Filipino Food Is Fantastic!

[Mooshmouse]

Pan, you might be thinking of a Filipino dessert that uses ube and taro. I'm not sure of its name... It's a lavender-colored coconut tapioca pudding that also contains cubes or ube, taro, and chewy mochi (sweet rice) dumplings. Kinda' strange to Western tastes, but I love it and would eat it frequently if it weren't for the cholesterol count!

←

It has various names: ginataang bilo-bilo, ginataang halo halo, ginataan, etc. Ginataan is the most generic and describes anything cooked with coconut milk. It's also one of my favourite Filipino desserts although I can't ever eat a big serving -- a bit too rich. It can be eaten hot or cold. My preferred variation includes taro, plantain, and jackfruit. It looks like a thick whitish soup with different colours floating about due to the fruit.

←

Thought I'd offer a photo of the ginataang bilo-bilo that I had at Josephine's last week.

For this batch, they used ube (purple yam), gabi (taro), saging na saba (plantain banana) and langka (jackfruit) in addition to the tapioca pearls (sago) and the rice-flour balls (bilo-bilo).

It's overcast and a little on the cool side here today, weatherwise. Maybe it's time to head back for another bowl of ginataan.

[PPPans]

Oh wow! This thread is jumping tonight (Philippine time)!

I've actually found two versions of Brazo de Reina:  one is similar to the Gitano, and one is the tamal that you mention.  Yes, perhaps the folks at the Latin Am section could help enlighten us about this.

←

This occurred to me just now. I wonder if the Brazo de Reina and Brazo de Mercedes were once the same Brazo de Reina Mercedes in the name of Alfonso XII's young queen who died in 1878. If we can trace when the these desserts appeared, perhaps we can solve the puzzle behind the names.

I just remembered this because there's a Reina Mercedes town in Isabela and apparently, it was ecclesiastically separated from Cauayan in 1886 in honour of the late queen.

Ok, will cross-post this on the LatAm-SouthAm thread.

Mooshmouse, I've also had lumpiang saging with macapuno and I liked it too.

Edited to say it's cross-posted now.

Edited September 15, 2005 by PPPans (log)

[SobaAddict70]

I'm glad things are alive and well back home, as well as here in America.

Just the other day I had dinuguan for the first time in ages, except that this version had chicken in it.

It was ok as far as dinuguan goes; I just don't remember having had one with shredded chicken when I was growing up.

Soba

[Mooshmouse]

I'm glad things are alive and well back home, as well as here in America.

Just the other day I had dinuguan for the first time in ages, except that this version had chicken in it. 

It was ok as far as dinuguan goes; I just don't remember having had one with shredded chicken when I was growing up.

←

Chicken?!

Is that just so that non-dinuguan eaters, when asked what it was like, can tell their friends, "Meh. It tasted just like chicken."

[stef_foodie]

i've seen many different versions of the French dacquoise, some flavored with nuts, some with chocolate, or coffee. Very similar to our Sans Rival except the combination, of cashews and buttercream seems to be our own. Although, here in the US, I've seen Sans Rival in various Filipino bakeshops and menus altered, e.g., "Chocolate Sans Rival" using French buttercream flavored with chocolate and topped with crushed almonds -- making it closer to the French marjolaine -- and "Apricot Sans Rival" with chopped up apricots in the filling, etc.

Edited September 15, 2005 by stef_foodie (log)

[stef_foodie]

I've had dinuguan with chicken! Some do it because the requisite ingredients are unavailable (like intestines) or for health reasons (e.g., my relatives, who are trying to consume more poultry instead of red meat). Although I don't understand the reasoning much since you're still using the blood of the animal. I've even had dinuguan with tofu. Not what you'd want to eat if you haven't had dinuguan in years and are missing the real thing.... but acceptable.

[PPPans]

I've had dinuguan with chicken!  Some do it because the requisite ingredients are unavailable (like intestines) or for health reasons (e.g., my relatives, who are trying to consume more poultry instead of red meat).  Although I don't understand the reasoning much since you're still using the blood of the animal.  I've even had dinuguan with tofu.  Not what you'd want to eat if you haven't had dinuguan in years and are missing the real thing.... but acceptable.

←

Stef, omitting offal significantly reduces the uric acid content of the dish. That's why some substitute other meats even if they still cook with blood. I've never had dinuguan with chicken or tofu though. I should try to cook it one of these days. Our version of dinuguan is called tidtad literally meaning 'chopped' in Kapampangan. The blood isn't mashed though, it's just sliced into tiny pieces.

Ay! Perfect for the rainy season.

Speaking of which, this month's theme for Lasang Pinoy, the monthly Filipino food blogging event, is Cooking Up a Storm. It's open to everyone, bloggers and non-bloggers alike.

Edited to add the link for last month's Lasang Pinoy round-up. We had 36 entries with recipes ranging from laing, bico, turron to pancit Molo. We hope eGullet denizens can join this month's event.

Edited September 15, 2005 by PPPans (log)

[stef_foodie]

ah, you're right, Karen. my relatives (and other Pinoys we know) are gout-sufferers, so they need to stay away from uric acid. i feel bad for them though (and probably for myself, one day, LOL) because so many of the things they love, and i'm not even talking about meat here, are culprits, e.g., mushrooms, asparagus, etc. but that topic's for another forum, i guess.

[PPPans]

ah, you're right, Karen.  my relatives (and other Pinoys we know) are gout-sufferers, so they need to stay away from uric acid.  i feel bad for them though (and probably for myself, one day, LOL) because so many of the things they love, and i'm not even talking about meat here, are culprits, e.g., mushrooms, asparagus, etc.  but that topic's for another forum, i guess.

←

To enjoy uric acid-rich Filipino food without much damage, my mom takes equal amounts of apple cider vinegar and honey (1 tbsp. each) diluted in a glass of water. Everyone who has tried it swears to its efficacy.

[Apicio]

There again the ever expanding woodwork of food naming. Dinuguan seems to be the general term and usually includes pork organ meat cooked in vinegar (or tamarind, for special occasions) and flavored with mild green pepper (sileng panigang or pamaksew). There is even a technique to get a homogenized soupy consistency that does not separate. We use no organ meat, just chopped beef chunks for our tinadtad. I asked somebody once what distinguishes tinumis from dinuguan and got an unconvincing answer that tinumis is a lot less soupy and stewyer than dinuguan.

I have grown fastidious and squeamish over the years (not to mention the ever present spectre of gout). While some people use crushed morcillas when fresh blood is not available, I simply cook my beef tinadtad now with boiled tamarind extract and banana peppers skipping the bloody business all together. Still good.

[SobaAddict70]

I'm glad things are alive and well back home, as well as here in America.

Just the other day I had dinuguan for the first time in ages, except that this version had chicken in it.  

It was ok as far as dinuguan goes; I just don't remember having had one with shredded chicken when I was growing up.

←

Chicken?!

Is that just so that non-dinuguan eaters, when asked what it was like, can tell their friends, "Meh. It tasted just like chicken."

←

It was definitely not pork and definitely not liver, kidney, heart or any other offal I am familiar with. Oh, it had all of those things, but this definitely had the texture of shredded chicken.

The pakbet was as good as ever though.

[SobaAddict70]

And they had those fat sausages, you know, reddish-brown, a little garlicky and sweet.

Speaking of sausage, I've got a hankering for Filipino chorizo, steamed in a rice cooker. The chorizo cooks as the rice cooks and flavors the rice.

*sigh*

[stef_foodie]

Thanks for the tip, Karen, my uncle has tried the apple cider cure but isn't convinced, though he hasn't tried it with honey. I'll certainly recommend this next time I talk to them!

Re tinumis, Apicio, in Laguna, my relatives call it TINUNIS or TINUNES, with an "n" instead of an "m". And yes, it's like dinuguan, but without the blood, and there are also versions that are more similar to Kilawin, with vinegar and sliced daikon.

[PPPans]

Thanks for the tip, Karen, my uncle has tried the apple cider cure but isn't convinced, though he hasn't tried it with honey.  I'll certainly recommend this next time I talk to them!

Re tinumis, Apicio, in Laguna, my relatives call it TINUNIS or TINUNES, with an "n" instead of an "m".  And yes, it's like dinuguan, but without the blood, and there are also versions that are more similar to Kilawin, with vinegar and sliced daikon.

←

Stef, I think it's in the amount taken. More for severe attacks, I suppose. Hmmm... But yes, tell him to try it with honey first. Let's see if the experiment works, hehehe!

Tinumis seems to be more from the Central Luzon Tagalogs. A blog reader from Nueva Ecija asked me for tinumis and I think it's indeed our tidtad. If without blood, for us it's kilayin or kilawin.

Soba, you could be referring to longaniza.

[Apicio]

Okay, now that we are all gathered round, in your conversations about food with others who do not have any Filipino connection, what Filipino food or food combination or flavoring really really raised some eyebrows? Do not include the usual suspect, balut.

My Mexican friends try hard not to burst with laughter whenever I mention that we eat avocados and corn (as in cream of) as dessert.

[prasantrin]

Okay, now that we are all gathered round, in your conversations about food with others who do not have any Filipino connection, what Filipino food or food combination or flavoring really really raised some eyebrows? 

Perhaps not so much now, but when I was younger my friends used to grimace at the idea of my mother's avocado "ice cream"--just frozen mashed avocado, sugar, and cream. I don't know why, but they just couldn't grasp the idea of a sweet avocado dish.

[Apicio]

Read about Rey Lim, a Philippine born chef heading a modern restaurant in Beijing. This article is from Departures of September 2002. Here is the link: http://www.departures.com/ep/ep_0902_beijing.html

[PPPans]

Ah, there they go again calling ube taro, hehehe! But interesting article! I wonder how the Chinese feel about Filipino lumpia and wouldn't it be more interesting if turon/lumpiang saging is brought there too?

As for food non-Filipino friends raise their eyebrows at: perhaps I've been fortunate enough to have had very adventurous dining companions. They seem genuinely interested in how we eat. There's actually no issue with balut (but then, many of my friends have been all over Asia). They're even game enough to try broiled mudfish and steamed vegetables with tagilo/balo-balo/burong hipon (fermented rice and shrimp paste).

[stef_foodie]

Ah, there they go again calling ube taro, hehehe!

They're even game enough to try broiled mudfish and steamed vegetables with tagilo/balo-balo/burong hipon (fermented rice and shrimp paste).

Man, everytime I see that picture, Karen, my mouth waters. I think it's because your buro is so much more appealing visually than the other buro I've seen haha!

The ube/taro is a common mistake, I think. I've seen it all too often in cookbooks, internet forums, etc. I distinctly remember seeing a discussion of it too right here on eGullet.... (looking for a minute here....) -- ah, here it is:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=51617

As for the "unusual combination" that raised eyebrows, it has to be the spaghetti with hotdogs that I serve to Americans at my children's birthday parties. I make traditional (read "authentic Italian") spaghetti to my family and fellow Pinoys, but when we have Americans over I feel I need to introduce them to our version, made with fish sauce (not that unusual since Italians put anchovies in their pasta, right?), and hotdogs (they use sausages!), and sometimes -- though I dislike this bit personally -- banana ketchup. I quite enjoyed their skepticism, and their eventual approval. Having gotten over that hurdle (the yum factor), my health-conscious mommy friends then asked -- okay, so it tastes good, now how do we make it healthy?

Edited September 16, 2005 by stef_foodie (log)

[PPPans]

Thanks for the thread Stef! I'll post the following on the tubers thread but since they are root crops eaten in the Philippines, I might as well cross-post here:

Scientific name / Common Name (English, Filipino)

Ipomoea batatas Sweet potato (E), Kamote (F)

Dioscorea alata Yam (E), Ubi (F)

Dioscorea esculenta Tugui (F)

Dioscorea hispida Nami (F)

Manihot esculenta Cassava (E), Kamoteng kahoy (F)

Colocasia esculenta Taro (E), Gabi (F)

Maranta arundinacea Arrow root (E), Uraro (F)

The above data is from a Philippine Department of Agriculture document.

[stef_foodie]

Dioscorea esculenta  Tugui (F)

Dioscorea hispida      Nami (F)

Thanks Karen! The "Tugui" I'm not familiar with. What exactly is it used for?

As for nami, my mom and I were shopping recently here (in the boondocks where I live and where there's hardly ever any ethnic food, though it has steadily been improving the past few years) and she was shocked to find Nami! (The display said "name" though.) She said that she used to eat that as a child. I asked her if we could get some so I could learn how to prepare it, but she said that it makes some people's mouths itch, and she wasn't sure what to do with it to ensure that that doesn't happen. I would LOVE to learn how to use it, if you could share a recipe.

[stef_foodie]

I'll add one more and hope people are not getting more confused . I've heard of "Buga" in the Philippines, Dioscorea fasciculata, but I don't recall ever having seen it. Any ideas?

[PPPans]

To be honest, I'll need to find the Kapampangan names to know if I've eaten any Tugui and Nami.

But the most basic recipe for root crops is boiled then eaten with sugar and grated coconut.

[Mooshmouse]

Okay, now that we are all gathered round, in your conversations about food with others who do not have any Filipino connection, what Filipino food or food combination or flavoring really really raised some eyebrows?

←

My Mom still has a tendency to eat her corn-on-the-cob and her potatoes with both butter and sugar... that's regular baked potatoes, not just sweet potatoes or yams. I used to do the butter and sugar thing with corn too when I was a kid, but now I'm trying to keep Noah from acquiring his Lola's habit so that he learns to enjoy the corn's natural sweetness on his own.

[Apicio]

Tugui is shaped like an elongated medium sized potato, circular in cross section (never flat), light brown parchment like skin with fine roots randomly sticking out. Very easy to peel and its texture is also very close to a very starchy variety of potato, not mealy but rather pasty.

How about boiled araro. So easy to peel because of the overlapping scale-like cover and so hard to eat because of the husky meat but so delicious because the flavour is so much better than your most expensive asparagus.

Edited September 16, 2005 by Apicio (log)