This recipe is dedicated to my good friend “E” Fructuso. I couldn’t believe he’s gone now let alone that it has been a year. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. E has touched so many lives from his relentless community service keeping the youth of San Francisco off the…
Vegan Filipino: Bopis
After a long break, I’m finally back blogging. It feels good to be here again. For this post, I’m featuring Bopis (Boh-peas), a delicious Filipino dish traditionally cooked with pig parts. Yes, pig parts. I won’t divulge which ones so don’t worry. For my vegan version, I’m going to incorporate something equally “unconventional” and delectable:…
Vegan Adobong Pusit
To touch upon the same topic from my last post, I’m extending the use of mushrooms into veganizing another traditional Filipino delicacy called Adobong Pusit. Adobo means to cook in garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar. Pusit means squid. The squid version is known to have tinted black sauce (squid emits a black liquid substance when…
Ready in 15 minutes: Mushroom Pusit
Ever since I discovered the versatility of mushroom in cooking, I have been using them as alternative to squid, clams, oysters, pork fat, even pork intestines (sadly pig insides are a common Filipino ingredient). Now, there’s no way going back to cruel ways when I could have the same flavor and texture from using mushroom. When…
Tomatolove: Vegan Pinangat
Pinangat or Pangat is a Filipino fish stew I’d like to refer as “poor man’s food” because of its simplicity yet nourishing effects. Growing up near a beach and a fisherman’s market, my mom would always serve Pinangat for breakfast. Some Pinangat versions call for Calamansi or Filipino citrus, others call for coconut milk. I…
Halo-Halo, Vegan
I ran out of ice cream in the fridge and I found myself craving for something cold and sweet to beat the weather. “What else can I make?” I wondered. “Oh, but of course, Halo-halo!” (pronounced ha-loh ha-loh and NOT halo like angel halo). Growing up in Digman, where Halo-halo originated from, I terribly missed…
Mango Ice Cream & Red Bean Popsicle
Although it’s easy to just buy ice cream at a store, there’s something about it being homemade (or anything really) that makes it more special. To decide on the flavors, I went for my ultimate childhood favorites: mango and munggo (red mung beans). These two flavors are the most popular ones in the Philippines, along…
Vegan Paella, Filipino Style
When the rice company, Eighth Wonder, sent me some of their rice to review, I wasn’t sure what to do with them aside from the plain steamed version. I asked around on Twitter and got some helpful suggestions like rice pudding, tsampurado, sushi, etc. Someone new to Twitter, @KA_Hawk replied “Paella” (his/her very first tweet!). I looked up several different Paella…
Tocho with Pechay and Seaweed
Known for its miso-like flavors (savory with a bit of tang), Tocho is a Filipino dish that usually comes in either a black beans sauce base or a fermented bean curd base or both. Fermented bean curd in the Philippines is called “Tahure” (tah-hoor-reh). It has a distinct salty taste and should be used sparingly. However, when…
Oyster Mushroom Escargot
The first time I heard about Escargot was when I was a kid, probably around ten years old, dining with my family at a seafood restaurant in the Philippines. Over there, we would refer to Escargot as Ginataang Kuhol which means “Snails in Coconut Milk.” Snails? As a young kid, the thought of eating slimy snails not only disgusted me but…