As everybody knows that aside from reading and writing, I also love to cook. But I don't just cook, I experiment. The idea came about from watching too much of Gordon Elliot's Door Knock Dinners when I was young. In his show, he would go to a chosen house, have a guest chef ( like Paula Deen and Masaharu Moshimoto etc) go thru the fridge and pantry, and cook something fancy out of it. Back then, I became fascinated with cooking experiments. I would watch my mother cook and try to recreate the dish from memory. I love being in the kitchen and would often offer to cook our dinner.
When I moved here in the States, cooking Filipino dishes became a challenge. Not all the ingredients are readily available, even at Filipino stores. If I don't have the ingredients, I have to substitute it with something similar that is available locally. I would try to recreate the dish, or put a twist on it and make it an entirely different version. My main goal is, to come up with a dish that tastes different. A dish that only I can make. Back home, I only cook simple dishes, but here in the States I have taught myself to cook dishes that I wanted to eat. I'm not claiming to be a good cook. But I can say that if I want to eat a Filipino dish that I miss, then i would try to cook it, instead of buying it. I would experiment on cooking, until I reach the desired taste of the dish.
There are many Filipino dishes that I haven't experimented on, mainly because I don't eat them, or don't miss them. But if it's one of my favorites then it would be on my list. Some of the dishes that I have experimented on countless of times are dinuguan, embotido, leche flan, cassava cake, steamed puto, bibingka, maja blanca, turon, ginataang bilo bilo, pastillas de leche, lumpiang Shanghai, Spanish bread and more recently, my own version of coconut macaroons.
Sometimes my experiment would be successful in one try, if I'm lucky. Sometimes I would get it after a second try. But I would learn from my mistakes, and would do better the next time I cook it. There is no dish that I have given up, maybe the buchi that I experimented on a few weeks ago. It was a disaster, I had to throw the whole thing. But knowing myself, I would experiment on it again. Maybe one of these days.
And I'm not done with my cooking experiments. For sure, I will keep on trying to re-create dishes. It's fun and exciting. Right now I'm thinking of what food to experiment on. Any suggestions?
It's the time of the year!! Yes it's Christmas time. Eventhough I live abroad for more than a decade now, for me there is nothing like Christmas in the Philippines. Filipinos love to celebrate and Philippines has the longest time of Christmas celebration, starting with Christmas songs on the radio by September 1. Filipinos will be expecting it. Its like an unofficial signal that Christmas has started. 'Ber' months are always associated with Christmas. Decorations are already up for sale at the stores. And people are already planning what gifts to buy, what food will be served for noche buena, and what decorations to put up in the house. The holiday season will end after The Three Kings on January 6, but now the church moved it to the first Sunday after New Year.
We usually put Christmas decorations after All Saints Day. Christmas tree on the corner of the living room, wreath on the front door, Christmas lights outside the house. There would also be the Belen, it is baby Jesus in a manger, surrounded by Mother Mary, St. Joseph, the shepherds, Magi, angel and the star. The most notable Belen used to be in COD building in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.This Belen has lights and moves around, doing a mini performance. Filipinos would always make it a point to visit Cubao to see it, including the giant Christmas tree somewhere in Araneta compound. I heard the Belen has moved to San Juan, eversince COD closed.
And of course, the iconic symbol of Christmas in the Philippines which is the lantern or parol. Parol, from Spanish word 'farol" is a star-shaped lantern, usually made of bamboo and Japanese paper. But nowadays, it is more sophisticated and expensive. Some are made out of metal, plastics, shells, and wood with LED lights as added decoration. Most notable place to buy parol would be in Paranaque and Pampanga. Specifically in San Fernando, Pampanga, which is dubbed as Christmas capital of the Philippines with its annual Giant Lantern Festival. One giant lantern would cost around $11,000-15,000!!.
One of the things that most Filipinos look forward to is the Simbang gabi or night mass, it is usually held every 4 am, 9 days before Christmas. It starts at the dawn of December 16 and ends on Christmas eve, the misa de gallo. Nowadays, some church would hold mass in the evening, around 7pm, so people who can't attend a dawn mass could still attend simbang gabi. It is mostly popular to kids and teenagers, they want to complete the 9 days of waking up so early to go to mass. They would be so happy if they never miss one mass. Sad to say I have never completed the 9 days. After the mass, there would be lots of street food outside the church. Most popular would be puto bungbong (purple sticky rice cooked in bamboo) and bibingka(rice cakes), freshly cooked by the vendors. Drinks would either be salabat (ginger tea) or hot chocolate.
I remember during my childhood, me and my sisters, cousins and the rest of the kids in the neighborhood ( kababata) would make our own monito monita. It's an exchange of gifts. We would usually do it a week or two before Christmas, everyday, just gifts that costs one peso or less, to give to the person we picked from 'bunutan'. Everyday, our gift theme would change. It could either be, soft and yellow, red and crunchy, round and puffy etc. We would put our gift, without anybody seeing us so they won't know who's gift it is from, under the big caimito tree in our frontyard. On the eve of Christmas, we would have our own children's party, and reveal who's our monito or monita. It was one of my childhood memories I'm so fond of.
And who could forget the christmas party in elementary school on the last day before Christmas vacation where you were told to buy something for exchange gifts worth P10 that is appropriate for both girl or boy classmates. I swear I almost always get a bar soap hahaha.
During the night, groups of people would go house to house to sing Christmas songs. This is called caroling. Some do this for charity, fund raising, organizations etc. But mostly it's bunch of kids trying to have extra money for Christmas. I remember going with my sisters and friends, and we would bring our toy keyboard and play it while singing, we don't wanna sing a capella. Hehehe. But then neighbors are smart and remember it's us again. Some would play guitar, or small drums made out of cans, tambourines, maracas etc. Usually the carolers would sing a minimum of two Christmas songs and would say 'namamasko po' or 'Merry Christmas'' at the end of the songs. They would then wait for the homeowner to go out of the house and give money, afterwhich the carolers would sing 'Thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo, thank you' ( thank you, thank you, you are very kind, thank you). Some houses would keep their lights off to discourage carolers from going to their houses.
The most important and the highlight of the holiday is noche buena. Noche buena is the Christmas eve dinner, usually at midnight after the family hears the 11 pm mass called misa de gallo. Most popular dish would be ham, it is usually the star of the noche buena. Although now Filipinos would serve lechon. Next is queso de bola (Edam cheese). This cheese is originally from Netherlands, after a town named Edam. It is a pale yellow, round, semi-hard cheese covered with red paraffin wax. There would always be noodles, either pancit or Filipino spaghetti. Meat would either be pork barbecue, lengua estofado, menudo or kaldereta. For desert, it's either buko salad, macaroni salad, fruit salad, leche flan, buko pandan, kakanin (rice cakes), bibingka or puto bungbong. There would also be fruits, mostly round ones, for goodluck, prosperity etc.
On Christmas day, it is more relaxed in the morning, breakfast would usually include leftovers, especially ham. Children would then get ready to visit the homes of their godparents and get their Christmas gifts. Some broke godparents have been known to hide from their godchildren. Hehehe. Families would visit their relatives or have parties that is mainly singing in karaoke.
Things would settle down for a few days. Then stores and side walk vendors would be selling fireworks and firecrackers (paputok) for New Year's eve. There is nothing like New Year in the Philippines. Firecrackers are allowed in every home. I remember lighting 'luces', brave ones would light up '5-star'. It is now banned from being sold, manufactured and used. Along with watusi, big 'Judas belt', super lolo, giant bawang, whistle bomb etc. These are probably banned because they are too dangerous. Every New Year, hospitals are busy treating wounded patients, with lost fingers, hands, arms, eyes etc. Allowed firecrackers are Roman candle, trompillo, regular 'Judas belt', fountain, luces, sky rockets. As of January this year, it was reported that there were 860 injured patients during New Year's eve. Injuries are mostly firecracker related, but some are from ingestion of fireworks, and some are stray bullet injuries. Yes, some people with firearms find it funny to fire their guns during the countdown. The Department of Health is pushing for a total ban on firecrackers and partial ban on fireworks. Personally, I'm all for total ban. These firecrackers are very dangerous. Nobody wants to leave their house for fear of being hit by these firecrackers. Especially since you can't see anything on the street due to smoke emitted from these firecrackers. We could just make noise with our pots and pans! Or blow the 'torotot'!!
On the brighter side, it's still fun celebrating New Year in the Philippines. Dining table would be again filled with food for media noche. Media noche, which literally means midnight, is a midnight meal during New Year's eve. There would always be pancit for long life, 12 round fruits for prosperity for each month of the year, sticky rice cakes so fortune would 'stick' in the homes, eggs symbolizes new life. Chicken is not serve because of 'isang kahig, isang tuka', an idiomatic expression that means from hand to mouth. Again, there would be lechon, if the family can afford it, different kinds of salad are also prepared.
Some people would wear polka dot clothes. The dots would symbolize money. Wallets and pockets should have money on it. All doors are open, lights, radio and TV are on, and when the clock strikes at midnight, children would jump if they want to become taller. And no cleaning on New Year's Day, for you will sweep away the good fortune. The house should be cleaned a day or two before New Year's eve.
Most Filipinos abroad would say they still want to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the Philippines. It's different, more festive and there's nothing like it. But wherever we are, whichever country we live now, we should always remember why we celebrate Christmas. It's the birth of Jesus. It's the time for forgiving, to be merry, to rejoice. Let me be the first one to greet you 'Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon'.
One of the food that Filipinos love is lumpia. You can almost always find it during parties. It is one of the dishes that non-Filipinos like, aside from pancit and adobo. Lumpia is a stuffed pastry that originated from China and introduced all over the world. The word lumpia is derived from Hokkien word lunpia. It is eaten as an appetizer, main course or snack. Different countries have their own version of lumpia. In the Philippines, there are several varieties that are all delicious.
The most famous is lumpiang Shanghai or eggroll. This is most commonly served in parties. Kids love it. It is usually dipped with ketchup or sweet chili sauce. Contrary to its name, it didn't originate from Shanghai, China. They don't have this kind of lumpia. This lumpia is made of ground pork or beef, minced carrots, onion, bell pepper, raisins, pickles, egg and flour or breadcrumbs for binding. Whenever I have time, I would make my own lumpiang Shanghai. Two reasons, one is because it is expensive if you buy it in the store. Two, store-bought ones are made of pork, which I'm trying to stay away from... instead of pork or beef, I use ground turkey or chicken. Fish can also be used as an alternative. I remember my mother uses galunggong or bangus. Fish is boiled and shredded before it is used in lumpia. Lumpiang Shanghai is best eaten after it was deep fried, while it's still crunchy and hot.
Another favorite is lumpiang gulay (vegetable lumpia). It is also called spring roll. It has togue (bean sprout), julienned carrots and beans. Shrimp or ground pork is also added. The vegetable is usually sautéed before it is wrapped. It is also deep fried and best eaten when dipped in spicy vinegar.
Lumpiang shanghai and gulay is wrapped the same way. The filling is placed diagonally, the sides are folded and then rolled. it is sealed by either beaten eggs or flour and water as paste.
Next is Lumpiang sariwa or fresh spring roll. It is also made of vegetables. It is eaten fresh. Usually singkamas (jicama), beans, carrots and ubod are used. This is also sautéed before it is wrapped in lettuce and then a special wrapper made of egg crepe. Gravy is poured on top of the spring roll and sprinkled with toasted peanuts. The best lumpiang sariwa I have tried was the one from Goldilocks. Probably because of the gravy they use.
Another variety is lumpiang hubad. It is similar to fresh lumpia except it is not wrapped in the crepe.
A not so common lumpia that kids love is cheese eggroll. It is cheese (usually cheddar, but you can use other kinds of cheese) wrapped in lumpia wrapper. It is deep fried and best served in children's parties.
The wrapper is also used in turon. It is a snack made of banana. Saba is commonly used. It is covered with brown sugar and ripe langka or jackfruit is added before it is wrapped. It is also deep fried. Nowadays, Filipinos have different varieties of turon. Sweet potato or kamote, squash or pumpkin are also used as an alternative to banana.
Making your own lumpia is tedious and time consuming. You need at least an hour or two to be able to make it. But if you want alternative to the common lumpia sold in the market, then it is best you make your own. Local stores sells the wrapper now, in their Asian frozen isle. Common brand is Menlo or Spring Home that is only less than $2.
Guess what's for lunch today? I made home made lumpiang gulay. Lets eat!!
I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who is taking up Masters Degree in Regulatory Affairs at San Diego State University. She asked me if I am in favor of genetically engineered food. And my answer was a big NO! But then it got me thinking, how will I know if the food I'm eating is genetically engineered or not. And that's when I started researching. I have always been a firm believer that we should be responsible with whatever we eat. And I haven't been (I thought I was). Unknowingly, I have been consuming food that has been genetically engineered.
Let's start with a little detail about genetically engineered food or GM foods. They are also called genetically modified organism or GMO. These are food that has been genetically altered to resist pathogens, herbicides, or to increase its nutrients. The DNA of the food is altered by removing unwanted traits and at the same time introducing 'good traits'. Genetic engineering is the method used. In layman's term, these are mutated food.
But how do we know if the food we buy is genetically engineered or not. In 64 countries, labeling is required for all products. But not in the USA. FDA doesn't require the labeling of food with GMO. It only requires producers to label the nutrient contents of the food on the market. Although producers can voluntarily label if their product has GMO ingredient or not.
There is no known side effects of GMO. It is a general conclusion that GMO is not riskier to human health compared to conventional food, and that there is no difference between the two. But still, would you prefer to know if what you are eating is GMO or not?
Here are some common food available in the market that has been genetically engineered. Corn- as of today 90% of the corn in the market here in the US is GMO. I wonder if that's the reason why the corn here is not as sweet as the corn I eat back home. I searched a bit more and was surprised that Philippine corn is also GMO!!! In fact, Philippines is now the 12th biggest grower of genetically modified (GM) crops. USA is number one.
Another crop is soy bean, 94% of soy bean is GMO. And as of today, almost 70% of all processed food available in the market contains soy bean by-products. You can find it in salad dressings, cheese, soymilk, juice powders, cereals and soups. Next is sugar. 90 % of commercially available sugar comes from genetically modified sugar beets and cane.
I noticed that the only approved genetically modified food are crops. Aside from corn, soy bean and sugar, USA is also producing genetically modified papaya, squash, tomato, sweet pepper, alfalfa and eggplant. Soon on the market are genetically modified apple that doesn't turn brown and potato that doesn't bruise.
Genetically modified fish and animals are not approved for human consumption. This I'm glad. For decades, animals have been genetically modified to produce more muscle mass, faster growth rate, more milk production, prevent certain diseases, produce human drugs etc. As of today, there is no approved genetically modified fish and meat in the market. Although, since 1995, a genetically modified salmon is still waiting for approval. But it didn't stop the producers from marketing it commercially. In 2010, FDA has approved AquaBounty salmon safe to eat. As of today, this salmon is still undergoing assessment. These genetically modified salmon is sterile, meaning the female salmon will not breed mutant offspring. Trader Joe's, Aldi, Whole Foods and other stores wouldn't sell this fish though.
I guess the most controversial GMO is the "golden rice". It is a genetically modified rice with beta- carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A. It was designed to combat the deficiency of Vitamin A in children, which causes a high percentage of mortality (up to 2M deaths annually). Golden Rice won the Patents for Humanity Award 2015.
In the Philippines, no GMO has triggered more controversy than golden rice. Farmers are protesting, they don't want to plant the golden rice. Some farms with undergoing golden rice trials have been vandalized. Farmers said a bowl of golden rice is not enough to solve malnutrition. Even the Pope expressed his personal blessing in the usage of golden rice, although there was no official statement from the Vatican. The Golden Rice Project of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has been going on for years in the Philippines. As of today, golden rice is not yet available in the market in the Philippines because of its inconsistency in the trial results. It will only be available once it yields favorable results and approved for commercial use.
Would you be willing to eat genetically modified food? If yes, then it would be easy for you to buy food anywhere. But remember, GMO food is developed to resist pesticides and herbicides for its survivability. Therefore, its not unusual to find residue of these chemicals in GMO food. The challenge is for those people who prefer to eat a non-genetically modified food. Generally, certified organic food has no GMO, or has a minimal amount on it. In addition, it doesn't have pesticides or herbicides. It doesn't have growth promoting antibiotics. But when a product is said to be organic, it doesn't mean that it is completely GMO free. Both non GMO and GMO can be grown organically. If you want an organic food that has no GMO ingredient, look for USDA certified organic food label or non-GMO Project verified label on it.
The more important questions are. Why is there a lot of resistance to GMO? Why do we have to certify organic food? Why is there a need for GMO when our ancestors survived with organic farming? Is it really necessary to grow GMO? What motivated companies and individuals to develop and market GMO? Is it for the benefit of mankind? Or for company growth and power? Will future studies show side effects of GMO? Will this future studies prove that GMO presents health risk to us? What health risks should we be looking for? Will there be adverse effect on earth if we keep planting GMO?
