in this cookbook:
Chinese-Style Wheat Noodles (Pancit Canton): Pancit canton are dried yellow noodles made from wheat flour, oil, and salt. They cook quickly, and are great in stir-fries.
Fresh Wheat Noodles (Pancit Miki): Unlike many other types of pancit noodles, pancit miki are often sold fresh in the refrigerated section of Asian markets. They are made simply from wheat, water and artificial colors, though I do provide a homemade version in this cookbook (page 58).
Mung Bean Thread Noodles (Pancit Sotanghon): Pancit sotanghon, also known as bean thread, or vermicelli noodles are dried noodles made from mung bean starch and water. Before cooking with them, these noodles must be soaked in very hot water until they become soft and translucent.
RICE FLOUR AND GLUTINOUS RICE FLOUR: Regular rice flour is made from milled long-grain rice and is very fine and light in texture. Rice flour is used to make a variety of desserts and dumplings in Filipino cuisine. My grandmother uses a Thai brand of rice flour called Erawan that can be found in Asian markets. I prefer this brand as well. Glutinous rice flour (also labeled as “sweet rice flour”) is milled from short-grain glutinous rice. Glutinous rice flour is also very fine and light and used in many desserts and dumplings. Again, the Erawan brand is preferred, but the Mochiko brand of sweet rice flour can also be used, though it is not as finely textured as the Erawan brand. For certain recipes, both rice flour and glutinous rice flour are used in tandem to affect the final texture of the dish.
SALT: The Philippines has its own variety of artisanal and locally harvested sea salts that rival those produced in other parts of the world. You can find gourmet Philippine sea salts in many upscale markets and from online retailers. Though I do love to use a fine-grained Philippine sea salt in my cooking, I often use kosher salt interchangeably with my Filipino sea salt.
SAMBAL OELEK: Though not a traditional ingredient in Filipino cuisine, I do love using this spicy chili paste in marinades because it easily mixes into liquids and provides a convenient form of heat and spice. Sambal oelek chili paste can be found in small plastic jars in Asian markets, as well as in some supermarkets—either in the Ethnic aisle or right next to other commercially prepared hot sauces.
SHALLOTS: An aromatic bulb that is similar to an onion, but smaller in size and milder in flavor, shallots are used raw or sautéed along with garlic and ginger in many Filipino recipes.
SMOKED SPANISH PAPRIKA (PIMENTÓN) : Made from ground chili peppers that are first dried and smoked over oak fires, smoked Spanish paprika lends a wonderfully rich and smoky flavor and aroma when sprinkled onto meats, poultry, and fish. It can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores, and it can also be ordered online.
STICKY RICE (MALAGKIT): Not to be confused with everyday long or short-grained rice, sticky rice is primarily used in desserts and snacks in the Philippines. Also known as glutinous rice or sweet rice, sticky rice has a higher starch content than regular rice and therefore becomes more sticky and chewy when cooked—hence its name. Regular white sticky rice can be found in Asian markets right next to other rice varieties, so be careful when reading the labels. In addition, a number of heirloom rice varieties grown in the Philippines are now becoming available in gourmet markets and from online retailers, so these are worth seeking out as well.
SOY SAUCE (TOYO): Introduced to the Philippines by Chinese traders, soy sauce is used as a dipping sauce as well as a seasoning to cooked dishes. I prefer to use the low sodium variety of the Kikkoman brand in my everyday cooking.
TARO (GABI): A tropical root vegetable valued for its starchy tuber, taro must be cooked to reduce its inherent toxicity prior to consumption. Taro root imparts a nutty-sweet flavor to dishes, and is used in soups such as sinigang (page 62). Taro leaves provide the greens for laing (page 46).
TAMARIND: The green unripe variety of tamarind pods is primarily used as a souring agent in Filipino cuisine—especially in the sour soup known as Sinigang. The most accessible forms of tamarind, though, can be found in Asian markets either in blocks of pulp, jarred as concentrate, or in packets of artificially flavored powder. Because of its artificial flavors and preservatives, I tend to stay away from the powdered tamarind (though many Filipino home cooks use them in a pinch). The jarred tamarind concentrate consists of only water and tamarind and is the easiest to use—just pour the contents out. To use the blocks of tamarind, soak 3 oz (75 g) of the tamarind pulp in 1 cup (250 ml) of hot water for a few minutes, and then strain out the seeds and pulp and use the tamarind water in the recipe.
THAI CHILI PEPPERS (SILING LABUYO): Also known as Thai bird or bird’s eye chili peppers, these small fiery pods are the spice of choice in the Philippines. They can be thinly sliced and tossed raw into dipping sauces, or added to cooked dishes for extra spice. Thai chili peppers are also often pickled (page 20).
VINEGAR (SUKA) : Vinegar is perhaps the most used (and thereby important) ingredient in the Filipino kitchen, due in large part to the extended shelf life bestowed upon food cooked in vinegar—a necessary culinary “voodoo” needed for tropical climes during the days before refrigeration. But aside from its preservative powers, vinegar is also used simply because an element of sourness is the most prevalent (and preferred) flavor in Filipino cuisine. For instance, vinegar is the key player in many Filipino dishes like paksiw, kinilaw (page 36), various dipping sauces, and a variety of different marinades. And of course, adobo (page 68) is perhaps the prime example of a vinegar-based Filipino dish.
In the Philippines, a variety of locally sourced, artisanal vinegars are made from the fermented nectar, sap, or juices found in different plants or fruits grown in the surrounding areas. Luckily, many of these vinegars can be found at Asian markets. Datu Puti, Tropics, and Masagana are all good brands from the Philippines.
The vinegars I list here generally hover between 4–5 percent acidity. And while each of them provide different nuanced flavors, they can generally be substituted for each other in the recipes of this cookbook. Also, for each recipe that uses a Filipino vinegar, I do provide a more accessible alternate (e.g. apple cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar, unseasoned rice vinegar).
Palm Vinegar (Sukang Paombong): Filipino Palm Vinegar is made from the fermented sap of the nipa palm. It is named for the region of the Philippines that is known for its Palm Vinegar—Paombong. Sukang paombong is cloudy white in appearance and has subtle notes of lemon and citrus.
Coconut Vinegar (Sukang Tuba): Filipino coconut sap vinegar is made from the fermented sap of a coconut tree and is perhaps the most used vinegar in the Philippines due to the abundance of coconuts. Sukang tuba is also cloudy white in appearance, with a slightly sweet smell. Despite its provenance, coconut vinegar lacks any coconut flavor or aroma, but is instead very pungent and sour. In addition to finding coconut vinegar in Asian markets, organic varieties of coconut vinegar can also be found (for a higher price) in health food stores.
Dark Sugarcane Vinegar (Sukang Iloco): Filipino cane vinegar from the Ilocos region of the Philippines is a byproduct of Ilocano sugarcane wine known as basi. Basi is made by pressing juice from the sugarcane, cooking the juice to a thick molasses state, and then placing the molasses in clay jars. The bark from the duhat (Java plum) tree is then added to the clay jars as a flavoring and fermenting agent. The molasses first turns into the alcoholic basi wine, but if left to ferment longer and sour,
