Deep Fried Lumpia

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

In nearly four years of creating dishes for Chopstick Cinema, this is one of the tastiest little appetizers I have ever made. I already had a batch of leftover crepes in the freezer that I'd been saving for just that purpose, so all I had to do was stir-fry the filling, and assemble and deep-fry the lumpia. The filling is a combination of garlic, onions, grated carrot, shredded cabbage, and bits of cooked chicken, flavored with oyster sauce and patis. I made only a small batch of a half-dozen, and they were so delicious that I was tempted to eat them all myself without saving any for my son Will to taste. But being the sweet mom that I am, I resisted the urge and saved the last two for him.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with my 'Magnifico' 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

11:01 PM PST Permalink |

Spotlight on Spice: Chorizo

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Although the Philippines are part Southeast Asia, their culture and cuisine were strongly influenced by Portuguese traders during the Colonial Period. Therefore, Philippine food contains both Asian and Iberian elements. One such ingredient is chorizo, a spicy pork sausage often used in Philippine dishes.

Chorizo comes in many styles and forms, and the Philippines even have their own distinct adaptation of chorizo. Some chorizo is finely ground and heavily spiced bulk sausage, which comes in a non-edible casing. Other forms of chorizo are hard-cured, smoked sausages similar to salami and pepperoni. The bulk type must be cooked, however, the cured style may be sliced and eaten as is. The spice contained in both types comes from dried, smoked red peppers.

Portuguese chorizo (chouriço) is made with pork, fat, wine, paprika and salt, extruded into an edible casing, which is then smoked and dried. Another peppery Portuguese sausage called linguica is similar to Italian pepperoni.

The Philippine variety of chorizo is called longaniza, which maybe made from pork, chicken, beef, or even tuna, and is flavored with regional spices. In the region of Lucban, chorizo is heavily flavored with garlic. Guagua-style chorizo is very salty, and the variety of Philippine chorizo known as longganisang hamonado is sweet and smoky.

For my 'Magnifico' Philippine Pancit noodles, I will be substituting Portuguese-style linguica, since that's the closest I can come to the hard-cured variety of Portuguese chorizo in our local markets.

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

11:06 PM PST Permalink |

Shopping for My "Magnifico" Philippine Menu

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Shopping for my 'Magnifico' Philippine menu required several stops. One for the basics, one for the Asian ingredients, and another for the sushi-grade salmon to make the Kinnilaw. The basic list included eggs, flour, sugar, cooking oil, vermicelli noodles, evaporated milk, ginger, garlic, bell pepper, carrots, scallions, onion, cabbage, limes, chicken, pork, shrimp, and linguica. And for Asian specialty ingredients, chili garlic paste, sesame oil, coconut milk, soy sauce, patis, and rice vinegar.

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

12:59 AM PST Permalink |

Faith and Begorra! 'Tis St. Patrick's Day!

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

I've got a goodly measure of Irish blood flowing through my veins, and although I don't really celebrate the occasion anymore, growing up a good Catholic girl in a school with Irish nuns, it was always a big day for us as children. We were allowed to forego our blue-and-white pin-striped school uniforms for the "wearin' of the green," and there was always a classroom party with green cupcakes and lime Kool-Aid. And heaven knows, in all my years tending bar, I've served enough green beer to float a yacht! But there will be no green brew in my household today. I'll be in the kitchen most of the day making Philippine food instead.

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 |

Sources for Philippine Ingredients

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Most cities of significant size will have either a Filipino market, or an Asian market that carries products from the Philippines. The nearby city of Vallejo CA, just a few miles down the road from where I live, there is a fairly large Filipino community, so for me, ingredients to make Philippine cuisine are easy to come by. However, if you live in an area where there isn't a local source for Philippine ingredients, you can order them online at Pilpinomart.com.

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

11:25 PM PST Permalink |

Philippine Serving Dishes

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

When I think of the Philippines, I think of bright tropical colors, with lots of bamboo and polished hardwood, a motif that is easy to render on a home dinner table with the right components. My own servng ware inventory has lots of possibilities. I got lucky on a thrift shopping jaunt a couple of months ago and stocked up on an array of plates, bowls and side dishes in bright colors, and a trip to San Francisco's Japantown 'dollar store' last year yielded an abundance of bamboo trays and placemats. So setting a table for the dishes on my 'Magnifico' Philippine menu will be easy this time.

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

12:13 AM PST Permalink |

Special Philippine Cooking Utensils

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

As best I can tell, Filipino cuisine requires no special cookware. Of course, any meal is always easier to prepare with modern conveniences such as an electric rice cooker and grill, both of which I have. But other than that, I think my basic set of non-stick cookware, plus my wok will serve me just fine for this meal.

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

12:10 AM PST Permalink |

Beverages to Go With a Philippine Meal

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

With the exception of the Muslim population, the consumption of spirited beverages is an integral part of everyday life in the Philippines. Bars and outdoor beer gardens are popular meeting spots for the locals, where Tanduay is a preferred brand of rum, and San Miguel beer is not only the most prevalant local brand, but is also exported to countries around the world.

The rural areas are known for several types of home brews, including a wine called tuba, made by extracting the sap of the coconut trees, which is then allowed to ferment. This same coconut sap can also be distilled into a stronger spirit called lambanog. In the Cagayan Valley, the Ybanag people make a very strong corn spirit called layaw, and in the northern province of Luzon, a wine called tapuy is fermented from rice. The Kalinga and Ilocano people make a sugarcane wine called basi, and the vineyards of Cebu and Ilocos produce wine made from grapes.

The coconut wine sounds especially appealing, but if I can't find any, a nice cold San Miguel will do nicely as an accompaniment for my 'Magnifico' Philippine dinner.

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 |

Deciding on My 'Magnifico' Philippine Menu

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

Appetizer: Deep Fried Lumpia
Salad: Salmon Kinilaw
Noodles: Pancit Bijon Buisado
Main Course: Shrimp Escabeche and Pork Adobo
Side Dishes: Jasmine Rice and Spanish Pickles
Dessert: Caramel Custard

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

11:41 PM PST Permalink |

Researching Philippine Recipes

This Month's Film: Magnifico
Cuisine: Philippine

For my 'Magnifico' Philippine menu, I am considering several new dishes, and variations on Philippine classics that I have already featured. Instead of Lumpia pancake wraps, I'd like to try the deep-fried version. And instead of Escabeche made with whole fish, I want to try the same sauce, but with shrimp. And for something new, I want to make Pancit, a noodle dish that I have not featured on my two previous Philippine menus. I also found a pickle recipe that looks like a tasty side dish, and no Philippine meal is complete without a kettle of adobo.

I have found several interpretations of each of these dishes in my cookbooks, as well as plenty of recipes on the Internet. But as always, the finished dish will be uniquely my own.

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

10:14 AM PST Permalink |

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 |