Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinks

To South Africa and Back Again

As many of you correctly guessed from my last post, I recently spent a good chunk of time in South Africa sampling various beers, liquors, and wines. I've been back home for about a week now, recovering and rehydrating, as it were.

While a good time was had by all (i.e. me), I must admit that I've returned home with a very noticeable dearth of food porn stored in my camera's memory card. After all, this was a "work" trip, so a majority of my meals were relegated to the buffet at whatever hotel/resort I happened to be staying at (not that I'm complaining). As far as the subject on which I was assigned to drink write about, you'll have to wait for my article to publish (if and when that ever happens).

In spite of my buffet blues, I did manage to squeeze in some incredible meals "on the outside" consisting of ostrich, Namibian oysters, Springbok carpaccio, biltong, lamb, lamb, and lamb. Alas, no photographic evidence exists for these culinary finds.

In addition to the great food and drink I had in South Africa, the scenery was just amazing. Amazing, I say! South Africa is truly a beautiful country--one that I hope to revisit again with my family one day.

Although I have no food pictures (what kind of blog is this?), I do have some shots from my time on a private game reserve in the Kruger National Park region of the South African bush, as well as my time in South African wine country in and around Cape Town. Enjoy.

Where in the World...

Tidings, everyone!

I'm currently out of the country--a long ways away from Burnt Lumpia Worldwide Headquarters. I figured I'd check in while I have internet access and am still semi-coherent after a couple of very long travel days and very little sleep. And for the next 10 days or so, I'll be wandering about "on assignment" for a particular magazine, sampling the local liquors and spirits of my destination.

I hope to check in on this here blog during my trip, but that may be spotty at best, depending on internet access, and how drunk I'll be.

In the meantime, I figured I'd see if anyone can guess where I am based on perhaps a very obvious clue in the picture above.

And no, I'm not in Zamunda.

More to come soon... hopefully.

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?

Dodgertown Philippines

One wouldn't normally associate Filipino food with America's Pastime, but on the evening of August 18, 2009, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be hosting Filipino Community Night at Dodger Stadium as the Dodgers will face the St. Louis Cardinals. As part of this special night, a designated "Dodgertown Philippines" section of Dodger Stadium will have access to an all-inclusive Filipino-themed menu.

That's right. Filipino food at a baseball game.

Historically, the closest proximity between Filipino food and a baseball game was when my grandpa (a hardcore Doh-jair fan) enjoyed a plate of Igado and rice while squatting in front of his TV--which was probably only last night. But I digress.

On the night of August 18, the special menu for the Dodgertown Philppines section of Dodger Stadium will include "Chicken Adobo, Philippine Style BBQ Pork, and Pineapple Spears." In addition to the Filipino menu, the Dodgertown Philippines section will also have access to All-You-Can-Eat Dodger Dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, Coca-Cola products, and water. (It would have been awesome if they offered Filipino Spaghetti made with Dodger Dogs.)

And if the Filipino food isn't enough to get you to the game, the Dodgers will also be giving away free, limited edition (limited edish, as the kids like to say) "Dodgertown Philippines" t-shirts.

So get yourself to Dodger Stadium on August 18! How often will you be able to cheer on ManRam v. PooHoles with chicken adobo in your mouth and an $8 beer in your hand alongside a raging group of other drunken Pinoys?

For more information, and to purchase tickets for Filipino Community Night at Dodger Stadium, CLICK HERE.

NOTE: If purchasing tickets, make sure you select tickets for the "MY TOWN LOWER RESERVE SECTION". No other sections have access to the Filipino menu.

Bourdain in the Philippines, and a Giveaway Winner

Here are my initial thoughts after watching tonight's episode of No Reservations: Philippines:

• Even though I was born and raised in the U.S., I am very proud to be Filipino.
• On many levels, I can very much relate to Augusto's feelings as an outsider (though I'm not sure many other Fil-Ams would admit as much).
• Overall, it was a great episode, and I hope everyone learned some new things about Filipino food and culture.
• Marketman is a God among men (did you see those piggies?!!).

And thanks to Marketman's lechon, the Philippines has moved to the top of Anthony Bourdain's Hierarchy of Pork: check out Tony's blog post about the Philippines.

And if you are wondering more about what else Tony ate in Cebu, hop on over to Market Manila for a behind-the-scenes look at what Tony called "The best pig ever."

Also, here are some of my own recipes for a few of the dishes that were mentioned on No Reservations tonight. Are my versions as good as the real thing in the Philippines? Hell no. Of course not. But I hope they are at least a good introduction to anyone wondering about Filipino cuisine.

Reminder

Don't forget! Tonight's the night!

No Reservations: Philippines
Monday February 16, at 10pm ET

And also don't forget about my giveaway for an autographed Anthony Bourdain picture.

No Reservations: Philippines, And a Giveaway!

In exactly one week from today, the Travel Channel will finally be airing the long awaited, much anticipated episode of No Reservations: Philippines. Ah yes, it's been a long time coming, but Anthony Bourdain will be presenting Filipino cuisine and culture on a worldwide stage on Monday February 16, at 10pm ET.

As such, I will be giving away the Anthony Bourdain photo you see above to one of my lucky readers, courtesy of the Travel Channel. It's an 8.5 x 11-inch photo of Tony in Indonesia. And best of all, the photo is autographed by Tony himself. Since this photo was sent to me by the Travel Channel, I'm sure the signature is legit.

For a chance to win the autographed photo, just leave a comment in this post and tell me what Filipino dishes you hope to see in next Monday's episode of No Reservations: Philippines. If you don't know any Filipino dishes, shame on you.

For an insider's look at Tony's visit to the Philippines, see this post at Market Manila, wherein Marketman shows Tony around Cebu and then treats Tony to a Lechon feast.

And for another preview of Tony in the Philippines, check out this video (thanks Alisa) of Tony and Ivan Man Dy trying out some Filipino street food:

If Marketman's post and the preview video don''t whet your appetite for No Reservations: Philippines, I don't know what will. So don't forget to tune into the Travel Channel to watch...

No Reservations: Philippines
Monday February 16, at 10pm ET

Tell a friend. Heck, tell all your friends. Tell everyone you know. Send out mass emails about this episode and air time, twitter it, face book it, tattoo it on your forehead, yell it out your windows!

All comments for this post will be accepted as entry for the giveaway and this contest will end on Monday February 16, 2009 at 11:59 PM Pacific time. I'll randomly select one winner and announce that winner on Tuesday February 17.

***UPDATE: This contest is now closed.***

Good Food, Better Company

Earlier this year, I received an email from a blogger in the Philippines named Mila. After reading one of my adobo posts, Mila (who writes the blog, Watergirl) kindly offered to send me a cookbook comprised of nothing but adobo recipes. I replied to Mila and, of course, accepted her generous offer so that I could further my research into the salty and tangy subject of adobo cookery.

After exchanging a couple more emails, Mila informed me that she and some of her friends (other Pinoy food bloggers and readers of my blog) happened to be chatting one night and decided that they all would like to meet me if I ever made my way to Manila during my trip to the Philippines.

Upon reading this bit of information, I was initially excited at the prospect of meeting people that I had become acquainted with via their own wonderful blogs and through their helpful comments left here on my own blog. But then my ego slowly started to deflate as my inherent sense of suspicion kicked into high gear. Personal experience dictates that when a group of women talk about me when I'm out of earshot, the conversation usually revolves around how huge of a dork I am, followed by giggling, more conversation about my dorkiness, and then ending with uproarious side-splitting laughter while fingers are pointed at me from afar.

In spite of (or maybe because of) my dubiousness and low self-esteem, I cautiously wrote Mila back, said it would be wonderful for all of us to meet, then closed my eyes and hit the SEND button. Because this was still a few months before my trip to the Philippines, I promptly forgot about this whole exchange no more than 30 seconds after hitting said SEND button (my short-term memory is lacking in, I forget).

A couple months later though, I received "The Adobo Book" in the mail. Inside the book was a short note from Mila reminding me that everyone would still like to meet me and my wife for dinner in Manila.

By now, I had come to grips with the fact that perhaps there does exist a type of person who would actually want to take the time and meet other human beings in a friendly atmosphere rather than incessantly mocking them. These people are called "normal", whereas people like myself are referred to as "anti-social," "paranoid," or "surly hermits". Despite my usual status as a "surly hermit," I was again excited at the prospect of meeting other bloggers and lovers of Filipino food.

So, after much planning and organizing on Mila's part (thanks again, Mila), I was able to wine and dine with a wonderful group of people on one of my last nights in the Philippines.

Hits from the Pasalubong: Vol. 2

After our stay in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, we made our way by bus to my auntie's house in Baguio for a couple of days, got on another bus, and ended our trip at another auntie's house for a couple more days in Manila. Since we weren't at either place for very long, I don't have many food pictures from Baguio and Manila. Sad, that. So instead, I figured I'd post a roundup of all the goodies I brought back home from the Philippines for my family (but mostly for me).

More hits from the pasalubong! Consider this the remix.

Locals in Ilocos

After our stay in Boracay, the wife and I traveled to Ilocos Norte, a region located in the northern part of the Philippines. More specifically, we would be staying in the town of Badoc and spending the next few days at the family home that my mother grew up in, and in which my Grandfather and another set of cousins (and a whole lot of nieces and nephews) are still residing.

At this point of our trip, we would also be meeting up with my mother (my father stayed home in L.A.). My mom actually flew to the Philippines with the wife and I, but she had been staying in Badoc while we were in Boracay. Considering the fact that my mother can get under my skin when only traveling to the end of her driveway back in California, and that she would be joining us for the remainder of our journey through the Philippines, I knew that my patience would be tested considerably (I'm joking, of course! Well, partly joking).

Even though I've been to Badoc and wandered about the other towns of Ilocos Norte before (once when I was 9 years old, then again at age 22), this place, this headquarters of my family, never ceases to amaze me. And because we'd be surrounded by family, the wife and I would easily fit in and become locals ourselves (who am I kidding, we stuck out like sore thumbs!). At the very least though, I did realize how much Ilocano I understand as I was able to follow along with conversations in the local dialect, and answer any questions back in English (I understand, but I still can't speak Ilocano).

I also knew that most, if not all, of our meals would be homecooked, so I was looking very forward to this leg of our trip. I was not disappointed.