Filipino Food Is Fantastic!

[PPPans]

Reminder: the deadline for the second edition of Lasang Pinoy is in two days (29 September). Head to Celia Kusinera’s English Patis for details of Cooking Up a Storm! We hope to have you join us!

Let me or Stef know if you need a blog to host your entry. We're more than willing to post them for you.

Edited September 27, 2005 by PPPans (log)

[Apicio]

Back to desserts. In my homily on Filipino egg-based desserts I did not remember to include Silvanas. These are oval cashew nut meringues sandwiching a butter-cream filling and then the whole thing completely dusted with sponge cake or more cashew nut crumbs, a sort of individual Sans Rival. This is a close equivalent of the French Japonais save for the shape, japonais is round, and its flavour, praliné. I find Silvanas a lot easier on the conscience to enjoy because it is by far less dense and a lot less sweet than the marvelous French Macaron.

This rounds up what I call the egg-based group of Filipino desserts that are undeniably Spanish influenced. In the bebinca/bibingka thread, commenting on one recipe of the Goan bebinca that asked for forty egg-yolks, Carol pointed out that similar desserts had been deviced in Mexico (Central America) since eggyolk was the by-product of using whites as fixative for gold leaf. They must have used a lot of it too there as witness just one of the churches so adorned, San Martin in Tepozotlán whose whole main altar gleams with gold. This is where you’ll find a collection of ivory santos that originated in the Philipppines. Back in the Iberian peninsula though, eggwhite is used to clarify wine (just like consommé). The yolks are then donated to the local convents keeping the nuns occupied (you know what they say about idle hands) confecting the yolks to, shall we say, heavenly delicacies. In the Philippines, eggwhite at one time was used as a binder for wall plaster which gave rise to this group of recipes that calls for lots of yolks.

[PPPans]

One danger we're facing everyday is the loss of recipes that have not been commercialised. Remember that these are not coded.

I was so happy when Apicio not only obliged to join Lasang Pinoy 2 but contributed an endangered recipe as well!

See the recipe and pictures for cookng gulgoria/gorgoria!

[Apicio]

Speaking of endangered recipes. I wonder if anyone here has a recipe for the real puto seco. I tried googling it but I only got butter cookies called by the same name and it made me wonder how it has metamorphed into something completely different in just a matter of thirty years. The real puto seco was a dry and powdery cookie that appeared to me made of just rice flour or rootstarch, maybe coconut milk and sugar, very fragile. They use to be sold by lady vendors from Pampanga during the October fiestas in Bataan. They sold them in three grades, depending on size and finess of the flour used. They seemed to have been baked in shallow molds 5 cm in diameter and a tad less than a centimetre thick.

I wonder too if they were related at all to Aráró , a specialty of the first town north of us. What is still commercially available there now appear to have been watered down and altered, including the shape. I watched once how they were made using antique wooden molds. The dough recipe that was actually followed was that of the original Tinapay San Nicolas. I sometimes make them (for family) up here in Canada using springerle molds from Germany. I suspect that Tinapay San Nicolas descended from Springerle because both are flavoured with anise and one of the frequently used mold motifs in Germany were those of Saint Nicholas since they are intended for Christmas. Unlike Tinapay San Nicolas though, Springerle uses a noxious leavening agent called hartshorn, our amoniaco.

And finally did you notice our penchant for dry powdery treats like the two above and polvoron and espasol. Is this a deliberate incitement to “hirin” and therefore to a drink of water?

[stef_foodie]

Speaking of endangered recipes.  I wonder if anyone here has a recipe for the real puto seco.  I tried googling it but I only got butter cookies called by the same name and it made me wonder how  it has metamorphed into something completely different in just a matter of thirty years.  The real puto seco was a dry and powdery cookie that appeared to me made of just rice flour or rootstarch, maybe coconut milk and sugar, very fragile.  They use to be sold by lady vendors from Pampanga during the  October fiestas in Bataan.  They sold them in three grades, depending on size and finess of the flour used.  They seemed to have been baked in shallow molds 5 cm in diameter and a tad less than a centimetre thick.

I wonder too if they were related at all to Aráró , a specialty of the first town north of us.  What is still commercially available there now appear to have been watered down and altered, including the shape.  I watched once how they were made using antique wooden molds.  The dough recipe that was actually followed was that of the original Tinapay San Nicolas.  I sometimes make them (for family) up here in Canada using springerle molds from Germany.  I suspect that Tinapay San Nicolas descended from Springerle because both are flavoured with anise and one of the frequently used mold motifs in Germany were those of Saint Nicholas since they are intended for Christmas.  Unlike Tinapay San Nicolas though, Springerle uses a noxious leavening agent called hartshorn, our amoniaco.

And finally did you notice our penchant for dry powdery treats like the two above and polvoron and espasol.  Is this a deliberate incitement to “hirin” and therefore to a drink of water?

←

apicio, our relatives (in laguna) can still purchasa few years ago at least when someone sent us some.

we call your araro "uraro", usually it's my papa's relatives from quezon that send this to us -- i think it's a specialty there -- my mom's fe puto seco that's exactly as you describe -- dry, powdery, and hirin-inducing -- until amily from laguna get them in liliw. though the more recent ones we've received and even those i ate in liliw in '97 were thinner than the ones i remember from my childhood.

i have fellow homeschooling moms who cook/bake according to the liturgical year and we've discussed st. nicholas sweets in depth, including speculaas and kraberli/springerle. a few of them even collect the old antique molds (whoa, are those things expensive!) just to prepare the cookies "properly". they say the hartshorn (basically a precursor of our baking powder/baking soda) isn't really an essential even when preparing *authentic* springerle/kraberli. one tip i've learned from them; they are traditionally served with some Bishop's wine/mulled wine -- perhaps it's also because they're on the dry side like our cookies?

i have a recipe of puto seco somewhere -- i'll post it here/e-mail you when i find it. -- but may be a while since we're going out of town for a couple of weeks.

Edited to say: I don't know what happened up there but that was supposed to say

"until recently my family from laguna still goes just to get them in liliw".

Edited October 2, 2005 by stef_foodie (log)

[PPPans]

We're on our third month! Kai over at the sweet blog Bucaio is hosting and she asks: "If you were a Pinoy streetfood, what would you be?"

It could be something we ate at school, was forbidden, eaten in the provinces or streetfood we closely identify with as Filipinos.

We hope to have many participants join in the fun. For the details, please read Kai's announcement.

This month’s theme is so interesting that I’ve caught myself wondering about the street food culture in other countries. It would also be nice to hear from our friends from the rest of the world. Do join in the fun!

[PPPans]

We had a wonderful time going through Filipino streetfood. Kai's round-up for Lasang Pinoy 3 is now online.

Minnette at Lafang List is hosting Lasang Pinoy 4 with It’s All Pinoy Soul Food!

Come and share your food stories with us.

[stef_foodie]

It was easy enough for the Spaniards to bring us corn from America,  after all, they ruled us for the most part through the Viceroy of Mexico where for more than a thousand years maize was the principal sustenance of the entire hemisphere.  They must have brought us the cooking process too since our preparation of binatog is so cunningly similar to that of hominy or posole (in Mexico), from the husking down to the boiling in wood ash.  The matching with grated coconut is strictly ours.

i just found a brazilian dish called canjica, also made from hominy and grated coconut. flavored with sugar *and* salt, like our binato. the difference is they also add milk and peanuts.

[Ce'nedra]

Hey, I'm planning to go to a Filipino restuarant since I've never tried Filipino cuisine so can anybody recommend some dishes for a newbie? Thanks!

[prasantrin]

Hey, I'm planning to go to a Filipino restuarant since I've never tried Filipino cuisine so can anybody recommend some dishes for a newbie? Thanks!

←

Adobo (soy sauce and vinegar braised meat--usually chicken or pork), crispy pata (fried pig's leg) and lechon (roasted suckling pig) are always popular. I like caldereta (beef stew, sort of), and bbq pork on a stick. These four things are usually sure bets at Filipino restaurants, as it's difficult to go wrong with them (though lechon can sometimes be much too dry), and everyone usually likes them.

I love fried bangus--especially the fatty stomach.

If you go for breakfast, try tocino.

If you're lucky enough to find a place with dishes from Bicol, give them a try. They're much more southeast Asian than other Filipino foods--they use more coconut milk and chiles in the area. Pinangat and Bicol Express are two examples.

[insomniac]

along with Prasantrin's recommendations, my favourites are kilauwin (sp?), especially the one made from pig intestines blanched and chopped, room temperature with a lemony dressing and finely chopped onions: pinakbet, a vegetable dish with pumpkin, bitter melon and pork bits and sinagang, which is a rich stock, normally with pork or chicken, morning glory leaves, snake beans,small taro and radish, finished with tamarind.

you'll love it Ce'nedra

[Domestic Goddess]

Imsoniac - it is spelled KILAWIN. My boozy uncles and grandpas would fix this as an accompaniment to beer and gin.

To make kilawin, you can use any boiled meat (pork, intestines, pigs ear). Cut into 2 inch slices and marinate in 1/2 cup soy sauce, 2/4 cup vinegar, sliced onions, a tsp of minced garlic, sliced bird chilis (if you like it hot) salt and pepper and set aside for about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Serve and enjoy!

Cenedra - here's list of Filipino food to try:

Pork and Chicken Adobo stew

Kare-Kare stew with sauteed shrimp paste

Sinigang Soup (whether is shrimp, milk fish or pork)

Bulalo Soup

Sizzling Sisig

Pinakbet

Arroz Caldo

Menudo

Not to mention our fabulous breakfasts!

Tapsilog - Tapa, Fried Rice and Sunny Side-up Egg

Longsilong - Longganisa (Filipino sausage), Fried Rice and Sunny side-up egg

Tosilog - Tocino, Fried Rice and Sunny side-up egg

Cornsilog - Corned Beef, Fried Rice and Sunny side-up egg

[milgwimper]

I had a friend in college and her parents made this wonderful fried fish dipped in flour and fried. Oh my...it was so delicious. To this day I could remember the taste. I wish I knew what the fish was, it was small maybe a sardine or something. I had to laugh though they didn't think I would like it, and she and I sat down and went to town!

There was another dish another friend made and I would love a name to if I could get it. It was a stew made with pork bones. reminded me of maybe ribs, or kneck bones, but it had bitter melon which I didn't like, but the soup/stew was wonderful. I think it had vegetables in it, but wasn't too sure, as I was trying to avoid the bitter melon.

[Domestic Goddess]

Milgwimper - was the fish black scaled and meaty? That would be tilapia with a dusting of cornstarch. If the fish was long and round bodied, it would be galunggung (scad). And if they were tiny 3-inch long fish, then it would be the favorite Filipino lunch - crispy fried dilis (battered anchovies).

Stew made out of pork bones and bitter melon, I have no inkling. Are you sure it was not Pinakbet? Do you know where your friend is from in the Philippines? North? South? Visayan? Ilocano?

[Ce'nedra]

Thanks so much everyone for the recommendatations!

I'll take photos of the dishes when I go and shall post it in my 'EATING OUT in SYDNEY Pictorials' thread

I'm most likely going for lunch or dinner -don't know when yet and still looking for a dining partner argh!

Also, why is it that the cuisine in Bicol is so different from the rest of the Phillipines?

[Fugu]

Coconut cream and hot peppers are widely used in the Bicol region. I stayed in Bicol, my mother's birthplace, for a few months last year and was treated to some unusual and tasty cuisine.

Some Bicol dishes that include some part of the coconut are: adodo sa gata, Laing(taro leaves), tinomok(shrimp with shredded coconut wrapped in dasmagan ng aswang leaves or substitute squash leaves or taro leaves, hulog-hulog, nilubak, Bicol express, kinunot(usually shark or skate), suman, even the dinuguan in this region has coconut nut cream.

There are over 7,000 islands in Philippines and regional cuisines vary in seasonning proportion and ingredients. My father is Kapampangan and their cooking is also very different. Burong Baboy served with steamed vegetables is a treat, almost like serving aioli with boiled vegetables.

Edited October 31, 2007 by Fugu (log)

[Fugu]

Oh, I forgot to list a favorite of mine, tabagwang but I rarely see them for sale in Bicol. These are river snails, from the mountain, cooked in ginger, garlic, onion and coconut cream. These are usually served with fiddle heads called paco and they grow by the river as well.

[insomniac]

even the dinuguan in this region has coconut nut cream.

really?? I am trying to imagine it and I think it must be an interesting addition...we are discussing this at home and will try it as soon as we can get the raw ingredient

[Fugu]

even the dinuguan in this region has coconut nut cream.

really?? I am trying to imagine it and I think it must be an interesting addition...we are discussing this at home and will try it as soon as we can get the raw ingredient

←

Last January I was fortunate enough to be in Bicol for the fiesta of Santo Nino. My aunt had a hog slaughtered and I particiapated in the butchering and cooking prep. One of the dishes cooked with offals is this dinuguan and I was surprised when I saw them use coconut cream. The other thing that surprised me was how much pork fat this dish containes.

[prasantrin]

Also, why is it that the cuisine in Bicol is so different from the rest of the Phillipines?

←

My mother speculates that the people in the area might be more pure Malay, although there are many mestisos (sp?) in the area, too.

[Domestic Goddess]

So the snails in coconut milk is called tabagwan>? Wow! That's one of my favorite lunch items.

[milgwimper]

Milgwimper - was the fish black scaled and meaty? That would be tilapia with a dusting of cornstarch. If the fish was long and round bodied, it would be galunggung (scad). And if they were tiny 3-inch long fish, then it would be the favorite Filipino lunch - crispy fried dilis (battered anchovies).

Stew made out of pork bones and bitter melon, I have no inkling. Are you sure it was not Pinakbet? Do you know where your friend is from in the Philippines? North? South? Visayan? Ilocano?

←

Doddie-

The fish fried dilis!! Ding Ding! YAY! Thanks so very much. I have been wondering what I had been eating. Man those things were good.

I don't remember where this particular friend came from in the Philippines. Wish I knew. It was pretty tasty, and the soup was thick, with bony pork and bitter melon. It was pretty tasty. Wish I had paid a little more attention to what it was called, but we were studying for O chem and well that pretty much fried my brain.

Oh Oh the snails in coconut milk! I think I need to start looking up some recipes!

[Domestic Goddess]

Milgwimper - Just for you.

Guinataang Kuhol (Snails in Coconut Milk)

Ingredients :

1 kilo of kuhol (apple snails or escargot)

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, julienned

1 head of garlic, crushed and chopped coarsely

1 onion, halved and sliced thinly

1-3 hot chili peppers

2 c. of coconut cream

1 tbsp. of cooking oil

salt and pepper

sliced leeks for garnish

Cooking procedure :

Soak the kuhol for several hours. Change the water frequently. Tap the tip of the each shell with the side of a knife. Wash several times. Drain.

Heat the cooking oil in a skillet or wok. Saute the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the sliced onion and chili pepper. Cook until transparent. Add the drained kuhol and cook over high heat. The kuhol will render water. Cook until almost dry. Pour in the coconut cream. Season with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered over miedium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost dry. Sprinkle sliced leeks on top before serving.

[milgwimper]

Doddie-

You are so awesome!! Thank you!

[Fugu]

So the snails in coconut milk is called tabagwan>? Wow! That's one of my favorite lunch items.

←

The Tabagwang snails that I am familiar with, have ridges, are black and conical shaped, about 1-2 inches long. The ends are chopped off to they are easy to suck out with the sauce..Yummm!

There are a lot of introduced, invasive species of snails in Philippines, to the point that they are pests on farms. I prefer the snails coming from mountain streams because they are less likely to be contaminated with chemical and other environmental pollutants.

My father raised petite gris in our old cooling tower pools, along with tilapia. Although I've never tried his escargots, he says feeding them with watercress, rosemary, thyme and lettuce, for 2 weeks improved the flavour.