Pinoy
[ˈpinoi]
Relating to the Philippines or the Filipinos
A person of Filipino origin or descent; a Filipino
Summer
[ˈsəmər]
the hottest season of the year
Food, friends & a taste of the Philippines. No better way to spend a summer weekend.
Here’s a video of our summer meal together:
**Don’t you wish you were here…DM me @theCULINARYIST to collaborate**
They say inspiration comes from everywhere and in this case, it came in the form of an evening out with friends. My Pinoy friends to be exact (RJ & Felicity) who introduced me to new PInoy friends (Sherri & Tim – who is not Filipino but grew up deeply immersed in the culture). Knowing that I’m not familiar with Filipino cuisine, they took me to a great Filipino restaurant in the Sunset Junction area of Silverlake called Ma’am Sir. We ordered a plethora of dishes from the rich Sisiq, classic Lumpia, Pancit to crispy fried chicken & flavorful oxtail Kare Kare. All this with pan de sal, pandan curd, ube butter & all the sweet vinegar dipping sauces…this girl was in glutton heaven!! Such a satisfying paradox. Chef Charles Olalia’s tasty & thoughtful homage to the foods of his Filipino upbringing & culture has inspired me to learn as much as I can (which will require multiple Filipino food outings…oh darn) & put my own spin on some traditional Filipino dishes.
I can always count on my friends to steer me towards amazing food & fun times. While it’s customary that I cook the meal, I do LOVE it when my friends join in on the fun. With everyone brining a dish, drink or dessert, it turned into a pot-luck style meal which perfectly portrays the collaborative & fra-mily oriented culture of the Philippines. And no one ever goes hungry at a Pinoy pot-luck and definitely not with THIS girl!
Appetizer: Sun-kissed (aka Grilled) Pineapple Chicken
SUMMER = Pineapple + BBQ Grill
My take on street food chicken skewers
INGREDIENTS
Chicken Breast – cut into strips and tenderized (either with mallet or just back of the knife)
Pineapple – cut into circles or half circles (as shown)
For marinade
Mango honey
Soy Sauce (I like to use Memmi sauce – not as salty and full of flavor)
Minced garlice
Ground black pepper
Lime Juice
For pineapple coating
cinnamon powder
ground cloves
brown sugar
For topping
chopped green onions
sesame seeds
a. Mix all ingredients for the marinade into a bowl. Soak tenderized chicken breast strips into the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
b. Mix the pineapple coating (sugar & spices) into a bowl.
c. Turn on grill (high heat).
d. Starting with the pineapples. Dip the pineapples into the sugar+spice mix on both sides. Place onto the grill. Grill until you get a nice char on both sides. Place into a large plate.
e. Place the marinated chicken breasts on to the grill. Cook until you have nice grill marks on both sides. Take them off the fire and place on top of the pineapples.
f. Top with chopped green onions & sesame seeds
Adding the brown sugar & spice to the pineapple is to not only give it a savory sweet punch to the taste buds but my yearly early homage to the fall season to come. Yes, I am one of those people who start the holiday count down very early. I start humming Christmas songs after my birthday (which is in late May…so…there).
Main: Sous Vide Pork Belly Adobo
INGREDIENTS
3-4 lbs pork belly (cut into cubes – no larger than 1” cubes)
1/2 cup coconut vinegar – I didn’t know there was coconut vinegar but easily found them at Ranch Market 99 or any large Asian markets
1/2 cup soy sauce (I typically use Memmi sauce since it’s not as salty as regular soy sauce and it’s more flavorful)
2 cup coconut cream – honestly I used a bit more to get a creamier consistency for when I drown my rice. You gotta think ahead!!
2 tbsp sugar – I found out while eating and questioning my Pinoy friends that adding this actually makes the Adobo into a Paksiw – need to research on that a bit more.
2 tbsp black peppercorn
Garlic…LOTS of garlic!!
6-12 bay leaves
1-2 star of anise
10-15 Thai chili peppers
a. Heat a skillet on high heat.
b. In a mixing bowl, salt the cubed pork and toss. Place into the heated skillet and brown on all sides. Remove into another bowl and set aside.
c. On the same pan, lightly roast garlic & peppercorn.
d. Add vinegar, soy, coconut cream, sugar, chili, star of anise & bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and reduce 1/4 of volume.
e. Put sauce & pork into sous vide bag. Set your sous vide at 150 degrees F for 24-36 hours.
f. Place into a deep platter. Top with chopped green onions and serve.
Being that this is my first attempt at cooking Filipino cuisine, I naturally decided to cook Adobo. Derived from the Spanish term Adobar meaning “marinade, sauce or seasoning”, Adobo is a popular Filipino dish and the cooking process of marinating meat/seafood/vegetables in a vinegar, soy sauce, garlic & peppercorn mixture. Like most countries, this cooking method with salt & vinegar was often used to keep food fresh longer. Similar to Kimchi in Korea & pickled herring in Russia. Oceans & lands apart but humans…we’re all alike in farming, survival & food.
Typically done with chicken, Adobo is lovingly considered as the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. I could say I wanted to try making Adobo with porkd belly for more richness & flavors paired with the garlic rice…but, let’s be honest, this big girl just really loves pork belly!! No fluff excuse necessary.
Using the sous vide method at a constant temp for 24-36 hours made the pork amazingly tender & the gravy to die for!! As I found out, Filipino cuisine doesn’t have a lot of spicy foods but I added Thai chili peppers & it gave it just the right amount of heat.
And of course, Pork Belly Adobo…or any meal in my book…isn’t complete without garlic fried rice & soft boiled eggs.
Side Dishes: Garlic Fried Rice & Soft Boiled Eggs
INGREDIENTS for Garlic Fried Rice
Long grain or Jasmine Rice – best when the rice is cooked a day or two in advance and refrigerated. Cold rice is the best and when it’s refrigerated, it dries out a bit so that it will soak up the garlic infused oil better. TRUST.
Chopped or sliced garlic – LOTS of garlic.
Cooking oil
Salt + pepper to taste
Chopped onions
a. Heat cooking oil in a wide wok on medium heat.
b. Sauté the chopped/sliced garlic until golden brown. Be careful to not burn the garlic otherwise it will taste bitter
c. When the garlic is almost done, add the chopped onion and sauté.
d. Add the cold riced and mix until fully coated with oil.
e. Add salt+pepper to taste.
f. Top with chopped onions and serve in large bowl
INGREDIENTS for Soft Boiled Eggs
Large eggs – pull them out of the refrigerator and keep at room temperature until ready to place into boiling water
Water for boiling
a. Boil water in a pot.
b. When the water is low boiling, slowly place the room temperature eggs into the pot. I like to use a slotted spoon to gently place the eggs in. Otherwise, if you plop them in, it may crack the egg and it’ll be a mess.
c. Once in, let the water & eggs simmer for 3-4 minutes. Take the eggs out of the water and immediately place into an ice bath.
d. Peel, place into a bowl and serve.
Also on the table:
Atchara Pickled Papaya – sweet vinegary goodness that accentuates every bite
~ Courtesy of Felicity’s mom
Bibingka Corn Bread – the most delicious gluttonous rice cornbread I’ve ever had in my life! I quickly stole…I mean, claimed…the left overs and had them for breakfast for the following days. Yum~
~ From the amazing Jason at Brown Baked Desserts
Goto Arroz Caldo – rice porridge or congee with ox tripe. As I was researching Goto recipes, I found a side note mentioning how it’s perfect for a hangover remedy…just like HaeJang Gook (Korean Beef Tripe Hangover soup). Google knows me so (too?) well.
~ Courtesy of Felicity
Pancit
~ Courtesy of RJ, Francis & lil’ man J
Mango Sangria – perfectly balanced tropical summer treat with our meal
~ Courtesy of our mixology, RJ Guillermo
**not showing…although they made an appearance in the video – scroll back up**
Pork Rinds & vinegar dipping sauce – as a starter, it helps stimulate the appetite with its salty & tangy flavors…almost like a Filipino style aperitif. Making it classy up in here!!~ Courtesy of Sherri & Tim
For dessert, Jason at Brown Baked Desserts brought his amazing assorted crinkle cookies (ube & sapin sapin inspired flavors). You can order your own box of these incredible treats from his website:
or IG @brown.baked
I got to collaborate with him on my featured dessert dish:
Lavender Ube Ice-cream Sandwich
INGREDIENTS
Ube Crinkled Cookies by Brown Baked Desserts
For Ube Jam
2 lbs Ube (from Asian markets) – boiled (for 30 minutes or until tender), peeled and grated
1/2 cup butter
1 to 1-1/2 can (10 oz) condensed milk – depending on how sweet you like you’re jam and in the end, ice cream
1 cup evaporated milk
Vanilla extract
a. If you want to use fresh ube jam, make it in advance.
b. Melt butter in a wok over medium heat. Stir in condensed milk & vanilla extract.
c. Add cooked & grated ube. Reduce heat to low and stir constantly for approx. 30 minutes. The mixture should be sticky but not dry.d. Pour in evaporated milk and stir for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and place into a bowl/container.
For Ice cream
2 cups heavy cream (chilled)
1-1/2 tsp dried lavender
Ube jam – fresh (see above) or from a jar
a. First infuse the lavender into the heavy cream. Soak the dried flowers in the heavy cream and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Drain out the flowers and chill cream.
**side note of my FAILS. I had the brilliant idea that it would be great to heat the heavy cream (just slightly) and simmer the lavender to fully infuse the flavors & smells. It smelled and tasted amazing!! Warm lavender milk~ YUM! But for the experienced chef, you know where this story is going. After chilling, I started whipping the cream and realized…it’s NOT whipping. Did I stop? NO…of course not…this girl doesn’t give up that easily. And…BAM…lavender butter. So, I reached out to my pastry chef brother-in-law, Brian…and he schooled me on the molecular science of whipping cream. Basically, don’t heat up the cream. Instead, make a lavender simple syrup, chill and add to the chilled cream. Or just soak…still does the job. Oh the things we learn~!**
b. Chill a mixing bowl and whisk utensils. Mix/whip the cream on medium speed until it holds stiff peaks (approx. 5 minutes). Or use a CO2 whipped cream maker.
c. In another bowl, mix the ube jam & condensed milk until fully incorporated
d. Mix 1/3 of the whipped cream to the jam mix & fold until well combined. Repeat until all the whipped cream is mixed in.
e. Place into a loaf pan & cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 4 hours or preferably overnight.
As you saw in the video, this ube ice-cream is kid tested & approved.
What a way to end our incredible meal!!
A couple hundred years ago…hell, even decades ago, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity as we did this day to sit down around the table with diverse friends, enjoying not only the company of great people but to listen to their experiences (individually & as a cultural group) of living and being from different places and learning by eating each other’s foods. As different as we may be, we’re also so similar in our quest for happiness, sad life regrets and missed opportunities & love. Love of people, love of places, love of food. Instead of holding back and allowing our fear to stunt our growth, we need to be open to making new experiences and embracing the unknown. Stop looking for “comfortable and easy” …it makes you lazy and intolerable. Tolerance and understanding is what we need more of these days and it’s not a bad thing to do it while making myself a plate of deliciousness!! As Anthony Bourdain said “Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma.” Let’s go out into the open and learn from one another…one meal at a time.
Thank you to Jules & Henry for opening up your beautiful home!!
Thank you to Felicity, Sherri & Tim for all the great stories of food, family & laughter.
Thank you to Jason aka Brown Baked Desserts for the amazing desserts, advice & knowledge.
Thank you to Francis for laying out and making arrangements for a beautiful meal setting.
And a special shout out to myCREW:
RJ @eat_thebus for your amazing photography & videography
Teri my biggest supporter and ever amazing sous chef
Onward, fellow foodies, to our next culinary(-ist) adventure,
theCULINARY·IST