Filipino Culturally Relevant Cooking
Preface Filipino cooking is the product of many influences of cultures that, at one time or another, have dominated the people. One can detect a Malay, Polynesian, Chinese, Spanish and American flavour in the variety of dishes Filipinos prepare in their homes and in the many eateries on offer in the Philippines. Yet, each of these dishes can hardly be recognized in many other way but Filipino. Filipinos love to celebrate any event that touches their lives: birth, marriage, anniversary, feast of a patron saint, success in competition and many others. And they celebrate these with food. Thus, cooking is a skill that is looked for in a potential partner in marriage. Does she know how to cook? is a most probable question a worried mother would ask his son who intends to marry a girl in town. In other words, food is a dominant feature of the Filipino culture. It has been said that as one gets older and older, he or she looks back and looks for the things that characterized the essence of his/her identity. Food and language are the two most dominant elements of these characteristics. This is true of most people from different race and culture. And this is also true among Filipinos. This is specially felt living in another country where the familiar surroundings of their childhood are no longer palpable. This presentation aims to assist those who have to look after these Filipinos in their old age. One way to make them happy and content is to make them taste once again how Filipinos cook their food. Arlene D Mello, Ph. D Centre Manager Filipino Community Council of Victoria, Inc. 93 Cowper st. Footscray, VIC 3011 Phone: (03) 9687 9011
Everyday Dishes Adobo Chicken Tinola Sinigang na Carne Arrozcaldo With chicken Bulanglang Sinigang na Bangus ( milk fish ) Saute Chokoes Chicken with Sotanghon
Adobo Adobo is derived dish either from the Spanish or Mexican who colonized the Philippines for 350 years and Mexico became the viceroy of the Spaniards. Hence, this dish has all the ingredients and flavours of Spanish derived cooking.
Ingredients Procedures ( Pork or Chicken ) 1 kilo pork, cut into cubes or chicken, cut into pieces head garlic pounded 1 cup soy sauce cups water ½ cup vinegar 1 table black pepper
Chicken Tinola Chicken tinola is popular dish especially in the Tagalog speaking regions of the Philippines. It s simplicity hides the richness in the food supplements required by our physical well being especially the elderly.
Ingredients Procedures 1 chicken cut serving pieces 2 cups green papaya or 1 chokoes 1 inch cube ginger, pounded 2 tablespoon oil 2 gloves garlic ( crushed ) 1 bundle of pepper leaves or bokchoy 1 onion ( chopped ) 1 pinch of salt to taste or tablespoon of fish sauce
Sinigang Na Carne Sinigang is also one of the favourites. Most children grow up delighting in the dish, hence a much looked for especially when oversees and older. It is also rich in nutrients and less risk to health
Ingredients Procedures ( carne could be pork or beef spare ribs ) ½ kilo spare ribs 1 medium chopped onion 1 medium chopped tomatoes 8 tamarind pods or tamarind powder, available at Asian shops ½ of taro ( small size ) cut into cubes 1 bundle of kangkong tops or bokchoy 1 table spoon fish sauce
Arrozcaldo With chicken This is again a Spanish derived dish. Arroz means rice and caldo means hot or warm. It is also favourite dish among the elderly especially during the cold weather.
Ingredients Procedures 1 cup of rice 1 small chiken 1 inch cube ginger 2 segments garlic chopped 2 tbsp lard 2 tbsp patis ( fish sauce) 6 cups water 2 stalks spring onion
Bulanglang It s a Filipino way of cooking difficult to translate into English. It is similar to casserole but using typically harvested vegetables grown in a small garden.
Ingredients Procedures 1 cup eggplant sliced Bunch of string beans cut into 2 inches Tomatoes Onion Rice washing Fish sauce to taste
Sinigang na Bangus ( milk fish ) The dish is similar to the sinigang carne. The only difference is the main ingredient is fish ( preferably river fish ) instead of meat. If the previous dish is nutritious, this dish doubly so.
Ingredients Procedures 1 medium size bangus ( milk fish ) 2 medium size tomatoes cut into pieces 1 onion 1 bunch string beans cut into 2 inches 1 bunch of kangkong or bokchoy ½half sachet of tamarind powder 2 cups rice washing
Saute Chokoes A typical dish making use of chokoes, a common vegetable that grows easily and produces fruit aplenty. This can be a side dish with adobo.
Ingredients Procedures medium size chokoes ¼pork chopped onion 1 tomatoes chopped pieces garlic pinch of black pepper
Chicken with Sotanghon The presence of the noodles in this dish denotes Chinese influence. The Philippines is close to China and even before the Spaniards arrived the Chinese had been trading in the island, leaving behind a number of cultural and culinary wealth.
Ingredients Procedures 1 chicken onion 3 gloves garlic crunched 2 table spoon oil 1 small bunch spring onion 1 table fish sauce ¼ kilo sotanghon