to sukang iloco. Sukang iloco is dark brown in color and somewhat mellow in flavor, though it does have a hint of sweetness to it. Although Ilocano cane vinegar can be used in a wide variety of applications, I find it best when used in Ilocano foods such as longganisa (page 93) and empanadas (page 34). When sukang iloco is used in cooked dishes, such as an adobo (page 68), the final dish will have a very subtle sweet aftertaste.
White Sugarcane Vinegar (Sukang Maasim): White sugarcane vinegar is made from fermented sugarcane syrup. Sugarcane is first pressed for its juice and sap, and then the juice and sap are cooked and left to ferment into vinegar. Sukang maasim is only slightly cloudy, almost clear, and is relatively mild in flavor. It is an all-purpose vinegar good for use in everything from adobo to dipping sauces.
WRAPPERS: With a variety of styles of lumpia available in Filipino cuisine, it might be difficult trying to decide on which wrapper to purchase when rolling your Filipino spring rolls. Here are two readily available wrappers that will produce crisp lumpia with smooth skins:
Lumpia Wrappers: Filipino lumpia wrappers are thin, nearly translucent round skins made from wheat flour, water, oil, and salt. They are most commonly sold in sizes of 9–10 in (23–25 cm) in diameter in the frozen foods section of Asian markets. They should be completely thawed before use. When fried, lumpia wrappers remain smooth and crisp rather than having any bubbles in the skin. The Tropics brand of lumpia wrappers is a good choice.
Spring Roll Wrappers: Square spring roll wrappers can be used in place of round lumpia wrappers. Spring roll wrappers are similar to lumpia wrappers in that they are also comprised of wheat flour, water, oil, and salt. And also like lumpia wrappers, spring roll wrappers are super thin and fry up smooth and crisp. However, spring roll wrappers are usually sold in 8-in (20-cm) squares, rather than rounds. I actually prefer using square spring roll wrappers when rolling lumpia because I find the square shape slightly easier to work with. I prefer the Spring Home brand of spring roll wrappers—they are usually sold frozen in packages of 25.
THE BASICS
The simple recipes in this section will go a long way toward providing a solid foundation of delightful flavors for your Filipino meals. The savory stocks create the base essence for a variety of soup and noodle dishes, providing the richness of shrimp or chicken to whatever recipe they are stirred into. And because no Filipino meal is complete without a table-side selection of sawsawan (the Pinoy term for dipping sauces), the variety of condiments, sauces, and dips described here will taste worlds better than any of the relatively expensive commercially prepared offerings that you could purchase in an Asian market. Everything, from basic sauces of soy and citrus, to homemade banana ketchup, annatto oil, pickles, and mayonnaise, will enable you and your family to further customize and tinker with the already flavorful Filipino dishes you bring to the table.
SPICY PICKLED PEPPERS SUKANG SILI
Pickled Thai chili peppers are a common Filipino condiment. The very spicy preserved peppers can be eaten whole, but they are usually chopped and served with the spicy vinegar in which they were steeped. This fiery chili vinegar is commonly known as sukang sili, and it is usually paired with fried or grilled foods.
This recipe is for use in a 16-oz (500-ml) glass jar. If using a larger container, or if you simply want to double the recipe, first place the chili peppers into the empty container, pour in enough water to cover, and then pour this water out into a measuring cup. The amount of water in the measuring cup will be the amount of vinegar you need to pickle the peppers. For each cup of vinegar, I like to add 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar, but you can adjust this to your own tastes. Feel free to use any type of chili pepper in this recipe, adjusting the size of your jar or container accordingly.
Makes 16 oz (500 ml)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
¼ lb (100 g) Thai chili peppers, washed and stems trimmed
1 cup (250 ml) white Filipino cane vinegar, or white distilled vinegar, plus more if needed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sugar, plus more if needed
2 teaspoons salt, plus more if needed
Pierce each pepper with a paring knife—this will allow the vinegar to seep into the chili peppers more quickly. Place the chili peppers into a clean glass pint jar, or other nonreactive container with an airtight lid.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pickling liquid from the heat and pour it over the chili peppers in the jar. Screw the lid onto the jar and cool to room temperature. Once cool, store the chili peppers in the refrigerator.
As the chili peppers settle and absorb the vinegar, you may find that there is additional space in the jar. If this is the case, you can add more fresh vinegar to the jar to top it off. Store the jar in the refrigerator for at least a few days before using. The chili peppers will keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks.
COOK’S NOTE: Besides using these pickled peppers and spicy vinegar as a condiment, try using them in my Bloody Mario cocktail (page 119).
SHRIMP STOCK
Asians have long known that an amazing amount of flavor can be found in the heads and shells of shrimp. Filipinos in particular love cooking head-on, shell-on shrimp and then gleefully sucking the juices from the shrimp head. So it’s a shame that such flavorful fodder often goes unused. My grandmother makes her shrimp stock by pounding the heads and shells in a bowl with a spoon and then mixing the extracted “juice” with some water. But I find my mother’s method of blitzing everything in a blender much easier. Although peeling and deveining shrimp can be tedious, it’s worth it considering that a good amount of rich stock can be made from a small of amount of shrimp heads and shells.
Makes about 8 cups (about 1.75 liters)
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
1 lb (500 g) raw, head-on, shell-on, medium shrimp
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
8 cups (1.75 liters) water
Peel and devein the shrimp, adding the shrimp heads and shells to a large pot and reserving the peeled shrimp for another use.
Place the garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns into the center of a square of cheesecloth. Gather the edges of the cheesecloth together to form a bundle, and then tie it closed with kitchen string.
Add the cheesecloth bundle to the pot with the shrimp heads and shells, and then add the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then cover the pot and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Skim off and discard any foam that rises
