooking, which is essentially the heart of the local cuisine. Each recipe is spiced with stories and photos that give each dish more depth and an impression that lasts much longer than the lingering aftertaste. The book’s menu is as varied as the country’s history. Some date back to as far as the 1940s and some display the influences of China and Spain. Adobo makes a couple of appearances in various forms, showing how geography influences cuisine. The resources dictate the dish, while the palate seasons it to personal taste. At the core of this book is the value of family. Filipinos are known for their strong family ties and food has become instrumental in keeping that intact. True to being a cultural language, the dishes in this book serve to honour our elders, as well as to thank them not just for preparing delicious traditional food that is synonymous with our childhood but also crafting memories to remember them by. I have finally gotten my hands on my lola’s Taisan recipe and you can find it in this book. It’s a culmination of a long-time search and the start of making new memories. In a way, The Filipino Family Cookbook will hopefully fill in the gaps among generations and let the food do the talking. Kainan na!

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CONTRIBUTORS

Bestselling cookbook author Aileen Anastacio runs longtime pastry shop Goodies N’ Sweets and café-cum-cooking school Marmalade Kitchen.

Eliza Antonino is a founder and managing partner of the Moment Group, which set up a string of successful restaurants in Manila including ‘Cue, PHAT Pho, and 8 Cuts.

Chona Ayson owns Homemade Treasures, a made-to-order, homebased business in Porac, Pampanga, recognized for buttery ensaymadas and sansrivals.

Kathlyn Ong-Cham runs

Kalel Chan is the

The author’s sister-in-law

a household of two boys and helps out in the operations of her mom’s Angel’s Kitchen restaurant and line of fine foods called Mi Casa.

corporate chef of the Raintree Group of Restaurants, which handles Mr. Jones, M Café, MoMo, and Kabila among its many successful brands.

Angela Abcede-Comsti

is also quite talented in the kitchen. She regularly bakes treats like cupcakes and cakes.

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Arnold Bernardo runs his

Amy Besa is a bestselling cookbook author as well as chef and owner of Purple Yam, a Filipino restaurant with branches in New York and Manila.

A young chef with an already studded and impressive career, Allen Buhay runs the busy kitchen of popular Wildflour Bakery+Café.

Apart from heading her own PR company, Gwen Jacinto-Cariño is also a co-organizer of the annual food fair, Best Food Forward.

Rachel Costas is a food

A recognized actress since she was 13 years old, Janice de Belen is now a commercial brand endorser and a cooking show host.

Jun Jun de Guzman

Ana Lorenzana-de Ocampo is the beauty and

own brand called Deep Dips, a producer of gourmet bottled goods, like antipasto, fish and fermented fish paste.

writer who contributes to a Cebu-based daily. Her matriarch founded Aristocrat, a 75-year old iconic Filipino restaurant.

doubles as a culinary instructor at the Centre for Asian Culinary Studies and a kitchen management consultant for big companies and resorts.

brains behind Wildflour Bakery+Café in Manila, which has made a mark in being a place for satisfying comfort food and pastries.

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Chinky Dionisio doubles

Dedet dela Fuente has been

From a kitchen hand to chef de partie at The Cake Club, Decker Gokioco’s talents with food can’t be contained. He recently launched his own brand of chilli sauce.

Gino Gonzalez is a chef

as a preschool teacher as well as the kitchen operations manager of her family’s Nipa Hut Restaurant.

the reliable source for delicious whole roasted pigs for years now. Her Pepita’s Kitchen has hosted many degustations to date.

instructor at the Centre for Asian Culinary Studies as well as chef owner of Buenisimo restaurant and La Taqueria Amiga Mia.

An Ex-Officio Member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in Isabela, Francis Dy has ventured into food with The Butchery artisanal sausages.

Rafael Jardeleza II

champions Ilonggo cuisine with his annual Tabu-an Festival. He also runs a catering company in Iloilo.

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The other half of the team behind home-based company The Butchery, Jessica Gallegos churns out a line of artisanal sausages with unique flavour combinations.

Muffin Galvez helps to run her family’s 65-year-old restaurant Casa Marcos, taking care of staff training, inventory and front of house.

J Gamboa continues the legacy left by his mother by managing the longtime running Milky Way, AzuThai, Tsukiji and Cirkulo restaurants.

Robby Goco opened a

Jam Melchor is a chef

As the assistant managing editor of Yummy magazine, Idge Mendiola styles food and reports about the local and international food scene.

Marnie Ong is one of the five owners of Angel’s Kitchen and AK Bistro restaurants, which have been serving no-fuss, sure-to-satisfy home-style food for years now.

As the editor-in-chief of the country’s oldest food magazine, Nana Ozaeta continues to immortalize delicious recipes and food stories in print.

instructor at Lyceum University and owns Bite Contemporary Cuisine. He is also a food stylist.

number of outstanding Manila-based restaurants including CYMA Greek Taverna and Green Pastures, which serves farm-to-table cuisine.

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Jin Perez is a famous

blogger and newspaper writer whom people have relied on for what’s new and on trend in the local food industry.

Jackie Ang-Po is an international awardwinning pastry chef. Her shop Fleur de Lys Patisserie has been in operation for over a decade now.

Ige Ramos is an awardwinning designer and food writer. He is an active promoter of the food and history of his home province, Cavite.

Cocoy Ventura is the

Lander Vera Perez is a

A stay-at-home mom and the author’s first cousin, Faye Fuentes-Viray creates wonders in her home kitchen for husband Mike and daughter Michelle.

Culinary Director at Gastronomique En Vogue. He recently returned to his hometown in Isabela to tend to his family’s farm and offer culinary services.

local celebrity and culinary graduate. He owns an events company and has appeared in numerous television shows and movies.

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Myke Sarthou is a stalwart to regional cuisine, evident in his restaurant and catering business Chef Tatung.

Karen Young, though not professionally trained, is the chef behind Karen’s Kitchen, a pastry brand known for delectable cakes and pastries.

A respected chef in the industry for over 30 years now, Jessie Sincioco continues to be busy with her restaurants, Chef Jessie and 100 Revolving, and her catering company.

Award-winning writer and food historian Felice

Addie Wijangco is a home baker who is famous for her soft and fluffy ensaymadas, which use her grandmother’s generations-old Kapampangan recipe.

Stephanie Zubiri is a food

Prudente Sta. Maria

authored The GovernorGeneral’s Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes.

The Eat + Drink editor of lifestyle website SPOT.ph, Sasha Lim-Uy is a nosy restaurant writer. She has also released a book on Manila’s Top 10 best food items.

writer and food brand ambassador. She also created the Gypsetters.net, a website devoted to the lifestyle of the sophisticated traveller.

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SOUPS, RICE AND NOODLES Corn Picadillo 16 Meatball Soup 18 Dumpling and Noodle Soup 20 Sopa de Flan 22 Mung Bean Soup with Seasonal Vegetables 24 Fresh Corn Soup 26 Guama’s Fried Rice 28 Paella 30

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Cynthia Isidra Comsti’s

Corn Picadillo Shared by Angelo Comsti

My dad would man the grill and cook his own dishes sometimes, but it was really my mom who ruled the kitchen. She used to work full-time, but when she decided to be a stay-athome mom to us, her four kids, she busied herself with running the house and being active in church. As a devout Catholic, my mom religiously attended and served Mass, led novenas and joined activities spearheaded by the church. Her influence prompted me to participate in a youth organization that met once a week to pray and open up about our own religious journey. Believe it or not, I was even swayed to becoming a priest when I was a kid! In spite of her church responsibilities, my mom had time to churn out heavenly eats from the kitchen. This corn picadillo is one of them. It’s something she brings out fast, perfect for those long days. Whenever it is served, I end up flooding my plate of rice with the broth. She has another version, which uses winged beans (sigarilyas) instead of corn, but she knows this version is my favourite.

1 small white onion, peeled and minced

In a pot, sauté onion, garlic and tomato. When onions are soft and translucent, add minced pork and continue sautéing until cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

1 large ripe tomato, diced

Pour in water and let boil until corn is tender. Adjust amount of water according to preferred consistency.

Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 500 g minced pork

salt and pepper, to season 2 ears of corn, kernels removed from the cob 21/2 –3 cups water

Add corn kernels and sauté for another minute.

Adjust taste with fish sauce. Serve. Tasty tip If using winged beans, follow the same recipe as above and replace the corn with 250 g chopped beans.

fish sauce, to taste

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Guillermo Daluz Ramos’

Meatball Soup Almondigas na may Tinapa, Misua at Patola Shared by Ige Ramos

The addition of thin wheat flour noodles (misua) and sponge gourd (patola) obviously came from the Chinese, but this very simple dish is cooked in many homes in the Philippines and is available in small eateries (carinderias) all over Cavite. What makes this almondigas unique are the aromatic vegetables such as chopped onions, garlic, carrots, spring onion and Chinese parsley (kinchay) in the meatballs. My father also puts smoked fish flakes (tinapa) to impart a smoky flavour to the meat. Rice wash (water from washing rice) is traditionally used as broth, but any soup stock will do depending on taste and preference. My father swears that this soup cures the worst of hangovers—it supposedly is a good post-bar crawl meal. Serves 4 to 5 250 g fatty minced pork

2 tsp fish sauce, or to taste

/2 tsp ground black pepper

1

3 Tbsp finely chopped carrot 3 Tbsp finely chopped onion 1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

In a large bowl, combine minced pork, fish sauce and pepper. Mix. Fold in chopped carrot, onion, garlic, Chinese parsley, spring onion and smoked fish flakes. Mix well. Take small pieces of meat mixture and form into 2.5-cm diameter meatballs. Place on a tray, cover with cling film and keep refrigerated until needed.

2 Tbsp finely chopped Chinese parsley (kinchay)

In a medium pot, bring second rice wash to a simmer. Drop in as many meatballs as you want. (You can keep the rest frozen for use another day.) The meatballs will float when cooked.

5 pieces smoked fish (tinapa), preferably round scad (lalaking galunggong), flaked

Add sponge gourd and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.

2 Tbsp spring onion, finely chopped

5 cups second rice wash (hugas bigas)

1 small young sponge gourd (patola), cut into 0.5-cm rounds 100 g thin wheat flour noodles (misua)

Add misua and cook for a minute or until al dente. Adjust to taste with fish sauce. Serve. This dish of Mexican origin is usually served during the rainy season. The correct spelling of the name is albóndigas, which means meatballs in Spanish, but the letter “b” was dropped and replaced by the letter “m” during the trans-Pacific voyage.

fish sauce, to taste

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Teresa Aventino Abcede’s

Dumpling and Noodle Soup Pancit Molo na may Sotanghon Shared by Angela Abcede-Comsti

My mother, Teresa, fondly called Baby, worked in Washington DC as a secretary for the Egyptian and Ethiopian embassies for five years. She returned to the Philippines when I was in high school. I first tasted her pancit molo at a house party where it was a hit among guests. It has since become her best soup and one of my all-time favourites among her repertoire of dishes. It has glass noodles and shiitake mushrooms, which give her pancit molo a unique aspect. She probably fused this dish with another one of her great recipes, sotanghon. Serves 6 1 small whole chicken

1 small carrot, peeled and minced 1 stalk celery, minced

Once cool enough to handle, flake chicken. Set aside.

500 g lean minced pork

In a bowl, combine minced pork, garlic, onion, eggs and fish sauce. Mix. Season with salt and pepper.

1 medium onion, peeled and minced

Place a teaspoon of minced pork filling in the centre of a molo wrapper. Dab edges with water. Fold wrapper and make two ends meet. Seal. Do the same with the rest. (You can freeze molo for use another day.)

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 eggs

1 tsp fish sauce

salt and pepper, to season frozen molo wrappers, as needed, thawed 5 large dried shiitake mushrooms, sliced

200 g glass noodles (sotanghon), soaked in water chopped green onions, to garnish

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Boil chicken with carrot and celery for 30–40 minutes or until cooked. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside to cool. Set aside chicken stock.

Boil chicken stock and add as many molo as you want. Add mushrooms, flaked chicken and drained glass noodles. Cook until noodles are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with spring onions. Serve. This dish is named after Molo, a historical district in Panay, which flourished in local and international trade back in the day. The promise of commerce caused many Chinese to move to the area, consequently turning it into a Parian or Chinatown. Unlike many other pancits, which are dry, this is rather soupy. Naming the dish after the place of origin is common as it identifies the distinction among the cities and regions. Other examples include Ilocos Empanada and Pancit Malabon.

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Rosario Arnedo Gonzalez’s

Sopa de Flan Shared by Gino Gonzalez

This recipe has been with my family since the time of my great grandmother Rosario. I didn’t learn it from her but from our cook, Ate Cely, who served and stayed with our family for more than 20 years. Through Ate Cely, I was able to record the recipe and hopefully pass it on to my own family. My encounter with sopa de flan dates as far back as my first memory of food. During our Sunday family lunch, I vividly remember sitting across my Lolo Beda, Lola Pilar, brother, Andrew, my uncles and my dad, Gene. We would exchange stories while enjoying lavish feasts. We still celebrate these traditions to date and the sopa would make it to the menu every once in a while. I’ve turned it into hauté cuisine by plating and re-interpreting it for tasting menus as well as introducing a whole egg instead of pure egg yolks, for more stability and a better texture. Serves 8 to 10 15 egg yolks 1 whole egg

2 370-ml cans evaporated milk a pinch of nutmeg

4 cups chicken stock

Prepare flan. In a bowl, combine egg yolks, whole egg, evaporated milk and nutmeg. Mix to combine. Transfer to two 13 x 18-cm greased baking dishes. Cover baking dishes with foil and place in a deep baking pan, filled with water to come halfway up sides of baking dishes. Bake for about 30 minutes.

1 cup cream

Remove from oven and let cool. When firm and set, cut into 2.5-cm cubes. Set aside.

salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium pot, simmer chicken stock with cream and brandy. Season with salt and pepper.

3 tsp brandy

1 Tbsp chopped chives

In serving bowls, place flan cubes. Pour soup over. Garnish with chives. Serve. Tasty tip Baking the batter inside a bigger pan half-filled with hot water is known as cooking in a bain marie or hot water bath. This process allows the dish to cook gently and evenly.

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Pablo Ventura, Sr.’s

Mung Bean Soup with Seasonal Vegetables Shared by Cocoy Ventura

At an early age, I was introduced to vegetables that even my mother, a Manileña, was not familiar with. Even then, I enjoyed the different textures and tastes of vegetables. When my mom cooked savoury mung bean soup when I was young, she always set aside a scoop of softened mung beans for me. She added condensed milk and ice, allowing me to enjoy a little treat before lunch. When I was about 12, on a day of harvest, my father asked me to cook a meal for the farmers. Clearly, we were short on people that day. With glee and much excitement, I cooked mung bean soup with dried shrimps (hibe) and vegetables picked from my aunt’s garden nearby (without her knowing). I prepared steamed, tender leaves of yam into a salad and added fresh-picked tomatoes and bagoong. I also cooked a vat of rice—a skill taught to children in my province even before they could read or write. At such a young age, farming was seared in my consciousness as an integral aspect of gastronomy. What we eat is nothing without the devotion of farmers. I want to revisit these dishes in celebration of my agricultural heritage, the farmers and the bounty of the countryside. Serves 4 to 5 /2 cup dried shrimps (hibe)

1

1 cup whole green mung beans, washed 6 cups water

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 4 small red onions, peeled and diced

Reconstitute dried shrimps in 1 cup hot water. Reserve liquid. Using a mortar and pestle, pound shrimps into a lumpy paste. Set aside. In a pot over medium heat, bring mung beans and water to a full boil. Lower heat and simmer for 45–60 minutes until beans are tender. Add more water, if a soupy consistency is desired. In a frying pan, heat oil until it smokes. Add garlic and sauté. Add onions and continue sautéing until soft and translucent.

6 ripe tomatoes, diced

Add reconstituted dried shrimps and tomatoes. Cook until everything has broken down.

salt and pepper, to taste

Add fish sauce or anchovy paste and reserved liquid. Stir. Transfer contents of pan into simmering mung bean soup. Stir and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

2 Tbsp fish sauce or anchovy paste (bagoong isda) a handful of squash blossoms

a handful of moringa (malunggay) leaves, stems removed

Just before serving, add vegetables to hot mung bean soup. Let stand for a couple of seconds. Season to taste. Tasty tip Lightly blanch the vegetables to still enjoy each one’s distinct taste. In our household, we keep fresh vegetables on the side and add them in halfway through the meal, so as not to overcook the greens.

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Estanislawa Albergas’

Fresh Corn Soup Suam na Mais Shared by Aileen Anastacio

When I was growing up, my family would often head out to Bulacan on Sundays for our traditional family feast at our grandmother’s house. Our meals were always composed of multiple courses and we had this soup every other week. Originally, it had peeled and chopped shrimps and the chilli (sili ) leaves would be tossed in the pot just before serving. I, however, traded shreds of chicken meat with the shrimp when I was asked by a company to produce recipes using ingredients readily available in the province. It was part of an advocacy for farming in Tarlac. Since they grow lots of chilli leaves, I decided to share this family recipe with them. As the province is landlocked, I introduced chicken into the recipe. These days, when I cook it for my daughter, Sabrina, she usually ends up dumping rice in her bowl, drowning it in the soup and enjoying it as a hearty and filling meal. Serves 4 3 tsp cooking oil

/2 cup minced onion

1

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

200 g chicken breast and thigh fillet, boiled and shredded

3 ears of corn, kernels removed from the cob 1 Tbsp fish sauce /4 tsp pepper

1

5 cups chicken stock

1 cup chilli (sili) leaves

salt and pepper, to taste

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Heat oil in a saucepot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add shredded chicken, followed by corn kernels. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Add chicken stock and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until soup has thickened and corn is tender. Add chilli leaves. Allow to simmer for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Tasty tip If you prefer shrimp, simply replace the chicken with shrimp, keeping the same measurement. Remove the shells and chop to small pieces.

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Dorothy Gokioco’s

Guama’s Fried Rice Shared by Decker Gokioco

When school ended, my family would visit guama in Zamboanga. Sadly, she was already bed-ridden then and didn’t have the capacity to personally prepare food for us anymore. I can imagine how good a cook she was though, as she taught my mom Dorothy how to make this dish. It has struck a chord in me ever since she first served it to us for dinner. My mom makes many types of fried rice, but this one stands out the most. She would render the fat from Chinese chorizo, making it crispy and an appetizing smell would fill the room. It’s one of my comfort foods. I’ve also shared the recipe with my students in the cooking school I teach in. Serves 2 to 4 cooking oil, as needed

2 pieces Chinese chorizo, diced small 1 Tbsp diced onion

2 Tbsp chopped leeks 2 Tbsp minced garlic 2 Tbsp diced carrots

3 large eggs, beaten

4 cups cooked day-old rice salt and pepper, to season

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Heat a little oil in a wok and stir-fry Chinese chorizo until it starts getting crispy. Add onion and leeks and sauté lightly. Add garlic and carrots and sauté lightly. Adjust heat to high. Add beaten eggs and scramble. Add rice and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve. Rice is so ingrained into the Filipino lifestyle that we have found more ways to use it apart from just eating it steamed. Immature rice is pounded into flakes, toasted and eaten as pinipig. It is ground finely and converted as a dough used to make galapong, a base for native delicacies like bibingka. Powderised rice is turned into leaf-shaped wafers called kiping, which adorns houses in Quezon in time for the Pahiyas festival. Even the water used to rinse rice with is used for soups.

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Marisa Galvez’s

Paella Shared by Muffin Galvez

Back in the 1940s, my Lolo Ben del Rosario became fast friends with Marcos de Guisasola, a Spanish national who was fond of playing jai alai and owned a restaurant along Roxas Boulevard. In the 1960s, Marcos became ill and had to return to his home country. He passed on his food venture to my lolo, who had become one of his loyal patrons. That’s how our family started Casa Marcos Restaurant. My Lolo Ben and Lola Nena continued the operations, then passed it on to my mom Marisa and her two brothers, Lito and Chito. Now, it is us third generation kids who are mostly handling and managing the business. We have adapted some of the recipes from the restaurant into our home. There are four kinds of paella available in Casa Marcos, but my mom only serves the Valenciana at home. I remember it being served on special occasions, most memorable of which is Easter Sundays. After the egg hunt, we would sit under a huge tamarind tree in the patio of our New Manila compound and eat with our hands. Big family lunches like this are a significant part of our years growing up and always bring back fond memories of Lolo Ben, who passed in 1996. Serves 6 to 8 2 tsp olive oil

250 g chicken fillets, cubed 250 g pork belly, cubed

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped 11/2 cup Calrose rice, washed 4 cups beef or chicken broth 1 cup tomato sauce 1 tsp salt

/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1

Heat olive oil in a round flat pan over medium heat and fry chicken and pork. Add minced garlic and onion. Fry until soft and translucent. Add Calrose rice and stir, making sure rice is evenly coated with oil. Add broth to pan. Move rice around, making sure it is equally distributed in pan. Add tomato sauce, salt and ground black pepper. Mix well. Place boiled seafood, Spanish chorizo and green peas on top of rice. Cover with foil and cook for 25–30 minutes or until rice is al dente. Take off heat. Place hard-boiled egg and lemon wedges on cooked paella. Serve.

250 g seafood (clams, crab, shrimps), boiled 2 Spanish chorizo, sliced

/4 cup frozen green peas

1

1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and cut into wedges 1 lemon, cut into wedges

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VEGETABLES Spanish Tomato Sauce 34 Salad of Yam Leaves 36 Lenten Eggs with Black Beans 38 Raw Papaya Kinilaw with Pork Loin 40 Potaje de Patatas 42

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Rosa Rubin de Celiz-Zubiri’s

Spanish Tomato Sauce Shared by Stephanize Zubiri

My lola was a formidable woman. She never remarried after my lolo passed away and she dedicated her life to charity and living to the fullest by helping people, travelling, running her business—children’s clothes with the traditional smocking and bordado—playing in the stock market, and enjoying good food with family and friends. She was extremely sharp and healthy. Sadly, she passed at the age of 97. I fondly recall the times when, at 95, she would still have a beer with me for lunch or enjoy a glass or two of cognac. She often talked to me about her husband—a charming man with a strong personality (he hails from the Basque region of Spain, that’s why) who, like her, loved to eat good food, drink and dance. My lola said that every afternoon, they would have their happy hour time drinking whisky together with friends and that he only spoke Spanish, Euskera and Ilonggo. I never really got to know my lolo since he died when I was still too young, but it seems like I have inherited his liking for the finer things in life—tomato sauce included. I never purchase pre-made tomato sauce. When I make almondigas, tomato soup or pasta sauces like Arrabiata, Puttanesca and Bolognese, I make sure to use this generations-old recipe. Sometimes, I change it up and add different spices and herbs. Makes about 1 cup 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 white onions, peeled and sliced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

400 g can crushed tomatoes 1 Tbsp tomato paste /2 cup white wine

1

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic. Sauté. When fragrant, add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir. Pour white wine and let alcohol evaporate on high heat. When everything is bubbling, turn heat on low and let sauce simmer until thickened. The sauce should be dark orange red, consisting mostly of tomato pulp and onions when done. Season with salt and pepper. Tasty tip Pour the sauce in containers that can be tightly sealed. Refrigerate and use for a week, or keep in the freezer and consume within three months.

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Gregoria Ballesteros-Ventura’s

Salad of Yam Leaves Ensaladang Talbos ng Kamote Shared by Cocoy Ventura

My mother hails from Pandacan, Manila, a place with its own illustrious culinary tradition. She taught me the flavours of fiesta delicacies such as Pandacan stews (guiso), mechado, menudo, callos and Crème caramel (flan de leche). My father, on the other hand, is from a farming family in Isabela. We grew up there and my palate is heavily influenced by its cuisine’s modesty and freshness. Even during special occasions, simple food preparation still reigned supreme because we highlighted the sanctity of rice. Isabela is one of the top rice granaries of the country. I can’t recall the first time I had this dish, but I remember eating it frequently when I was young. Back then, refrigeration was very foreign in the province. People kept gardens for fresh vegetables and used fermented condiments for seasoning. Meat dishes were only prepared when an animal was slaughtered and the cuts were shared among relatives and neighbours. Grains, legumes, bagoong, salt, sugar and oil were pantry essentials. Thankfully, by the time I became conscious of my surroundings, we already had electricity and a working fridge.

1 bunch of tender yam leaves, tough stems removed

Steam yam leaves until slightly wilted and plunge into an ice-cold bowl of water to stop cooking. Drain and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

1 small finger of ginger, julienned thinly

In a small bowl, mix ingredients for dressing. Drizzle on arranged salad. Serve.

Serves 2

6 ripe tomatoes, diced

DRESSING

juice from 5 calamansi limes 3 Tbsp fish sauce rind from 2 limes

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Arrange on a platter along with tomatoes. Top with ginger.

Tasty tip Any vegetable can be used in this recipe: fern fronds, water spinach (kangkong), pechay and other greens. Regular onions can be used to replace spring onions, but minimally. To thin out dressing, just add vegetable or olive oil. Try adding crispy pork belly (bagnet) or other crunchy elements like roasted nuts or green fruits for extra texture.

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Amanda Makabali’s

Lenten Eggs with Black Beans Shared by Jessica Gallegos

My mom strictly practices Catholic traditions, including the rituals of Holy Week. During this time, our family would not go out-of-town or on vacation but stay in Manila to attend church services and to follow fasting and abstinence practices. We abstain from eating meat on Fridays and, on Good Friday, we only eat one meal. It is always bread and this egg dish. It’s the only time in the year that we would have it. And since it’s the only thing we eat that day, it becomes so satisfying, so much so that the egg tastes just like a sinful roasted pig. Serves 3 to 4 cooking oil, as needed

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced 3 ripe tomatoes, sliced

2 Tbsp black beans (tausi), drained /2 cup tomato sauce

1

/4 cup water

1

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced lengthwise

Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and tomatoes and sauté lightly. Add beans, tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer. Add hard-boiled eggs. Transfer to a plate. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve. Tasty tip For perfectly boiled eggs, first, place eggs in a saucepan. Pour enough cold water to cover above 2.5 cm. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Soon as the water reaches a brisk simmer, start timing. Adjust the heat to maintain it to a simmer. To achieve hard-boiled eggs, cook for 8 minutes.

chopped parsley, for garnish

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Carmen Sincioco’s

Raw Papaya Kinilaw with Pork Loin Shared by Jessie Sincioco

There are two people who are instrumental to my love for cooking—my kkii mom, C Carmen and my aunt, Estelita. My mom used to run a carinderia (small eatery) at my uncle’s bus station. I grew up loving her dishes like shrimp in sour soup (sinigang na hipon sa camachile) and chicken in tamarind soup (sinampalukang manok). She is known in Angat, Bulacan for her rice cakes (kakanin), particularly her layered glutinous rice cakes (sapin-sapin) and steamed coconut rice cakes (suman sa latik). Then there’s Aunt Estelita who brought me to Manila and adopted me when I was eight. It was she who taught me most of what I know about cooking and gourmet food. My aunt fine-tuned my palate with lavish meals she would cook daily. I served this dish to former US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. at 100 Revolving Restaurant for his despedida lunch. I prepared a total of 12 Filipino dishes for him, including suckling pig (cochinillo), adobo and grilled milkfish belly (inihaw na bangus belly). At the end of his meal, I asked him which his favourite was and he said the raw papaya kinilaw stood out. I promised that I would name the dish after him when I come up with my own cookbook. Serves 4 2 small raw papayas, peeled and finely grated 2 Tbsp rock salt

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Place grated papaya in a bowl. Add rock salt. Mix and squeeze juices out. Set aside. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté garlic, tomatoes and onion until soft and translucent. Add pork loin, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and paprika.

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced Sauté for a minute. 2 medium tomatoes, chopped Add tomato sauce and continue stirring until pork is almost 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped

cooked.

3 bay leaves

Add pork liver, capsicum, vinegar and raw papaya. Sauté. If mixture becomes too dry, you can add a bit of pork or chicken stock.

salt and paprika, to season

Once meat and pork liver are cooked, transfer to a plate. Serve.

220 g pork loin, cubed

20 whole black peppercorns /2 cup tomato sauce

1

100 g pork liver, cubed 1 small red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced

1 small green capsicum (bell pepper), sliced

Tasty tip This dish is traditionally from Bulacan and is often served during fiestas, along with morcon, embutido and the lechon, which this kinilaw is typically paired with.

5 Tbsp vinegar

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Pura Villanueva Kalaw’s

Potaje de Patatas Shared by Nana Ozaeta

This recipe is a testament to the maternal side of my family’s penchant for writing cookbooks. My maternal great grandmother, Pura Villanueva Kalaw, wrote one of the earliest Filipino cookbooks called Condimentos Indígenas in 1918. Her daughter, my grandmother, Purita Kalaw Ledesma, published her own cookbook called Family Recipes in the 1980s. This recipe is from that cookbook, originating from when my great-great grandmother, Emilia Garcia, who was born and raised in Spain, met my great-great grandfather, Emilio Villanueva when he was studying there. She moved to Iloilo as a teenager to marry him. Serves 2 1 cup olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

4 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced 3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1-cm crosswise 1 chorizo de Bilbao, sliced

salt and pepper, to season chicken broth, as needed 3 large eggs

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Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, sauté garlic, onions, potatoes and chorizo separately. Season garlic, onions and potatoes with salt and pepper. In a heatproof casserole or Dutch oven, layer potatoes at bottom, followed by a layer of onions, then a layer of chorizo. Pour chicken broth, enough to cover. Season. Place over medium heat and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Before serving, break eggs on top. Serve. Tasty tip Serve with warm crusty bread to mop up all the juices that remain at the bottom of the casserole.

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Vinegars Vinegar is a vital and integral ingredient in Filipino cuisine. It is typically used for adobo, paksiw and kinilaw and a bottle is frequently found on dining tables as a condiment. Since the Philippines is rich in sugar cane and coconut, a number of vinegar varieties is made available in the country, each with its own character. There’s the sukang mas, which is made from fermented coconut sap, the sukang paombong from the fermented nipa palm sap and the sukang maasim, from fermented sugar cane syrup. There are also some which have been spiced with the addition of ingredients like garlic and chilli.

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RECIPE BY GEOGRAPHY The Philippines’ geography and shape give each province a diverse landscape to work their food with. Thus, Filipino specialties tend to have regional differences in terms of execution. The fiesta staple roasted pig (lechon), for instance, has a number of versions, from Cebu and Bacolod to Cagayan de Oro and General Santos. One other example of a Filipino delicacy that has seen its fair share of creativity is the breakfast favourite, sausage (longganisa). There are over 15 kinds, including vigan, lucban, calumpit, Imus, tuguegarao, alaminos and cauayan. Ingredients indigenous to their region of origin distinctly season these chorizo-inspired sausages. They vary in colour, shape, size and flavour. And it’s advisable not to attempt figuring out which is the best as each has its own special character. Pancit are noodles that were brought into the country by the Chinese and have since been blended into the local gastronomy. It is essential in many celebrations and, like longganisa, provinces have freely come up with their own versions. Pancit canton and bihon are among the more popular ones, but other favourites are the soupy pancit molo, pancit kinalas and pancit mami. There’s added flair in the buko pancit and pancit kilawin, which replace noodles with shredded coconut and raw papaya, respectively. Therein lies the beauty of Filipino cuisine. Apart from the marriage of homegrown and borrowed flavours, it flaunts the variety and diversity of the country’s natural landscape.

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POULTRY Almond Chicken 48 Steamed Chicken in Bamboo Steamer 50 Chicken in Tamarind Soup 52 Chicken and Creamed Corn with Peas 54 Chicken Afritada 56 Stewed Chicken in White Vinegar 58 Chicken in Chinese Wine and Black Sesame Oil 60 Lola’s Chicken Curry 62 Stuffed Chicken 64 Turbo Chicken 66

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Adelaida De Guzman Vda. de Lansangan’s

Almond Chicken Shared by Jam Melchor

My great grandmother, Adelaida, graduated with a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Sto. Tomas. She was one of the first to put up her own pharmacy in the city of Angeles, Pampanga, and though she was widowed at a young age, she was able to single-handedly raise four daughters—my grandmother being the eldest. Imang Daling, as we fondly called her, collected and cut out recipes from magazines and cartons. Of the dishes she cooked, I remember the bringhe, duck adobo-style (inadobong bibe), Ema, which is Kapampangan for crabs and the devil’s pickle, which is akin to pickled vegetables (atchara). Unfortunately, I was not able to try her version of the almond chicken. I found this recipe from her notes under the category “fowls.” Serves 4 /4 tsp salt

3

In a small bowl, combine salt, soy sauce, cornstarch and sugar. Stir.

3 Tbsp light soy sauce

Dredge chicken with mixture. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

1 tsp sugar

Heat a little oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add vegetables and sauté lightly. Add sherry or rice wine. Cook for another minute. Set aside.

cooking oil, as needed

Heat peanut oil in another pan over medium heat and sauté chicken until tender. Add stock and heat thoroughly. Toss in vegetables. Transfer to a plate and top with nuts. Serve.

2 Tbsp cornstarch

500 g skinless chicken fillet, cut into cubes 1 cup celery, diced

1 cup diced yellow onion 1 cup bamboo shoots

1 cup water chestnuts, chopped 2 Tbsp sherry or rice wine 3 Tbsp peanut oil

/4 cup chicken stock

1

Tasty tip To remove the bitter flavour of shelled walnuts, place in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain immediately and plunge into cold water. Drain and dry. Use as needed.

1 cup almonds, walnuts or cashew nuts, blanched

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Luz Besa-Ilagan’s

Steamed Chicken in Bamboo Steamer Shared by Amy Besa

My aunt, Luz, was a beauty queen, Miss Tarlac 1927, in her youth. One time, when we visited her family in Tarlac, I found her in the kitchen cooking this dish. For some reason, the steamed chicken got stuck in my head and I’ve been replicating it in the United States where I have been based since. It is very simple to prepare and you don’t need a bamboo steamer to do it. Any steamer would suffice. I love this dish because the chicken comes out moist and tender and the sauce that collects at the bottom tastes great and makes for a good condiment. Serves 6 to 10 1 large head cabbage, leaves separated 1 kg chicken, chopped into serving-size pieces

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced into rings 4 Chinese chorizo, sliced diagonally

salt and pepper, to season 1 cup mirin

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Line a heatproof plate with half the cabbage leaves, half the chicken pieces, half the potatoes, half the onions and half the Chinese chorizo. Season with salt and pepper. Layer on remaining chicken, potatoes, onions and chorizo. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mirin over ingredients. Cover with remaining cabbage leaves. Transfer to a steamer. Cover tightly and put over high heat. When water starts to boil, lower heat and steam for about 40 minutes. Arrange on individual serving plates. Transfer liquid collected on steaming plate to a bowl and serve as a condiment. Tasty tip Combine soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, chopped spring onions, a little bit of ginger, garlic and chillies for an alternative condiment.

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Buenaventura dela Fuente’s

Chicken in Tamarind Soup Sinampalukang Manok Shared by Dedet dela Fuente

If my mom got her fill of seafood growing up in Parañaque, my dad enjoyed meats most of his life. He was from Bulacan where cattle, buffalo and goat farms abound. My parents couldn’t have been more perfect as a couple. They introduced each other to new dishes and together enjoyed a bountiful dining experience. As a kid, I was exposed to a wide variety of food. Needless to say, we all ate well. My mom would serve this dish during tamarind season. It was either this or sour soup (sinigang), which she also prepared with tamarind. It’s very sour and soupy, and Mom would throw tamarind flowers into the mix to make it more visually appetising. She never took shortcuts. Extracting the sour flavour of tamarind takes extra steps, but the natural taste is incomparable. That’s something I learned from her as I cook for my daughters as well as my customers: never rely on instant mixes and to cook only with the freshest produce. Serves 6 to 8 500 g fresh unripe tamarind fruit 3 cups water, divided

cooking oil, as needed

2 medium white onions, peeled and sliced 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2.5-cm ginger, peeled and julienned

3 ripe tomatoes, quartered

1 whole chicken, cut to serving pieces

/4 cup fish sauce + more to taste

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In a small pot, boil unripe tamarind fruit in 11/2 cups of water until tender. Scoop out tamarind and place them on a strainer on top of the pot. Squeeze out juice from tamarind seeds. Discard tamarind seeds and any fibre. Set broth aside. Heat a little oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger and sauté lightly. Add tomatoes and sauté lightly. Add remaining water and chicken. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until chicken is almost cooked. Add tamarind broth, chillies, water spinach, eggplant and tamarind leaves. Simmer until chicken is cooked. Season to taste with fish sauce. Serve.

2 green finger chillies

1 bunch water spinach (kangkong) leaves 1 eggplant, chopped

1 bunch tamarind leaves fish sauce, to taste

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Susan de Belen’s

Chicken and Creamed Corn with Peas Shared by Janice de Belen

My family loves to cook but since we do so by taste and feel, we rarely jot down our recipes. Because of this, my Lolo Tony Yap comes out with a dish that’s always slightly different from the last, but my Mommy Susan, who doesn’t measure anything at all, manages to prepare food that consistently tastes the same. I sometimes attempt to document the dishes I cook, but since I adjust the flavour to taste, I end up with recipes that aren’t as complete or accurate as I want them to be. This dish was created when our family needed a break from the usual sinigang, fried fish, nilaga and shrimps. Our family likes anything with cream and milk, so Mommy Susan’s chicken and creamed corn with peas hits the spot. It’s so good that it has become a staple not just in my parents’ home, but in my own home as well. Serves 4 4 chicken quarters

Rub chicken with garlic salt and black pepper. Let sit for 20 minutes.

11/2 tsp garlic salt

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry chicken until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Heat remaining olive oil in another pan over medium heat and place butter to melt. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent.

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper 2 tsp butter

1 small white onion, peeled and minced /2 cup frozen green peas, thawed and drained

1

salt and pepper, to season

/2 cup corn kernels, drained

1

half of 432 g can cream-style corn 1 cup chicken stock

/2 cup evaporated milk

1

pinch of ground nutmeg

Add green peas. Season with salt and pepper. Add corn kernels, cream-style corn, chicken stock and evaporated milk. Stir. Add chicken pieces and simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce has reduced. Add nutmeg. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Serve. Tasty tip If sauce gets too creamy, add a little more stock and simmer for another 2 minutes.

salt and pepper, to season

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Gaston and Elo Gonzalez’s

Chicken Afritada Shared by Marnie Ong

This is a dish of Spanish origin that my grandparents, and eventually my parents, cooked. It undergoes a process called sangkutcha where the chicken is marinated then simmered until the juices are released. The juices are then used to cook the dish further. The mirepoix is slow-cooked until the vegetables are caramelized with an aroma of their natural flavour. Today, a dip of the spoon in this casserole transports me back to a time when I was a young girl, assisting my parents in the kitchen as we prepared family meals together with my younger siblings. This is exactly what makes something as ordinary as chicken afritada so special: it was enjoyed and shared over laughter and conversations, created with consideration of each member’s preference, and developed over time with personal flair— all while keeping tradition intact. This is what I hope for my own children: that memories be preserved and celebrated through treasured family recipes. Serves 6 to 8 1 small whole chicken, cut into serving pieces /4 cup white vinegar

1

3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic, divided salt and pepper, to season

In a large bowl, combine chicken, vinegar, garlic, salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper. Mix. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Transfer chicken and marinade to a pot over low heat. Let simmer until cooked, making sure chicken remains firm. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate. Strain broth and set aside.

olive oil, as needed

Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cooked chicken and fry evenly on all sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

500 g ripe tomatoes, blanched, seeded and finely chopped

Heat a little olive oil in a deep, large pan over medium heat. Sauté remaining garlic and onion until soft and translucent. Add tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Lower heat and cook until soft and mushy and oil surfaces.

1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped

water, as needed

3 chorizo Pamplona, sliced diagonally

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges 1 large red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced into thin strips 1 Tbsp tomato paste

Return chicken and reserved broth to pan. If needed, add water to half-cover chicken. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower heat and simmer. Heat a little olive oil in another pan and fry chorizo, potatoes and capsicum separately. Add to pan with chicken. Stir in tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 7–10 minutes until fragrant. Serve. Tasty tip Serve with condiments of calamansi juice, fish sauce and red pepper flakes.

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Nanay Emilia Avila’s

Stewed Chicken in White Vinegar Chicken Adobo Shared by Kalel Chan

There was a time in my life when my idea of adobo consisted of meat boiled in vinegar, then fried and tossed in a sauce made of liver spread. That was how Nanay Emilia, my maternal grandmother, used to prepare it and that was how I understood adobo to be. When she went to the US, my mom continued to cook the dish the same way. It was only in high school when I realized there were so many interpretations—with ours looking least like the original. This was the same case with Nanay’s other dishes: her stew (pochero) had no tomato sauce and her meat/seafood in tomato sauce (sarsiado) had chorizo de Bilbao. Apparently, she had no qualms about making traditional Filipino dishes her own. She’s my inspiration when I create dishes for my restaurants. Serves 2 11/2 cups white vinegar 2 Tbsp light soy sauce 3 bay leaves

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

11 cloves garlic cloves, pounded with skin on, divided 2 chicken leg quarters

In a deep saucepan over low heat, combine vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, peppercorns and 5 garlic cloves. Add chicken and simmer for 7 minutes. Gradually add water and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove chicken and reserve sauce in saucepan. Cut chicken into smaller pieces if desired. Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry remaining garlic cloves until fragrant and set aside.

3 cups water

Reheat oil and fry chicken for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Set aside.

2 Tbsp liver spread

Place saucepan with reserved sauce over low heat. Add liver spread and simmer until sauce is slightly thick. Add sugar to balance the flavour. Add chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with fried garlic cloves and serve.

cooking oil, as needed sugar, as needed

The name may be Spanish, but adobo, the unofficial national dish of the Philippines, is an indigenous cooking method. To date, there have been hundreds of interpretations, all varying in ingredients and flavours—from the choice of meats or even the lack of it (adobong kangkong or water spinach) to the type of vinegar used to braise them in. In Batangas, the adobo is spiced and tinted with ginger. The Ilonggos and Caviteños mash liver in theirs, while in Zamboanga, it is cooked in coconut milk. Seafood like squid has been turned into adobo. Even crickets (kamaru) have been used, particularly in Pampanga where they are prevalent.

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Susanna Ng Ting’s

Chicken in Chinese Wine and Black Sesame Oill Chinese-style Black Chicken Adobo Shared by Jin Perez

In Chinese tradition, it is important that women go through post-partum care after they give birth. During this recovery period, which lasts for a month, new mothers are given food that is high in nutrition to restore the qi or life force lost during the delivery of the baby. This means a strict diet of Chinese medicinal herbs, eggs, sesame oil, ginger and meats that are considered “warm” to the body like rabbit, lamb and black chicken. This adobo dish is perfect because it uses three of the most important ingredients for replenishment: black sesame oil, ginger and black chicken. It not only recharges the qi but also satisfies the appetite as it is very delicious. That’s why we always ask our maternal grandmother Guama Susanna to make it for us even if nobody in the family has given birth. And whenever she does, I go on a rice binge. Yes, it is that tasty. Serves 4 to 6 /3 cup black sesame oil

1

5-cm ginger, peeled and sliced thinly 4 black chickens, washed and cut into quarters /3 cup light soy sauce

1

/2 cup Chinese medicinal wine

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In a pan, heat black sesame oil until hot. Sauté ginger until brown and fragrant. Sear chicken in pan. Pour in soy sauce and Chinese wine. Bring to boil, then lower heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce is reduced to a thick consistency. Serve. When Chinese traders sailed to Philippine shores in the 11th century, many of them settled down in the country, thus starting the Filipino-Chinese community. Their culture and cuisine have influenced our own—from traditions and superstitions to dishes like noodles (pancit), egg roll (lumpia) and dim sum. Ingredients like soy sauce, tofu, bok choy or Chinese pechay also made their way into our kitchens.

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Felisa Hugo Mabilangan’s

Lola’s Chicken Curry Shared by Nana Ozaeta

My maternal grandmother, Felisa Hugo Mabilangan, learned this recipe from her Indian cook when she and my grandfather were living in New Delhi in the 1950s. My lolo was a diplomat and was assigned to India as its first Philippine Ambassador. When they returned home, my lola had to modify the original recipe, substituting her Indian cook’s special spice blend with a supermarket brand of curry powder. To achieve the dark, smoky flavour of the original, she used the contents of the whole bottle for just one recipe! When my parents married, my lola taught this recipe to my mom who then taught it to her own mom (my other lola). My maternal lola added the garnishes, inspired by the British-style curry, which traditionally comes with these condiments. My mom added the cucumber-yogurt salad, which gives a nice cooling effect to counter the spices. Serves 6 to 8 /2 cup cooking oil

1

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 medium ripe tomato, chopped /4 cup peeled and chopped ginger

1

1 red apple, cored and sliced

/2 cup good quality curry powder (or as needed to make the sauce turn dark brown)

1

1.2 kg whole chicken, cut into pieces water, as needed

1 cup coconut milk

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat and sauté onion, tomato, ginger and apple until soft. Add curry powder and cook for about 10 minutes, until oil separates. Add chicken pieces, coating them with curry mixture. Add a little water to braise. Cover and simmer for 45–60 minutes or until chicken is cooked. When almost done, add coconut milk to thicken sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add chillies and sprinkle with chopped coriander. Serve. Tasty tip Serve with additional garnishes such as chopped tomatoes, bacon, peanuts, hard-boiled eggs, a chutney sauce or grated cucumber and yogurt salad and yellow rice, or Indian breads like naan or chapati.

salt and pepper, to taste

2 red bird’s eye chillies, chopped chopped coriander, to garnish

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Eduarda Victorino’s

Stuffed Chicken Rellenong Manok Shared by Chinky Dionisio

Whenever my Lola Iding started to prepare this, I knew Christmas was around the corner as she only cooked it for family reunions and special occasions. There are many versions of it, but her method of cooking and the memories that come with it made it different. My lola was 83 when she died on Christmas day. She battled a severe illness for months. Whenever I was by her bedside, she always showed me that she was fighting. Later, I found out from my cousins that when I wasn’t there with her, she felt tired. She wanted me there, holding her hand, especially when she had to breathe without the machine. I was very close to her and although it has been years since her passing, her absence still makes me emotional. Serves 6 to 10 1 Tbsp calamansi juice /4 cup light soy sauce

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5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1.5 kg whole chicken, deboned 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled 4 litres water

3 Tbsp butter, softened

gravy or tomato sauce, to serve FILLING

500 g minced pork

140 g canned Vienna sausages, drained and chopped 3 chorizo de Bilbao, chopped 200 g sweet ham, cubed

/2 cup finely chopped carrot

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1 small red capsicum (bell pepper), diced

In a small bowl, combine calamansi juice, soy sauce and garlic. Rub all over chicken, cover and let stand in refrigerator for 30 minutes. In another bowl, mix all ingredients for filling until wellcombined. Place 2 hard-boiled eggs inside deboned chicken, then stuff with a third of filling. Add remaining hard-boiled egg and stuffing. Make sure stuffed chicken is tight. Sew opening, tie with kitchen twine, then wrap completely with foil. Place wrapped chicken in a stockpot, then add water. Let boil for 1–11/2 hours. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Unwrap chicken and rub skin with softened butter. In a hot pan, cook one side of chicken for 4 minutes, then flip to the other side and cook for another 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve stuffed chicken with gravy or tomato sauce.

1 yellow onion, peeled and minced /2 cup breadcrumbs

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/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

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1 tsp sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

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Lilibeth Nakpil’s

Turbo Chicken Shared by Lander Vera-Perez

I’m not fond of sauces because I have always believed that it covers up the natural flavours of the ingredients. This dish is one of the exceptions. The chicken is flavourful, tender and moist on its own, but when eaten with the sauce, it becomes even better. Aunt Lilibeth, my dad’s sister, is always cooking up a storm. This is our favourite among her repertoire. I first had it 10 years ago, when my cousins and I had a slumber party at her place and it was served for dinner. It came with a special sauce, which I was hesitant to try at first. Once I did, I’ve never had this dish without it. I was surprised to find out how simple and easy it was to prepare the sauce and couldn’t believe something so delicious required little effort and only few ingredients. It has been years since we—21 first cousins—all got together again. Some are too busy with work, while the others are based abroad. Whenever I have this turbo chicken, I’m reminded of those good old times. Serves 4 to 6 /2 cup light soy sauce

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/4 cup garlic, peeled and minced

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juice of 10 calamansi limes

salt and pepper, to season 1.2 kg whole chicken

305 g can cream of mushroom soup 1 Tbsp butter

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic and calamansi juice. Season chicken with salt and pepper inside and out. Then brush soy sauce marinade all over. Place chicken in turbo broiler at 180ºC (350ºF) and cook for 20–25 minutes. Set aside. Collect juice at bottom. In a saucepot, heat cream of mushroom soup and chicken juice. Stir. Add butter and stir until melted. Serve with chicken. Filipinos have a lot more than just salt and pepper on their dining tables. They like adjusting a dish’s flavours according to their taste and a bevy of dipping sauces are needed to achieve this. Often, vinegar, fish sauce and soy sauce are used as a base and items like calamansi, chillies, garlic and onion are added for another layer of flavour.

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SEAFOOD Vinegar-cured Mackerel 70 Shrimp and Bamboo Shoots in Coconut Milk 72 Sweet and Sour Fish 74 Grouper Fish Soup 76 Bacalao ala Rosa 78 Ginger-poached Grouper Fish 80 Bicol Express 82 Milkfish in Egg Noodles 84 Salmon Belly in Sour Miso Soup 86 Baked Milkfish 88 Stuffed Crabs 90 Crabs in Coconut Sauce with Guava 92

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Annie Juico Buhay’s

Vinegar-cured Mackerel Kinilaw na Tanguigue Shared by Allen Buhay

My mom’s family is from Minalin, Pampanga, a small town in the middle of nowhere. Our house sat on the river bend (pampang) and most of our food came from local livestock (chickens and water buffalo) or from the river. I remember eating river shrimps and rice doused in water buffalo’s milk that had been sprinkled with sea salt for breakfast. We also ate crab fat (taba ng talangka) sautéed in garlic, drizzled with calamansi juice and eaten over white rice and lots of crème caramel (leche flan). I still crave these things to this day, so it’s good that they are always present at our family gatherings. During one of my trips to the Philippines two years ago (I was working in the US then), my mom took me to Dumaguete where she and her entire family migrated. This recipe was one of the things the Juico siblings learned upon their move to the principal seaport of Negros Occidental. As Kapampangans who love to cook, getting to play with Visayan ingredients was a match made in culinary heaven. I cannot forget that one Saturday when my mom and I didn’t know where to eat. We ended up dropping by the local market, picking up a few things such as tuna collar and belly, pork belly and mackerel (tanguigue) and driving to my uncle’s house where we found my cousin grilling in the backyard. My mom and her brother then proceeded to cook the rest of lunch in the kitchen. I ate so much that day that I stopped caring at some point. Serves 2 /2 cup fresh calamansi juice

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/2 cup white vinegar

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1 tsp fish sauce

Slowly pour three quarters of mixture on mackerel. Add more, if desired. Gently toss.

1 red bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced and divided

Let stand for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to a plate.

1 tsp grated ginger

salt, to season

250 g mackerel (tanguigue), cubed

half a small red onion, thinly sliced and soaked in ice water 3 pieces bilimbi fruit (kamias), thinly sliced crosswise fried pork rind (chicharon), crumbled

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Mix calamansi juice, vinegar, fish sauce, grated ginger and half of chilli in a small bowl. Adjust acidity and add salt as desired. Set aside.

Drain onion and pat dry. Top onion on fish, along with bilimbi fruit, remaining chillies and fried pork rinds. Serve. Kinilaw refers to a type of food preparation that involves cooking in vinegar or a souring agent, like lime or, in this case, calamansi. It’s similar to ceviche, where fresh fish is cured in citrus and topped with chillies. While seafood like tuna is the common protein for it, in the Philippines, specifically in Ilocos, goat and water buffalo meat are also prepared the same way.

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Crisostomo Reyes Sr.’s

Shrimp and Bamboo Shoots in Coconut Milkk Guinataang Hipon at Labong Shared by Rachel Reyes-Costas

My hometown in Estancia at the northern part of Panay Island is known as the Alaska of the Philippines because of its rich supply of fresh seafood—shellfish, crabs, shrimps, sea vegetables, you name it. This is where dried fish (uga), which is a Filipino specialty, originated. I remember how our wet market teemed with the smell of salt and sea from the day’s catch. Seafood was so fresh, the fish would still be jumping in our basket by the time I got home. Most of the heirloom recipes—from my grandmother and mother who mentored me—that I love to cook have seafood in them. My mother learned this particular recipe from my grandfather who descended from a family of cooks. Tambo is an Ilonggo term for bamboo shoots. Whenever I’m home, I would always request my mother to cook this for me. When I’m feeling homesick, this recipe instantly transports me back to my childhood. Serves 2 1 cup bamboo shoot, washed thrice and cut into strips water, as needed 500 g shrimps

1 ear of corn, kernels removed from the cob

Add shrimps and corn. Cover and simmer until shrimps turn orange and corn becomes tender. Add jute leaves and okra and simmer for 2 minutes.

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When everything is cooked and mixture achieves a thick consistency, add coconut milk. Let boil for another 5 minutes.

4 okra, thinly sliced

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

salt and pepper, to taste

Tasty tip You can substitute shrimps with 2 medium crabs, top shell removed and sliced in half crosswise. Cook the same way as shrimps.

/2 cup jute leaves (saluyot), chopped

1 cup coconut milk

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Place bamboo shoots in a saucepot over medium heat with enough water to cover. Cover with lid. Bring to a boil, then remove lid and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

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Rafael Jiz de Ortega Jardeleza’s

Sweet and Sour Fish Fish Escabeche Shared by Rafael Jardeleza II

My Lola Esca is one of the reasons I fell in love with food. She was my mentor and she always advised me that the best ingredients would guarantee a delicious dish. I’ve kept this, along with many other memories and words of practical wisdom, close to heart to this day, when running my catering business and cooking for my family and friends or like lola, cooking up a storm for our Sunday family gatherings, fiestas or Christmas. The fish escabeche is a Western Visayas interpretation of the Chinese or Spanish fried fish with sweet and sour sauce. The Ilonggo version is not too sweet and uses turmeric (kalawag) instead of tomato paste for colour. Serves 4 to 6 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Season flour with salt and pepper. Pat dry fish fillets. Coat in seasoned flour.

500 g fish fillets

Heat oil in a pan over high heat and deep-fry fish fillets until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Set aside.

2.5-cm ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

Heat a little oil in another pan over medium heat and sauté ginger, garlic, onion, capsicums, carrots and chilli. Sauté until onion is soft and translucent.

salt and pepper, to season cooking oil, as needed

3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1 large green capsicum (bell pepper), sliced to strips

1 large red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced to strips

Add vinegar, brown sugar and fish sauce. Stir. Add water and bring to simmer for about 5 minutes or until vinegar aroma has toned down. Add cornstarch slurry and turmeric powder mixture. Gently stir until it becomes thick in consistency. Adjust with water if too thick. Season to taste.

1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

Pour sauce over fish. Serve.

6 Tbsp cane vinegar

Tasty tip Serve the fish with sliced fresh pineapple, if desired.

1 red bird’s eye chilli, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp brown sugar 2 Tbsp fish sauce 1 cup water

/2 Tbsp cornstarch diluted in 1 /4 cup water

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/2 Tbsp turmeric powder diluted in 1/4 cup water

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Florida Young’s

Grouper Fish Soup Lapu-Lapu Soup Shared by Karen Young

I’ve always admired my mother-in-law’s culinary skills, so when she gave me her collection of recipes, it felt like I was receiving Beethoven’s collection of piano arrangements. I’ve kept them so dearly and with such high regard that they have barely been touched—until I was asked to contribute a recipe for this book. I thought it would be a perfect way to honour her. My mom-in-law has very high standards. She hand-wrote this particular recipe for fish soup—from ingredients to procedure and stamped it with a check mark at the top, a distinction given only to those recipes that passed her taste test! I remember my momin-law sending her driver to bring this fish soup over to me when I had my son. She and my dad-in-law are such thoughtful and generous people and this soup reminds me of those admirable traits that I hope will pass on to my children. Serves 6 to 8 125 g pork tenderloin, sliced into thin strips /2 cup peanut or vegetable oil

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1 400 g grouper (lapu-lapu), cleaned and filleted skin-on, reserve fish head and bones pinch of rock salt

5-cm ginger, peeled and pounded

Heat peanut or vegetable oil in a shallow pan over mediumhigh heat. Season fish fillet with salt, then pan-fry, skin side down. When skin is crisp and golden, transfer to a rack to allow excess oil to drip. Do the same with fish bones and head. Place bones and head in a cheesecloth or cooking gauze, along with ginger and tie securely with cooking string.

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In a medium stockpot, add water and bag of fish head and bones. Bring to a boil, then simmer.

1 cup ripe tomatoes, cut into segments

After 15–20 minutes, add cabbage stalks. When stalks become tender, add tomatoes. After about 5 minutes, add cabbage leaves and pan-fried fish (be gentle while handling fish). Simmer for another 5 minutes.

6 cups water

/2 cup Chinese cabbage (pechay), cut into 5-cm lengths, stalks separated from leaves

salt and pepper, to taste PORK MARINADE 2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp light soy sauce /2 Tbsp sugar

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1 Tbsp cornstarch

salt and pepper, to season

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Prepare pork marinade by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Pour over pork and toss gently, making sure each strip has been coated with marinade. Cover and set aside.

Remove gauze containing fish bones. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain pork of marinade. With broth still simmering, add pork tenderloin strips and cook until tender. Serve. Tasty tip The tenderloin is unexpected but helps to fortify the body of the soup. You can also add other kinds of seafood or shellfish.

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Rosa Rubin de Celiz-Zubiri’s

Bacalao ala Rosa Shared by Stephanie Zubiri

This dish is deeply rooted in Spanish cuisine and in my family’s history. My abuelita is from Kabangkalan and Bacolod, while my abuelito, was from San Sebastian, Spain. He fled the country along with some siblings and cousins during the Spanish Civil War as he was part of the Basque separatist movement. Out of 12 siblings, half the family was ultra-Catholic and pro-Franco and the other half were separatistas. They fled to Marseille as stowaways and upon arrival, bought a lotto ticket and won! They split their earnings and went their separate ways. My abuelito learned that there was a strong Basque community in Kabangkalan and that’s where he met my grandmother and fell in love. My abuelita was also from a prominent Spanish-Filipino family of sugar farmers, the Rubin de Celiz clan. They kept close ties with the Basque community and my dad told me stories of his father meeting with the other Basques every Sunday, talking Euskera and sending money to help combat Franco. The bacalao, according to my abuelita, should not be very saucy or wet. The sauce should just hug all the other ingredients. In our home, we eat it by slightly mashing the fish, potatoes, piquillo peppers and sauce together with a fork and placing it on melba toast. Serves 4 1 kg dried boneless salted cod all-purpose flour, as needed

Soak cod for 24 hours, changing water at least 2-3 times to thoroughly remove salt. Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF).

olive oil, for frying

Slice fish into pieces. Pat dry and coat lightly with flour.

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat and fry fish. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Set aside. Sauté onion, garlic and bay leaf in same pan with more olive oil. Add potatoes and cook until almost tender. Season with pepper and very lightly with salt. Add Spanish tomato sauce. Mix gently.

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 0.5-cm thick rounds salt and pepper, to season

3 cups Spanish tomato sauce

1 cup roasted red piquillo peppers, drained and sliced

In a large baking dish, layer some potatoes at the bottom, followed by sauce, fish and piquillo peppers. Continue to layer until you reach the top. Bake for 20–30 minutes or until an orange-tinted olive oil starts bubbling to the surface. Serve. Tasty tip Top it with a gremolata made of freshly chopped parsley, fresh oregano or thyme and some lemon zest to give it some brightness. Or add cayenne pepper or hot smoked paprika for a bit of spice.

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Severina Villa Castillo’s

Ginger-poached Grouper Fish Shared by Arnold Bernardo

My grandma, Severina, taught this recipe to my mom who started cooking it when she realized that our family needed healthier meals. She used to do it the Cantonese way— steamed—even if it took a long time to prepare. Five years later, a friend from Hong Kong taught her a much simpler version. He told my mom to lightly poach the fish in ginger broth. This way, there’s a lot less to do and the fishy smell is also reduced. Sometimes, she even fillets the fish instead of serving it whole. Either way, the taste is so clean that it’s easy for anyone to finish the dish. Filipinos are used to explosive flavours and this is a nice departure from that. My mom is retired now, so she just watches me cook. It’s our way of bonding. She’s my biggest critic and she keeps me on my toes whenever I make a mistake. Serves 2 1 litre water

2 stalks leek, chopped and divided

5 Tbsp ginger, peeled, chopped and divided /2 Tbsp salt

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pinch of sugar

1.5 kg grouper fish (lapu-lapu), gutted and cleaned /3 cup peanut oil

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/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

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salt and pepper, to season 1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

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In a deep pan, boil water with 1 stalk leek, 2 Tbsp ginger, salt and sugar. Lower heat to a simmer. Add fish to pan and poach for 15 minutes. Heat peanut oil in another pan over medium-heat and sauté remaining leek and ginger for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Gently scoop out fish and place on a large serving plate. Pour sesame oil and Japanese light soy sauce over cooked fish fillet. Pour sautéed mushroom and leek over fish fillet. Serve. Tasty tip It’s a recipe that’s flexible enough to accommodate other types of fish. Just avoid using oily fish or white fish with tiny bones.

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Elena Go Dy-Prieto’s

Bicol Express Shared by Sasha Lim-Uy

My grandmother doesn’t usually cook—or so I thought. Summers in Naga City would be spent at her house where we would splash around in her pool for hours every afternoon. She would feed us bread stuffed with red pudding, maligaya (known in Manila as pan de regla) and an egg noodle dish served with chicken, vegetables and shrimps (pancit canton), all while telling us stories about her childhood. My mom said that when she and her siblings were growing up, my fashionable my grandmother would rarely be seen in the kitchen. When it came to her grandchildren, she suddenly developed culinary skills she didn’t know she had. I had no idea that she knew how to make bicol express because she grew up in a Chinese family in Gumaca, Quezon, where she met my grandfather, who originated from China. They moved to Bicol to avoid World War II. Apparently, what we were having all along was not made by the hired cook but by my grandmother—I never knew until I was in high school! This dish has traditionally more baby shrimps (balaw) than pork (hence it being listed under the seafood category) and I like it that way: the brine perfectly complementing the unabashed spice. I don’t eat it any other way. One time, my grandmother cooked enough to fill a bucket. Half of it was frozen and hand-delivered to Hong Kong where my sister Stephanie was based. That is bicol express. Serves 4 cooking oil, as needed

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2.5-cm ginger, peeled and sliced thinly

1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped 100 g pork belly, sliced 2-cm cubes, skin on

1 cup salted baby shrimps (balaw), cleaned and washed /2 cup coconut milk

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Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté garlic, ginger and onion until soft and translucent. Add pork belly and sauté until cooked. Add salted baby shrimps and sauté for another 3 minutes. Pour in coconut milk and cream, along with bird’s eye chillies. Mix. Simmer until almost dry. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve. Tasty tip On the side streets of Naga, street hawkers would serve the purple-coloured balaw with Indian mangoes. It takes the place of bagoong or shrimp paste.

3 cups coconut cream

15 red bird’s eye chillies, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

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Emilia Francisco Dominguez’s

Milkfish in Egg Noodles Bangus sa Miki Shared by Idge Mendiola

Most of the dishes my Lola Emilia knows, she learned from her sister, Belen Mariano. My maternal grandmother loves to cook and developed her own recipes over time. I was introduced to her milkfish in egg noodles during my elementary days. It is considered a meal in itself, but I saw it more as a viand. My appreciation for the dish only happened gradually. The first time I had it, I scooped out the noodles and mixed it with rice. I was so amused with the colour of the noodles that I didn’t bother eating the rest of the ingredients. I was 10 when I started eating the fish as I didn’t want to deal with bones. As a kid, I only dared to eat a few vegetables and patola made it to the list only when I became a teenager. This dish is just as comforting as the memories that come with it. Up to now, I never eat it on its own—always with rice. Serves 4 600 g milkfish (bangus), cleaned, scaled and sliced into 4 to 5 rounds /2 cup light soy sauce

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500 g yellow miki noodles hot water, as needed 11/2 Tbsp cooking oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced into half-moons 13/4 cups water + extra to taste 1 block firm tofu, sliced into rectangles

400 g sponge gourd (patola), peeled and sliced into halfmoons

/2 cup chopped Chinese parsley stems and leaves (kinchay)

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In a bowl, place milkfish and light soy sauce. Toss. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes. In another bowl, place noodles, then add enough hot water to cover. Let stand for about 10 minutes, until noodles are soft. Drain and set aside. Heat a little oil in a saucepot over medium heat and sauté garlic and onion until soft and translucent. Add milkfish and light soy sauce to pot. Cook for 3–4 minutes, turning fish halfway through. Add water. Let simmer for 5 minutes and taste for seasoning. If too salty, add more water. Add tofu. Cover and continue simmering for 2 minutes. Add sponge gourd and Chinese parsley. Cook for about 2 minutes, until sponge gourd is soft. Remove from heat. Add miki noodles. Mix. Serve. From four kinds of noodles—miki, bihon (thin rice noodles), canton, sotanghon (mung bean noodles)—Filipinos have come up with over 30 dishes, differing in ingredients, procedures and place of origin. There’s pancit cabagan from Isabela, Quezon, topped with pork liver and crispy pork belly; pancit pula from Batangas, which is coloured with annatto; and pancit batil patong from Tuguegarao, which is crowned with a fried egg. There’s even pancit that don’t have noodles. Fresh coconut strips are used and it is aptly called pancit buko. Pancit estacion, on the other hand, has mung bean sprouts in place of noodles.

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Eduarda Victorino’s

Salmon Belly in Sour Miso Soup Sinigang na Salmon Belly sa Miso Shared by Chinky Dionisio

Our family’s Nipa Hut restaurant has been around for 33 years. Since we didn’t want wastage, we often got the fish scraps from the kitchen and my Lola Iding prepared sinigang (sour soup) with the salmon head or belly for us to eat at home. This dish became a staple when the family would go out-of-town. It was typically served with green mango salad (ensaladang mangga), barbecue and rice. Today, I continue the tradition by preparing it for my own family. My lola passed away in 2010 and nobody has served it since then. Three years later, I decided to cook sinigang na salmon belly sa miso on our trips in her honour and to continue the tradition of cooking her staples. How I miss her.

250 g fresh unripe tamarind fruit, peeled

In a small pot, boil unripe tamarind fruit in 11/2 cups of water until tender. Scoop out tamarind and strain on top of pot. Squeeze out as much juice from tamarind seeds. Discard after. Set broth aside.

500 g salmon belly

Fry salmon belly until cooked. Set aside.

Serves 4 to 6

4 cups water, divided

1 large yellow onion, peeled and minced 2 heads garlic, peeled and minced

5 small ripe tomatoes, chopped 11/2 cups yellow miso paste

1 Tbsp fish sauce + more to taste 2 green finger chillies

1 cup mustard greens (mustasa), chopped

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In a stockpot with little oil over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic and tomatoes. When onion becomes translucent and tomatoes soft, add miso. Mix. Add fish sauce, followed by tamarind broth and remaining water. Adjust the amount of water according to taste. Add fried salmon belly into soup. Boil. Add finger chillies and mustard greens. Remove from heat. Adjust taste with fish sauce. Serve. Sinigang refers to a type of food preparation, which involves cooking in sour soup. Different ingredients lend sourness of varying degrees, from green tamarind, bilimbi fruit (kamias), guava, batuan (a fruit typically found in Visayas) and calamansi (calamondin or Philippine lime).

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Marnie Ong’s

Baked Milkfish Baked Bangus Shared by Kathlyn Ong Cham

My lolo was a health nut, so milkfish was always a staple in our meals—cooked in sinigang, stuffed as relleno, or fried as daing. I liked it baked, which our family had a lot of versions of. One of my uncles would simply top it with onions and tomatoes before sticking it in the oven. My mom, on the other hand, would marinate and pan-fry the milkfish in butter before adding toppings. When I married, I experimented with my own recipe, using my mom’s dish as a base. I had my husband taste-test it and it became one of his favourite dishes! I make this dish almost every week and he never tires of it. I’ve served it at gatherings at home and even brought it to potluck parties where it has been received warmly. Serves 2 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

1 whole large smoked milkfish (tinapang bangus) 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 big white onion, peeled and chopped

To make pesto, combine basil leaves, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and salt in a food processor. Pulse until all ingredients come together. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add cheese. Stir and add more olive oil to achieve desired consistency. Set aside. Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Brush a baking dish or baking tray with olive oil to prevent fish from sticking. Lay milkfish flat, skin side down on dish.

3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

Spread pesto mixture onto milkfish.

PESTO

In a bowl, combine garlic, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and spread onto pesto mixture. Drizzle with olive oil.

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed

/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Bake for 15–20 minutes. Serve.

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3 Tbsp pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Tasty tip For a richer dish, top the fish with slivers of butter just before baking.

salt, to season

/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Lorna Lombos dela Fuente’s

Stuffed Crabs Rellenong Alimasag Shared by Dedet dela Fuente

Due to its proximity to the sea, Parañaque has always thrived on seafood. Since my mom grew up in the area, my dad and I got to enjoy the many seafood recipes she learned when she was a kid. Rellenong alimasag has been my personal favourite since the first time I tasted it. I’ve always been fascinated with food. I remember insisting to accompany our house help to the wet market where I’d see the catch of the day. I’d follow our purchase to the kitchen and watch them prep and cook it. Then, I’d get to enjoy the final product come mealtime. My mom preferred using male crabs since they were leaner and meatier. I personally like the female or gay crabs for the crab fat. I adjusted this recipe to my liking, taking out the raisins. In our household, this dish was always eaten with a condiment made with light soy sauce and calamansi juice—never with tomato sauce or banana catsup like some people I know would. To this day, that’s how I serve it to my daughters Liyora and Lileya, who, like me, haven’t grown accustomed to having sauce on their burgers and hotdogs. Like mother, like daughters—even when eating. Serves 4

Steam crabs until cooked. Set aside to cool.

4 crabs (approximately 1.5 kg total weight), cleaned

When cool to handle, take meat out of crab, setting aside top crab shell.

cooking oil, as needed

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped to small cubes 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped to small cubes salt and pepper, to taste 1 large egg, beaten

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Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté garlic and onion until soft and translucent. Add potatoes and carrots. Sauté until soft. Add flaked crab meat. Season with salt and pepper. Mix. Remove from heat and transfer into a bowl. Set aside to cool. Add beaten egg. Mix. Place mixture in crab shells, making sure it is evenly distributed. Deep fry stuffed crab shells for about 1–2 minutes until cooked and golden brown. Serve.

Seafood

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Juanita Sarthou’s

Crabs in Coconut Sauce with Guava Shared by Myke Sarthou

Cebuanos love cooking and eating dishes with coconut milk. At home, we have a wide range of recipes for both sweet and savoury dishes prepared with coconut cream (gata). One ingredient that goes really well with the sweet nuttiness of coconut is crab. The Sunday market always has a good variety and selection of fresh seafood, including crabs that are fat and alive. My grandmother, Nita is from Naga, Bicol—another place recognized for the bounteous amounts of coconut milk in their dishes. My mom and I both loved cooking them, from shrimps in coconut milk (ginataang hipon) to this, crabs in coconut sauce with guava. We simply picked the guavas from our backyard and added chillies for a lovely spice. Initially, I thought it was a dish that was unique and original to our family, but I discovered a very similar version in Bulacan, so I guess not. Serves 6 to 10 cooking oil, as needed

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 stalks lemongrass (white part only), minced 5 ripe medium guavas, peeled and sliced into strips

Heat a little oil in a medium pot over medium heat and sauté onion, garlic, lemongrass and guavas until tender and fragrant. Add crabs, vinegar and coconut cream. Simmer until crabs are cooked. Serve. Tasty tip Coconut cream is what you get from squeezing liquid out of ground matured coconut meat. It’s thicker than the second extraction, which is coconut milk.

4 crabs (approximately 1.5 kg total weight), cleaned and sliced into half crosswise 4 Tbsp vinegar

1 cup coconut cream

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Rice The Philippines is one of the largest producers of rice in the world, with parts of Luzon, Western Visayas and Central Mindanao among the many regions that harvest it extensively. The simplicity of rice is the perfect foil to the bold flavours of Filipino cuisine, which makes these grains a staple in many households. The country grows a wide variety of rice grains, including sinandomeng, inorado, milagrosa and glutinous rice or malagkit. The same range extends to the coloured varieties like organic black, red (left), violet (centre) and brown rice (right). Rice is important for Filipinos; not only does it provide sustenance to the people, it’s also vital to the country’s economy.

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OUR LOCAL HARVEST The Philippines, all 7,107 islands of it, is one big harvest basket with sprawling fertile land and the vast sea as its produce-providing backyard. Close to half of the country’s total land area has been devoted to agriculture, with coconuts and sugar cane claiming most of it. Major branches of the Pacific Ocean surround the archipelago, including the Philippine Sea from the east, and the South China Sea and Sulu Sea on the west. This location gives the country easy access to the bounty of the waters. This partial listing, which is categorized by the three major island groups paints a picture of the country’s commodities.

Visayas island of Samar produces a lot of cassava, coco sugar, organic rice, jackfruits and taro, while parts of Leyte have coconuts and abacas. On the western part of the island group, there are mangoes, sweet potatoes and bananas from Guimaras. If Aklan and Capiz are known for their oysters and mussels, Negros Occidental lays claim on hogs, chickens and eggs. Rounding everything up is muscovado sugar from Iloilo. Central Visayas, on the other hand, has water buffaloes (carabao), native chickens, cacao and coconuts from both Cebu and Bohol and a crop of upland vegetables from Negros Oriental.

Luzon Composed of eight regions, Luzon, the largest island in the country, is very mountainous in terrain. Isabela, being the largest province in the group, produces mung beans and peanuts. Neighbouring Benguet has a long list of fruits and vegetables while Nueva Vizcaya is bountiful with poultry and bamboo. Central Luzon breeds and raises goats in Bulacan, harvests rice in Nueva Ecija, and grows sweet potatoes and ginger in Tarlac. There are dairy cattle and swine in Batangas, chickens and native pigs in Marinduque, and a bevy of seafood like tilapia, squid and mud crab in Catanduanes.

Mindanao Located at the southernmost tip is Mindanao, which is considered the agricultural basin of the country with most of the agri exports coming from the area. The CARAGA region, which includes Surigao and Agusan del Norte and Sur, has livestock, seaweeds, soy beans and freshwater fish. Just below it is Davao where durian, coffee, cacao, watermelon, duck, prawns and swine abound. The region of Zamboanga produces sugar cane, calamansi, rice, corn, native chickens, seaweeds and sardines, while Northern Mindanao flaunts all that and more with items like carrots, cabbages, eggplants and capsicums (bell peppers). Finally, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, where one can find Sulu and Tawi-tawi, has halal native chickens and processed fish.

Visayas The Visayas is composed mostly of islands surrounded by the Visayan sea. The Eastern

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MEAT Fried Spring Rolls 98 Hamonado 100 Sweet, Sour and Spicy Spare Ribs 102 Stewed Pork in White Vinegar with Fried Pork Lung and Liver 104 Chicken and Pork in Annatto and Sugar Palm Vinegar 106 Beef Stew 108 Thrice-cooked Pork 110 Chorizo Recado 112 Beef Mechado 114 Lutong Toyo with Honey 116 Sautéed Pork in Shrimp Paste 118 Ox Tongue Asado 120 Stewed Ox Parts in Peanut Sauce 122 Cocido 124 Four-day Pork Belly 126

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Malou Comsti-Baum’s

Fried Spring Rolls Lumpiang Shanghai Shared by Angelo Comsti

Many people have their own version of this dish. This one was my Lola Nene’s, the mom of my aunt Malou. My aunt’s mom would prepare it for special occasions like the Pasig fiesta, which was a big deal then. Aunt Malou’s earliest memory of this recipe was when she was five years old. It was early in the morning and she grabbed a handful of lumpia from the kitchen to eat as she watched the parade. She remembers Lola Nene preparing it whenever her father’s side of the family had New Year reunions, which were always potluck. When Aunt Malou moved to the US, she brought with her this recipe. She cooked it for her own children who love it now as much as she did back then. Over the years, she added ham to the mix and it continues to be a hit at parties. I think this recipe is better than most. Not only does it have pork, it also has shrimp and ham! Serves 6 to 10 1 kg minced pork

3 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp garlic powder

Add shrimps, bacon, water chestnuts and onion. Mix well.

salt and pepper, to season

375 g shrimps, shelled, deveined and finely chopped

Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.

12 strips bacon, finely chopped

Spoon 1/2 –1 Tbsp mixture on each lumpia wrapper and roll up, making sure to moisten the edges to seal. You can freeze them at this point for deep-frying another day.

10 pieces water chestnuts, peeled and minced

1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced 2 large eggs, beaten

50 pieces lumpia wrapper

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In a large bowl, combine minced pork, light soy sauce, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

Deep fry and transfer to a plate with paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve. There are many variations of lumpiang shanghai. Practically, each Filipino household has its own recipe for it. Others add green peas, corn kernels and/or fresh herbs like coriander, but the minced meat and sweet and sour dipping sauce are common.

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Angelita Virrey Bernardo’s

Hamonado Shared by Arnold Bernardo

Sunday was always a special occasion for my family because it was the only time my parents could rest and spend quality time with their kids. My father and mother had full-time day jobs and their own small businesses on the side, so Sunday was their only day off. My mom never said it, but I felt she made that day extra extravagant for us. This dish is one of the things she served on those occasions. She got the idea from her mother’s sister, but tweaked the recipe to suit her own preferences. I remember it was May when she first served it. Now, whenever I blowtorch a ham or make this dish, childhood memories come flooding back. Just the thought of us eating together as a family makes me smile. Serves 4 1 kg pork belly, sliced into 2.5-cm strips 11/2 cups anisado wine 2 cups pineapple juice

/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1

2 Tbsp dark light soy sauce

In a large pan, place all ingredients except white sugar, and boil at medium heat until it becomes thick like a sauce. Remove pork. Coat with white sugar and broil or torch until sugar has caramelized. Serve. Tasty tip Anisado wine or anisette liquor is a licorice-tasting wine made with the anise herb. It is commonly used in processed meats.

1 tsp liquid smoke 1 tsp salt

/2 tsp ground black pepper

1

/4 tsp dried oregano

1

/4 cup white sugar

1

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Susan de Belen’s

Sweet, Sour and Spicy Spare Ribs Shared by Janice de Belen

My mom believed that my sister Gelli and I needed to learn to do domestic tasks before we reached the marrying age. We were taught how to clean the house and look after ourselves. Cooking was also part of mom’s must-have set of skills, but we both weren’t into it. Mom said that we needed to learn at least one dish. She made me read through her recipe book and pick a dish I had to cook under her supervision. I was 9 years old then. After flipping through the pages, I decided to do the sweet, sour and spicy spare ribs because it seemed the easiest. That was the very first dish I prepared and it passed mom’s test. Serves 4 to 6 /2 cup all-purpose flour

1

/2 cup cornstarch

1

1 Tbsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt

/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1

1 kg pork spare ribs, sliced to individual bones cooking oil, as needed

2 medium white onions, peeled and diced 2 Tbsp brown sugar

/2 cup pineapple juice

1

/2 cup banana catsup

1

1 Tbsp sriracha sauce

1 green capsicum (bell pepper), sliced thinly 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced thinly 3 pineapple slices, grilled

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In a small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Stir. Pat dry spare ribs with paper towels. Dredge each piece on seasoned flour. Heat oil and deep-fry ribs for 3–4 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Set aside. Heat a little oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat and sauté onions until soft and translucent. Transfer to a plate. Set aside. Add brown sugar and pineapple juice to the pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Add catsup and simmer for about 3 minutes until slightly thick in consistency. Add sriracha, capsicums and sautéed onions. Mix well. Add ribs. Toss everything in sauce. Place grilled pineapple slices on a plate. Arrange ribs over and pour remaining sauce on top. Serve. Tasty tip Large, heavy-bottomed pots are best for deep-frying because it keeps the temperature steady. Thin-bottomed pots have the tendency to bring the oil to a high temperature within seconds and without any notice, causing food to burn more easily.

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Mommy Del’s

Stewed Pork in White Vinegar with Fried Pork Lung and Liver Adobong Puti with Bopis Shared by Jam Melchor

Mommy Del is my grandmother’s sister. She never had kids, but she was motherly to her sisters’ children and grandchildren. My sister Bea and I are among the lucky ones to have experienced her care. She loves to cook and she and her husband, Daddy Gene, love to prepare the dishes they inherited from their ancestors for us. This one is a combination of two classic dishes—kilayin, which is Pampanga’s version of kilawin and fried pork lungs (mepulutuc), or bopis where the lungs are stir-fried until crispy. Serves 4 to 6 500 g pork shoulder (kasim) with strips of fat and pork skin

Separate pork skin and fat from pork meat. Cut everything into 2 x 3-cm cubes. Set aside.

1 cup white vinegar

In a bowl, marinate meat in vinegar, bay leaves, oregano, half the garlic and salt and pepper. Cover. Set aside.

1 Tbsp dried oregano

Boil pork lung in salted water for 20 minutes, then chop into small pieces. Place on a paper towel to dry.

2 bay leaves

1 garlic head, peeled and crushed, divided

salt and pepper, to season 500 g pork lung

salt water, as needed

vegetable oil, as needed 2 tsp salt

250 g pork liver, cut into small cubes

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped 2 cups water

Heat a little vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat and fry pork lung until dark brown. Set aside. In a bowl, sprinkle salt on liver. Toss to coat well. Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat and stir-fry pork liver with its juices for about 10 minutes until just cooked. Heat a little vegetable oil in another pan over medium heat and fry pork skin and fat until they shrink to a third of their original size. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Set aside. In same pan, sauté remaining garlic and onion. Add pork meat along with marinade and water. Do not stir. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 5–10 minutes. Add pork lung, fried pork fat and pork liver. Mix to even out cooking, then simmer until pork is tender. Serve. Tasty tip In Pampanga where Jam Melchor’s family is based, this dish is more commonly known as kilaying mepulutuc.

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Felicidad Gonzales Ramos’

Chicken and Pork in Annatto and Sugar Palm Vinegar Adobong Pula Shared by Ige Ramos

My father’s cousin and local Cavite historian, Puring Ballesteros, describes Caviteños’ eating habit as “tono-tono, con todo recado” (everything in tune, with complete ingredients). A typical Sunday lunch for the coastal Caviteño family consists of beef stew, vinegared papaya (kilawin papaya) and adobong pula. The latter is a very unctuous and saucy, chicken-and-pork adobo cooked in fish sauce. Annatto seeds give it a vibrant red hue. My mother, Felicidad G. Ramos, a former principal and public school teacher, told me that adobo in Cavite depended on ingredients and geography. In Cavite City (Cavite Puerto), the usual variety is close to asado and uses light soy sauce and strong cane vinegar. On the other hand, the adobo ng mga afuera—found in the rural coastal area—uses fish sauce, annatto seeds, turmeric and coconut cream to create a deeper, more delicate flavour. Serves 6 to 8 500 g fatty pork belly, sliced 4 x 5-cm slices

1 kg chicken (adobo cut), include the heart, liver and gizzard /2 cup annatto oil + more for frying

1

1 cup fish sauce + more to taste

In a big bowl, combine pork belly, chicken, 1/4 cup annatto oil, fish sauce, vinegar, crushed peppercorns and 1 head pounded garlic. Toss. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Separate pork and chicken. Reserve marinade. Heat remaining annatto oil in a pot over medium heat and sauté remaining pounded garlic. Once fragrant, add pork and pan-fry until light golden brown. Transfer to a plate.

3 cups sugar palm (kaong) vinegar + more to taste

In the same pot, pan-fry chicken until golden brown. Add more annatto oil if necessary. Add bay leaves and whole black peppercorns.

2 heads garlic, skin on, lightly pounded, divided

Return pork to pot and add reserved marinade. Adjust to taste with more vinegar or fish sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45–60 minutes, or until liquid is reduced to half. Serve.

3 Tbsp black whole peppercorns; 2 Tbsp crushed

6 bay leaves

The secret to great tasting adobong pula is the use of annatto seeds and fish sauce for seasoning. The fish sauce is made with finely distilled shrimp paste commonly called stinking fish sauce (patis baho). Though it uses alamang, it should not be confused with bagoong. There are two neigbouring towns that manufacture this special amber-coloured fish sauce: Timalan in Naic and Amaya in Tanza. In the markets of Cavite, they are known as patis timalan and patis amaya—though both are synonymous with patis baho.

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Gloria Ortega-Lacson’s

Beef Stew Shared by Gwen Cariño

My mom’s eldest sister, Tita Gloria, is the kitchen goddess in our family. Aside from being the perfect host, she knows how to prepare practically anything you ask her to cook. And she does this with no formal culinary training. My grandparents trained their kids to help prepare their meals and that’s where my aunt learned about food. I believe she became the most passionate about cooking among all her siblings. With any dish she cooks, whether it’s this or her other specialties like squid simmered in coconut milk or her own creation, the mita de gloria (another tomato sauce-based beef dish with olives and potatoes), she goes all out and doesn’t scrimp on quality ingredients— and it shows in the delicious flavours of her dishes. As this beef stew became part of their family’s cooking repertoire, it also became a special-occasion staple in mine. Whenever we found out that we would be dining at her place, my cousins and I would find out what was on the menu, and if it was beef stew, we would skip meals in preparation for the battle ahead. Even my daughter, Sabine, would skip lunch to make way for a heavy dinner at Tita Gloria’s. Serves 4 to 6 7 Tbsp butter, divided 750 g beef cubes

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped water, as needed

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

11/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 big carrot, peeled and cubed 8 pieces Baguio beans, tips removed and cut in half cross-wise salt and pepper, to taste

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Heat 3 Tbsp butter in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, fry beef cubes until brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Set aside. In the same pan, add onion and slightly caramelize. Return beef to pan. Add water, enough to cover meat. Let boil, then bring down to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 1 hour depending on cut and size. In another pan, melt remaining butter. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until golden brown and pasty. Add to beef and stir. Add Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and carrots and cook until tender. Once close to tender, add beans. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. Tasty tip Sear the meat on all sides until it develops a brown crust. This is the key to creating a rich and caramelized beefy flavour in your stew.

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Anna Marie Gallegos’

Thrice-cooked Pork Pork Sisig Shared by Jessica Gallegos

In Pampanga where practically every household has its own version, sisig is like spaghetti— it’s never absent on special occasions. In our home alone, they would cook it in a pot big enough to feed a community. For a time, our menu, whenever there was a party, was always this dish, steamed crabs and shrimps. I didn’t even know what the dish was made of, but I ate it whenever it was served for Sunday lunch. I only found out when I asked what the crunchy stuff was. I didn’t believe it until I was dragged to the kitchen to witness its preparation. Since I had been eating it for years, it didn’t bother me at all. It has been a long time since I last had this dish. I never had it the whole time I was living in the United States. I requested my mom to cook it again for this book. It tasted exactly as I remember it to be. I have a deeper appreciation for it now because we don’t have it as often. Plus, I’ve tasted other kinds and they pale in comparison to my mom’s sisig. Serves 4 to 6 2 /4 kg pig’s ears and jowl or cheek 1

1 Tbsp salt + more to taste water, as needed

cooking oil, as needed 750 g chicken liver /2 cup butter

1

3 cups red onion, peeled and minced 5 Tbsp calamansi juice /3 cup vinegar

1

In a stockpot over low heat, combine pig’s ears and jowl or cheek and salt. Add enough water to cover. Simmer for 45–60 minutes until pork is tender. Remove pork to cool. Set aside. Heat grill over hot charcoal. Grill pork parts until skin is crispy and slightly charred. Let cool. When cool enough to handle, dice. Set aside. Heat a little oil in a shallow pan over medium heat and fry chicken liver. Let cool and dice. Set aside. In a bowl, combine diced pork, diced chicken liver, butter, onion, calamansi juice, vinegar, fried pork rind, liquid seasoning, chillies, hot sauce and crushed black pepper.

1

Mix well and transfer to a large pan over medium heat. Sauté until butter has melted. Add salt to taste. Transfer to a sizzling plate or serving plate.

4 red bird’s eye chillies, chopped

Top with crushed fried pork rind. Serve.

2 cups crushed fried pork rind (chicharon) + extra for topping /3 cup liquid seasoning

2 Tbsp hot sauce

1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper

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Francisca Jiz de Ortega Vda de Jardeleza’s

Chorizo Recado Shared by Rafael Jardeleza II

Back in the day, every household in Iloilo had their own recipe of the salty and tangy Spanish chorizo. Coming from a family of butchers, my lola gained a lot of fans not just for her chorizo recado, but also her ox tripe stew (callos), meatloaf (embutido), cured beef (tapa) and deboned stuffed chicken (galantina). She made three kinds of chorizo: the pamintado (spicy and garlicky), hamonado (red and sweet) and the bestselling recado (slightly sour, salty and garlicky with cubed fat), which is my favourite. During my grade school days, I would usually spend the weekends at my Lola Esca’s house and she would cook me her special dishes. I would help her prepare the ingredients and she would tell me that I needed to be patient so my dishes would turn out delicious. I remember she had this glow in her face whenever she answered my questions. The recipe originates from Spain, but uses ingredients that are indigenous to the region. Serves 6 to 8 1 kg minced lean pork

250 g minced lean beef

Mix all ingredients except sausage casings in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Let rest for 24 hours before cooking or stuffing in casings.

250 g minced pork fat

If serving skinless, simply fry the meat mixture in annatto oil until meat is cooked. Serve.

20 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

If stuffing, prick holes on the casings with a needle once stuffed. Hang to dry for at least a day.

250 g pork fat, finely chopped

/2 cup paprika powder

1

/2 Tbsp cumin powder

1

/2 Tbsp dried oregano

1

/4 cup vinegar

1

2 Tbsp brown sugar 11/2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper /4 cup annatto oil

1

sausage casings, optional

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The 300+ years Spain spent on Philippine soil left a significant mark on local cuisine. They introduced us to ingredients like ham, guavas, pineapples, corn, capsicums (bell peppers), tomatoes and root crops, which they brought from home and other colonies. Spanish dishes and cooking methods got incorporated into the people’s culinary knowledge and customs. While some remain true to the tradition, others have been adapted to the changing lifestyle. The longganisa, for example, is a semblance of the chorizo and it is, in fact, still called the latter in some Visayan regions. It has been adapted according to the region’s flavour profile.

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Lualhati Antonino’s

Beef Mechado Shared by Eliza Antonino

My mom loves to cook and this is just one of her many recipes. She cooked for us a lot when we were younger, but ever since she became a member of President Aquino’s Cabinet, she has never had time to play in the kitchen. She would visit me when I lived in New York from 2000 to 2012. She would stay for a good two weeks and cook up a storm. On her last night, she would make mechado, stewed ox parts in peanut sauce (kare-kare), tapa and sour soup (sinigang) for me to store, freeze and keep. Some Pinoy dishes are better eaten days old, but my friends would come over the very next day and empty out my fridge. I’ve tried to make this recipe, but not to the speck of my mom. She still does it best. Compared to other mechados where the sauce is a bit loose, the sauce in this recipe is thick, perfect to blanket steamed rice. At home, I’d ask our helper to heat a bowlful for me. Then, after five minutes, another bowl. And another. I always end up having more than what I intend to. Serves 4 to 6 cooking oil, as needed

1 kg beef oyster blade (kalitiran), cubed 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

5 ripe tomatoes, blanched in hot water, peeled, chopped and seeds removed 2 Tbsp light soy sauce 2 cups water

3 Tbsp tomato paste

Heat a little oil in a deep pan over medium heat and sear beef. Set aside. In the same pan, sauté garlic, onion and tomatoes. Return seared meat to pan and sauté together. Add light soy sauce, water and tomato paste. Simmer until beef is tender. When done, add sugar and season with salt and pepper. Add dried oregano and basil. Simmer for another 3 minutes. Serve with fried potatoes. Tasty tip This is best served with fish sauce and chopped red bird’s eye chilli as a condiment.

2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper, to taste /2 tsp dried oregano

1

5 fresh basil leaves, chopped fried potatoes, to serve

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Floy Po’s

Lutong Toyo with Honey Shared by Jackie Ang Po

I was first introduced to this dish when my then-future husband, Mitch, and I got together 17 years ago. We would often hang out at his Lola Floy’s and she would prepare this for us. In a way, it brings the Po family together. Lola cooked it in big batches—at least three—on regular days and without any occasion, prompting her grandchildren to visit, eat and take some home. At one point, she had to write her name on the plastic containers using a permanent marker so they would return them to her. I, on the other hand, took home the recipe. I brought my own set of measuring cups, spoons and scales to her house; measured her every move; and took note of the cooking procedure. I try to prepare it exactly how Lola did because my daughter Kylie would often compare mine to hers. Serves 4 to 6 1 kg pork belly, sliced 4 x 10-cm slices

In a large pot, place pork, garlic, light soy sauce and enough hot water to cover meat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for about 1½ hours.

1 head garlic, peeled

When liquid in pot reaches sauce consistency, add honey, then cook for another 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.

hot water, as needed

Top with roasted garlic cloves and vegetable chips.

1 cup light soy sauce /2 cup honey

1

roasted garlic, to serve

vegetable chips, to serve

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Tasty tip Unlike adobo, which is vinegar-based, this is more light soy sauce-based and, as lola would say, native garlic works best with it.

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Mary Ann Dy’s

Sautéed Pork in Shrimp Paste Binagoongang Baboy Shared by Francis Faustino Dy

My dad was stationed in Isabela when I was growing up. Whenever he would return home to Manila where we all were, my mom would prepare the food he likes. This dish is one of his favourites so it was always on the table. My mom is a chef and a restaurateur. She came up with this recipe based on her preferences. It’s neither too salty nor too pale in colour and the pork remains crispy. Eggplant makes it unique and my siblings and I would fight over the pieces. My family doesn’t live under one roof anymore. My dad is a governor in Isabela, two of my younger brothers are studying in the United States, and my mom, my brother, Mykee, and I are in Manila. I miss the times when we all sat around the same table, eating and conversing. The last time we enjoyed something like that was last Christmas and binagoongang baboy was served, of course. Serves 4 1.5 kg pork shoulder (kasim), chopped to pieces 11/4 cups water divided cooking oil, as needed

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped 6 ripe tomatoes, chopped

/2 cup shrimp paste (bagoong alamang)

1

5 green chillies

/4 cup banana catsup

1

1 medium eggplant, sliced

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In a deep pan over medium heat, place pork and add 1 cup water. Boil until water is evaporated. Add cooking oil and sauté pork until light brown. Transfer pork to a plate. Set aside. In the same pan, sauté garlic, onion, tomatoes and shrimp paste. Return pork to pan. Add remaining water, chillies and banana catsup. Sauté for a minute. Transfer to a plate. In a shallow pan, fry eggplant slices on both sides. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil, then on top of pork and serve. Shrimp paste or bagoong alamang is a by-product of fermented minced minute shrimp and salt. Depending on its origin, shrimp paste can vary in colour, pungency, texture and taste.

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Yaya Chuchu’s

Ox Tongue Asado Shared by J Gamboa

If there’s one dish that reminds me of my childhood, it has to be this. I don’t know exactly how often we had this on our dinner table, but it was definitely not just for special occasions. Incidentally, this is also one of the most popular dishes in all our MilkyWay restaurants. It has been on the menu since day one and people would complain whenever we run out of it. We ate well growing up. My parents are both from Guagua, Pampanga. In the province, they always had complete meals. There has to be soup, meat, fish, vegetables, rice, fruits and dessert. All major food groups are present. It may be odd for a kid to enjoy ox tongue but one, I didn’t know what it was then and two, we didn’t really care so long as it was tender, meaty and had a rich tomato sauce. That’s all that mattered to us. It still tastes the same as it was in the 1970s when we would usually have it. It must be the cook. Our Yaya Chuchu makes this best. Serves 6 to 8 2 kg ox tongue

salted water, as needed /4 cup corn oil

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6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 2 medium onions, peeled and minced 500 g tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 cups tomato sauce

salt and pepper, to season

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Simmer ox tongue in salted water until tender for about 1 hour. Carefully remove skin from tongue, then let cool. When cool enough to handle, slice crosswise into 1-cm thick slices. Set aside. Heat corn oil in a deep pan over medium heat and sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes until soft. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sliced ox tongue and simmer for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. As with many other cuisines around the globe, Filipino cuisine has its own line of dishes that makes great use of offals or the edible internal parts of animals. Ox tongue is perhaps the most commonly used, as it is cooked in popular dishes such as kare-kare, lengua and this dish. Beef tripe is used in rice congee (goto) and callos. In Bicol, there’s igado, which is a stew composed of pork liver, kidney and heart. The papaitan, another famous Ilocano dish, is a soup made with cow or goat innards and uses the bile, a juice produced by the liver, to provide bitterness. Then there’s dinuguan, which is a pig’s blood stew made with liver and intestines. In Manila, it’s not rare to see street vendors skewer and grill different chicken parts, including the head, the neck and the feet. Nothing ever goes to waste.

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Mary Grace Arcega’s

Stewed Ox Parts in Peanut Sauce Lola’s Kare-kare Shared by Francis Faustino Dy

This kare-kare was always served whenever my mother’s side of the family, the Arcegas, got together. My lola would make a huge pot for all my cousins, uncles and aunts to share. Everyone would be fighting over the ox intestines so Lola Mary Grace doubled the amount to accommodate all of our cravings. Latecomers had to settle for the other parts. My family made it a point to head to my lola’s house early so we had first dibs on the prized parts. When I was a kid, I’d pour a lot of the thick sauce on my rice and reward myself with five fat and juicy pieces. Lola passed away last year and my lolo has gotten weak. Nobody has since cooked the kare-kare until my mom tested it for this cookbook. My brother, Mykee, and I indulged in it. What a great way to remember lola by. Serves 8 to 12 500 g string beans, chopped to 5-cm pieces 500 g eggplant

2 pieces banana hearts, chopped 1 kg ox intestine 1 kg ox tail

1 kg ox tripe 1 kg ox skin

/2 cup annatto oil

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2 heads garlic, peeled and crushed 1.5 kg ground peanuts

In another pot, boil each ox part separately, until tender. Set aside, including broth. When cool to handle, chop each part to pieces. Heat annatto oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauté garlic. Add ox tail, ox tripe and ox skin. Mix for 10 minutes. Set aside. In a large pot, heat broth. Add ground peanuts and peanut butter. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add ox parts, annatto oil mixture and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add vegetables and intestines and after a minute, remove from heat.

4 cups smooth peanut butter

Serve with shrimp paste.

shrimp paste, to serve

Tasty tip To make annatto oil, heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a pan. Once it starts to smoke, lower the flame and add 2 Tbsp annatto seeds (achuete). In seconds, the oil will turn from yellow to copper. Move the seeds occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent them from burning. After 2 minutes, strain the oil into a container and discard the seeds.

2 Tbsp salt

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In a pot with water over medium heat, boil string beans, eggplant and banana hearts separately, until half-cooked. Set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice eggplants.

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Carol and Chito Villavicencio’s

Cocido Shared by Robby Goco

The Villavicencios and the Gocos are very close-knit families from Taal. Our grandparents were friends and neighbours and our ancestral homes sat right across each other. We have uncles who have become business partners and buddies. And until now, that strong relationship continues in my generation. Many families have their own recipes for this, but my family’s cocido allows every ingredient to shine despite the thick tomato broth. I remember beef bones would be hanging from the kitchen ceiling. They helped to flavour the stock and were left to dry after. Both families also share the same recipe for adobong taal, which is adobo cooked in turmeric. Serves 4 to 6 1 kg beef short ribs, cut into 5 x 5 x 2.5-cm pieces

To make eggplant sauce, boil, peel and mash eggplants before mixing all ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Transfer to a container. Set aside.

salt and pepper, as needed

Season short ribs with salt and pepper.

4 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sear short ribs on both sides. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.

5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 medium onions, peeled, sliced 4 pieces chorizo, sliced

In the same pan, sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes for about 5 minutes. Add short ribs, chorizo, tomato sauce and enough water to cover the meat.

water, as needed

Cover and simmer meat for about 21/2 hours until meat is fork-tender.

5 tomatoes, chopped 3 cups tomato sauce 2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp white sugar

1 sweet potato, large, peeled, boiled and cubed

3 medium Cardaba bananas (saging na saba), boiled, cubed

Season with fish sauce, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook over low heat until sauce is reduced and thick. Spoon meat and sauce into a serving casserole and individually arrange all vegetables on top of meat. Serve with eggplant sauce.

1 bunch Chinese cabbage (pechay) leaves, steamed and chopped 1 small head cabbage, chopped and steamed 1 bunch string beans, steamed and chopped EGGPLANT SAUCE

2 medium eggplants

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 Tbsp sugar cane vinegar

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Fernando Gokioco’s

Four-day Pork Belly Shared by Decker Gokioco

My dad got this recipe from his mom. He was born in the Philippines, but his parents were from China. This dish confirms how his family is made up of good cooks. I first got to taste this when I was in elementary school. My room was on the third floor and my dad would grill the marinated pork belly on the ground floor. The smoky aroma woke me up one Saturday morning like a delicious alarm clock. When the pork kissed the hot grill and its fragrance reached my room, it was time to rise from bed and get ready to eat. Even our neighbours asked what was for lunch. We tried marinating the pork for a day, but it lacked flavour and colour as it has to be marinated for 4 days. We used to have this for special occasions. Nowadays, we hardly get to enjoy it because dad is 70 and needs to watch his diet. Serves 4 to 6 1 kg pork belly, cut into 1-cm thick slices 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce

freshly ground black pepper, to season 1 Tbsp brandy

1 Tbsp hot sauce

5 Tbsp light soy sauce

5 Tbsp barbecue sauce

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In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for pork belly. Mix well. Pound pork lightly to tenderise. Add to marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 4 days to achieve the right taste and colour. Grill until cooked, about 7 minutes on each side. Serve. Filipinos’ love for grilled food can’t be denied. Be it on the island shore, in the backyard or in the middle of the city, you’ll see people fanning the flame and barbecuing anything from skewered meats and whole fish to uncommon delicacies like chicken feet and pig intestines. Depending on the dialect, barbecue can be referred to as inasal in Ilonggo, sugba in Cebuano and inihaw in Tagalog.

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DESSERTS Pasta de Macapuno 130 Rosquillos 132 Cassava Cake 134 Sweet Mung Bean Porridge 136 Banana Crumble 138 Mixed Fruits in Coconut Milk 140 Carabao’s Milk Custard 142 Sponge Loaf Cake 144 Brown Sugar Spice Cake with Baked Icing 146 Rosemarie Cake 148

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Amparo Aguas Mercado’s

Pasta de Macapuno Shared by Chona Ayson

Whenever I ask mom for heirloom recipes, she would always mention this. Since it was something I had never come across, tasted, or even heard of, I often dismissed it and asked for another. As expected, she gave me the same answer when I asked for a recipe for this book. I finally decided to give it a shot and looked for the recipe in my mother and grandmother’s notes. I learned that Lola Paring prepared it on special occasions while my mom, Lou, only made it once as she was more into cakes. I gathered all the ingredients, made it and ended up liking it! My lola noted that it’s perfect, just the way she remembers it from before. I regret neglecting it because it’s addictive and very delicious. Thank God for this book. Makes about 34 pieces

Preheat oven to 160ºC (325ºF).

1 /2 cups fresh water buffalo (carabao) milk

Prepare leche crema. In a non-reactive stainless steel pan over low heat, cook milk, flour and sugar until thick. Temper egg yolks and carefully stir it in. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Set aside.

1

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar

3 large egg yolks

1 fresh macapuno, finely grated /2 cup sugar

1

6 large egg yolks, beaten 4 Tbsp butter, softened

2 egg yolks + 2 tsp milk for egg wash

5 maraschino cherries, chopped

In a bowl, combine macapuno, sugar, beaten egg yolks and butter. Stir. Stir in macapuno mixture into pot of leche crema. Return to heat and cook until it sticks to the bottom of the pan. Immediately transfer to a bowl set in an ice bath. Stir continuously to cool. When cool enough to handle, take a spoonful of mixture (about 25 g) and shape into a ball with your hands. Brush with egg wash and place into a paper cup. Top with chopped cherries. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake for 7–10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool and refrigerate. Serve. Macapuno is a aberrant coconut from the tree. The meat, which is jelly-like in texture, has absorbed most of the coconut water.

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Florida Young’s

Rosquillos Shared by Karen Young

A popular Philippine delicacy, rosquillos are a flat, crisp, ring-shaped cookie with flower-like edges. They originate from the island of Cebu where my mother-in-law, Florida, and I both come from. She took after her mother Haney Uytengsu who had excellent culinary skills and ran a tight ship in her kitchen. When I was a young wife, Mommy Florida gave me a treasure trove of recipes she collected through the years, some of which are family recipes from her own mom. Among those are the home-made rosquillos. We used to put a cookie on each finger and challenge ourselves to just eat the edges without breaking the cookie until it looked like an actual ring. Makes about a dozen

Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF).

135 g all-purpose flour

In a bowl, sift all dry ingredients. Set aside. In another bowl, beat butter using a hand mixer. Gradually add sugar. Beat for 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Beat for 30 seconds.

1 tsp baking powder /4 tsp baking soda

1

60 g butter, softened 100 g white sugar 1 large egg

/8 tsp vanilla extract

1

On the lowest speed possible, gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat until ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down sides. Roll the dough until 0.5-cm thick. Make ring-shaped flat cookies using a cookie cutter and place on a baking tray lined with a non-stick mat. If you don’t have a ring-shaped cookie cutter, you can use two sizes of round cookie cutters, the smaller of the two, making the hole. Just remember to empty the hole. Bake for 9–15 minutes (for a 3.8-cm round size) or until edges are golden. The bigger the diameter of your cookie, the longer it will take to bake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve or store in an airtight container. Rosquillos are known to originate from Cebu, specifically from the municipality of Liloan. The name stems from the Spanish word rosca, which means ringlet, befitting of the cookie’s unique shape. There are many more such generations-old delicacies from the Spanish. There is biscocho, which is a sugary buttered toast, hojaldres, a sweet flaky pastry and galletas, which are thin cookies. These were among the first baked items to come out of local bakeries or panaderias, after the Spanish brought in wheat and taught the women how to make biscuits and bread. They are still popular to date.

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Veronica Gordon Lorenzana’s

Cassava Cake Shared by Ana Lorenzana-de Ocampo

Summers growing up were often spent in Zambales. My mother, Veronica, owned a farm in Iba, where a few livestock grazed on an area populated with lush mango trees. On our farm trips, my siblings and I would be excited to play in the fields, but more so to indulge on the spread my mother would lay out on her long antique wooden table. Among some of the delicious dishes she served, were the chicken relleno and her mother’s chunky dinuguan, but what we really waited for was her specialty—cassava cake. The very simple dessert, with an overlay of grated cheese as its only indulgence, is easily a family favourite. Even as I stand amid all the pastries we serve at Wildflour Bakery + Café, I still dream of that cassava cake. Makes two 27 X 19-cm cakes 1 /2 kg cassava, peeled and shredded 1

/3 cup butter, melted

1

3 medium eggs

3 cups coconut cream (kakang gata)

387 g can condensed milk TOPPING

2 1/3 cups coconut cream /3 cup cake flour

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387 g can condensed milk 3 medium eggs

1 cup quickmelt cheese, grated + more for garnish

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Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Grease two 27 x 19-cm baking pans. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for cassava cake. Mix well. Pour batter to pan. Bake for 30–45 minutes until set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. For the topping, combine coconut cream, flour, condensed milk and eggs in a bowl. Mix well. Transfer to a saucepot and place over low heat. Stir until thick. Let cool, then spread mixture on top of cassava cake. Top with grated cheese, then return to the oven for a few minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown. Let cool. Top with more grated cheese. Slice and serve. Tasty tip Mix a cup of macapuno in the cassava cake batter for added flavour and texture.

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Olivia Guanzon’s

Sweet Mung Bean Porridge Guinataang Monggo Shared by Addie Wijangco

In the Philippines, whenever a newborn baby turns from its back to its front, the household would be made to eat guinataang monggo supposedly for strong bones. I’m not a fan of the dish, also called lelut balatung, but I’m forced to eat it like everyone else. I prefer the corn version (guinataang mais), a dessert I still ask our cook to prepare every now and then, especially since my kids like them too. My mom taught me this recipe after I had my first child. She gave no definite measurements and simply told me to follow my instincts. Many Filipinos make guinataang monggo pretty much the same way, but our family eats it for a completely different reason.

1

In a pan over low heat, place mung beans and roast until brown. Let cool.

250 g glutinous rice (malagkit)

Gently crack beans using a mortar and pestle.

Serves 2 /2 cup mung beans (monggo)

13/4 cups coconut milk /4 cup white sugar

1

Transfer beans to a pot, along with glutinous rice and coconut milk. Let boil. Add sugar. Stir and simmer until rice is cooked. Adjust sweetness according to taste. Serve warm. Guinataang, alternately spelled ginataan, refers to a type of food preparation that involves cooking with coconut milk. It can either be savoury like shrimps (guinataang hipon) or squash and long beans (guinataang kalabasa at sitaw), or sweet like this dessert.

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Minda Fuentes’

Banana Crumble Shared by Faye Fuentes-Viray

I still remember watching my dad harvest bunches of bananas hanging from their stalks in his farm. They came in this beautiful shade of green, which would turn yellow when we left them at home to ripen. Not knowing what to do with all of them, my mom turned them into a dessert she had tried at a retreat house in Laguna. The first time I had this dessert, I was probably 10 years old. It had this crisp yet soft buttery topping with a syrupy banana base. My sweet tooth was immediately drawn to its textures and flavour. It was a perfect match to my dad’s favourite butter-vanilla (mantecado) ice cream. Nowadays, I cook it with my daughter, Michelle, and sometimes with her friends during play dates. Her favourite part is mixing the crumb topping with her bare hands. For her, it’s like playing with clay. Makes one 15 x 20-cm casserole 1 stick butter, softened + 1 stick butter, cold and cut to cubes 11/2 cups brown sugar

10 pieces Cardaba banana (saging na saba), peeled and sliced diagonally about 0.5-cm thick

1 /4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1

/2 cup white sugar

1

In a medium saucepot over medium heat, melt softened butter and add brown sugar. Allow to dissolve. Add sliced bananas and stir. Cook until bananas have caramelized. Remove from heat. Transfer to a 15 x 20-cm casserole. Set aside. Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF) In a bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry cutter, cut flour and sugar into cold butter until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of bananas. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Serve. Tasty tip Serve this warm ala mode, with a scoop of ice cream. The contrast in temperature between the warm crumble and the cold ice cream makes for a delectable treat.

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Nene Fuentes’

Mixed Fruits in Coconut Milk Guinataang Halo-halo Shared by Angelo Comsti

It’s a tradition in the Philippines to visit the province and flock to the graves of departed relatives and friends on November 1, All Saint’s Day. Candles and flowers are offered; prayers are said. It’s also the time when we’d get to enjoy our Lola Nene’s guinataang halo-halo. The big pot waiting at her Caniogan home for anybody who wants a cool-down after the sweltering heat of the cemetery. It has become our pit stop before heading back. My mom would always be ready with a big container to take some home. It doesn’t last for long though. Lola’s halo-halo is a family favourite, especially my parents’, for as long as I can remember. Serves 6 to 10 2 cups coconut cream, divided 11/2 cups water

In a pot over low to medium heat, combine 1 cup of coconut cream, water, sweet potatoes and bananas. Boil, then bring to a simmer.

500 g sweet potatoes (kamote), peeled and cubed

Add rice balls, jackfruit and sugar. Mix.

250 g glutinous rice balls (bilo-bilo)

Saging na saba or cardaba banana is a starchy type of banana that’s perfect for cooking. It is widely used in Filipino cuisine, especially in desserts like maruya (banana fritters), turon (sweet fried banana spring roll) and banana cue (fried caramelized bananas in skewers).

500 g Cardaba bananas (saging na saba), peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

5 pieces jackfruit, sliced lengthwise 5 Tbsp sugar

When ingredients are almost tender, add remaining coconut cream, taro root and tapioca pearls. Mix for a minute. Remove from heat. Serve warm or cold.

500 g taro root (gabi), peeled, quartered and boiled until tender 1 cup cooked small tapioca pearls

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Olivia Guanzon’s

Carabao’s Milk Custard Tibok-tibok Shared by Addie Wijangco

I first ate tibok-tibok in Bale Tisa, an old house in Pampanga that is now covered in lahar due to the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991. I can’t remember the date or how old I was, but I remember liking it from the very beginning, which is why I’ve kept this handy recipe with me. It’s from my mom who, in turn, got it from a relative. This recipe is so easy to do, especially now that water buffalo (carabao) milk is so accessible. I make it frequently—for special occasions, for snacking, for my children who often crave it, for binge-eating. Come to think of it, for everyday consumption. Makes one 13 x 18-cm pudding 6 Tbsp sugar

6 Tbsp cornstarch or more depending on preference of firmness

2 cups water buffalo (carabao) milk

3 Tbsp coconut milk curd (latik)

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In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and milk. Stir to dissolve. Transfer to a pot over low heat and stir continuously until thick. Pour into a 13 x 18-cm greased pan and let cool until firm. Top with coconut milk curd. Slice and serve. Filipinos love kakanin or native delicacies. These are uniquely Filipino desserts or snacks that are made with ingredients such as root crops like cassava for cassava cake or taro for ube halaya, rice flour for bibingka and cuchinta, coconut for tupig, glutinous rice for suman and biko and coconut milk for sapin-sapin. These are always present come barrio fiesta and make for delicious pasalubong (homecoming gifts).

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Mama Ponying’s

Sponge Loaf Cake Taisan Shared by Angelo Comsti

Mama Ponying’s taisan recipe is the very inspiration behind this cookbook series. My aunt Carmina apparently has a copy of it. Decades ago, she asked my eldest brother, Carlo, to scribble it down for her. Like me, my aunt liked Mama Ponying’s sponge cake, and being the good and obedient boy that my brother was, he did as he was told. I’ve attempted to do it several times, and I believe that I haven’t come close to how good I remember it to be. Makes two 20 x 10-cm loaves 2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided + more for sprinkling 3 tsp baking powder /2 tsp salt

1

7 large eggs, yolks and whites separated /2 cup vegetable oil

1

/2 cup water

1

/2 tsp cream of tartar

1

4 Tbsp calamansi juice

1 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Grease and line two 20 x 10-cm pans. In a bowl, sift flour, ¾ cup sugar, baking powder and salt thrice. Make a well and add egg yolks, oil and water. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until combined. Set aside. In another bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar using a hand mixer. With the mixer running, slowly add remaining sugar and drizzle calamansi juice. Continue beating until medium peaks. Fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture until even. Transfer to a baking pan lined with baking paper. Bake for 40–50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once done, transfer to a wire rack and let rest for 2 minutes. Remove from pan. Spread butter all over cake, allowing heat to melt it. Sprinkle with sugar. Let cool. Slice and serve. Tasty tip This recipe may be adapted to make another popular sponge cake called mamon. Use fluted individual mamon liners and bake for half the time.

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Concepcion Yulo Garcia’s

Brown Sugar Spice Cake with Baked Icing Shared by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria

I learned to bake cakes by watching and helping out in Lola Conching’s kitchen. Lola never cooked, she only baked. I watched as a helper creamed the butter and sugar by hand and performed all the tasks needed to get the batter into the oven. Lola herself would stick a toothpick into the centre of the cake to see if it was done. I spent many precious moments at her home along D. Tuason Street. Not wanting to raise their families under Martial Law, Lola Conching’s children moved to California in 1972. When she decided to join them later on, she began cleaning out her home, sorting wedding gifts from the 1920s to give away or sell to antique dealers. She gave me her cookbooks and also those from her sister, my mother’s mom, who left the Philippines after World War II. The recipe books have become true keepsakes. Makes one 20-cm round cake

Preheat oven to 120ºC (250ºF).

1 cup shortening

2 cups brown sugar

In a bowl, cream shortening using a hand mixer. Add brown sugar gradually and cream thoroughly.

2 cups eggs, about 8 large eggs 2 egg yolks

Add eggs one at a time, beating after every addition. Add yolks and continue beating until combined.

2 2/3 cups cake flour /2 tsp salt

1

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder /2 tsp clove powder

1

/2 tsp ginger powder

1

/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1

/2 cup sour milk

1

/2 cup water

1

ICING

2 egg whites

1 cup brown sugar

/2 cup nuts, chopped

1

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In another bowl, sift cake flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and powdered spices together. Add dry ingredients to shortening mixture alternately with water and milk. Mix gently until combined. Pour into a greased and floured 20-cm round pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and set aside to cool. To make icing, beat egg whites until soft peaks. Add sugar gradually and beat until stiff peaks. Spread on top of cake and sprinkle with nuts. Return to the oven and bake to harden icing and until the cake is light brown, around 5 minutes. Cool before serving. Tasty tip You can use unsalted butter instead of shortening, and all-purpose flour, sifted twice, instead of the cake flour.

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Cynthia Javier Gavino’s

Rosemarie Cake Shared by Jun Jun de Guzman

This cake was often served during birthdays and other parties and I ate it often as a kid. My sister Cynthia was always tasked to make it since she learned the recipe from her first cooking class. It’s quite different from the other cakes she baked. The rosemarie is immensely rich, but soft and refreshing at the same time. I learned my basic baking knowledge from my sister. She used to make me repeat what she baked. I mastered my first chocolate cake under her guidance. It’s one of the most meticulous desserts she taught me because the icing took two hours to make! She also tutored me on how to prepare a banana cake, something she commercially sold back then. As early as that time, I was already fascinated by how baking could transform simple ingredients like flour, butter and eggs to something totally different and delicious. Naturally, this recipe came from her. Makes one 23-cm round cake

Preheat oven to 160ºC (325ºF). Line two 23-cm round pans.

FRUIT MIXTURE

Prepare fruit mixture. Soak cherries and pineapple in rum for an hour. Set aside.

18–20 maraschino cherries, sliced + whole cherries to decorate

227 g can crushed pineapple, drained /4 cup dark rum

1

CAKE

6 large eggs

/4 cup sugar

3

11/3 cups cake flour, sifted twice 3 Tbsp melted butter

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 3 egg whites /4 cup sugar

3

1 cup salted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature

Make cake. Beat whole eggs with a whisk attachment on a standing mixer on full speed until fluffy and has increased in volume, about 8 minutes. Add sugar a little at a time and continue beating until thick and lemon coloured, about 7 minutes. Lightly fold in cake flour by sifting into mixture and gently folding in three additions. Add melted butter and fold. Pour batter equally among the two cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Return to rack to completely cool. Make buttercream frosting. Place egg whites and sugar in a bowl over simmering water. Whisk until sugar melts and mixture is warm. Transfer to a standing mixer and continue whisking until cool and foamy. Change attachment to a paddle and slowly add butter until blended. Mix well. Drain fruit mixture of excess liquid and incorporate. Transfer frosting to a piping bag. Sandwich cakes with frosting and decorate as desired with frosting and cherries. Slice and serve. Tasty tip Sifting the flour multiple times aerates it, ensuring that the cake will turn out light and fluffy.

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A TASTE OF THE REGIONS The archipelagic republic of the Philippines is divided into three major island groups—Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao—and 17 regions. The geographical set up and history of each province dictates the available resources and distinct flavours of their food. As such, regional cuisine could not be more diverse and interesting. When in the Philippines, do as Filipinos do—eat to your heart’s content. Bicol

Coconut trees take up a large area of the region, so Bicolanos have the luxury of enjoying dishes cooked in coconut milk (adjacent province, Quezon, shares the same good fortune). What makes Southern Luzon different from other provinces is their love for coconut and chilli, a combination they are famous for. Bicol is regarded as the land of fire for three things: the picture-perfect Mayon Volcano, which is still very active; the locals’ devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia; and their fondness for cooking with chilli, which many households grow in their own backyard. Dishes showcasing the popular pair are bicol express, laing, made with taro leaves and shredded seafood, kinunot, composed of stingray meat and moringa leaves and pinangat, which is cooked with shrimp paste, dried fish and taro leaves. Ilocos

The region is notorious for its extreme weather—hot summers and wet seasons marked by typhoons. The coastline allows for salt mines and for the freshest catch, alluding to both seafood and seaweed. Consequently, its dishes use a lot of salt, dried fish and shrimp paste. Vegetables are colourful and varied, with a permanent spot on any Ilocano dining table. The twice-fried pork belly (bagnet), sausages (longganisa) and stuffed bread or pastry (empanada) are must-tries, but Ilocos is also known for their vegetables laced with bagoong and their penchant for balancing bitter and salty profiles. Examples are the pinakbet, a medley of okra, bitter gourd (ampalaya) and eggplant cooked in shrimp paste and dinengdeng or inabraw, where vegetables, along with their flowers and leaves are boiled with fish paste. Central Luzon

Since the region has the largest flatland in the country, it is fertile and rich with the country’s dining must-have: rice. During the Spanish Rule, locals were given a crash course on basic cooking by friars and sailors, making the Kapampangans among the best cooks in the country, a trait that was passed on to the current generation. Since the province is situated inland, pork and poultry have become the meat of choice,

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as well as exotic fare like frogs (betute) and mole crickets (camaru). Most of the seafood like fish and crabs are, in fact, freshwater. Kapampangan fare has a good number of stuffed dishes like beef roulade (morcon), Spanish-influenced food such as bringhe, which is reminiscent of Paella and native glutinous rice-based treats and delicacies like kalamay and suman. Southern Tagalog

With lush lands and access to rivers and the sea, this region gets to enjoy the harvest of its geography. Like Bicol, coconuts are rampant and featured in the local fare. Tagalogs, however, skip the heat and move on to the tart. They frequently use souring agents like bilimbi fruit, guava and tamarind to add flavour to their broths. Their sinigang has coconut water, their adobo has coconut milk and their sweet nilupak or minukmok is made with cassava and coconut milk. Their rice cakes, like the espasol, which is chewy and cylindrical in form, and sinukmani or biko, glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, are prized snacks. Visayas

As it is a region surrounded by water (including the Pacific Ocean), the Visayas thrives on an abundance of saltwater fish, crabs, prawns, oysters and mussels. Seafood is also conserved by being rolled in salt and dried under the sun. It is also the country’s sugar capital and the producer of such delicacies as flat unleavened bread filled with muscovado sugar (piaya) and thin, long banana chips coated with caramelized sugar and sesame seeds (pinasugbo). Other Visayan signature dishes are a hearty soup with pork organs and noodles (batchoy), barbecued chicken basted with annatto oil (chicken inasal) and a quintessential Ilonggo dish made with pigeon peas, pork and batwan fruit (kadyos, baboy at langka). Mindanao

Because of its proximity to Malaysia, Mindanao’s cuisine has been punctuated with spices like turmeric, ginger, curry and chilli. Seafood is a staple because aside from its location, religion prohibits some people from eating pork. These two influences can be seen in dishes like stingray cooked in coconut milk and burnt coconut meat (syagul). Similarly prepared is pyanggang, which uses barbecued chicken. Sambal is commonly used as a base for many of their dishes, while root crops like yams and cassava root sneak its way in their meals. Apart from neighbouring countries, Mindanao has also been influenced by Spain and it is evidenced by the cusido, a hearty stew of pork, sausages, vegetables and cardaba banana.

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Salt The Philippine Islands is surrounded by the sea, making salt harvest possible. One province in particular has become recognized for it—Pangasinan, which literally means a “place for salt.” Among its products are the hand-harvested Pangasinan Star fleur de sel (left) and the sugpo asin, which is harvested in shrimp farms. The asin tibook (centre) hails from Bohol and although laborious to produce, provides more depth of flavour than the fleur de del. The baked duldul rock salt (right) from Guimaras is gently patted onto warm steamy rice to give the grain a delicate salty flavour. Salt-making, however, is a fading art. Only a few families continue the tradition of making the latter two varieties.

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WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Quantities for this book are given in Metric, Imperial and American (spoon) measures. Standard spoon and cup measurements used are: 1 tsp = 5 ml, 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 cup = 250 ml. All measures are level unless otherwise stated.

LIQUID AND VOLUME MEASURES

METRIC 5 ml 10 ml 15 ml 60 ml 85 ml 90 ml 125 ml 180 ml 250 ml 300 ml 375 ml 435 ml 500 ml 625 ml 750 ml 1 litre 1.25 litres 1.5 litres 2.5 litres

IMPERIAL 1 /6 fl oz 1 /3 fl oz 1 /2 fl oz 2 fl oz 21/2 fl oz 3 fl oz 4 fl oz 6 fl oz 8 fl oz 10 fl oz (1/2 pint) 12 fl oz 14 fl oz 16 fl oz 20 fl oz (1 pint) 24 fl oz (11/5 pints) 32 fl oz (13/5 pints) 40 fl oz (2 pints) 48 fl oz (22/5 pints) 80 fl oz (4 pints)

OVEN TEMPERATURE Very slow Slow Moderately slow Moderate Moderately hot Hot Very hot Super hot

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°C 120 150 160 180 190/200 210/220 230 250/290

AMERICAN 1 teaspoon 1 dessertspoon 1 tablespoon 1 /4 cup (4 tablespoons) 1 /3 cup 3 /8 cup (6 tablespoons) 1 /2 cup 3 /4 cup 1 cup 11/4 cups 11/2 cups 13/4 cups 2 cups 21/2 cups 3 cups 4 cups 5 cups 6 cups 10 cups

°F 250 300 325 350 370/400 410/440 450 475/550

GAS REGULO 1 2 3 4 5/6 6/7 8 9/10

DRY MEASURES

METRIC 30 grams 45 grams 55 grams 70 grams 85 grams 100 grams 110 grams 125 grams 140 grams 280 grams 450 grams 500 grams 700 grams 800 grams 1 kilogram 1.5 kilograms 2 kilograms

LENGTH

METRIC 0.5 cm 1 cm 1.5 cm 2.5 cm

IMPERIAL 1 ounce 11/2 ounces 2 ounces 21/2 ounces 3 ounces 31/2 ounces 4 ounces 41/2 ounces 5 ounces 10 ounces 16 ounces (1 pound) 1 pound, 11/2 ounces 11/2 pounds 13/4 pounds 2 pounds, 3 ounces 3 pounds, 41/2 ounces 4 pounds, 6 ounces

IMPERIAL 1 /4 inch 1 /2 inch 3 /4 inch 1 inch

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FURTHER READING Barretto, Glenda Rosales. Flavours of the Philippines: A Culinary Guide to the Best of the Islands. Via Mare Catering Services, 1997. Besa, Amy and Dorotan, Romy. Memories of Philippine Kitchens. Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2006. Cordero-Fernando, Gilda. Philippine Food and Life. Anvil Publishing, 1992. Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine. Anvil Publishing Inc., 2013. Newman, Yasmin. 7000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines. Hardie Grant Books, 2013. Quioc, Mary Ann and Tayag, Claude. Linamnam: Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines. Anvil Publishing Inc., 2012. Rodell, Paul A. Culture and Customs of the Philippines. Greenwood Press, 2002. Sta. Maria, Felice Prudente. The Governor-General’s Kitchen: Philippine Culinary Vignettes and Period Recipes 1521-1935. Anvil Publishing Co., 2006.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Angelo Comsti is a foodie. His tasty words have made it to television, radio and various periodicals, both print and digital. He also doubles as a food and prop stylist, having produced delicious works for magazines, TV and print ads, billboards, restaurant menus and cookbooks. He finished professional culinary studies at Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, Australia. He authored the bestselling cookbooks Home-made for the Holidays and From Our Table To Yours. He currently lives in Manila, Philippines.

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