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Vanilla Ice Cream with Coconut Jam and Toasted Coconut Milk Crumbs
My mom swears that you can find the best matamis na bao — coconut jam — in Antipolo. The town is not too far from Manila, where I grew up. An hour or an hour and a half trip, if I remember...
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How to Make Gobba Gobba Hey Coconut Gobs with Ube Filling
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about this piece of good news. I am writing this with a big grin on my face. A huge grin from ear to ear. I’m not one for brazen self-promotion but I’m...
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G is for Gata and How to Make Ginataang Hipon (Shrimp in Coconut Milk)
Half a cup of coconut milk for a pound of shrimp. Roughly. Use cream instead of milk, when you can. Devein shrimp but keep heads and shells on. I skimmed through my mom’s recipe for shrimp in coconut...
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How to Make Ginataang Halo-Halo
The air was still and the fog glided in a stream that virtually kissed the ground. The blanket of early morning mist that rolled across the marshlands of Coyote Hills looked strikingly dramatic. The...
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How to Make Kalamay na Pinipig (Pinipig Rice Cake)
The rice cake is stunningly green. As green as young shoots burgeoning in spring. As green as rice fields in the bucolic countryside back home. The sticky cake’s remarkable greenness becomes even more...
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U is for Ube and How to Make Ube Macapuno Empanadas
The only way to get on the bus, ahead of the mob that swarmed around its doors, was through the windows. My cousin Kit went first and I followed closely, nervously behind him. I held on to my...
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V is for Visayas and How to Make Humba (Visayan-Style Pork Adobo)
Vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and black peppercorns. This is how I cook adobo. I marinate pork, chicken, or a combination of the two in vinegar and spices and let the flavors steep overnight. Then...
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How to Make Ginataang Bilo-Bilo (Sticky Rice Dumplings in Coconut Milk)
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” — Benjamin E. Mays I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. My legs...
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How to Make Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw (Butternut Squash and Yard Long Beans...
“Aren’t you cold?” I hollered out to my mom across the yard. “I’m fine,” she cried back. “Don’t you worry about me.” She clutched her trusted walis tingting, bent forward, and proceeded with her chore,...
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Z is for Zamboanga and How to Make Bagon de Gata
How did I not know about bagon de gata? How did I miss out on this Zamboangueño sawsawan? Bagon is Chavacano for bagoong. Chavacano is the creole language spoken in Zamboanga, based heavily on Spanish....
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How to Make Latik (Toasted Coconut Milk Crumbs)
If you simmered coconut milk slowly over low heat, the milk would reduce to a thick cream and if you heat it further, it would ultimately separate into fragrant coconut oil and caramel brown crumbs...
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How to Make Biko (Sticky Rice Cake with Caramelized Coconut Milk Topping)
The smell of toasted coconut wafted through my nose as I opened my jar of homemade latik. It instantly whetted my appetite for the freshly baked biko [bee-koh] sitting on my kitchen counter. I had...
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How to Make Coconut Jam and Buttermilk Biscuits
The sky had cleared at last and the showers had passed. It was a lovely evening perfect for a leisurely stroll or a night out with friends but I didn’t have an ounce of desire to leave the comforts of...
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