The Kindness of (Filipino) Strangers

If Thailand is the Land of Smiles, then the Philippines is the Land of 'Come On Over!' In just a little over a week in Manila - a city where we knew not a single soul before we arrived (we had some introductions ... but we knew no one personally) - we were treated to two home-cooked meals. Not meals, really, but veritable feasts.

Via a connection made on an internet food forum (oh c'mon, it's de rigeur to meet people on the web these days) we hooked up with Rody and Cora, an energetic retired couple of Cavite natives who treated us like long-lost relatives from the moment they met us at Manila's airport. Thanks to Rody's former position with a major Philippine corporation the couple has lived all over the country, with Cora collecting recipes as they moved from place to place.

We joined them - and their son and one of three daughters and spouses and kids - at their house for a Sunday afternoon feed. When Dave and I walked into the light, airy room that serves as combination kitchen-dining area-hanging-out-spot the table was already groaning ... and there was more to come.

I arrived in the Philippines keen to try kinilaw, a dish of protein (usually fish, but it may be otherwise) 'cooked' with a souring agent. Kinilaw could be considered one of the country's national dishes - there are as many variations as there are Philippine regions, perhaps even as many variations as there are Filipino cooks. My appetite for the dish had been whetted by a thorough reading of Edilberto Alegre and Doreen Fernandez' Kinalaw: A Cuisine of Freshness, a used copy of which a Filipino friend had kindly (or cruelly, considering the dearth of Philippine ingredients available in Kuala Lumpur) sent me months before, when we were preparing for our trip.

Cora was game, and served up a fantastic version made with mackerel, cane vinegar (other Philippine vinegars are made from nipa and coconut palms), kalamansi juice, lots of fragrant ginger, and tiny chilies called siling labuyu that are so wickedly hot they make Thai prik kee nuu seem seem like candy (opening photo). The balance of sour, spicy, and fruity (from the kalamansi) in this dish - not to mention the sparkling freshness of the fish - made this dish what Dave delicately terms a 'shoveller' (as in, you just want to keep shovelling it in). I could have eaten the whole bowlful, had I been left alone in the room with it.

But I had to leave room for a light, ginger-fragrant stew of mussels and green papaya.

According to Cora, in the Philippines kare-kare is a must if visitors are coming for a meal. This dish of meat in a sauce thickened with pounded toasted rice and peanuts (modern versions might substitute peanut butter) is classically paired with bagoong na alamang, fermented shrimp paste. It's sinfully rich but supremely comforting.

Like most most southeast Asians, Filipinos are fond of fermented foods. Fish and shrimp are fermented into bagoong (similar to Thai bplaa raa and Malaysian cincalok). Kapampangans (natives of the province of Pampanga) ferment pork with rice to make burong baboy and subject fish to the same treatment, to an exceedingly stinky but - to my taste buds - heavenly result, especially when eaten with mustard leaves.

Cora introduced us to burong mangga, a simple condiment of green mango and grated ginger fermented in salted liquid. We found its gingery tartness to be a delicious palate cleanser.

Kitchen wizardy runs in this family. Several dishes for our feast were contributed by Cora and Rody's son John who, when not overwhelmed with the demands of his job in IT, likes to spend time at the stove. This is a guy who spends weeks baking Christmas cakes to give to friends, family, and colleagues. His sizzling plate of sisig - a roasted pig head, chopped (cheeks, snout, ears, and brain) and mixed with spices - filled the room with a fragrant, porcine cloud of goodness. This was our first time for pig brain, and we have to admit its attractions. But this is rich, rich stuff - Philippine drinking food, according to John, not meant to be eaten in copious amounts as an entree - and a spoonful or two will do you.

Pancit, a dish of any of a variety of noodles prepared in any number of ways, gets a bad rap from travelers to the Philippines. They complain of mediocrity and monotony. We enjoyed a number of memorable versions on our trip, and John's fried pancit with vegetables and meat and a shower of golden, caramelized onions, were one of the best.

There were more dishes to this meal, but I gave up taking it all in and writing it all down about halfway through the afternoon. We remember the day for the wonderful food, of course, but also for the ceaseless conversation that revolved around food (perhaps at our prodding), tips and tidbits that set us up well for the following week of market exploration and food producer visits. Much culinary knowledge floated around the sitting area that afternoon, and we were struck by how much Filipinos remind us of Malaysians in their knowledge of, and utter passion for, their own cuisine.

Reason enough for a return trip.

Many thanks to Cora and Rody and their family for welcoming us so warmly into their home (Dodie, thanks for introducing us to your mom and dad). We're sorry that we were so busy eating Dave forgot to snap a family photo!

Cora's Kinilaw

Kinilaw is a personal thing, made to taste from whatever is on hand. So consider the amounts below to be approximate. Taste as you go, and substitute other seafood, if you like. Snapper would be lovely, prawns would work. In some parts of the Philippines a bit of coconut cream is added at the end. However you make it, the end result should be sour.Filipinos have access to wonderful cane and palm vinegars. Rice vinegar might be a substitute.

Serve the kinilaw soon after it's mixed.

1/2 kilo mackerel fillet, cut into cubes

cane vinegar

1 Tbsp rock salt

3 Tbsp kalamansi juice (substitute lime and orange juice mixed together)

2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger

2 small red onions, chopped

2 fresh cayenne pepper, sliced

2 kalamansi (or regular limes),halved

4 small, hot red or green chilies, left whole

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 cup water

1. Wash the fish twice in cane vinegar, to get rid of excessive fishiness. Place it in a bowl and add the salt, kalamansi juice, ginger, red onion, and the cayenne peppers and mix.

2. Squeeze over the kalamansi halves and add the vinegar and water and mix again. Serve, garnished with the small whole chilies (diners seeking heat can eat bits of the chilies along with their kinilaw).

Cora's Burong Mangga (Fermented Green Mango)

1 green mango, sliced

knob of ginger, shredded or grated

1 tsp salt

1. Place the green mango and ginger in a 500 ml/2 cup clean glass jar or other glass container.

2. Add the salt and fill to the top with water. Seal and leave to ferment at room temperature before serving or refrigerating for later use.

Comments

[Lyrical Lemongrass]

There are several reasons why I'd like to visit the Philippines again...sisig is one of them. I fell in love with the dish the first time I ate it.

[stef]

So glad to see you enjoying our favorite dishes. That sisig is jumping off the page, I could almost hear it sizzle!

[thegrouch]

Kinilaw looks very similar to what the Kadazans in Sabah like to eat called 'hinava'.

[Christine]

Yay! I've been waiting for the kinilaw post! It looks so good, and I love burong mangga. Thanks for the recipe, I'm gonna try and make it next week. :)

[graceshu]

the colors in the ginger-fragrant stew of mussels and green papaya pix is WOW and for some reason, looks really appetising too. natural lighting?

[Robyn]

Lemongrass and stef - sisig is delish, but a real heart attack on a plate!

grouch - didn't get to try hinava when we were in Sabah. But the similarity isn't surprising, given the proximity of PHI to Sabah.

Christine- good luck with the burong manga.

Grace - Dave (the photographer) prefers natural light - most of our shots (including this one) are natural light. We think part of the reason for the 'pop' of the colors is the slide film (yes, we're still using film) - Fuji's new Velvia.

[TheSkinnyCook]

Hi Robyn, got a recipe for those mussels?

Looking forward for more recipes and if you love to feature a philippine recipe on my site, please let me know in email to stef2k[at]yahoo[dot]com

I linked to you, would you feel like linking back at my "Quick Dinner Recipes" ?

Happy eating!

Stef aka TheSkinnyCook in Malaysia

[julsitos]

where's the dessert???

have you tried any philippine desserts other than tsokolate?

[Ed]

The Land of "Come On Over" - and eat! Yep, that pretty much sums it up for the Philippines. Classic!

[joy]

Not a good idea to visit your drool inducing food blog at 1:15 am when I am on a diet. LOL

Salamat Dave and Robyn for sharing with us your food adventures.

[Bagel Boss Catering]

Great photos. Your shots look so mouth-watering. Most of these Filipino food recipes are a mixture of foreign cuisines that evolved over many centuries.