Milagros Enriquez,
Chinggay Bernardo, and Teresa Santiago demonstrate the preparation of foods from Bulacan
Province.
Photo by Richard Strauss
The Philippine Kitchen provided an opportunity for cooks from throughout the country to
present every-day and celebratory foods. Special events in the Kitchen included the
cooking of lechon (pig) on a bamboo spit.
Pacita Ignacio presents
Miguelito Abuso who prepares decorative leaves used to ornament the buildings of Lukban
where the Pahiyas festival takes place.
Photo by Eric Long
What is the most typical Philippine food? Is it sinigang, a cold, sour stew that equally
accomodates fish, meat, fowl, or prawns? Is it adobo, meat, shellfish, or vegetables
cooked in vinegar? Is it pancit, the many kinds of noodles found at all celebrations? Or
could it be rellenong manok, the capon stuffed for Christmas? Even Filipinos cannot frame
a simple answer to these questions, so varied is their cuisine and its origins. Philippine
culinary influences include Southeast Asia, Mexico, Spain, China, and the United States.
Still, indigenous foods are alive and well in the provinces where ingredients are always
available, inexpensive, and sometimes even free. Because indigenous, indigenized, and
imported foods meet and mix on the Filipino dinner table, one could say that Philippine
food is all of the above. The following recipes speak of a history of trade, colonization,
foreign influence, and social transformation. Tasting the many variations in Philippine
food is to savor the many flavors of Philippine culture. The following are two recipes
representative of Philippine cooking:
Ginatong Hipon (Prawns In Spicy Coconut Sauce)
8 or 9 shrimp, large, shelled, deveined, split with tail intact
1/3 of an onion, small, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger, finely sliced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon patis (fish sauce)
1/8 teaspoon chili pepper, crushed
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 banana peppers
Saute
garlic and ginger in oil. Add onions. Cook about one minute. Throw in
the shrimp, stir once, then add the patis (fish sauce), chili pepper, banana peppers, and
coconut milk. Cook for about 3 minutes. This will reduce the coconut milk
sauce. The shrimp will be succulent and sweet!
Serving
Suggestions: Dish into a small black or white dinner dish. Decorate with a
sprig of parsley or mint leaves. If you like, spinkle lightly with red pepper to
suggest a hot and spicy dish. Serve with bowl of steamed rice, a side of cucumbers
in sweet and sour vinaigrette, a bottle of San Miguel beer, a serving of caramel custard (leche
flan), and a robust cup of Spanish coffee - makes a simple but truly fine meal.
Sinigang Na Hipon (Shrimp or Prawns
in Sour Soup)
12 to 16 shrimp,
large (shelled or unshelled), or 16 to 20 prawns
1 onion, medium sized, cut into 8 pieces
2 tomatoes, medium sized, cut into wedges
1 white radish, medium sized, (or several pieces of red radish) sliced diagonally
1 bunch fresh mustard leaves (about 6 leaves including tender stems) cut in two
(or substitute kale of spinach)
2 peppers, banana or jalapeno
1/2 cup tamarind water (or substitute the juice from 2 lemons)
1 ginger root, thumb sized, crushed
1 tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
5 cups water
Wash shrimp/prawns in cold water. Shell or not, as you like. In medium sauce
pan, bring water to boil. Add vegetables, except for mustard leaves. Allow to
boil briskly for about 2 minutes. Lower the heat and add tamarind water and
patis. Add shrimp/prawns and mustard leaves and simmer for another 3 minutes.
The tamarind water is from the Philippines or Thailand and
is now available in Asian stores in the U.S. Also available is packaged sinigang
base or broth. Almost any green vegetable can be used - okra, green beans, kangkong
(swamp cabbage), spinach, or Chinese cabbage. Do not fail to use radishes.
Why? Because it adds to this signature soup a full and distinct taste.
Film for the Smithsonian
Folklife Festival was graciously provided by FUJIFILM
USA
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