Filipino Food Is Fantastic!

[SobaAddict70]

Is it just me or is Filipino food not well-known here in the U.S.?

Anyway, SuzanneF suggested an intro to some of the dishes I mentioned in my post on the "childhood food memories" thread in the Bio section.

This thread is my attempt at a primer of sorts for anyone interested in pinoy cuisine. (And contributions are welcome, of course.)

SA

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Philippine cooking is based on a sophisticated combination of the familiar blended with the exotic. Filipinos lay claim to several heritages, including but not limited to Malay, Chinese and Spanish -- due in part to the main historical influences in the country's history (the Philippines was a Spanish colony from the late 1400s until the Spanish-American War in the late 1890s). Indian, Mexican, Arab and American influences are also present in the cuisine; American contribution to Filipino kitchen particularly became heavy following WW II when surplus canned foods became widely available because of the shortages of fresh produce. The Filipinos embraced these 'new foods' and turned them into dishes that taste nothing like canned food. For example, by sauteing canned corned beef with onions and garlic, they created a dish uniquely their own.

The Philippines consists of an archipelago of over seven thousand islands, dominated by two large islands, Luzon (the northern island), and Mindanao (the southern island). Luzon is where Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is located, and is heavily Catholic, and contains proportionally more people of Chinese and/or Spanish ancestry. Mindanao's population base is contains a more heavily Malaysian/indigenous base, and is home to a predominantly Muslim representation. This may have changed in recent years, so if anyone has a more updated view, please feel free to correct me.

Filipino cuisine is marked by a heavy reliance on sour (tamarind, palm or rice vinegar, limes, etc.) and salty agents (bagoong, soy sauce, salt, patis, etc.). In fact, several cooking terms illustrate these highlights: sinigang both refers to a soup made with tamarind, seafood, meat and vegetables, and a method of cooking any of these ingredients in a broth composed of water, meat or vegetable stock, and a souring agent such as tamarind or sour fruit juice; pinaksiw refers to a method of cooking fish with vinegar and spices -- sometimes vegetables are added; inasnan is a term used to refer to food preserved with salt or a salting agent, and then prepared via broiling (either meat, fish, or vegetables). One popular dish is salty fish heads, served with a dipping sauce of vinegar, chopped garlic, and soy sauce, and accompanied with steamed rice. I should note that Filipino food is rarely spicy -- although this is a common misconception.

Below are some basic dishes which are common enough in the Philippines, although please keep in mind that terms for ingredients and the names of the dishes themselves may change depending on which island you travel to, or which province you're currently in. For example, the vegetable dish known as pakbet is also called pinakbet, but is essentially the same thing. For a recipe for pakbet, click here.

Adobo or adobong lechon/adobo or adobong rellenong (pork adobo/chicken adobo) -- this is a stew of chicken or pork, flavored with bay leaves, vinegar, soy sauce, LOTS of garlic, and whole black peppercorns. This is probably the best known Filipino dish and is my candidate for national dish of the Philippines, if there is one. While adobo lechon and adobo rellenong are quite well known, there are other types of adobo out there go well beyond just pork and chicken. There is adobo antigo, which is your basic pork or chicken adobo, except that either white wine or light rum is added to the adobo marinade. Adobong moderno is chicken adobo (usually), which is marinated and then dipped in an egg white and flour mixture, then deep fried. There is even a vegetarian adobong that involves potatoes, and an Indian version of adobo that incorporates coconut milk and chilies (the peppers are optional).

Pancit/pancit bihong -- this is an uber-noodle dish that is only limited by the imagination of the cook and whatever is on hand. Pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, shellfish and a variety of vegetables are combined with sauteed noodles and thinly sliced Filipino chorizo. Different types of noodles are often used -- pancit bihon is pancit made with bihon or rice noodles. Pancit canton is pancit with flour noodles, while pancit sotanghon is pancit made with soybean noodles. If you can't get any of the above, you can substitute vermicelli or angel hair pasta, but it won't be the same, at least imo.

Rellenong manok -- relevant to the turducken article in last week's NYTimes, this is a whole chicken that's been deboned and stuffed with a mixture of ground chicken, pork, ham, whole sausages and hard-boiled eggs, then sliced and served.

Lumpia or lumpiang sariwa/lumpia or lumpiang shanghai -- these are either fresh or fried spring rolls. Fresh spring rolls have wrappers made of cabbage or lettuce leaves and contain a mixture of pork/chicken/shrimp and vegetables. The fried spring rolls have wrappers made of dough, akin to wonton wrappers, and are deep fried to perfection. Dipping sauces range from sweet plum sauce or peanut sauce (for fresh lumpia) to sour, garlicky ones (for lumpia shanghai).

Kari-kari -- this is a stew of tripe, oxtails and vegetables which are cooked separately, then combined together and topped with a ground peanut sauce. When made correctly, this can be wonderful. Chunky peanut butter is an acceptable substitute for ground peanuts in the traditional version, but please be sure to use a peanut butter that DOES NOT contain sugar or other preservatives.

Halo-halo -- this is a dessert/shake mixture of tropical fruit, flan, jello and other ingredients such as dried corn, which are combined together and mixed with crushed ice. Halo-halo is meant to be eaten with both a spoon and a straw.

Leche flan -- milk custard...there are several versions of flan in the Philippines. Three common variations are kalabasa flan (pumpkin flan), mango flan (which incorporates a base of mango puree), and peach flan (peach puree). Leche flan is usually made with both condensed milk and regular milk and as many as 12 (!) egg yolks.

Brazos -- custard wrapped in meringue. Note that Filipino desserts tend to be OBSCENELY sweet. I prefer fresh fruit (so my teeth won't kill me). One recipe I'm familiar with for brazos de mercedes (cream-filled log cake) calls for a little over a cup of sugar -- and that's not including the meringue!

[Suzanne F]

Thank you!! I've always wondered why we don't know more about this cuisine. Is there more a home-cooking and -entertaining tradition, than one of eating out? Or maybe Westerners shy away from sour foods? Just guessing. In any case, thank you, SA, for making me very hungry!

[SobaAddict70]

A note about belut (just for you, cabrales... ):

Belut or balut is boiled embryonated duck egg. Layers of hay are placed on top of a duck egg and warm water is poured over it several times a day. This is repeated for 9 days (for penoy), which results in a tiny embryo, or for 14 days (for balut). At this time, the embryo is almost full duckling, with crunchy feet and feathers when eaten, the egg yolk is reduced and the egg white is hard, and the amniotic sac is filled with fluid. So be careful when opening balut, because you might spill the fluid which is very tasty. (For the record, I've never eaten it, and my relatives dislike it intensely.)

Balut is considered as an aphrodisiac or at least, it increases one's stamina for certain rigorous activities (all those nutrients!). Here's a link for a belut producer in California.

SA

[SobaAddict70]

Suzanne,

not sure why its unknown here (for the most part) in America, given the large contingent of Filipino Americans in places like San Francisco and suburban New Jersey. Its probably due to the fact that there isn't a dish, theme or tradition that's easily pigeonholed, that people can easily identify as "Filipino". I mean, yeah, the food is typified by sour and salty flavors, and a heavy hand with garlic, but something like embutido which is your basic meatloaf gussied up with hard-boiled eggs, raisins and carrots is also VERY Filipino. Dinuguan, which is offal (beef hearts, liver, kidney, pig's ears, etc.), pig's blood, vinegar, chilies, garlic and onion is also very Filipino but not one we push towards Westerners, probably because of the main ingredients (the offal and the pig's blood; in fact, cooking makes the pig's blood turn black, so when you see the plate on the table, its this glistening mess of pork, offal and onions stewed in a vinegary black sauce, served over rice -- visually unappealing, but looks can be extremely deceiving since its MUY DELICIOSO). Also, there's pig's feet stewed with soy sauce, onions and chestnuts -- another favorite (the feet and bones lend a gelatinous texture to the finished dish, and it gets better on the second or third day).

I'm not sure about the restaurant culture within the Philippines, as my family left the country in the middle 1970s, and I haven't kept up with what's gone on back home. Maybe someone else can contribute and answer your question.

SA

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edit: added detail about dinuguan

Edited November 27, 2002 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[Rail Paul]

Is it just me or is Filipino food not well-known here in the U.S.?

The Philippines consists of an archipelago of over seven thousand islands, dominated by two large islands, Luzon (the northern island), and Mindanao (the southern island).  Luzon is where Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is located, and is heavily Catholic, and contains proportionally more people of Chinese and/or Spanish ancestry.  Mindanao's population base is contains a more heavily Malaysian/indigenous base, and is home to a predominantly Muslim representation.  This may have changed in recent years, so if anyone has a more updated view, please feel free to correct me.

Until recently, there was a fine Filipino bakery in Belleville NJ, on Belleville Avenue near Rowe Street. Wide range of baked goods with coconut, and a very concentrated fruit, perhaps a mango? taste. Various rolls and breads, similar to scones. The area has a substantial Filipino presence, I believe, and is near several hospital centers.

You're correct on the substantial Muslim population in the southern islands. The US has a significant number of military advisors working with the government to subdue groups whch have kidnapped and beheaded American and Australian hostages over the past few years. Hostage taking has not benefitted the tourism industry, which with fishing and smuggling, was among the major economic drivers in the area.

[rich]

There is a new (and only) Filipino on Staten Island. It opened about six week ago. I haven't tried it yet. But I plan on doing so during the holiday season. I'll submit my observations afterward.

Edited November 27, 2002 by rich (log)

[Jaymes]

SA-70

Where in the Philippines did you live?

And, as to the other question, when I was there it seemed to me that Filipino cuisine was the food of choice for entertaining, but that restaurants primarily offered cuisine from other countries - lots of Chinese, a few Continental and the ubiquitous Italian most prominent among them.

Haven't been back in quite a few years, but certainly in those days, I'd definitely say it was a "home cooking" type of deal.

[Jinmyo]

Soba, very interesting and well-done. Thank you.

[glenn]

Soba, as the husband of a Filipina and having visited the PI several times, I found your mini synopsis not only accurate but very informative. What are your favorite filipino restaurants?

[Kerouac1964]

Soba -

Wonderful post. A very interesting cuisine, indeed.

May I ask for your Rellenong manok recipe? It really sounds intriguing.

[SobaAddict70]

well, let's see:

Jaymes: I was born in the Mandaluyong section of Manila, and lived mostly in Manila, in my grandmother's house -- especially after my father died. Not too many memories of that time period -- please remember this was over 25 years ago and I was just a little kid. I went back in 1981 for a very brief period (about a month or so), and remember one restaurant we went to, towards the end of our stay. Not many details, except that crabs were on the menu (I remember going through this HUGE mountain of boiled crabs, seasoned with spices and various aromatics, and cleaning my fingers with lemon water in dipping bowls.)

glenn: Not very many pinoy restaurants in New York City. In fact, there is a grand total of 1 that I know of, in Manhattan (sad but true) -- Elvie's Turo-Turo, located on First Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets. There's a thread somewhere on the NYC dining board, if you care to go look for it. Elvie's is all right...the kari-kari isn't nearly as "homey" enough, their pork adobo isn't vinegary enough, but their halo-halo is quite divine. Haven't tried their dinuguan or other specialties tho, so several return visits are probably in order. Their chorizo is excellent, if memory serves. There are supposed to be others in Queens, but I haven't been to any...yet. Maybe La Nina or Toby can direct me to some...

Kerouac1964: This is not a dish with which I am familiar, although it is a typical Filipino dish that is usually served at parties or special occasions, much like embutido. Here's a link for a typical recipe. Don't cringe at the use of pickle relish and other "non-foodie" ingredients, remember the origin of this dish! We're infamous for using stuff like spam and supermarket frankfurters, or just about anything that's in the fridge...yes, even Tang and Ovaltine, to turn the ordinary into something special. For the record, one of my aunts primarily uses ground chicken, chorizo, hard boiled eggs, ground beef and raisins as the stuffing.

Here is a recipe for paksiw na isda (boiled pickled fish and vegetables). Note that pinaksiw and paksiw are interchangeable.

1 1/2 lb. bangus (milkfish) or white fish, dressed

1/2 c. distilled vinegar

1/4 c. water

pinch of salt

1/2" piece of ginger, crushed

2 hot banana peppers, seeded and chopped coarsely (Manzana or Peruvian peppers are a good substitute. if possible, try to get a pepper with a "fruity" undertone)

1/2 c. ampalaya (bitter melon)

1/2 c. eggplant, sliced

1. Cut fish into 4 slices. Place fish in a teflon or porcelain coated skillet. Add all other ingredients, except ampalaya and eggplant, cover and bring to a boil. Let simmer about 10 minutes, turning fish once to cook evenly.

2. Transfer to a covered dish and store in the refrigerator. Marinate for 2 days.

3. Reheat over moderate heat just until heated enough before serving.

4. Add ampalaya and eggplant during the last five minutes of cooking. (Sometimes, I parboil the vegetables in advance.)

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SA

[Jason Perlow]

There is actually a LOT of filippino food in Bergenfield NJ, the town adjoining Tenafly where I live. At least 4 filippino groceries that I know of (all with pre-prepared food items), and several filippino restaurants including a really good rib place.

[glenn]

What's the skinny on the rib place? There are plenty of grocery stores and restaurants in jersey city also, but the restaurants are all terrible, except for the Philippine Bread House. The rest are merely fast food places.

[Chloe]

Dinuguan, which is offal (beef hearts, liver, kidney, pig's ears, etc.), pig's blood, vinegar, chilies, garlic and onion is also very Filipino but not one we push towards Westerners, probably because of the main ingredients (the offal and the pig's blood; in fact, cooking makes the pig's blood turn black, so when you see the plate on the table, its this glistening mess of pork, offal and onions stewed in a vinegary black sauce, served over rice -- visually unappealing, but looks can be extremely deceiving since its MUY DELICIOSO).

The Dinaguan actually sounds very Portuguese! In their travels around the world, the Portuguese managed to leave a legacy of bloody and vinegary dishes: cabidela (chicken with its blood + vinegar) and sarapatel/sarrabulho (pork offal and blood + vinegar or lemon) appear in Portuguese-speaking Africa, Brazil, Goa, Macao, and East Timor, and maybe influenced this Filipino dish. These dishes are still popular in Portugal as well, although mainly prepared at home.

Chloe

from a town in north Portugal where the restaurants do actually produce one of these dishes in vast quantities!

[SobaAddict70]

A note about Filipino meal patterns:

To answer Jaymes and SuzanneF a little, foods like pancit and lumpia are considered "party dishes" -- a typical meal pattern at home might look something like this:

Breakfast: leftover from the night before or fried rice -- stir-fried with garlic, dried fish, fresh tomatoes, longaniza (Philippine sausage), and/or egg;

champorado (chocolate-flavored rice porridge), eggs cooked American style (either scrambled, sunny-side up or soft-boiled) or

pan de sal (literally, "salt bread", served as a breakfast roll).

Lunch and supper: steamed or boiled rice, accompanied by either fish or meat, with or without vegetables (more likely WITH vegetables, as there is a great emphasis in Filipino food culture on vegetables). I would say, that Filipino cuisine comes close to Indian Vedic vegetarianism, just by the importance of vegetables that the society places in its diet.

Dessert is not a part of a usual meal (except during parties). In fact, there is no word in Tagalog for "dessert". The closest to dessert that Filipinos eat are fruits. Sweets are eaten mostly during special occasions.

With abundance of Asian markets, exotic ingredients are so much more accessible. If not, substitutions provide a different touch to the original dishes. There is a great diversity of food items that are indigenous to the Philippines. Examples are variety of fruits such as mabolo (velvet apple; a relative of the persimmon), atis (sweetsop or custard apple), santol, caimito, guayabano, and a special variety of mango that ripen to a very delicate sweet taste. There are vegetables that are used in Filipino cookery that I have not seen used anywhere else with great variety, such as sweet potato tops, swamp cabbage (kangkong), malunggay (horseradish tops), bittermelon fruit, bittermelon tops, chayote, banana pith, banana palm hearts, yard long string beans, wing beans, purple yams, banana blossom, squash blossoms, sweet pepper leaves, and taro leaves. Conversely, there are known food items that Filipinos eat in a different manner. Avocado is eaten with milk and sugar not as guacamole. Jicama is peeled and eaten as a cool snack in summer. We peel sugar cane and sip the sweet juice off the sugar cane fibers. Cantaloupe is grated into spaghetti-like strips; sugar, water and juice from the scooped out section is added to the grated cantaloupe to make a cool summer drink. A similar drink is made out of young coconut.

There are a few items unique to Philippine cookery such as salted duck eggs, fertilized duck eggs, Nata de Coco (product made from coconut water), and seasonings such as fermented shrimp or fish paste. Use of annatto seeds to give dishes a slightly orange color is a common technique. Only in the Philippines can you find the following ice cream flavors without difficulty: avocado, purple yam, macapuno (coconut variety soft and slightly sticky).

SA

[Jason Perlow]

What's the skinny on the rib place?  There are plenty of grocery stores and restaurants in jersey city also, but the restaurants are all terrible, except for the Philippine Bread House.  The rest are merely fast food places.

Filippino food in Jersey probably deserves its own thread (sorry for hijacking, Soba) but its a takeout place called the Barbeque Pit (next to the Radio Shack on Washington St. in Bergenfield) and they make EXCELLENT fillipino style ribs cooked in pits. Damn good lumpia and garlic fried rice too.

[tommy]

chicken adobo: skin on or skin off.

there's this dude that i met who's filipino (is that the correct usage of the word?). i've known a lot of filipono folks over the years, but haven't really talked with them about food. but for some reason we got to talking about adobo and menudo and things of that nature. i promised him i'd try to educate myself on some filipino dishes, and i'm starting with chicken adobo.

for my first round, i'm going for a very simple version of it, with vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, bay leaf, and garlic.

does anyone have any tips? skin on or off?

[Jaymes]

I love Chicken Adobo. As soon as I read your post, I could smell it cooking.

Don't have my recipes with me, but in memory I always brown the chicken pieces, skin on, and then add them to the water with the vinegar, etc.

It IS a spectacularly easy dish. And so good.

[itch22]

There is a local Filipino grocer that I shop at, not to mention a large Filipino community, all nof whom are passonate cooks. I should get around to asking them for some recipes...

[prasantrin]

chicken adobo: skin on or skin off.

Skin on. Definitely. I don't know anyone who makes it with skin off. With leftover adobe, make adobo sandwiches. They were my mother's favourite sandwich way back when she was a college student at Maryknoll in Manila.

And don't forget the frying step. My mother, who never really learned to cook Filipino food, always skipped that step when she made it so our (my siblings and me) conception of adobo was not quite right. It's much better after it has been fried.

[prasantrin]

You forgot merienda food--we usually had cakes, puto, bibingka, ensaimada or pan de sal . Peanuts fried in garlic were common snacks for us, as well. I think it should be mentioned that the pan de sal popular now is quite different from the pan de sal of the past. It used to be be saltier and be more like hard Portuguese rolls--just flour, yeast, salt, and water though sometimes just a touch of shortening or oil is added. Now what most people associate with pan de sal is much richer and sweeter, being made with sugar and sometimes eggs and/or milk. I like both, but I consider them to be different breads.

There are vegetables that are used in Filipino cookery that I have not seen used anywhere else with great variety, such as sweet potato tops, swamp cabbage (kangkong), malunggay (horseradish tops), bittermelon fruit, bittermelon tops, chayote, banana pith, banana palm hearts, yard long string beans, wing beans, purple yams, banana blossom, squash blossoms, sweet pepper leaves, and taro leaves. 

I would disagree--many of the above are also used in Thai cuisine, for example.

I think it's also important to mention that the food of Southern Luzon (Bicol region) is more similar to the food people would associate with South-East Asia, with its use of coconut milk and chile peppers. An example of a typical Bicol dish is laing which is, to me, unlike most other Filipino food. Also, because of the strong Malaysian influence in Mindanao, the foods there also tend to be spicier than in other areas.

Living in Winnipeg, a city with a very large Filipino population (there are even areas built specifically with Filipinos in mind with Philippines-related street names), I have access to no fewer than 8 Filipino restaurants and several Filipino grocery stores. Many non-Filipinos are also well-versed in Filipino food and culture--in part because of Filipino friends, acquaintances, and in-laws, but also because of Folklorama.

[SobaAddict70]

Tommy/Jaymes:

Skin on definitely.

One of the joys of chicken adobo is that the chicken releases a lot of collagen if made properly, so in addition to all that chickeny goodness, what you usually end up with is a rich, vinegary sauce that is SOOOOOOOOO amazing the next day, since as with most stews and braised dishes (of which adobo is one), it gets better the longer it sits in the refrig.

If your chicken adobo isn't garlicky or spicy enough, add some more. More garlic can't hurt.

I'll dig around for some recipes.

prasantrin: can't speak of the cuisine of the southern Philippines since my family hails from Luzon. also did forget about merienda, mostly because I haven't had it in many years. thanks for reminding me.

Soba

[tommy]

soba and prasantrin, thanks for your input.

i'm in the middle of the "marinating" step: overnight, skin on, with everything.

i've read some recipes that suggest cooking the chicken until just about tender, and then frying the chicken separately. i don't know if this is "traditional", but i'm leaning towards this, as i think i'll like the texture.

that said, this stuff is hitting the heat tomorrow. now i'm thinking that i might be better off cooking it tomorrow, and letting it sit in the fridge one more day before serving. but, given the frying step, that doesn't make much sense as the texture would be lost in the fridge overnight.

open to suggestions.

[SobaAddict70]

That's interesting. My mom never fried chicken afterwards, although I do half fry and no fry, depending on my mood. (I'd say I prefer wet adobo to dry, but either is fine. The recipe below compromises between the two styles.) --Soba

distilled vinegar

water

garlic (preferably whole or slightly crushed)

bay leaves (2 or 3 is fine)

salt to taste

pepper to taste (whole black peppercorns are even better -- I like a lot of peppercorns)

chicken, cut into serving pieces

mushroom soy

oil

Combine vinegar, water, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper or peppercorns in a large pot or dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Add chicken and cover. Bring to a 2nd boil. Reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until chicken is tender. (I prefer our chicken literally falling off the bone.) Sprinkle with soy sauce and cook for another five to ten minutes. Remove chicken, and reduce till slightly thickened. Meanwhile, fry chicken till browned. Return fried chicken to pot, toss to coat with sauce.

Serve IMMEDIATELY with steamed rice.

[prasantrin]

Remove chicken, and reduce till slightly thickened. Meanwhile, fry chicken till browned. Return fried chicken to pot, toss to coat with sauce.

This is the way my mother said it should be done. She's Visayan, though, so it could be more a regional thing.

tommy: I'm not sure I follow your overnight plans, but if you cook the chicken, leave it overnight, then fry it the next day you should be fine. I think the frying step is more to add flavour than to crisp the chicken (especially since you put it back in the sauce after). The one time my mother did the frying step, we ate it the next day and it was fine in terms of texture.