East West - The Asian American Lifestyle Magazine

Examining the Filipino American kitchen with chef and cookbook author Jennifer Aranas 

Like most of us, Jennifer Aranas has found that mom knows best when it comes to authentic taste and sure-fire dishes, and so the former restaurateur often consulted her mother when changing the menu at Rambutan, Chicago’s first fine dining Filipino eatery.  Even with mom’s wisdom, however, chef-owner Aranas says geography often made it “hard to be traditional because you don’t have all the ingredients here in the United States.”

“I believe in freshness over authenticity,” Aranas says of her take on traditional Filipino dishes. “A fresh fish is always better than a frozen fish native to Asia.”

In her quest to provide Filipino tastes and flavors while utilizing readily available ingredients, Aranas, 36, has amassed a large collection of fusion recipes over the years, adapting her recipes and those of friends and family.

The cooking instructor and food writer is now out of the restaurant business, but her collection can be found in her first book, “The Filipino-American Kitchen.” 

“Some dishes are more challenging than others,” she says of the book’s recipes, which cover the various regional flavors of the Philippines. “Some you just put everything in a pot and cook for an hour, like Adobo, while other special occasion dishes are more complicated.”

Whether the dish is novice-cook friendly or not, Aranas says everyone will find the basics of Filipino cuisine very familiar. The techniques are similar to European cooking while the flavors are in line with traditional Asian tastes.

In fact, Filipino cooking is so friendly and approachable that Aranas expresses some disappointment that the cuisine is not more popular in the U.S. She says Filipino recipes easily can be a part of our everyday repertoires. “People will recognize the ingredients and flavors. Like taco Tuesdays and spaghetti on Wednesdays, you could have Adobo Thursdays.” Think of it as an exotic but familiar twist on moms' menus everywhere.

Humba (Sugar Braised Pork)

Aranas says: The immense power of food to comfort and caress the human soul, even by the mere smell, is epitomized by this dish. Traditionally made with ham hocks, humba is braised in a sweet-tangy liquid of fermented black beans, vinegar and brown sugar that transforms the meat into tender mahogany. Although ham hocks undeniably produce a more robust humba, they are not the most practical cut.  Pork butt, also called pork shoulder, is a leaner, healthier substitute that gives you 100 percent of the flavor without the added guilt. 

Serves 6

2½ lbs (1¼ kg) pork shoulder, cut into 1-in (2½-cm) cubes

¼ cup (25 g) dried fermented black beans

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

¾ cup (150 g) dark brown sugar

½ cup (125 ml) palm or coconut vinegar

¼ cup (50 ml) soy sauce

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

3 to 4 cups (750 ml to 1 liter) chicken or beef stock 

Place all the ingredients in a large pot. There should be enough stock to cover the pork by 1 inch (2½ cm). Bring the mixture to a boil. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 2 to 2½ hours until the pork is tender. Remove the cover and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for another 30 minutes until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve with Maja Blanca Mais.

Duck Adobo with Pineapple and Dates

Aranas says: As every Filipino knows, words do not do justice in describing the alchemy of Adobo. The magic of the Philippines’ national dish can only be captured in the permeating smell and unforgettable taste of food transformed by the slow simmering of garlic, soy, vinegar, bay leaf and peppercorns. As the national dish, Adobo is most often made with chicken and/or pork. But as a cooking technique, the five Adobo ingredients can be applied to most any food, including vegetables. 

Makes 4 servings

4 to 5 lbs (approximately 2 kg) Muscovy duck

¼ cup (50 ml) coconut or palm vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, peeled

½ teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 to 2½ cups (500 to 625 ml) chicken stock, enough to cover the duck pieces

¼ cup (50 g) diced pineapple

¼ cup (40 g) chopped Chinese red dates (substitute Medjool dates)

Prepare the duck: Remove the innards from the duck cavity. Rinse the duck under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the duck into six pieces, separating each of the two breasts, thighs, legs and wings from the carcass. Reserve the carcass for duck stock. Set aside the duck breasts.

Make the Adobo: Place the legs, wings, and thighs into a large sauté pan (3 to 4 quarts/liters). Add the vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, tomato paste, oyster sauce and chicken stock. Bring the Adobo to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes covered. Remove the cover and add the pineapple and dates. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Cook the duck breast: While the sauce is reducing, lightly score the skin on the duck breasts in a diagonal cross-hatch pattern. Heat a 10-inch (25-cm) skillet over a medium-high flame. Place the duck breasts in the skillet skin side down, searing the skin until golden brown, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for seven to eight minutes. Turn the breasts to cook the other side, five to six minutes, until the meat reaches medium doneness. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of the breast should read 150 to 155°F (65 to 70°C). Remove the breasts from the pan and let rest for three minutes before slicing into thin pieces.

Serve the duck: Place the stewed duck and sliced duck breast on a serving platter. Spoon the Adobo sauce over the duck and serve with steamed white rice. 

Recipes and photos courtesy of “The Filipino-American Kitchen,” Tuttle Publishing, 2006.
 

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