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Like many other Filipino Americans, I was absolutely looking forward to checking out Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show this past Monday as he finally featured The Philippines. Chef Bourdain has had his share of Asian cuisine having been to many nations in East, South, Central, and Southeast Asia. As long as the show has been in existence, however, he had never been to The Philippines... until now.
I couldn't help but notice all the East Coasters posting their blips about the show on Facebook three hours before the show aired Pacific time. I tried not to pay attention to all the status updates that people were posting since I wanted to have an untainted opportunity to take in the show, and see what it had to offer. I loved how everyone was talking about Bourdain's love for Philippine lechon. Being the pork lover that he is, I took much pride in the fact that he called Philippine lechon the "best ever."
For me, though, it wasn't the lechon that really sold me. Don't get me wrong, I love me a nicely roasted pig. However, I was more appreciative of the attention the show brought to the less popular aspects of Philippine cuisine.
First of all, I'm glad that they featured the Philippine dampa. The dampa is more than your run-of-the-mill palengke (market). A typical dampa is a place where vegetables and meats can be purchased. But the specialty here is the seafood. Unlike some palengkes where seafood is kept in ice, a dampa will sell only fresh catch, keeping the fish, shrimps, crabs, and other items alive and "wet" (hence the name, "dampa"). The extra-special feature here is that you can take what you've bought, and bring it over to one of the on-site restaurants to be cooked in the way that you want: adobo, sinigang, pinakbet, binagoongan, etc. It's very similar to the wharf in Long Beach, or the spot in Redondo Beach, where you can buy fresh seafood, then have it cooked any way you like. The next time you find yourself in Manila, hit up a dampa. You will not be disappointed.
Dampa in Paranaque
I'm also quite surprised that they featured pinapaitan, which is a stew generally made with baka (beef), tripe, and bile (among other things). The dish is Ilocano in origin, and is very popular in the northern (Ilocano) region of the country. It has gained popularity in other provinces where Ilocanos have migrated to and made a place for themselves (such as Zambales, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Aurora, and Nueva Ecija). But the Pampanguenos have adopted it as well, and they featured the dish, made with goat meat, on the show. To my surprise, Bourdain enjoyed it! There's definitely an acquired taste to it, and growing up I hated it. But as I got older, it became one of those dishes that I truly craved. When I'm home for the holidays, it's one of mom's/dad's dishes that I look forward to having.
Pinapaitan
I know that I've barely scratched the surface.
(Photos from du-musings.blogspot.com, manalang.com, & overseaspinoycooking.blogspot.com respectively)
POST-CHRISTMAS FEELING: Crappy.
I feel like a crappy mess. If I had to break it down, I'd say that I am suffering from 2 parts of feeling sick (a stuffy nose and itchy throat sucks) and 2 parts of feeling fat. No, wait... 8 parts of feeling fat. I act like this is all new to me, but it's a song and dance that I am all too familiar with: I get down with the post-Thanksgiving weight-loss plan, only to let that go to shit when I fly back East for Christmas. But it's not like you can help it. When you go home to a Filipino Christmas, you best realize that there is a food involved... and TONS of it. You've got eats during Noche Buena, and while that usually consists of arroz caldo and a list of sweets and desserts, you tend to indulge in obscene amounts of these things.
The food-fest continues on to Christmas breakfast, Christmas lunch, and then the Good-God-Almighty Christmas dinner. This year our dinner was made up of both traditional Pilipino and American-based dishes. To name a few...
Pancit Bihon
Dinuguan
Lechon
Roast Beef w/Baby Bok-Choy
Roasted Chicken
Sarciado (Fish)
Hawaiian-Style Macaroni Salad
Curried Chicken & Rice Salad
There were others, but my head is clouded right now. I popped a Sudafed in my mouth earlier, and now I'm starting to feel the effects... I'm loopy.
And I'm struggling to type this entry.
I think I'm stopping for now ...
So sleepy.
Just caught the women's vault final in Beijing, and I am - once again - baffled by this Cheng Fei chick from China. She did a kick-ass first vault, but her second one --not so much. She even fell on her landing. But still, her non-pretty ass still beat Alicia Sacramone, who was edged out for the bronze. I'm sorry, but this Cheng Fei chick is way whack. I'm convinced that she's getting extra points because she isn't cute.
It's ok, Alicia. At least you're pretty. But still, you were robbed.
---
This was a chill weekend for me. After having my parents and sister over last weekend, I needed some time to do absolutely nothing. I was able to finally go to the beach both yesterday and today, worked out, and I cooked tinola. If you're not familiar with Philippine cuisine, tinola is one of the staples. But for some strange reason, I've always felt like it's such a difficult dish to make. But, as I realized, it's super easy. Here's what I did...
Ingredients:
- chicken (I used drummettes)
- papaya (peeled and sliced into wedges)
- garlic (minced)
- onion (sliced)
- ginger (sliced into thin strips)
- water
- patis (Philippine fish sauce)
- ground black pepper and whole peppercorns
- cooking oil
I also tend to use something green - as in leafy and green. But I didn't have anything in the fridge. Oh well.
I pre-heated a pot, and added some cooking oil (not a lot). I sauted the garlic until it started to brown a little. Then I added the onion, the chicken, and the ginger. I stir-fried these items, and then added pepper and some peppercorns. When the chicken started to brown, I added enough water to just submerge everything, and I added patis for taste. Once the chicken started to look close to done, I threw in the papaya wedges, and let the stew cook some more. Next thing you knew, it was done! And it was GOOD. Actually, at first it was a little tabang (bland), so I added more patis.
I need to cook Philippine cuisine more often. I just get super lazy. My next venture will most likely be ginataang manok sa pina... I'll explain later. Hee.
This isn't my a pic of my dish, nor is this my picture (thanks to nicoteena from flickr.com...!). But this is pretty much what it looked like.
I got a very random text (from one of my boyz at work) last night, and it rattled me a little at first. But when I finally “got it” I was literally on the floor, ready to laugh out my liver. This is exactly how the text went:
“That’s so cool that you are at Jollibee right now. What’s that? You’re not? Oh that’s right, I’m at Jollibee. Not you. Thanks for asking tho”
At first I was like, “WHAT THE EFF?!” And then when I realized what was going on, I totally laughed, but had to ask myself “What the hell is TJ doing at Jollibee?!” TJ, you see, is one of my boyz from the office. And the extra-cool thing is that he is from the hood! He is a home-grown white boy from PG County. Yes, I said it – “PG COUNTY.” Yes, we be lunchin’… we be talkin’ about go-go… we be reminiscin’ about our stories from the Beltway… and we both went to the “OG” science and tech high schools from around the way (Roosevelt and Oxon Hill). So on many levels, this guy is a straight-up homey. And he went to Jollibee last night. WTF?!
Mel, TJ’s girlfriend, lives close to the Jollibee that’s on Beverly –somewhere near K-Town and the sprinkling of Philippine-owned businesses in that part of Los Angeles. In their quest for food last night, they decided to drive around – and when they saw Jollibee, a light bulb flickered in Mel’s head. I, along with the dusting of other Filipinos in the office, have had discussions with TJ (and the rest of the gang) about J-bee, and from the sounds of it – the lil’ spot has piqued their curiosities every once in a while (like when they’d drive by). But last night was the night, and TJ and Mel took the plunge into the rabbit-hole leading to Philippine fast-food land. Emm.
So this morning, TJ brings over a menu (which he ganked), and tells me about his little adventure. He and Mel came super close to ordering the Palabok Fiesta (which, for you non-knowers, is a Philippine noodle dish of cornstarch bihon noodles, and a garlic-flavored sauce topped with pork strips, crunchy pork cracklings, bay shrimps, scallions, and hard boiled egg slices; total YUM for native eaters, but a bit on the scarier side for others). Instead they opted for safer choices: TJ went with the Yumburger w/TLC (uh, that’s Tomato, Lettuce, and Cheese – LOL) meal, and Mel took a more daring approach and got the Amazing Aloha (burger with bacon, lettuce, cheese and a juicy pineapple) meal. TJ wasn’t feelin’ the Yumburger, but he said that the fries AND Mel’s Amazing Aloha burger were actually yu-hummm. So their foray into Pinoy Fast Food-ology was not a complete waste. (HA.)
For those who don’t know, Jollibee started out as an ice cream parlor back in the Philippines (circa 1975-ish), but incorporated an array of food items in/around 1978. It has easily become the country’s home-grown rival to McDonald’s, and has since made a name for itself in and out of the islands. Like other Philippine fast food chains, it specializes in “quickly-made” food (burgers, fries, etc.), and also offers native meals as well: palabok, Philippine spaghetti (sweeter than Italian spaghetti, and with hot dog slices), fried chicken, and breakfast meals complete with hot dogs, bacon, tapa or tocino, garlic rice and eggs. For dessert, simple offerings such as pandan and/or ube flavored shakes (with tapioca pearls/boba), peach mango pies, and even halo-halo are available.
Lucky for us on the West, Jollibees dot the coast and can be found in/around major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area. So when the hankering for the tastes of the Motha'land comes, the stuff is within reach. And, coming soon, a branch is slated to open in Queens, NY later this year. The world-over, however, there are over 600 “langhap-sarap” destinations. (HAHAHA! Langhap-sarap. Oh, man.)
You’re totally enlightened, I know it.
The next few days at home were spent restaurant-less, as we started to buckle-down and get serious about the food prep for our family Christmas dinner. This year we were having the usual family members join us. Long gone are the times when mom and dad would invite family, extended family, and friends from every nook and cranny of the universe to our humble home for Christmas dinner. Those days were simply crazy. The house would be packed like a clown house, yet the food over-flowed. I will never understand how or why my parents were able to pull that off each year. Anyway – since I graduated from college, the Christmas dinners have been much simpler: less guests and less food prep. It’s only fitting since my parents are getting older.
Sunday morning, my parents and I headed to the Commissary at Andrews Air Force Base. I was straight-up excited because I hadn’t been to the Commissary in years. It brought back sweet childhood memories of those long Summer days when mom would come home from work and tote my siblings and I to the Commissary or the BX to pick-up groceries, or to go shopping. The prices on base were always significantly cheaper than Safeway or Giant, so it was pretty much a “must” to go there for groceries. My mind swept through my years of memories, and the sights and sounds – although quite different – were still, in a weird way, very much the same. The usual run-ins with old family friends also took place; everyone had the same idea as we did. Since I decided to prepare some dishes for the dinner, I also picked-up some groceries to add to mom’s crop. I decided to go with appetizers, and I bought the ingredients to make red bell pepper & Boursin tartlets, a smoked salmon plate, and in Italian sausage & fennel bread pudding. On top of those, I opted to include a dessert: a “sticky bun” bread pudding made with day-old challah bread. My mom had her own menu – made up of some of her timeless holiday classics: roast b
eef, honey-glazed ham, pancit bihon, kare-kare, meatballs, and a number of other dishes that are usually served during Christmas. Unfortunately, the Commissary didn’t carry some of the more “interesting,” as mom would call them, items that I was looking for: puff pasty, challah bread, and fennel among other stuff. We would make our way to a couple of other stores, including some random international grocery store that mom found somewhere in the back-end of Oxon Hill, before finally heading home. Later on that evening, I drove off – in the rain – to Alexandria, VA to stop-in at Whole Foods to find my missing ingredients. As suspected, I found everything there. I then took some time to finish off more Christmas shopping at Barnes & Noble.
The morning of Christmas Eve was dedicated to food prep… at least for my mom. As usual, she was up early to start the chopping, the braising, the cleaning and everything else that goes along. I still had a couple more Christmas gifts to get, so I borrowed dad’s car to go out. (Actually, my real reason for wanting to go out was to find a Caribou Coffee so that I could get a fix… ahahah…) I drove to Clarendon and found my final gifts at Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble (again), and Harris Teeter (for wine). I also found Caribou Coffee, and got my fix – much to my elation.
When I got home, mom and dad were preparing to have lunch. I was pretty vocal about my craving for wings and mumbo sauce, and mom was quick to make the call to the local Chinese take-out. After placing the order, and getting off the phone, 
mom broke the news to me: the wings had to be picked-up. I was slightly frantic because #1) I would’ve rather had the wings/sauce delivered (but apparently our order was under the minimum purchase amount for delivery), and #2) I was nervous about going to Yummy Yummy for fear that I’d run into someone. I just wasn’t feeling social, and I was cranky after running around town on a mission. But my craving for the wings outweighed any anxiety, so I was off. Those people who aren’t familiar with the chicken wings and mumbo sauce that can be found in the DC area are missing out. Well, I know a couple of people who aren’t fans, but those types are few and far between. I, for one, am an avid enthusiast. The wings are deep-fried golden, and are the size of what I imagine “do-do birds” to be. The wings are huge –as in seriously laced with steroids. And the mumbo sauce is a cross between BBQ and seafood sauce with a hint of hot sauce or something. I’ve tried looking on-line for the origins of mumbo sauce, but can’t seem to find a conclusive answer. Eh, but yum. It made my lunch.
After the Christmas vigil service later that evening, I began the prep for my contributions to the family dinner. I chopped up veggies, thawed out the puff pastry sheets, and I actually made the Italian sausage & fennel bread pudding – which turned out OK. It smelled great, but was missing something. I couldn’t point my finger on it.
At around midnight, we coaxed Lexie to go to bed before Santa skipped out on our house (ahaha
), and the adults exchanged Christmas gifts. The next morning, Lexie woke-up excited as ever to see what Santa had brought her. She got many things that left her smile growing bigger and bigger with each gift. As she played with her new toys, mom, dad and I continued with the food prep. I began working on the red bell pepper tartlets by spreading softened Boursin cheese over the puff pastry. I then sautéed the bell pepper slices, and spread them over the pastry shell as well. I popped it in the oven, and let it bake. I then began to prep the salmon plate by mixing dill with sour cream, and spreading the smoked salmon, chopped shallots, and capers on a serving dish. It was the easiest dish of the bunch. When those were complete, I put together all the ingredients for the “sticky bun” bread pudding, and threw that into the oven as well.
The guests started to trickle-in, and everyone, of course, marveled at mom’s spread. My additions added some new flavor to the mix although my cousin-in-law thought them to be a little too “bougie” for her tastes. Whatever. Those who have a taste for smoked salmon enjoyed that spread. The red bell pepper tartlets were a hit, and were gone before the end of the night. Likewise, the “sticky bun” bread pudding garnered rave reviews. One thing I know is for sure – I will definitely not be making that Italian sausage and fennel bread pudding again. It’s not that it was gross, but it just didn’t have as much of a “yum” factor as I had expected. I actually had to drizzle gravy from the roast beef on the bread pudding to give it more of a kick, and it helped a little.
As usual, we all eased through the night with good food, great conversations, and fun company. It was great to hang out with the fam-bam and play “catch-up.” Likewise, it was even better to have time to play with all of the kids! The kids are growing way too fast. All in all, Christmas dinner was in many ways the same old, same old –but fresh and new at the same time. It was definitely one for the books.
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Coming soon… Home for the Holidays (Part IV): New York, New York!
Like many other Filipino Americans, I was absolutely looking forward to checking out Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show this past Monday as he finally featured The Philippines. Chef Bourdain has had his share of Asian cuisine having been to many nations in East, South, Central, and Southeast Asia. As long as the show has been in existence, however, he had never been to The Philippines... until now.
Dampa in Paranaque
Pinapaitan
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