Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinks

Wingin' It, Filipino Style!

Like most sports-watching, bar-hopping American males, I can ingest copious amounts of poultry flight appendages in one sitting--even more so when these appendages are varnished with a spicy glaze. Yes, I'm a chicken wing fiend. Buffalo wings, red hots, hot wings--whatever the moniker, I'll stuff my face with them.

In fact, I've found that my chicken wing consumption is directly correlated with the amount of televisions in my immediate vicinity. For example, I have a modest-sized television at home, so I eat a modest amount of hot wings as a couch potato--about 2 pounds worth (that's modest for me). But when I'm at a sports bar or other such venue and am surrounded by dozens of giant flat-screens, I tend to overindulge a bit--perhaps all the blinky lights distract me from the burgeoning pain in my belly.

Anyhizzle, with Super Bowl Sunday fast approaching, I figured now was a good time to unleash my Adobo Chicken Wing recipe upon the masses--or at least for the Filipino-philes that are also football-philes--who need a new hot wing recipe for their Super Bowl party (or for any occasion, really).

In all honesty though, this isn't a true adobo recipe (i.e. the chicken isn't braised in the necessary adobo potion of garlic, black pepper, bay leaf, vinegar, and soy/salt). Rather, it's a recipe for Crispy Chicken Wings in a Spicy-Sweet Adobo Glaze (the glaze does contain the necessary adobo potion). Despite the lack of a braise, these adobo wings are simple to prepare and tasty to boot. Trust me.

Hits From the Pasalubong Vol. 3: Tupig

As I've mentioned before (here and here), the Filipino term "Pasalubong" refers to the gifts and souvenirs that people receive from a traveler arriving from another destination. So when my cousin, Kathy, recently arrived in L.A. from the Philippines, she gifted my family with some wonderful Filipino goodies.

Now while my cuz's suitcases were full of presents like slippers and Manny Pacquiao t-shirts (sweet!), I of course was most interested in the edible gifts. Among the tasty Pinoy treats were the usual yummy suspects of chichacorn and various candies, but I was most taken by the appearance of Tupig.

Tupig is a Filipino snack that is a favorite around Christmastime--which was perfect for us as my cousin happened to arrive on Christmas Eve. More specifically though, Tupig is very similar to Suman: a Filipino delicacy of sweet glutinous rice that is wrapped and steamed in banana leaves. But what makes Tupig different from Suman is that instead of being steamed, the banana leaf parcels are grilled over an open fire, yielding a pleasantly smoky and charred flavor.

However, not all Tupig are alike. Aside from wrapping the sweet rice mixture in banana leaves, Ilocanos also like to place the rice in sections of fresh bamboo; the bamboo is then baked underground in a burried fire pit or baked over an open flame.

In whatever form it presents itself, wrapped in a leaf of stuffed in a shoot, Tupig is a wonderful example of Filipino culinary ingenuity--preparing an amazing dessert with whatever is at hand and with limited resources.

Let's take a closer look at these packages, shall we?

Lugaw is for the Children

Generally speaking, babies (of the human variety) can begin to eat semi-solid food between 4 and 6 months of age. So when my kid hit the four-month mark, and our pediatrician gave us the green light to shove spoonfuls of rice cereal into his mouth (the baby's mouth, not the pediatrician's), I was rather excited. As soon as my kid got used to the idea of rice cereal in his maw, I would begin gifting his palate with little tastes, here and there, of Filipino food.

Here in the U.S., the introductory food of choice for toothless lil' babies seems to be rice cereal because it is easy to digest and relatively bland in flavor. In the Philippines though, a rice porridge called "Lugaw" is often the first semi-solid food given to babies.

Like rice cereal, Lugaw (looh-gow) makes for a wonderful first food because it too is relatively easy for babies to digest. But unlike rice cereal, Lugaw is anything but bland as this Filipino porridge contains the essence and soul of a chicken (mwahahaha!).

Cocktail Underground

If you're a regular reader of this here blog, you may have noticed my penchant for booze and spirits. And if you're not a regular reader of this here blog, well, I've got a penchant for booze and spirits.

And although some may see my liquid inclinations as a vice and/or character flaw, I was actually able to parlay these proclivities into a print piece for the January/February issue of Mutineer Magazine (pictured above).

The subject of my article revolves around the mysterious entity known as The Pharmacie--a series of underground, invite-only cocktail parties that emerge once a month or so in Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to weasel my way into attend one of these secret parties.

Here's an excerpt from my story:

"At this point, with all the secrecy and mystery, I was half expecting a scene out of Eyes Wide Shut: masked revelers taking part in a drunken orgy of sorts, and perhaps Snoop Dogg himself would be there, situated behind the bar and cloaked in an ever-present puff of smoke while sipping on some gin and juice.

Fortunately (or perhaps sadly), no such scene unfolded. Masonic orgies or hedonistic rituals of any sort were noticeably absent, as everyone seemed to be fully clothed and sans Venetian masks. And no, Snoop Dogg was not in attendance either. So much for my imagination."

I'm sure the above makes little sense out of context, but I assure you, despite the lack of nudity and rappers at this secret soiree, a good time was had by all. And besides, I was served some truly stellar cocktails that night.

And because cameras are usually frowned upon at secret gatherings, my article is accompanied by original artwork from artist Brent Estabrook. If all that weren't enough for you, the article also includes a cocktail recipe courtesy of The Pharmacie.

To read my article in its entirety, and to learn more about the underground cocktail scene of Los Angeles, please do pick up a copy of the January/February issue of Mutineer Magazine on newsstands now.

Lastly, I do want to thank Nastassia, for hooking me up with an invite to this hush-hush party. I also want to thank Erin, of The Endive Chronicles, who first suggested to me that I try writing something for Mutineer. Thanks, ladies!