Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinks

Cookbook Recipe Testers Wanted!

***UPDATE 12/20/11: "Boy, that escalated quickly."

Thank you all so much for showing such great interest in this cookbook! I'm thrilled with the overwhelming responses in just a short amount of time. I won't be able to choose everyone to be a recipe tester, but I will choose many many of you that have left comments. As such, the call for testers is now closed.

I'll be in touch with the selected recipe testers soon via email. Thanks again for your participation!

***

Wow. Nothing can quite sneak up on you like a LOOMING deadline. Not ninjas. Not zombies. Not zombie-ninjas. 'Tis a scary thing indeed, that deadline.

So as I'm nearing the finish line for the manuscript of my Filipino cookbook, I can't help but to feel all kinds of anxiety, worry, and downright fright. And even after the manuscript is done, there's still plenty more things that can sneak up on me before the book is really done and I can finally stop looking over my shoulder--but those are details I'll perhaps save for another time.

For now, dear readers and friends, I need your help. Pretty please.

I need recipe testers. Recipe testers of all shapes, sizes, and culinary expertise. And because this lil' cookbook of mine will be released worldwide, I need recipe testers from L.A. to Laoag and everywhere in between.

And no, you don't have to be Filipino. And heck, you don't even have to like Filipino food. Maybe after testing a couple of my recipes, I can persuade Filipino food haters to think differently about something I care very dearly about. At least that's my hope. And yes, lovers of Filipino food are welcome too, of course.

Sound good? Good!

Here's what I need from you if you're interested in being a recipe tester for my New Filipino Cookbook:

• Leave a comment in this post, making sure to leave your correct email address in the appropriate box.
• Let me know where you are from, and what your skill-level is as a cook.
• Test 2-3 of my recipes as written, and let me know about the results.
• I need your feedback by January 9, 2012!
• "Mum's" the word. Keep my recipes, concepts, and ideas to yourself! Keep it on the DL! Zip the lip! Shhhhh! If you start going around town telling people about my recipe for Hippopatamus Adobo, why would they want to buy my cookbook?

Not Hippopatamus Adobo. Or is it?

In return, my recipe testers will have the opportunity to get a sneak peak of what I've been working on for the past many months. And as a recipe tester, you'll have the chance to be a part of what I hope will be something very special for the Filipino community specifically, and the bigger food community in general. Recipe testers will also be thanked by name in the acknowledgements section of my cookbook. Woohoo!

My cookbook is due out in late 2012/early 2013 and will be published by Tuttle Publishing. The book is tentatively titled "The New Filipino-American Cookbook: A Celebration of Culture in the Kitchen and at the Table"--or something kinda sorta like that. My cookbook will present a variety of classic Filipino dishes and comfort foods with my own modern and contemporary twist on them.

Hopefully there will be some of you out there that will want to help with this little endeavor of mine. Thanks in advance to any and everyone that apply!

WTF?

Turkey, Sweet Potato, and Cranberry Empanadas

As someone who sometimes celebrates Thankgiving sans turkey [insert GASP here], I'm always looking for new and different ways to incorporate said bird into my recipes around this time of year.

Recently, while trying out different Filipino empanada recipes for a little project I've been working on, I started thinking about the raisins sometimes seen in Filipino, Spanish, and Mexican empanadas. (Spain and Mexico both have had quite the influence on Filipino cuisine via colonialism and the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, and empanadas happen to be a tasty result of that Spanish/Mexican influence).

So, while considering raisins, the dominoes started to fall.

For a change of pace and a different kind of sweetness, I thought of using dried cranberries in place of the raisins. And with the dried cranberries, turkey soon came to mind--I'd use ground turkey instead of beef or pork. And finally, because sweet potatoes (AKA Kamote) are used quite often in Filipino cooking, they were another logical addition for me.

Suddenly, without intending to, I had stumbled upon a Thanksgiving-themed empanada. Eureka! It was kinda like the time I had stumbled upon a Groundhog Day-themed adobo. OK, so that probably never happened.

Nevertheless, these empanadas are like Thanksgiving squished into a conveniently parceled pie. With these handy portable turnovers, you can now take Thanksgiving anywhere! Take that, iPad!

Papaitan: Offal & Bile Soup

I know what you're thinking.

WTF? Offal and bile soup?!!!

Yes, that is perhaps the most unappetizing description of a soup ever known to man. I mean, it's got "awful bile" in the title. But I didn't know how else to describe the Filipino soup known as Papaitan (papa-ee-tahn) because, well, it's nothing more than a hot steaming bowl of animal innards seasoned with green digestive juices. Sheesh, I'm on a roll. I should write menu descriptions for a living.

Anyhizzle, don't let the individual parts of this dish dissuade you from discovering the whole of something truly delicious. And yes, it can be delicious if bitter is your bag, baby.

Hailing from the Ilocos region of the Northern Philippines (Ilocos son, what?!!), Papaitan is usually comprised of the organ meats found within a goat such as its stomach and intestines, as well as its bitter bile. However, it can be made with beef offal as well.

With such a mish-mash of animal parts and its green hue, Papaitan is sort of the Frankenstein's Monster of Filipino cuisine (but in a good way). And I guess that makes Dinuguan the Vampire, and Sisig with brains the Zombie espesyal of Filipino food (much like Zombies, Sisig is so hot right now). But I digress.

I can't say I've had goat Papaitan, but I am quite familiar with the bovine variety as it makes an occassional appearance at my Grandmother's from time to time. That version, usually made by one of my aunties, features onions, garlic, ginger, mild chili peppers, beef meat, as well as tripe, intestines, and the heart too, methinks. While that concoction on its own can bring more than enough flavor to the party, the addition of beef bile lends that ever-so Ilocano bitter flavor profile.

And that brings me to the bile. Biologically speaking, bile is a greenish fluid that is secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder to aid in digestion. Culinarily speaking, it's bitter as hell. A spoonful is a nuclear bomb of bitterness. It's kinda like if a Double IPA were brewed from a zillion bittermelons and a touch of battery acid. So yeah. That's what bile tastes like.

Us crazy Ilocanos, we'll eat anything. But we aren't the only ones who enjoy the bracing bitterness of bile. Thais also enjoy beef bile in their Koi Soi--an Isaan dish of raw beef and bile.

But what's with the Filipino (or more specifically, Ilocano) love of bitter flavors? In her book Tikim, Doreen Fernandez wrote, "Ilocanos know that after the mildly bitter comes the pleasure of an after-sweetness, and that the word 'bittersweet' is a reality, and not a figure of speech."

And I can attest that there is definitely a sweetness that follows most bitter flavors. Admittedly though, having been raised on things like Pinakbet, I am quite biased. Much like a chiliheads' love of hot and spicy foods, I've built a tolerance and appreciation for all things bitter. And it's this bitter note that adds to the richness and complexity of so many Southeast Asian cuisines.

An Interview with Claude Tayag

Photo courtesy of Claude Tayag

To American audiences, Claude Tayag may best be known as Anthony Bourdain's Pampangan host and tour guide in the Philippines episode of No Reservations. But Claude Tayag is more than just a tour guide.

Tayag is a renowned artist, chef, and food writer in the Philippines. In addition to authoring Food Tour, a book exploring culinary traditions throughout the Philippines, Tayag is also the co-author of Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine.

And most recently, with his wife Mary Ann, Tayag co-authored Linamnam: Eating One's Way Around the Philippines--a unique and reader-friendly culinary travel guide that will lead readers to the best eats in every region of the Philippines.

[Record screech]

THE BEST EATS IN EVERY REGION OF THE PHILIPPINES??!!!

Once I get my hands on this book, I'm heading to the P.I. ASAP! Linamnam will be released in Manila on November 3 of this year.

Linamnam Nom Nom Nom

In short, Tayag is perhaps one of the foremost experts on Filipino cuisine, and it's a shame that Mr. Tayag's works aren't more readily available here in the U.S.

Now, I know that I laid it on pretty thick for Mr. Tayag in the previous paragraphs, but with good reason. I've been lucky enough to have corresponded with Mr. Tayag via a few emails for the last year and a half or so, and Mr. Tayag has always been gracious and kind to me when he didn't necessarily have to be. After all, I'm just an idiot food blogger;)

Consequently, I was supposed to have a one-on-one meeting with Tayag a couple of weeks ago at an event in San Francisco. But as luck would have it, Mr. Tayag had to cancel his trip to the U.S. at the last minute. Thankfully though, Mr. Tayag was nice enough to agree to an interview with me via a Q&A over email.

The following are Mr. Tayag's candid and very thoughtful responses to a few questions I had for him. There is much for all of us to learn from Mr. Tayag's views and expertise on Filipino cuisine.

Fresh Mango Pudding From Rasa Malaysia's New Cookbook

Aside from the occasional homemade ice cream binge, or the very rare instance where I actually bake something, I don't usually make many desserts. It's not that I don't enjoy sweets, it's just that my sweet tooth usually gets vetoed by my lazy bones.

So whenever I come across a dessert recipe where I don't have to turn my oven on, my sweet tooth can finally exercise its powers over said lazy bones. Such was the case when I was thumbing through Bee Yin Low's new cookbook, Easy Chinese Recipes: Family Favorites From Dim Sum to Kung Pao, and found a beautiful looking recipe for Fresh Mango Pudding.

Bee, if you didn't already know, is the mastermind behind the megablog Rasa Malaysia. Rasa Malaysia has been an inspiration to me since I've started my own little blog here, and now that I'm working on my own cookbook, the recipes and photographs in Bee's new book continue to inspire me as well.

(Full Disclosure: My own Filipino cookbook will be published by Tuttle, the same publisher behind Easy Chinese Recipes.)

Short Rib and Foie Gras Caldereta

Caldereta (or Kaldereta if you're nasty) is an honest to goodness meat stew influenced by both Spain and the United States, but yet remains uniquely Filipino.

Caldereta's roots in Spain can be found in its Spanish name (of course), but also in its preparation wherein Spaniards braised meat (usually mutton) and vegetables in a tomato-based sauce. Filipinos began making their own version of their colonizer's stew by utilizing goat meat and then thickening the tomato sauce with mashed pork livers (take that Spain!).

And with the American occupation of the Philippines came all the trappings of post-war convenience foods and canned goods. Soon, the likes of tomato paste, canned tomato sauce, canned pork liverwurst, and even processed cheese, all made their way into Caldereta (this all tastes a lot better than it sounds).

While I do love a warm and hearty bowl of goat kaldereta thickened with liverwurst (seriously, I do), I have tried to fancify the dish once before by making a wonderful version with beef, red wine, and a homemade chicken liver pate. And although I was quite pleased with that version, I've since found that nothing beats caldereta thickened with canned liverwurst. But there is always room for experimentation.

So when my older brother recently returned from a trip to Europe and gifted me a couple cans of foie gras, the first thing that popped into my head wasn't to eat the foie with toast points and some sort of sweet/sour fruit--it was Caldereta.

Yes, I was going use fancy canned foie gras in place of the usual $2 can of pork liverwurst in my Caldereta. This was either going to be the greatest beef stew ever made, or a complete waste of foie gras.

Swill to Twenty: Food and Wine Fundraiser

On Saturday September 10, and Sunday September 11, the 20th Anniversary Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture will take place in San Pedro, CA.

Although I've participated at FPAC in some capacity (either as an attendee, or as a vendor) for the last 4 years, I'm still amazed that this will be the 20th year of the two-day festival that brings together the best of Filipino community, heritage, and cultural pride.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, FilAm Arts will be hosting "Swill to Twenty": a kickoff Food and Wine Fundraiser on Thursday September 8. According to FilAm Arts:

"SWILL TO TWENTY", which benefits and kicks-off FPAC, takes place at Swill Automatic, one of Los Angeles Arts District’s hottest new destinations, offering a continually updated array of interesting, reasonably priced self-dispensing wines from all over the world, complemented by a dynamic menu of eclectic, Modern American bar cuisine.  (Guests must be 21 or over).

For this special fund-raising event, attendees can feast on the following selection of tapas, desserts, and drinks:

• “Longatacos” - Longsilog Tacos
• Hottentots - tater tots with Gruyere cheese and spice
• BanhMi Sliders - Filipino-Vietnamese-style pork sandwiches
  
• Moroccan Meatballs - house-made meatballs infused with North African spices in a tangy tomato sauce
• Roasted Stuffed Peppadews - tangy South African peppers, wrapped w/prosciutto & stuffed with cheese
• Dessert - Gourmet cotton candy from Tasty Clouds Cotton Candy Company
• Two Drink Coupons - for wines, beer, or wine cards (pour your own drinks)

In addition, there will also be a meet and greet with FPAC headlining artist, and Latin Soul Legend, Joe Bataan.

General admission to this event is $55, or $100 for VIP tickets. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

A portion of the proceeds benefit The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture, also known as FilAm ARTS, a multi-disciplinary community arts organization whose mission is to advance the understanding of the arts and diverse cultural heritage of Filipinos in the United States.

And if you can't make it out to the Swill to 20 kickoff party, do make sure to attend FPAC on September 10 or 11--more info on FPAC 20 coming soon...

Giveaway: Philippine Heirloom Rice

When we think of rice, we may think of only a few specific varieties.

Italian Arborio, Thai Jasmine, and Indian Basmati, for example.

But what if I told you there are rice varieties from the Philippines whose aromas, textures, and flavors are on equal footing with the world's other gourmet grains?

Considering all the rice we Filipinos eat for breakfast, stir into porridge, and wrap for dessert (not to mention our everyday steamed rice or fried rice), it may seem commonsense that of course the Philippines must grow fantastic rice. And they do.

But because of certain economic and agricultural hardships in the Philippines, it imports much more rice than it exports--which is why quality gourmet Philippine-grown rice is unknown here in the States. In fact, upon closer inspection of my own pantry, I've only got rice from Thailand (Jasmine and Glutinous), California (Calrose), and Italy (Arborio).

But thanks to Eighth Wonder, a U.S. company based in Montana, heirloom rice from the Philippines is now available to us all.

Abalone Kinilaw

I have this vague childhood memory of a cousin, or an uncle, or someone, bringing my grandparents a freshly caught abalone from who-knows-where. Upon presentation of the abalone, the household of grandparents, aunts, and uncles went absolutely bonkers--like if Ed McMahon had just handed them a check the size of two mahjong tables.

After everyone had settled down a bit, the strange-looking sea creature was then shucked and transformed into what I remember as two dishes that day: the first was some sort of abalone soup, and the second was the Philippine ceviche-like dish of kinilaw. Although that would be my only experience with abalone (at least for many many more years), I never forgot its unique and delicate flavor.

Then, many many more years later, I would be reaquainted with abalone at an epic dinner at Urasawa. After being served awabi (abalone sushi), as well as abalone liver (tasty!) that memorable night, the flavors immediately brought me back to that fateful day at my grandparents when they went ape-shit for abalone.

So what makes abalone so special? Well, for one, it tastes incredible. Although some find abalone's flavor similar to that of squid or clams, the texture of these moluscs are the closer comparison--all have a chewy bite to them. Flavorwise, I think abalone tastes like abalone. Sounds like a cop-out, but I really think the flavor of abalone is one-of-a-kind. It tastes briny and sweet and of the sea, but delicately so.

Aside from its unique flavor, wild abalone is also pretty hard to come by. Although small farm-raised abalone is plentiful and available commercially, wild Red Abalone is prized for its large size, thickness, and flavor.

In California, commercial harvesting of wild abalone is completely outlawed. The only way to obtain abalone is to dive for it yourself with a snorkel and by holding your breath--SCUBA gear is not permitted when abalone diving. Also, abalone can only be harvested north of the San Francisco bay between April and November (with a break in July). Although these regulations seem like a pain (there are many more I didn't list), they are meant to sustain and protect red abalone populations in California--which is a very good thing.

And because it's such a rare culinary treasure, abalone is a fairly pricey commodity, which is probably why my grandparents flipped out all those years back, and perhaps why abalone can only usually be found in high-end joints like Urasawa. Luckily, I scored some abalone for free (and legally) on my fishing trip a couple weeks back.

Gone Fishing

So a Filipino guy, a Japanese guy, and two Chinese guys walk onto a fishing boat...

The Japanese guy takes a deep breath of fresh sea air and says, "Looks like a good day for fishin'! Hopefully we can pull something up I can sashimi."

The Chinese guys nod, look out onto the horizon and say, "Or maybe we can steam our catch."

The Filipino guy snorts, looks around and asks, "This boat come with a deep fryer?" (Hey-ohhhhh! Insert rimshot, groans, and forced laughter here.)

And so it was this past weekend, when I joined my buddy Marc and some friends on a two-day fishing odyssey on Bodega Bay in Northern California (and no, I didn't really ask for a deep-fryer).

Prior to this outing, I had only gone fishing twice. The first time was back in college, when the afforementioned Marc and I hopped on a half-day vessel and fished out of Santa Barbara. Marc, a life-long fisherman, caught the majority of the fish that day. I, on the other hand, caught nothing but a case of the sea-shakes and puked my guts out overboard. Despite spending most of that trip lying on my back, or hunched over the side of the ship, I had a blast. Seriously.

Many years later in San Diego, I found myself on a fishing boat for the second time in my life. I actually reeled in quite a few fish that day, but it came after a late night of carousing and only 2 hours of sleep (it was for another buddy's bachelor party), so much of that excursion is a blur to me. Strangely though, I didn't get sea sick on that trip.

So when Marc recently invited me out on his personal boat for a couple of days fishing the Boogie-Down Bodega Bay, I knew I couldn't say no. And besides, I made sure that this time around I'd have plenty of rest, minimal cocktails, and prescription-strength dramamine to keep my wits about me and to keep my insides on the inside.