It's More Fun in the Philippines!

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love where I live. But when thinking of a tropical holiday there’s no other choice for me but the Philippines.

The Philippines has suffered from bad press for the longest time. I don’t care to detail them here. You can read about them everywhere else. As a consequence, the country did not appeal as a holiday destination. The number of tourist arrivals lagged behind that of other countries.

The Department of Tourism (@DOTPhilippines) of the Philippines launched a new campaign to entice tourists to travel to that part of the world. It’s about time! I think it’s imperative! It’s high time to tell the world, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”

According to the DOT’s Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr:

“Our strategy is simple: while other countries invite you to observe, Filipinos can promise a more heartfelt and interesting experience. Wherever you go, whatever you do in the country, it’s the Filipinos that will complete your vacation and will make your holiday unforgettable.”

I absolutely agree! There are good food and nice beaches all around the world but “It is More Fun in the Philippines” because of the people.

I like it.

I believe in it.

I am getting involved.

This new campaign is not without its detractors. ‘Copycat’ accusations are rife. The Swiss apparently used the same slogan back in 1951. Yup, 61 years ago!

And what’s with this misplaced nostalgia for the ‘WOW Philippines’ campaign? Did it actually succeed?

In support of this new initiative I’ve edited some of my travel photos to the Philippines. Here’s the first set of them.

Food Trip Philippines - Part 3 - Take-Away Pinoy Style

Palayok (Claypots)

Kalde-Kaldero

Lumpiang Shanghai

Sari-saring Ulam

Iba-ibang longanissa (sausages), tapa at tocino

Food Trip Philippines - Part 2 - My San Pablo

There’s only one other place in the world I call home.

Located a couple of hours south of Manila is the city of San Pablo. It is my mother’s hometown. It is where I grew up. It is where I met my future wife. It is my other home.

Otherwise know as “The City of Seven Lakes” it boasts seven lakes within its confines. These are Bunot, Calibato, Mohicap, Palakpakin, Pandin, Sampalok and Yambo lakes.

On a cloudless day the lakes are visible as your plane approaches NAIA. I also found out today that you also get a spectacular view of the lakes from Mt. Kalisungan and Tayak Hill.

Food Trip Philippines - Part 1

My apologies to those of you who are following this blog.

Being The Beancounter, I am, at the moment, going through my annual silly season (similar to Christmas sans the jolliness).

In the meantime please enjoy a selection of photos from my recent trip home. The next couple of posts would be similar in style as well.

Pork BBQ w/ Binalot na Kanin

Home made crispy pata

Black Gulaman

Calamansi at Sili

Crispy Tawilis

Hot Chocolate (using Dumaguete Tableas)

It's not a well known fact but the Philippines has got a rich chocolate culture that is believed to date back to the 1600s. Hot chocolate made from native chocolate tablets called tableas is the beverage of choice for breakfast, during Christmas or when simply enjoying rice cakes and other traditional desserts.



I’ll be honest I did not grow up on this thing. I’m more from the Milo and Ovaltine generation. My earliest memory of having Filipino hot chocolate was as a grown up at Café Adriatico. Sad but true.



So it pleased me to no end when we were gifted with Dumaguete tableas by my wife’s childhood friend - and now ninang to Eia. Thank you very much Thennie and advance happy birthday! It was very thoughtful of you!


Now, what do I do with it?

Water feature prominently in most recipes I’ve read. But since I like mine rich, thick and creamy I opted for milk and cream instead. To take the edge off the bitterness of the tableas I’ve added some Cadbury drinking chocolate.


Blogs and cookbooks recommend the use of a batidor (wooden chocolate beater) and a slender pot called tsokolatera, both of which I do not have (note to self: get some on next rip). I ended up using a saucepan and a regular whisk. The end result wasn’t too bad at all.


Hot Chocolate ala Kidpawan

1/2 cup cream
1 cup fresh milk
2 tablets of Dumaguete chocolates
2 teaspoons Cadbury drinking chocolate
2 teaspoons brown sugar


Combine the cream and the milk in a saucepan and heat until just boiling.
Add the chocolates and sugar and whisk until completely dissolved.
Top each cup with cream before serving if desired.

Paksiw na Pata – Braised Pork Hocks

“Paksiw” is a Filipino cooking method of braising meat or fish in some sort of a sour broth. Usually with “meat paksiw” soy sauce is added and vinegar is the souring agent of choice.

Among all the paksiws there are Paksiw na Pata would have to be my favourite. It’s shockingly easy to make but don’t cook it too often as your “bad” cholesterol levels will probably shoot up quite literally. It is extremely high in fat but that should not put you off. If you choose your hocks well there should be lots of lean meat to be had as well. Connoisseurs recommend the front legs.

What makes this paksiw unique is the combination of dried banana blossoms (or lily flowers) and bay leaves that give this dish a distinct flavour.

Paksiw na Pata is best cooked over low fire for at least 2 hours. I don’t recommend using a pressure cooker as you need this dish to “age” properly rather force it. It is best eaten the day after it has been cooked when all the flavours have seeped into the meat.

Paksiw na Pata ala Kidpawan

2 pork hocks
1 cup vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
6-10 whole garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons peppercorn slightly crushed
1 cup dried banana blossoms or lily flowers soaked in hot water
1 cup pineapple pieces
Water

1. Combine all the ingredients together (except the water) in one big pot.
2. Add just enough water to cover the hocks.
3. Bring to a boil then reduce to low to medium hit and braise for 2 hours. Skim off the muck that forms on top.
4. If you want to reduce the sauce further after two hours of cooking I recommend you remove the hocks first. This will keep your hocks intact. Return the hocks to the cooking liquid when it reaches your desired amount.
5. Serve with steaming hot rice.

Crispy Fry Fried Chicken (ChickenJoel TM)/Pork Chops

If you want that “take-away” (“take out” for those in North America) taste in your fried chicken/pork chops it’s pretty hard to go wrong with Ajinomoto’s Crispy Fry Breading Mix. Yup, Ajinomoto! Probably the most well known MSG (monosodium glutamate) manufacturer in the world. So, if you’re MSG sensitive or want nothing to do with MSG at all please look away now.

Well, I don’t know if Crispy Fry has some MSG in it but just in case…

I do want to make it clear though that I was in no way paid by Ajinomoto to promote their product. I’m including it in my blog purely for taste reasons.

There are days when we just feel like eating take away food (take out” for those in North America). Unlike in the Philippines where you can get almost anything delivered right at your doorstep (yes, including McDonald’s), here down under the quickest way would have to be the drive-thru. But sometimes I couldn’t even be bothered to drive. It’s times like those when Crispy Fry comes really handy.

If you like your fried chicken with gravy you’ll be glad to know that each Crispy Fry packet also comes with a gravy mix.

I was introduced to this product by Mister J. He’s also showed me some tricks he’s learned during his stints at fast food restaurants to make your chicken extra crispy.

The recipe below, once again, is Mr J’s very own (in his own words):

Really Krispy Pork Chops (Also applies to ChickenJoelTM)

Rub a small amount of salt & pepper on thinly sliced pork chops (about a kilo or nine pieces).
Let stand for a few minutes. Meanwhile...

Mix about 200 grams all purpose flour, a teaspoon or less of fine salt and pepper. Or just mix the flour with commercially prepared breading mix such as Ajinomoto Crispy Fry or magic seasonings like Knorr Real Sarap.

Break an egg and manually cover the chops. In a separate bowl, bread the chops with the flour mixture, pressing with your hands to make sure the flour sticks to them.

Transfer the breaded meat to a sieve and dip in a bowl of water or wet it a little under a running tap for about 5 seconds. Shake vigorously.

Do the breading for the second time this time without dipping in the water. Be sure to eliminate excess flour by sifting.

Deep-Fry until golden brown.

Turon (Banana Spring Rolls)

Turon (banana spring rolls) would have to be my all-time favourite Filipino dessert. I literally had it everyday during a recent trip to the Philippines (thanks to Mr J). At the end of it I still wanted more.

Making turon is a simple enough process. You wrap slices of banana in spring roll wrappers. You then fry them in medium hot oil. There’s really nothing to it.


But what makes this such a unique dessert is the type of banana used. Saba bananas (Musa x paradisiaca) is not that uncommon in Australia. You can get packs of par-boiled frozen sabas from your neighbourhood Filipino food purveyor. There you’ll also find jars of sweetened sliced saba used for halo-halo (mixed fruit/bean iced dessert). Fresh saba though is seasonal and very rare. You have to be in the know to get a hold of them as I’ve never seen them sold in major Asian shops. We get ours from Mom who sources hers from a tiny shop east of Brisbane. Apparently, their flown in from Darwin when in season.



In a lot of recipes I’ve read plantains are always recommended as a substitute. I’ve never actually used plantains so I can’t really tell you if it’s any good. You might still be better off using the frozen variety for a more authentic taste.

Saba is starchier and less sweet than other bananas. Brown sugar is commonly added for sweetness and texture as it also coats the dessert with crunchy toffee.

Slivers of jackfruit are also added as its taste complements that of the saba banana.



Turon (Banana Spring Rolls)
6 Saba bananas (halved or quartered lengthwise)
Spring roll wrappers
Oil for frying
Brown sugar (optional)
Slivers of jackfruit (optional)

There are several ways you can add sugar to this dish. You either mix the sugar and the sliced bananas together or sprinkle them before wrapping. You also melt sugar in oil halfway through or after you’ve fried the banana spring rolls.

1. Heat up lots of oil for frying. Keep this at medium level.
2. Wrap the (sugared) bananas and jackfruit (optional) in spring roll wrappers.
3. Fry them.
4. Add some brown sugar to the oil (half-way through the cooking process or after cooking the spring rolls). You then spread this melted sugar onto the spring rolls to create that crunchy toffee coat.

Lanzones (Lansium domesticum)

I was pleasantly surprised at the abundance of lanzones in the markets during our trip to the Philippines in July. In Laguna, where I grew up, we normally do not see this exotic roundish fruit till much later in the year, mainly the beginning of October. But we are genuinely grateful that they were there. Like the santol in the previous post it is not available in Australia. The last time I had them was probably over a decade ago. The timing of our previous trips were always not in the lanzones season.




Again, like the santol, I struggle a little bit to describe lanzones to the uninitiated. It’s got creamy latte coloured leathery skin. Inside you’ll find translucent segments that can be intolerably sour to very sweet depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Be warned though, if a segment has noticeably large seed make sure you do not bite it. It is extremely unpleasant and might put you off this tropical fruit for long time.





It doesn’t have a very long shelf life. The skin turns brown a few days after picking or when bruised. Everyone in my household seem to be aware of this fact as kilos of lanzones quickly disappear soon after they’re laid on the table.