one filipino dish a week

On a day like today, I wish I was able to sit down in the afternoon and have some bingka for a snack. Bingka is a rice cake (kakanin in Tagalog). There’s several versions of it in the Philippines and a few other Southeast Asian countries have their own versions as well. This particular one is made with fire on top and bottom of the rice cake. This is a perfect afternoon snack. In the Philippines it’s common to know when the your suki (the person you always buy from) will have their goods ready. You’ll know that for a particular store they’re usually ready around 3pm and there’ll be a line to buy.

To me bingka is more texture than taste. It tastes slightly sweet and creamy but the toasted crust and the pasty texture of the inside is what I really like about it. I have not made this yet but I’m looking for somone to teach me how to.

On a day like today, I wish I was able to sit down in the afternoon and have some bingka for a snack.

Eat Filipino Food!

The Girl brought home one very nice surprise the other day. Mangosteens! It has been over a decade since I’ve had mangosteen. It has only been in 2007 when the FDA lifted its ban on the import of mangosteen. There has been a ban on import of mangosteen to the US because of the fruit flies they attract. The Asian fruit flies are feared to wreak havoc on the crops, especially without natural predators. The ban was lifted with the condition that the fruit is irradiated. Great! I wish I knew that before I ate some.

These mangosteens came from Thailand same as the large amount of mangosteens that you get in the Philippines. But from this CNN article it seems like we might soon be getting mangosteens from Puerto Rico.

These came from Thailand and bought in NYC’s Chinatown. That’s quite a ways and with today’s energy costs it was a pretty penny to buy this small bunch of mangosteens. These were $7/lb and this 2lb bunch only had 11 mangosteens. I savored every last bit of the luscious white meat.

What does it taste like? It’s sweet with a little bit of a sour tone. The white meat is creamy and smooth. It’s just heavenly. The thick outer skin however is very bitter and when you’re not looking and you accidntally bite into them… not a pleasant situation. So only eat the meat. Irradiated or not I devoured them. This was truly a little taste of luxury.

Eat Filipino Food!

Oh the wonderful sugar cane! Yes! Ohhh yes! It’s time for some rum tasting! On my recent trip to the Philippines I decided to bring back some goods. And now is the time to have a little taste test. Tanduay is pretty much synonymous to Philippine rum(I don’t think there’s any other brand that I can name). A little fun fact about the Tanduay name from the company website:

Tanduay have adopted its corporate name from its location, a triangular region encircled by the esteros of San Miguel and San Sebastian, which Spanish mapmakers referred to as Isla de Tanduay. The word “Tanduay” originated from the word tanguay, an old Tagalog term for isthmus or peninsula. It also means “low-lying land” because the entire area, including Quiapo, was frequently flooded during the rainy season. In the Cebuano and Visayan dialect, tanguay meant “a place where tuba, a local coconut-based liquor, is bought and sold”.

First up is the most commonly seen yellow label 5 year old dark rum. The color is dark amber. The smell? forget it about it. I couldn’t get past the harsh alcohol aroma that consumes your face.  It smelled like it was way higher than 80proof. How does it taste when it goes down the hatch? I can’t really tell you because it was just a burning sensation all the way down. I think this hairless Asian man just grew some chest hair after that drink. There is no way I will drink this by itself (unless I just want to get recklessly drunk). I do not enjoy this and it needs to be mixed heavily with something that has some taste!

Up next, ESQ. Extra Smooth Quality. I love the marketing on this one. Does it live up to the hype? Eh, It’s ok. The color is definitely lighter than the 5yr version and this is only 65 proof. The tast was definitely smoother than the first one. However, it had this medicine-y taste to it. I feel like this is just a less stronger version of the previous rum and that’s why I can actually taste something. The Girl liked it because it had a slight sweetness to it. I would also not drink this by itself. I would have to make some cocktail out of this to mask the weird taste to it.

There is a significant jump in price between the first two and the next two. The third in the flight is Superior, 12 years old.  I assume the price difference is because of the aging process and the quality of final product. The color of the Superior is golden brown and you can definitely smell vanilla and caramel. This is also 80 proof but with this one you can definitely put your nose in there and smell the rum without being overwhelmed by the alcohol. I still don’t think the 5yr old is 80 proof. This goes down nice and smooth (a lot smoother than the ESQ). The Superior can be drank by itself and is an excellent sipping rum.

The last of the bunch the Tanduay 1854, 15 years old. This is the top of the line and has earned a gold medal in the Monde Selection. The 1854 has a light gold color and has a wonderful aroma. The alcohol smell is very subdued and the caramel and vanilla smells comes out. The Girl described it best as vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce on top. The taste is absolutely amazing and I would drink this by itself any day. I’m not a rum expert by any means but I think this can definitely be put side-by-side with the best rums from the Carribean.

It’s actually quite interesting how the two higher end products have a black and blue label. What other popular spirit has a prominent black and blue label? Hmmm… Another “creative” copycat marketing scheme by the Pinoys!

Eat (drink) Filipino Food!

We all have our favorite dishes growing up and for me it was (and is) my mom’s chicken macaroni salad (and leche flan). This chicken salad however is like the abominable snowman it’s rarely seen and it’s really only talked about. So folks, be very grateful that I was able to capture this dish in a picture before it was all gone.

In my pan fried flounder post I spoke about the influences in Philippines cuisine. The Americans had a huge influence in the 50+ years that they were the sheriff in town. The American influence includes Hollywood movies and canned goods. My mom’s chicken salad is a product of the American influence.

Here’s how my mom made it:

chicken breast
elbow macaroni
mayonnaise
Kraft sharp cheddar block diced
yellow onion diced
sweet pickle relish
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can sliced beets diced

Boil the chicken. Make sure to salt the water. Once cooked cut the chicken into cubes. Boil the elbow macaroni. Once the pasta cooked and drained mix in the chicken, cheese, onion, relish, pineapple, and mayonnaise to taste. Then add the beets in the end for color. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Serve cold. Perfect for that summer picnic/lunch!

Eat Filipino Food!

I’ve been thinking of ways to beat the summer heat and the first thing that comes to mind is a refreshing drink. Eureka! Sangria! Ok so it’s not that inventive of an idea. But it turned out to be the perfect bbq companion on a nice summer afternoon. I don’t think this is close to the traditional Spanish sangria but it’s the same concept. There wasn’t any red wine in the house so I decided to make white sangria which turned out to be a really great experiment.

Here’s how I made it:

Edna Valley Chardonnay (from Napa)
1 red delicious apple sliced
1 gala apple sliced
2 navel oranges sliced
1 lemon sliced
Sparkling Flavored Water (signature brand stop & shop) berry
Sugar

Mix all the fruit with the chardonnay. Mix in the flavored water and sugar to taste. The Edna Valley Chardonnay is slightly on the sweeter side and no oak-iness to it so it made the drink very refreshing.

Eat Filipino Food!