available.
Also arising from this tropical climate was an abundance of fruit and vegetables ripe with tang. Aside from the citrus bite of calamansi, sourness was also sought out in green mangoes, tamarind, guavas, and a variety of other exotic produce.
As such, throughout the ages the collective taste of Filipinos has centered around sourness.
But to think that all Filipino food is sour would be a great underestimation. Filipino cuisine is rich in all flavors of the palate.
SAVOR EVERYTHING, WASTE NOTHING
While “nose-to-tail” eating may be somewhat of a hot trend in high-end restaurants these days, Filipinos (along with many other cultures) have long appreciated the virtues of eating whole-hog.
There are a variety of wonderfully delicious Filipino dishes in which organ meats and other “scrap” bits are used and highlighted. The Filipino use of offal is one of cultural tradition that occurred before, during, and after colonial times and still continues today. This tradition of enjoying every last bit of an animal arises not only out of thrift or necessity, but because these bits taste darn good.
Throughout this cookbook, I do provide a small sampling of such recipes to perhaps whet your beak with “real-deal” delicacies ranging from chicken feet and livers, to salmon heads, to various tasty bits of pork. These tasty bits will open a whole new delicious world of flavors and textures.
Savor them. Enjoy them.
ABOUT THE RECIPES
You’ll notice that with many of the English recipe titles throughout this book, I also provide a Filipino translation. I realize that with over 120 languages (and several hundred dialects), there is more than one way to refer to a dish. As a general rule, I tried to stick with the more common Tagalog dialect for easier identification among my Filipino readers. But there are a few instances in which I use the Ilocano terminology for a dish. In these cases, the specific dish may be one from my childhood that I learned from my grandmother, aunties, and mother.
As I mentioned earlier, my culinary viewpoint largely stems from my American upbringing in an Ilocano family originating from the Northern Philippines. With that said, I also have a unique culinary disposition from years of developing recipes for a blog read by an international audience, as well as developing recipes for a successful Filipino food truck whose customer base was the multi-ethnic hodgepodge of Los Angeles, California.
As such, the recipes I provide in this book are easy-to-follow, tried-and-true recipes that can serve as a basic guide to the pleasures of Filipino cuisine, authentic dishes that can easily be enjoyed by Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike.
But in addition to some classic and traditional recipes, I’ve also (ahem) taken some liberties with my own “new school” interpretations. These new adaptations are not meant to dilute Filipino tastes. Rather, they are creative steps in the continuing evolution of a vital cuisine, taking advantage of traditional flavors and ingredients to spark a new interest in Filipino food and culture.
Mabuhay !
Marvin Gapultos
SOME USEFUL TOOLS
In all honesty, you don't need any fancy cooking gadgets to make great Filipino food. Because of the many different ethnic influences on Filipino food, and because of the large diaspora of Filipinos living in other countries, Filipino cooking is naturally adaptable to any kitchen. Step inside the kitchen of most any Filipino grandmother and you may notice only a pot or two, some knives, and a wooden spoon (not counting the kitschy one hanging on the wall). With that said, here is a list of the few tools needed to outfit your burgeoning Filipino kitchen—a kitchen that would make any Filipino grandmother proud, or very jealous.
BOX GRATER: A simple yet durable four sided stainless steel grater can go a long way in the kitchen. Aside from grating cheese, I also use my handy box grater for shredding any number of fruits and vegetables needed to be mixed into various Filipino dishes such as lumpia, pancit, atchara and the like.
COCKTAIL SHAKER: As you’ll see in Chapter 6, “Filipino Finger Foods and Cocktails,” there is a rich history of cocktails in Filipino cuisine. As such, a good sturdy cocktail shaker is a handy and necessary tool when mixing a number of different drinks. The shaker made by OXO is a good all-around cocktail shaker that doesn’t leak and has plenty of room for liquids and ice.
DEEP FRY THERMOMETER: Filipino cuisine has more than its fair share of deep-fried delicacies. Although there are other ways of checking oil temperature (e.g. dropping a cooked rice grain into the oil to see if it sizzles), a deep fry thermometer takes the guesswork out of frying and allows you to better control and maintain the desired frying temperature. It’s also inexpensive and easy to store—more reasons why you should own one.
FINE-MESH SIEVE/STRAINER: An indispensable tool for straining stocks as well as for draining any number of fragile Filipino noodles. Choose a large metal sieve that will still fit into your largest bowl.
KNIVES: You don’t need an entire set of expensive knives to be a good cook. I know it may seem like common sense in today’s world of cooking shows and food blogs, but I’ll say it anyway: you only need one good chef’s knife. My personal knife of choice is the Shun Ken Onion Chef’s Knife. It cuts like a dream and feels like it was custom fitted to my hand. I use my Shun for everything from breaking down whole chickens, to portioning precise squares of pork belly, and my favorite—smashing cloves of garlic. But I suggest you use whatever knife is comfortable in your own hand, making sure that the knife you choose remains sharpened and honed at all times. A sharp knife is a safe knife, and a safe knife is a versatile knife.
NONREACTIVE COOKWARE: Because acidic liquids, such as vinegar and citrus juices, are used so frequently in Filipino cuisine, it’s vitally important that you use nonreactive cookware such as stainless steel or enameled cast iron. Do not use aluminum cookware as it will color acidic foods with a gray tinge. Do not use cast iron (enameled cast iron is okay) as acidic foods will leach iron from the pan. The pots and pans I used the most while writing this cookbook were a large stainless steel sauté pan for searing meats and stir-frying vegetables, and a 6-quart enameled Dutch oven for making soups, stocks, and many adobos.
OVEN-SAFE RAMEKINS: Ramekins can be used for so much more than for just holding prepped vegetables (does anyone really use ramekins for that anyway?). Ramekins with a capacity of 6–8 ounces are perfect for making individual dessert servings like Creamy Leche Flan Custard (page 138), or for more savory applications like pot pies.
RICE COOKER: Plain and simple, an electric rice cooker is an essential tool for every Asian household,
