Philippine Cookbooks

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Five of my cookbooks contain recipes for traditional Philippine dishes that may provide inspiration for this month's menu: 'Martin Yan's Asia', which features a whole chapter on the Philippines; my old stand-by, Corinne Trang's 'Essentials of Asian Cuisine' has a nice selection of Philippine dishes; 'From Bangkok to Baliin 30 Minutes' has a dozen or so recipes, some traditional, some modern infusions; 'The Complete Chinese and Asian Cookbook' has lots of old-school basics, plus a few rarities not found elsewhere; and even 'The Joy of Cooking' has an impressive Philippine collection, although they are not specifically listed as Philippine, so you have to look them up by the name of each individual dish rather than finding a heading for Philippine cuisine in the index.

Martin Yan's Asia contains recipes for such classic dishes as Adobo, Empanadas, Escabeche, Lumpia, Kinilaw, and Pancit. 'Essential's of Asian Cuisine' also features different versions of many of the same recipes. And just for variety, I can look most of them up in Joy of Cooking and find yet another interpretation of the same dishes. So, with all those tantalizing Philippine recipes at my fingertips, looks like I've got plenty of inspiration for my 'Magnifico' Philippine dinner.

But just for kicks, I looked to see what Amazon.com had to offer in the way of Philippine cookbooks, and here are a few of the most promising:

Philippine Recipes Made Easy by Violeta A. Noriega

The Filipino American Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors by Jennifer M. Aranas

Authentic Recipes From The Philippines by Reynaldo G. Alejandro, Doreen G. Fernandez, Corazon S. Alvina, and Millie Reyes

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

02:58 PM PST Permalink |

Philippine Recipes on the Web

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

The Internet is a marvelous resource for recipes of all kinds, and I find myself turning to it for inspiration more often than I consult my own library of cookbooks. Here are four good websites for researching Philippine recipes:

Filipino Recipe

Kumain

Favorite Filipino Recipes

Pinoy Recipes

ThingsAsian Contributor Habeeb Salloum also has lots of his Philippine recipes posted on the website. Today's photo is a dish of his Fried Lumpia. A keyword search for 'Philippine Food' or 'Habeeb Salloum' will yield an extensive list of recipes and photos.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

03:16 PM PST Permalink |

My Philippine Cooking Experience

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

In my almost four years creating menus for Chopstick Cinema, I have prepared two Philippine meals. One to accompany American Adobo, the other to accompany Imelda: Power, Myth, Illusion. The dishes I prepared included Lumpia, Empanada, Sinigang (Tamarind Seafood Vegetable Soup), Seafood Kinilaw in Coconut Cream with Grilled Pineapple and Coconut Cole Slaw, Fish Escabeche, Chicken Adobo, Pork Adobo, Chicken Asadong Manok, Stir-Fry Bok Choy, Garlic Rice, and Iced Melon with Coconut Milk. All were delicious and turned out beautifully. So I'm looking forward to trying yet another suite of Philippine dishes for my Magnifico menu.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:19 AM PST Permalink |

Stocking a Philippine Pantry

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Although most of the basic meat, seafood and vegetable elements of Philippine cuisine are quite common, a few specialty ingredients are essential for an authentic rendition in your home kitchen. Among them are tamarind paste or powder, oyster Sauce, chili garlic sauce, black bean sauce, shrimp paste, patis, palm or rice vinegar, coconut milk, macapuno preserves, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Fresh ingredients might include limes, jicama, ginger root, hearts of palm, chayote, jackfruit, chili peppers, and for the Portuguese effect, chorizo.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

08:42 AM PST Permalink |

Popular Philippine Favorites

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Although Philippine cuisine features hundreds of delicious dishes, the most common and popular appear to be Adobo, Empanadas, Escabeche, Lumpia, Kinilaw, and Pancit. Adobo, considered the national dish of the Philippines, may be made with chicken or pork, braised in vinegar and spices. Empanadas are meat filled pastries. Lumpia are pancake wraps filled with lettuce leaves and various meats and seafood, with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce. Escabeche is a sweet-and-sour style fish dish. Kinilaw is a ceviche-like seafood dish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. And Pancit is a spicy noodle dish with a variety of meats and vegetables in a savory broth.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:11 AM PST Permalink |

About Philippine Cuisine

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Food is a way of life in the Philippines, and with it comes Filipino hospitality. The Filipino people are quick to invite visitors to join them for a meal, however if invited, it is considered polite to refuse the first invitation by saying you've already eaten, and wait for a second invitation before accepting.

A Filipino meal is typically served all at once rather than in courses, and is accompanied by a variety of condiments and dipping sauces. A little food left on the plate serves as a signal that one's appetite has been sated. Many Filipino dishes are eaten with the hands, but when silverware is used, it is customary to hold a spoon in one hand and a fork in the other, and knives are usually unnecessary.

A typical day includes three meals, which are often supplemented in between with a second breakfast called 'segundo almuerzo', and an afternoon snack called 'merienda'. In the rural areas, lunch is the main meal, whereas in the cities, the evening meal is the most substantial. Seafood, rice and vegetables are the main staples, and where there is a lack of refrigeration, the primary ingredients are purchased fresh daily, or preserved with salt.

Philippine cuisine is influenced by many cultures, most notably Spanish, Indonesian, Malaysian, Chinese, and Muslim. So, traditional dishes include such ethnically diverse ingredients as Southeast Asian patis (fish sauce), Spanish chorizo and linguica sausage, spicy chili peppers, and water buffalo cheese. Seafood is abundant, as are tropical fruits such as coconut, mango and banana. Cooking techniques are fresh and simple, with the most common being stir frying, stewing, and grilling.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:16 AM PST Permalink |

The Philippines on ThingsAsian

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Throughout the month of March, I will be preparing a variety of Philippine dishes. In the interim, ThingsAsian features an excellent collection of articles on the Philippines. Land of Wonders, Philippines by Ee Lin Wan is a good place to start.

A keyword search on ThingsAsian will yield dozens of other articles and photos.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:08 AM PST Permalink |

A Culinary Visit to the Philippines

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Now that I've seen Magnifico, I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the month researching and preparing my Philippine menu. There are so many tempting dishes I want to try, and a few others that I liked so well the first time around that I want to have another go at them, with a few variations on the original recipes. Time to get in my Asian cookbooks...

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

06:46 PM PST Permalink |

Magnifico

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

This month's feature film is a precious little bijou called 'Magnifico'. And although it hardly does it justice, here is the Netflix synopsis:

"With a daughter who suffers from cerebral palsy and a son who's lost his much-needed scholarship, an impoverished married couple begins to abandon their faith and courage in the face of such misfortune. But when a gifted young boy called Magnifico uses his goodness to magically transform their lives for the better, the family's belief in miracles is restored. Suddenly, living with adversity doesn't seem like such a burden."

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:04 AM PST Permalink |

Welcome to Chopstick Cinema for the Month of March

This Month's Film:
Cuisine:

After a long, cold winter, this month, I have a hankering for Philippine food, with its savory Portuguese influence and light tropical flavors. Not to mention the fact that I've discovered a darling Philippine film titled 'Magnifico'. So...looks like I'm off for a vicarious trip to the Philippines.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:34 AM PST Permalink |

My 'Harmonium in My Memory' Korean Recipes & Photos

This Month's Film: The Harmonium in My Memory
Cuisine: Korean

This hearty and unusual Korean menu features an array of classic dishes, including Quick and Easy Kimchi, Daikon Pickles, Kimbap Sushi, Bulgogi Beef Ribs, Pajun Pancakes, and a popular Korean favorite, Bibim Bap.

Here is a link to the Recipe & Photos.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:30 AM PST Permalink |

The Harmonium in My Memory

This Month's Film: The Harmonium in My Memory
Cuisine: Korean

To Sir With Love meets The Road Home in this endearing tale of Yun Hong-yeon, an adolescent girl with an unrequited crush on her teacher, Mr. Kang, who in turn has a crush on Miss Eun-hee Yang, a pretty fellow teacher.

Here is a link to the Film Review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

09:35 AM PST Permalink |

Cinequest 2008

Today is the opening day of the 18th annual Cinequest film festival in San Jose, CA. Each year, I watch and review all the Asian entries for ThingsAsian. This year there were seven Asian films: three from China, one from Hong Kong, one from Japan, one from India, and one from USA. All were excellent and two I think are worthy to feature on Chopstick Cinema if they make it into commercial distribution. My Cinequest 2008 Film Reviews are posted on ThingsAsian.

And in addition to the Cinequest project, I watched lots of other films this month, some wonderful, some ghastly:

Notes on a Scandal - What a delicious little gem of a film. Judi Dench and Cate Blanchette play Barbara and Sheba, two teachers at an East London school, where Sheba engages in an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of her students. While Sheba foolishly indulges her mid-life desires, Barbara has designs of her own on her alluring co-worker. Masterfully crafted with subtlety and finesse, this film is worth every frame of its 92 minute running time.

The Exorcist - While watching an episode of Good Eats on the Food Network, in which Alton Brown features green peas using a clever homage to The Exorcist, it came to my attention that my son Will had never seen it. So, being a firm believer that no culturally enlightened being can go through life never having seen The Exorcist, I put it at the top of my NetFlix list. And on a Saturday night, with a big bowl of popcorn, curled up on the sofa with Will to enjoy this old-school cult classic. Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair play mother and daughter, and when Satan himself rears his ugly head in the body of the innocent 12-year-old, the priestly Max von Sidow and Jason Miller come armed with crucifixes and holy water to drive out the forces of evil. And 35 years later, it's still the mother of all demonic possession films.

A Good Night to Die - The most pointless and self-indulgent piece of crap I have ever seen. But just for the record, Michael Rapaport and Gary Stretch play August and Ronnie, a couple of small time wannabe goodfellas who manage to botch even the simplest of jobs, all the while philosophizing on the business. Unless you're a glutton for punishment in the form of bad cinema, don't bother.

Ladron Que Roba a Ladron - This film was a delight from start to finish. What could have been just another heist movie is actually a cleverly plotted caper in which two Latino Robin Hoods go after a snake oil magnate who has duped millions of innocent and ignorant victims into believing the potions he sells can cure anything from a broken heart to terminal cancer. Smart and funny.

The Dead Girl - With a cast that features Brittany Murphy, Toni Collette, Piper Laurie, Mary Steenburgen, Marcia Gay Hardin, and Bruce Davison, how could you go wrong, right? Well not exactly. This film was unique in its presentation of a murder victim through the perspective of all the peripheral characters, but so heartless and dismal in its characterization and plotting that it managed to be at once both compelling and repellant. Watch it only if you don't mind a major buzz kill.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - What an engaging and unusual film. Tommy Lee Jones plays a livestock rancher along the Tex-Mex border, and when his good friend Melquiades Estrada turns up dead from a gunshot wound, he takes on the dual tasks of solving and avenging his murder, and transporting his friend's corpse back across the border to bury him in his hometown. Story, plot, mystery, humor, characterization,casting...all excellent.

Octane - This oldie starring Madeline Stowe and Mischa Barton as a mother and daughter on their way back home from a weekend visit with the ex-husband/dad when things turn very strange on the turnpike. It starts with a surrealistic diner and an enigmatic backpacker chick, and soon evolves into a kidnapping by a cult convoy. Good for late night fodder, but not much else.

Holiday - Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet(Amanda and Iris) swap lives in this better-than-average romantic comedy. Both women are lovelorn to the point of extremes, and on a serendipitous whim, decide via internet home-swapping service to exchange Amanda's Los Angeles mansion for Iris's cozy Sussex cottage. Predictably, both women find the perfect man, with a few extra perq's along the way. Entertaining, and good fun if you're in that sort of mood.

The Brave One - Jody Foster is a public radio host gone vigilante after her her dog is stolen and her fiancee is murdered by a band of thugs in Central Park. With an unregistered gun, she walks the streets of New York, daring anyone who crosses her path to threaten her or her fellow citizens. Terrence Howard plays the detective assigned to the swath of street murders she has cut across the city. In a game of cat-and-mouse, the two play out their gambit to an unexpected conclusion. The plot has a few conspicuous holes, but they're forgiveable for the sake of a stylish and entertaining action thriller.

Emanuelle - This classic debuted in theaters while I was still in high school. And being a good Catholic girl from a conservative family in Mobile, Alabama, no way were my parents going to give their consent for me to see it. So, 34 years later, while browsing NetFlix for Thai-themed films, I came across the title, and being all grown up and the boss of me, I gave myself permission to see it at long last. Alas, after so many years, I wish I could say that it was worth the wait. Although it may have held a certain erotic mystique in 1974, it's basically just your better-than-average soft core porn. But at least I can finally say that I've seen Emanuelle.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

01:36 PM PST Permalink |

And...ACTION! Pajun

This Month's Film: The Harmonium in My Memory
Cuisine: Korean

My Chopstick Cinema New Year's resolution was to add a monthly video clip to my blog and learn to shoot and edit cooking videos. But because I have so many projects in the works, I have to take it one step at a time. Last month, I learned how to compress a video down to a small enough size to upload to YouTube. This month, I learned how to splice and trim the sequential clips for better continuity. And on this month's video, you'll hear my son Will talking about creating audio voice-overs and sound tracks, but that's the task I've designated for next month's installment. I figure by the end of the year, I should be able to turn out something worth watching. But the Pajun pancakes were a delicious success and you can see how they're made in my humble video.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:23 PM PST Permalink |

Pajun

This Month's Film: The Harmonium in My Memory
Cuisine: Korean

These light and lovely vegetable pancakes are yet another of Korea's most common and popular dishes. They can be made with a variety of ingredients, both vegetable and seafood. I made mine with grated carrots, chopped scallions, sliced mushrooms, and julienne red and green peppers. The vegetables are mixed into a simple batter of flour, egg and water. They fry up quick and are served with a soy and rice vinegar dipping sauce.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month, along with my 'Harmonium in My Memory' film review

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:01 AM PST Permalink |