Ethnic Cuisine: Philippines
History
Sitting
at the very edge of South-East Asia, a country twice colonized and twice liberated, the Philippines has absorbed influences from East and West, land and sea, and its food and culture reflect them all.
In the beginning there was rice and so, of course, there is rice still. In fact, for all but the wealthiest, rice is the main food eaten three times a day and everything else is simply a condiment.
Then come the fruits of the sea. The Philippines may be a mere two-thirds the size of neighboring Indonesia, but it consists of 7,107 islands with the longest discontinuous coastline in the world. Fish and seafood by definition supply the principal and favorite source of protein.
Prior
to their contact with other cultures through trade and conquest, the 80 or more
ethno-linguistic groups of this island cluster shared certain cooking techniques
and flavor preferences, many of which are still found today despite layers of
external influence.
Early
Filipinos cooked their food minimally by roasting, steaming or boiling. The freshest
of fish was made into kinilaw, "cooked" by immersion in vinegar and
salt with ginger, onions and red peppers.
Flavors and Ingredients
With
notable exceptions, Filipino cooks and eaters still show a distinct preference
for sour and salty flavors. Sinigang, lightly boiled fish in a sour stock with
vegetables and fish sauce, typifies the foundation layer of Filipino cuisine.
The sources for these flavors go well beyond vinegar and salt. Numerous unripe fruits such as tamarind, mango and guava provide sour power as well as the tiny kalamansi, a citrus halfway between an orange and a lime, which is sour even when ripe. For salty flavoring, Filipinos rely on patis or fish sauce, bagoong or shrimp paste, and, with the arrival of the Chinese, soy sauce.
The
first set of foreign influences on Filipino cuisine came from Chinese traders
who ultimately settled there. Eager to eat the food of home, they introduced stir-frying
and deep frying. Noodles and soy products became indispensable to the food vocabulary.
But local cooks incorporated indigenous ingredients and their own preferences into foods of Chinese origin. Thus pansit, sautÈed noodles, are incomplete without a squirt or two of fresh kalamansi. And many types of lumpia, the Filipino version of spring rolls, are dipped in a sauce that consists simply of crushed garlic and vinegar.
With the Spaniards came an entirely new range of ingredients and dishes. Thick, rich stews, sausages, and dishes emphasizing meat and dairy products, they remain a luxury item today. Many show up on the table only at Christmas or fiesta time and are quickly spotted because they retain their Spanish names -- relleno, mechado, pochero, leche flan.
Adobo, perhaps the best known Filipino dish, is a product of Spanish influence. In Spanish cuisine, adobo refers to a pickling sauce made with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, paprika and salt. Filipinos selected their favorite flavors -- vinegar, garlic, bay leaf -- along with peppercorns and, more recently, soy sauce, used it for a stewing sauce for chicken and/or pork, and gave it the Spanish name.
And finally came the Americans with their all-pervasive culture and cuisine. Whereas the Spaniards reserved education for the elite, the American colonists set out to educate the entire population. Within a generation, not only did Filipinos speak English, they became consumers of American products -- Wrangler wearers, Marlboro men, Coca-cola consumers, and burger freaks.
But today's Filipino is likely to want chopped onions, garlic and soy sauce in his burger. Fried chicken, that specialty of the American deep south, will not be breaded, but marinated in soy sauce, vinegar and garlic before it is fried.
All of which goes to show that you can add to a people's range of choices, but you can't keep their culinary identity down. Through rich and tangled web of food influences, the Filipino palate asserts itself again and again.
Cookbooks
While you may find an occasional Philippine cookbook among the exotica at your local bookstore, your best bet is the Filipiniana book shops which deal exclusive in material from and/or about the homeland. Some of the best of these are to be found on the west coast and are happy to send out catalogues and provide mail-order service. They include:
Sulu Arts and Books
465 Sixth Street
San Francisco, California
94103-4794
(415) 777-2451
Sulu carries approximately 15 cookbooks or books about food. Most of these relate to the Philippines, but Sulu's scope includes other South-East Asian countries as well. Related interests covered include health and the natural sciences. Unfortunately their catalogue does not list prices so you will have to call in and ask.
Philippine Expressions
MA I L O
R D E R B O O K S H O P
2114 TRUDIE DRIVE, RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA 90275-2006
TEL (310) 514-9139 FAX (310) 514-3485
e.mail: lindanietes@earthlink.net
e.mail: BookSpecialist@PhilippineExpressions.com
website: www.PhilippineExpressions.com
Philippine Expressions carries 53 books and one video on cooking, most of it Philippine, although some relate to broader South-East Asia. Most of these are cookbooks, though some deal with foodways and folkways. Linda Maria Nietes, owner, includes detailed descriptions of each book in her 14-page culinary culture catalogue and some of them sound fascinating. Linda is informed enough about every book she carries that if you have questions, she can help you decide what might be right for you. Prices are included.
Restaurants In Major U.S. Cities
California
Los Angeles
Bayanihan Restaurant
2300
Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
(213) 383-8357
Cebu Manila
Restaurant
820 N. Western Avenue
Los Angeles, California
(213) 465-5765
Cebu Restaurant
3224 W. Vernon Avenue
Los Angeles, California
(213) 296-7326
Manila Emerald Restaurant
5174 Wilshire Boulevard
Los
Angeles, California
(213) 935-8200
Manila Goodha
3324 W. 6th Street
Los Angeles, California
(213) 384-2170
Manila Sunset
2815 W. Sunset
Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
(213) 484-5161
Ping's Fast Food
Restaurant
2829 1/4 Fletcher Drive
Los Angeles, California
(213) 666-4611
Sacramento
Chinoy Chinese & Filipino Cuisine
7850 Stockton
Boulevard
Sacramento, California
(916) 689-8221
San Francisco, Bay Area
Sulo Philippine Restaurant
1518 Webster Street
Alameda,
California
(510) 865-7889
Banaue Restaurant
11 San Pedro Road
Daly City , California
(415) 755-9936
Rose Empanada & Specialties
40 San Pedro
Daly City, California
(415) 992-9901
Tito Rey Of The
Islands
3 St. Francis Square
Daly City, California
(415) 756-2870
House Of Lumpia
380 Bush
San Francisco, California
(415) 398-5001
Kenkoy's Diner
54 Mint
San Francisco, California
(415) 957-0404
Philippine Restaurant
3619 Balboa
San Francisco, California
(415)
752-8657
Max Restaurant Of The Philippines
1155 El Camino Real
South
San Francisco, California
(415) 872-6748
Pampangena Restaurant
3720
Sonoma Boulevard
Vallejo, California
(707) 554-4909
Illinois
Cafe Ze Manila
2159 China Place
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 949-0636
D'manilans Restaurant
4416 N. Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois
(312)
271-1119
Little Quiapo Restaurant
4423 N. Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 271-5441
Pilipino-Thai Restaurant
5349 Belmont Avenue
Chicago,
Illinois
(312) 777-7760
New Jersey
Casa Victoria
687 Newark
Avenue
Jersey City, New Jersey
(201) 222-8989
Nevada
Coconut
Grove Restaurant
1436 E. Charleston Boulevard
Las Vegas, Nevada
(702)
384-2924
Margie's Philippine Gourmet
4001 S. Decatur Boulevard
Las
Vegas, Nevada
(702) 252-3931
Mayong Pilipino Restaurant & Bakery
614 S. Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, Nevada
(702) 384-5525
New Manila
Restaurant
1101 E. Charleston
Las Vegas, Nevada
(702) 388-8989
New York
Manhattan
Philippine Gardens Restaurant
325
E. 14th Street
New York, New York
(212) 777-6314
The New Metro Manila
Restaurant
188 1st Avenue
New York, New York
(212) 477-8339
Queens
Philippine Village Restaurant
113-21 Myrtle Avenue
Richmond Hill,
New York
(718) 847-5300
Manila-Thai Restaurant
69-09 Roosevelt Avenue
Woodside, New York
(718) 779-9893
Washington
Manila Cafe
3860 Delridge Way SW
Seattle, Washington
(206) 937-2349
Recipes
Sinigang na Isda (Fish Sinigang)
Sinigang can be made with fish, pork or beef. Most commonly it is made with a fresh-water fish called bangus which is now available in many cities in the US. A medium sized fish, it is simply chopped in pieces and boiled -- head, tail and all. But bangus is bony, so for those who would rather do without, we recommend salmon or rock cod. This recipe is adapted from one used by the Sulo Restaurant in Alameda, California. Modify the degree of sourness to suit your own taste.
1/2 cup or more lemon or lime juice (to taste) (or 1 cup or more green tamarind*, crushed and cut into two or three pieces)
5 cups rice water, the water left over from washing your rice
1 cup finely sliced onion
1/4 cup fresh ginger julienned
2 cups sliced tomato
1 large or two small daikon* (Chinese radish), peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 pounds bangus, salmon or rock cod steaks or filets
2 Tablespoons patis* (Filipino fish sauce)
2 bunches of spinach, cleaned and stemmed
Chopped scallions for garnish
If you would rather not have the chipped shells and seeds of tamarind in the final product, tie the tamarind loosely in a piece of cheesecloth which you can remove later. Simmer wa ter, lemon or lime juice or tamarind, onion, ginger, and tomato lightly for one-half hour. Add water if it appears to cook away too quickly.
Add daikon and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add fish and cook for another five to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Remove tamarind bundle at this point and add patis.
Add spinach and cook just until soft. Garnish with chopped scallions. Serve with rice and a small bowl or cup for the broth. Pass additional patis at the table.
Lumpia Shanghai
There are many types of lumpia, the Filipino version of China's spring rolls. Some are heavy on vegetables. Others are made with chicken or fish. For our version of Lumpia Shanghai we turned to Vicki Valdez, owner of -- what else? -- The House of Lumpia in San Francisco.
3/4 pound lean ground pork
3/4 pound shrimp, finely chopped
1/3 cup water chestnuts, chopped
1/3 cup onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 eggs
30 to 35 lumpia wrappers*
In a medium bowl, combine pork, shrimp, water chestnuts and onions. Mix them well. In a smaller bowl, beat eggs. Add salt, pepper and soy sauce and beat again. Add to meat mixture and mix thoroughly until ingredients are well blended.
Separate wrappers. Place one tablespoon of mixture at one end of wrapper. Roll tightly halfway. Fold over left and right ends of wrapper and continue rolling. Brush end of wrapper with water to seal.
Deep fry in moderately hot oil for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. If you wish to serve them in bite-size pieces, cut each lumpia diagonally into three pieces with a sharp knife. Serve hot with a sweet and sour sauce or garlic vinegar or a choice of either.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 Tb. catsup
2-3 drops hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tb. water
In a small pan combine vinegar, sugar, salt, water and catsup. Boil for two minutes. Add hot pepper sauce and corn starch. Stir well to blend. Cook for 3 more minutes at medium heat.
Garlic Vinegar Sauce
1/2 cup vinegar, preferably coconut or palm
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
Salt to taste
Mix it all together and set it out for dipping.
Adobo Pork Chops
Adobo can be made with pork or chicken or a mixture of the two. Most home cooks use pork butt cut into bite-sized chunks and stewed. Nick Mendoza, chef/owner of the Banaue Restaurant in Daly City, California, likes to use pork chops because they are more tender and cook quickly. He leaves out the traditional bay leaf and peppercorn and substitutes lemon juice for vinegar.
8 pork chops -- 1/2" thick
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 Tablespoon onion chopped
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup soy sauce
Pour just enough cooking oil into a large skillet to coat the bottom. Heat the oil and sear the pork chops, approximately 3 minutes per side.
Add garlic and brown lightly. Add onions, lemon juice, garlic and soy sauce, turn heat down and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Reduce the sauce as much as you like. Nick likes his adobo dry; others like it with plenty of sauce to go with their rice.
Fried Chicken Manong Style
Emil De Guzman spent years living with and advocating the rights of the manongs -- the first generation of Filipino immigrants who worked the fields and filled service industry positions up and down the west coast. He learned their cooking secrets and his passion for food continued though times and careers changed. This is an adaptation of his version of fried chicken which includes rosemary and parsley - not exactly Filipino herbs. But with or without rosemary, you'll have to agree that Colonel Sanders would never recognize the dish.
1 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Juice of one lemon
2 generous Tablespoon ginger, sliced thin and lightly smashed
1/2 head garlic, peeled and minced
1 small bunch parsley, chopped fine
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 chicken cut in pieces, skinned, washed and dried thoroughly
Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, parsley, rosemary and pepper. Place chicken in marinade using shallow bowl or plastic bag and turn the chicken to insure it is coated. Marinate chicken overnight, turning several times.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe lightly to remove herbs, ginger and garlic. Heat approximately 1/8" to 1/4" of oil on high. Fry 8 minutes to a side to achieve a crispy brown layer. Lower fire to medium and continue frying for another 20 to 30 minutes keeping close attention to avoid blackening or burning.
*Available in Filipino and many Chinese grocery stores.
Grocery Stores Throughout The United States
If you live in Hawaii, you don't need our help finding ingredients for Filipino food. They're all over your local grocery store. If you live anywhere else in the US, this may come in handy. Both Asian #1 in San Francisco and Fil-Am Food Mart in Jersey City will take mail orders for non-perishables. Some of these other stores are very small so it might be wise to call and make sure they have what you need.
Arizona
Manila Oriental Foodmart
3557 Dunlap Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona
(602) 841-2977
Mabuhay Filipino Food Store
2023 S.
Craycroft Road
Tucson, Arizona
(520) 747-2233
California
Los Angeles
Bohol Market
1163 Venice Boulevard
Los Angeles,
California
(213) 487-5757
Manila 99 Cents Minimart
502 Hoover
Los Angeles, California
(213) 662-6452
Sacramento
Oriental
Food Market
9180 Kiefer Boulevard
Sacramento, California
(916) 361-7120
San Francisco Bay Area
Phil-Mart
950 King Drive, Suite 109
Daly City, California
(415) 878-1611
Phil-Am Mart
4330 E. 14th Street
Oakland, California
(510) 261-1357
Sam Yick
368 8th Street
Oakland,
California
(510) 832-0662
Asian #1
4929 Mission Street
San Francisco,
California
(415) 584-4465
Philippine Grocery
3837 Sonoma Boulevard
Vallejo, California
(707) 554-3297
Colorado
Oriental Food Market
1750 30th Street
Boulder, Colorado
(303) 442-7830
Florida
Philippine
Sari-Sari Store
15327 7th Avenue
Miami, Florida
(305) 688-4533
Illinois
Bayanihan Groceries
4804 N. Clark
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 989-6934
Fely's Oriental Store
4630 N. Pulaski Road
Chicago,
Illinois
(312) 283-1661
Filipinas Oriental Food Mart
4852 N. Damen
Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 989-8565
Philippine Grocery
5750
N. California Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 334-4628
Maryland
Thai Philippine Oriental Foods
523 Gorsuch Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland
(410) 243-6193
Michigan
Oriental Food Groceries
18919 W. Seventh
Mile
Detroit, Michigan
(313) 534-7773
Minnesota
Phil-Oriental
Imports
789 University Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota
(612) 292-1325
Missouri
Asian Super Market
9538 Nall
Kansas City, Missouri
(816) 642-0690
Nevada
Mabuhay Oriental Market
616 S. Maryland
Parkway
Las Vegas, Nevada
(702) 474-4232
Manila Food Center
1416
E. Charleston Boulevard
Las Vegas, Nevada
(702) 386-1008
New Jersey
Fil-Am Food Mart
685 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, New Jersey
(201)
963-0461
New Mexico
A-1 Oriental Market
1410-F Wyoming Boulevard
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 275-9021
An Dong Oriental Market
110
Alvarado Drive, SE
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 254-1987
Ta Lin Supermarket
230 Louisiana Boulevard, SE
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 268-0206
New York
Bangkok-Manila Grocery
30-81 31
Astoria, New York
(718) 956-9811
Phil-Am
70-02 Roosevelt Avenue
Jackson Heights, New
York
(718) 899-1797
New Filipinas
181-12 Hillside Drive
Jamaica,
New York
(718) 739-2079
Phil Thai Grocers
29-24 36 Avenue
Long
Island City, New York
(718) 392-5512
Ohio
Nipa Hut Oriental
Food Mart
6775 W. 130 Street
Parma Heights, Ohio
(216) 842-7333
Tennessee
Oriental Best Food Store
3731 S. Mendenhall Road
Memphis, Tennessee
(901) 366-1570
Texas
Philippine Variety
3261 Karla Drive
Dallas, Texas
(214) 270-2334
Manila Supermarket
3901 W. FF196
Houston, Texas
(713) 397-8747
Washington
Fil-Am Oriental Foods & Gifts
15214 Aurora N.
Seattle, Washington
(206) 367-4832
Manila Mart
6051 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S.
Seattle, Washington
(206) 723-8656
Use your new-found knowledge of the Philippines by attempting the companion crossword puzzle to this article!
Nancy Freeman is a San Francisco-based freelance writer whose food stories have appeared in the San Francisco Magazine, The Contra Costa Times, Filipinas and Morsels, a publication of the American Institute of Wine and Food.