Green Buko Pandan Cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day!

I've been thinking about these for a while.  It was just perfect timing that I was going to a Filipino-American Book Club meeting on St. Patrick's Day.

I realize how cliche it is to have green food-colored items on St. Paddy's Day, but I don't care.  I love the day when everyone gets to wear all this green, the way I wear green almost every day.  Of course, I have to find something festive for this holiday.

Buko pandan is a popular Filipino dessert flavor. Buko is young coconut, and pandan are Screwpine leaves.  Often, the dessert has coconut pieces and green pandan-flavored gelatin.  It might sound strange, but it's quite a sweet dessert.

Pandan

Luckily, having a car has given me much more access to the Filipino market in Quincy, called "Sure Pinoy."  This is where I was able to find the buko pandan flavoring and macapuno strings for the topping.  But I have had buko pandan flavoring in my possession for perhaps 2 years.  I wasn't joking when I said I had been meaning to make something in this flavor for a while.

RECIPE:
Adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe for Golden Layer Cake, from How to Cook Everything.

Yielding 24 Cupcakes:
10 TBS (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus some for the pans and the paper

2 cups cake or all-purpose flour, plus some for the pans

1 ¼ cups sugar

4 eggs or 8 yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 TBS grated or minced orange zest

1 tsp buko pandan extract

2 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup milk

Whipped Cream Frosting with Macapuno Strings:
2 cups heavy cream

4 TBS confectioners sugar

Sweet Macapuno Strings

1.       Heat the oven to 350F. For cake: Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch or three 8-inch layer cake pans; cover the bottom with a circle of wax or parchment paper, butter the paper, and sift flower over the pans; invert and tap to remove the excess flour. For cupcakes: Place cupcake wrappers in a muffin tin.

2.       Use an electric mixer to cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light in color and fluffy, 3 or 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs or yolks, one at a time, then the vanilla extract. Add buko pandan extract to the milk (Don't freak at the super bright green color!).  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the egg mixture by hand, a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Stir just until smooth.  The cupcakes will not come out super bring green.  If you want it to be more green, just add green food coloring.

Buko pandan extract combid

3.       Turn the batter into the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. For cupcakes, check them frequently after the first 10 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a rack to finish cooling. 

They're greenish on the inside

4.       For Whipped Cream Frosting: In a chilled bowl, combine the cream & sugar.  Pour a small amount of the juice from the macapuno strings jar into the mixture as well. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. gradually increase the speed to medium-high & continue to beat until the cream holds soft peaks, 2-3 mins.  If you don't have an electric mixer, just use a whisk...it takes a little bit longer, but it totally works...start slow, like you're beating something, making sure lots of air bubble form.  To get faster, hold the whisk as though you're about to start a fire, and keep doing that until you see he soft peaks.

5.       Top the frosting with a couple of macapuno strings.  For extra festiveness, sprinkle with green sprinkles.  Store at room temperature, covered with wax paper, for up to a day or two; use plastic wrap and it will keep for an extra day or so.

Finished product

I ended up having enough batter to make an extra cupcake.  I was happy this worked out since I wanted to make sure I tasted it before feeding it to anyone else.

I was actually quite surprised at how not super green the cupcakes turned out.  It's extremely subtle when you bite into the cupcake.  The flavor is also subtle, but definitely sweet.  I'm glad I opted for the whipped cream frosting, because it just contributed to the flavors without overpowering it.

If I were to use buttercream frosting, I would probably use the buko pandan flavoring instead of vanilla, or perhaps use less vanilla extract.

It was a great experiment with baking!  It was also the first time I've baked in my new apartment.  I haven't felt much motivation to bake, which I'm sure has been a part of my needing to adjust to all the changes.  After this first time, I am definitely now feeling the urge to bake more.

It's a St. Paddy's Day miracle!

Pancit Bihon

For some reason, this recipe feels like it will take a whole day of cooking to prepare it.  But, it's really just because there are multiple preparatory steps before it all comes together.

But, if you time it well, the recipe takes less time than you think it would.

I made pancit bihon for New Years, and there was enough of it to last the boyfriend and me several days of meals.  Pancit is basically a Filipino noodle dish and, similar to adobo and sinigang, can be made in a variety of different ways.

This recipe was one that I acquired from my mother.  Being that I spent the holidays away from my family, I definitely needed to have some Filipino food to make up for it.

I was very pleased to know that the ingredients to make pancit aren't too difficult to get, though many of the ingredients I already had at home.

Ingredient List
Pancit Bihon noodles (can be found in Super 88 in the noodle section)
1lb Chicken (boneless and skinless) OR 1 box of Firm Tofu
2 boxes of Chicken Broth OR Veggie Broth
2 bags of Veggie Stir-fry (I suggest just going to Trader Joe's and getting their frozen bag of veggie stir-fry. I ended up getting a bag of frozen veggies + a bag of frozen edamame from Whole Foods this time around.)
1 bulb Garlic
2 Onions
Canola Oil or Olive Oil
Ground Pepper
Paprika
Soy Sauce
Green Onion
Lemons

Initial Prep
1. Cut 1 bag of noodles in half, and place them in a pot of water to soften.  Do not turn the heat on!  This procedure makes the noodles soft and easier to work with.

You can also get a brand called "Excellent," with a picture of a shrimp on it.
That's the brand my mom recommends.

2. Boil chicken.  When chicken is boiled, shred the chicken (you can just use your fingers or a fork) and put aside.  OR Fry tofu in a 1/2 cup of canola oil and put aside.
3. Mince garlic and saute.  Once all the garlic has browned, set it aside.

Browned Garlic and Shredded Chicken

Veggie Prep
1.  Cut and chop onions.  Saute them in a wok with a 1/2 tbsp of oil.
2.  Add the stir-fry veggies when the onions are coated in oil.  You can use all 2 bags or just 1 1/2 bags depending on how large your container is.
3.  Add 1ts of ground pepper, and 1/2ts of paprika.
4.  When the liquid has mostly evaporated and veggies are drying, add 2tbs of chicken or veggie broth.
5.  After most of the broth has been absorbed, set the veggies aside.

Sauteing Veggies

Noodles
1.  In the same wok you used to cook the veggies, put in 1 box + 1 cup of broth, 3/4 cup of soy sauce, 2tbs oil, 2ts ground pepper, 1/2ts paprika.
2.  When the mixture starts to boil, put in the softened noodles.  Mix to coat all the noodles.

Almost done!

3.  When the noodles have almost absorbed the liquid mixture, throw in 1/2 of the sauteed veggies.  Saute the mixture.
4.  When all the liquid has been absorbed by the noodles, it's done!

Finishing Touches
1.  Place the noodles in a serving dish (probably a large tray of some sort).
2.  Put the remaining veggies on top of the noodles.
3.  Then place the chicken or tofu on top of the veggies.
4.  Then put the browned garlic on top of the chicken.
5.  Then sprinkle chopped green onions all over the dish.
6.  Finally, chop lemons in halves, then quarters.  Put the quarters on the sides of the dish.

Voila!

To serve this dish, you want a nice large scoop of everything.  I highly recommend squeezing some lemon on the noodles before feasting.

Altogether, the preparation and cooking probably took me about an hour and a half, which is pretty fast compared to what it looks like.

Also, while it's delicious fresh from the kitchen, I think it's also quite delicious the next day after being in the fridge.  You can reheat it, but it's also delicious as a cold meal.

Personally, I could eat a ginormous bowl of this stuff!  It's one of the highlights of Filipino get-together's.

Adobo - Filipino Style

One of the first meals that I learned how to cook when I had access to my own kitchen was chicken adobo.  Though, when most people hear "adobo," they assume it's the Spanish version.  But, while we might have adopted the name from the Spaniards and the base is similar in that there is a marinade,  it's really its own beast.

Filipino-style Adobo is really a very simple concoction, but it is truly individualistic.  While it can be considered the "national dish" of the Philippines, every household cooks it differently.

In essence, Filipino Adobo is anything marinaded in a vinegar based marinade.  Anything else that is added to the marinade is purely representative of the region the cook or their family is from.

My family cooks it in a relatively popular way:  add soy sauce, black pepper, and garlic.

All you need...

Obviously, if you prefer something other than chicken, like pork or beef or fish or shrimp, you can easily adopt the adobo recipe to it.  That's just part of its beauty.

Recipe:
2lbs of Chicken (Personally, I think that bone-in tastes a lot better since it really holds in the flavors, but boneless is also delicious and will cook faster.)
2/3 cup of Vinegar (If you can find cane vinegar in your Asian market, you're quite the lucky duck!  This is Filipino vinegar, and it's just got a great twang to it.)
1 cup of Soy Sauce (Any soy sauce will do)
1 tsp of Ground Black Pepper
1/2 a bulb of Garlic...or if you're like the boyfriend and me, the entire bulb!

Additional ingredients added to your liking:
Juice of 1 Lemon
3 or 4 Bay Leaves

Instructions:
Mix all the ingredients together and marinade the chicken while you prep other things.  You should definitely start your rice at this point, and prep any veggies you might want to add to your meal.  I suggest broccoli and baby carrots to add to the rice, but I'll get to that later.

Heat up a pan or a skillet, and put about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil on the pan.  When it's heated, place the chicken and marinade in the pan.  Make sure to turn the chicken around to ensure that it cooks on all sides and all the way through.  Boil the chicken in the sauces until it is somewhat dry and the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Set the chicken aside.  While the heat is still on and there is still some sauce in the pan, throw in your veggies.  Hopefully, your rice is done cooking at this point, and you can throw in your rice as well.  This will really help to mop up the rest of the sauce and garlic bits.  Fry the rice and veggies until the rice is fairly covered in the sauce and the veggies are somewhat soft.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.  You've now made chicken adobo.  I wish I had pictures of my completed meal to show you.  Alas, I got way too excited and ate it before I got to take a picture.  However, I do have the nutritional value.

Nutrition Facts (Chicken Adobo Only)

Recipe Serves 4 people

Amount per Serving - 2 medium to large pieces of chicken

• Calories 444
• Calories from Fat 63

Not so bad for a full meal.  It's fairly healthy when you add the veggies to it, and it's chock full of protein.

But really, the reason you should be having this meal is because someone Filipino has invited you into their home, and wants you to learn more about their culture by feeding you this dish.  You are one lucky son of a gun.

Fleeting Fortune

Let me break my finances down for you all.  I'm really going to put this out there and really talk about this issue quite honestly.

Let me start by saying that I'm extremely lucky.  EXTREMELY LUCKY.

Because of my parents helping out with as much as they have been helping, I've yet to go hungry and no debt collectors are knocking on my door.  Because I'm on a family plan, I am able to have my awesome Droid with me at all times.  Because they love me and trust me, I haven't broken down and moved back to Los Angeles.

I'm really of the mind that I need to be able to make it on my own before I can consider myself an independent adult.  Now, being Filipino, it's part of our culture to share some of the finances.  If I were more wealthy, I would be able to help my brother and sister through difficult times as well.  Fortunately, my brother was the smarter one between us three, and is making more than I can even imagine at this point.  Regardless, as the eldest, I know that I also want to help financially support my family.

Now, of my own money that comes my way, I have my side job, which I love.  I really should have been trying to turn that business into a full-time business since October 2009, when I first signed up for unemployment.  Alas, hindsight is 20/20.  So, while it does provide some income, I'm still trying to make it so that I am really earning more than $500 a month from it.  That means, more parties, more exposure, more selling.  I know I'm up to this challenge, mainly because I get so much satisfaction from this job.

Every Sunday, I log in to the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment website and let them know that I was able to work, that I looked for work, and that I had or had not earned any pay from smaller jobs.  Then on Tuesday, $355 gets deposited into my account.  It's not bad, but it's not enough.

On Tuesday morning, when I take a look at my bank balance, I take a minute to breathe.  Then I get to work on paying bills (Comcast, Old Navy, Victoria's Secret, Best Buy, and Capital One) or paying the boyfriend back whatever amount I owe him (most of the household utilities are under his name because this was his apartment before it became our apartment).  Then this happens:

Within the hour, my balance is somewhere between $50-$150, if that.  I spend the rest of the week (haHA! No pun intended...) having minor freak outs about possibly getting an overdraft fee or if some horrible emergency happens or if I should just stay away from any social events because of the money I would spend.

As of this 2nd week of October, I'm dying to get a pedicure (approximately $40).  I want to keep going to yoga and pilates ($15 per class, but I've already paid $70 for 5 sessions).  I want to be done paying for my half of rent for this month ($200 out of $550 left).

The boyfriend thinks that I spend way too much money on things I don't need.  I'm sure that's true.  I don't need to eat out with friends.  I don't need to buy coffee or pastries.  I don't need to buy more belly dance related items.  I don't need to buy new jeans just because my best pair have a whole in the crotchal area.  I don't need to go to Mexico in 2011 (though I'm still definitely working on that!).

I wish there were things I could barter with people.  I would gladly spend the day cleaning at the nail salon if I could just get a free pedicure.  I could teach a very-very-very-introductory belly dance lesson for a yoga or pilates class. 

I mean, I guess there's no harm in asking.  No harm at all.  I might actually see if I can do some bartering.

As of now, I have 2 job interviews this week.  One as a full-time Program Manager at the Boston Center for Adult Education and another as a part-time Front Desk Staff at the Commonwealth Sports Club (a gym I'd  love to have a membership at because of their salt-water pool).  As of now, I would consider working both if they both offer me a position, depending on the hours obviously.  I would also keep working my side job, because I feel like I want to keep moving in that direction. 

But, I just don't want to feel like my hard earned money is continuously flitting out of my reach.

Turon - Filipino Banana Roll

Summer is upon us!  It's time to have fresh fruits and veggies, plug in the AC, and perhaps have a nice sangria to help keep you feeling refreshed.

With the heat and humidity that's part of the Boston summer, the boyfriend and I constantly have an issue with ingesting all the bananas before they start getting too ripe.  They go in our cereal or as a snack during the day.  But for some reason, there's always a couple of them left near the end that are just about to hit the point of no return.

While you can definitely make some really good banana bread, I wanted to share a Filipino recipe.

Turon is basically like an egg roll, but filled simply with banana or plantain and jackfruit, dipped in brown sugar.

What is jackfruit, you ask?  Well, aside from being the national fruit of Bangladesh, it's a sweet fruit that grows mainly in South and Southeast Asia.  It looks like this:

Jackfruit on the Tree

In the Philippines, the jackfruit is called langka.  The meat of the fruit is yellow and wraps around it's seeds.  It's probably not something you'd ever think of trying right off the bat.  And it's name sounds like you could use it as an insult.  But I cannot stress enough how the jackfruit DOES NOT taste or smell like durian.

So, onto the recipe!

Ingredients for 20 rolls:

• Jackfruit (can be bought in Asian markets, such as Super 88 here in Boston, in a jar)
• 5 Bananas (sliced in quarters)
• 20 Spring Roll Wrappers (can be bought in any Asian market.  If you find ones that are specifically for lumpia you're doing pretty well!  You can use the square shaped ones or the circular ones, but I prefer the circular ones)
•  1/2 cup of Brown Sugar or more as needed

Prepping

Instructions:
I recommend taking the spring roll wrappers out of the freezer (where they belong) about a half our before you start to prep.  This will prevent them from getting too stuck to each other.  I also recommend using them within a couple of weeks of buying them, only because they seem to get a bit more brittle as time goes on.

After cutting the bananas lengthwise, you can roll them in some brown sugar, though this is not necessary.

Place banana piece and small piece of jackfruit into folded out spring roll wrapper, about 1/4 from the bottom.  You can take a piece of jackfruit out of the jar and rip pieces of the fruit off, especially since a little goes a long way.  It gets a little messy, but it's delicious messy.

Nummy num nums

Start rolling, folding sides into the middle (if you've ever watched someone make a wrap or a burrito, it's similar to that).  To secure roll, use jackfruit juice or water.  You can then also roll the roll in the brown sugar, or you can sprinkle some on prior to frying.  If you don't want it to be too sweet, I would opt for either dipping the banana or the completed roll, but not both.  I will personally recommend dipping the completed roll, only because it gets caramelized in the process.

Waiting to be fried

Grab your wok or a frying pan with higher sides, and fill it with enough canola oil to have the rolls floating somewhat.  Fry away!

Fry, my pretties!

I usually spin them in the oil so that all of it is coated, but then I let it fry on one side for a couple of minutes.  Make sure you're able to keep watch over them, because you don't want them to get too fried.  When you start to see the bottom side browning, flip it over.  Be careful, and watch for oil splattering!  It's not a fun thing to learn about.

When they're done, prop them up in a bowl lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.  Let them cool for about a half hour.  Then enjoy, perhaps with a scoop of ice cream after you've enjoyed one on its own.

Yay! Turon!

Nutrition Facts:

Amount per Serving of 20 people
Calories 56 Calories from Fat 9

Ube Cupcakes! Happy Birthday to Me!

In honor of my birthday, I'm baking one of my favorite Filipino deserts in cupcake form and sharing the recipe with you all!

nom nom nom

Ube is a purple yam that is used in many desert items in the Philippines.  But my favorite form is ube cake.

I loved bringing this cake to large gatherings of non-Filipinos.  It was enough to weird people out, but not weird enough that they wouldn't enjoy every bite of it.

Though it looks like it should be saccharine sweet, it's not as bad as one might think.  The one drawback to the cakes we buy in Filipino bakeries like Goldilocks or Red Ribbon is that they are usually BRIGHT purple due to the addition of food coloring.  Granted, ube is purple enough on its own, but you can tell that there's extra tint added.

I'd also like to add that another drawback is the fact that there isn't a Filipino bakery in Boston.  Nonetheless, I wasn't going to let it stop me from enjoying this treat.

I had to do a bit of looking around on the interwebs for a perfect recipe.  I've made this in cupcake form before, but I'd have to say that I'm pretty proud of it this time around.

I took advice from Burnt Lumpia's blog, which features a lot of great Filipino recipes.  But the main cupcake recipe I used was from Mark Bittman's Golden Layer Cake recipe in How to Cook Everything.

Ube Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Purple Yam, Ube
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 1 tsp Pure Tahitian Vanilla Extract
• 18 tbsp Butter (10 tbsp for cake, 8 tbsp for frosting)
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar - Raw Turbinado
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups Cake Flour
• 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder Aluminum Free
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 2 cups Confectioners Sugar Powdered

Prep:
Defrost frozen Ube.  Frozen ube can be found in Filipino markets and some Asian groceries.
Take butter and cream cheese out to make them room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Place cupcake papers in muffin tins.

Prepping

Cupcake:  
Mix ube (once defrosted, you can scrape ube into measuring cup with a fork), milk, and vanilla extract.  Set aside.
Cream 10 tbsp of butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar.  Beat until light for about 3 or 4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Mixtures ready to be mixed!

Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture by hand, a little at a time, alternating with the milk/ube mixture.  Stir until smooth.  The mixture should be light purple, but not overwhelmingly so.
Scoop matter into muffin tins lined with cupcake papers, using an ice cream scoop for help.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Mmmm....ube cake batter...

Frosting:  Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time.  Feel free to add some sprinklings of shredded ube to make the frosting purple.

Frosting and sprinkles!

Frost cupcakes after 30 minutes of cooling.

Ta da!

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cupcakes

Amount per Serving
Calories 253
Calories from Fat 109.1
(According to livestrong.com and my input of the recipe)

What's interesting is that I feel like I should put them in the fridge, but most resources and my trusty sister-baker says not to.  So, I just keep them in my handy cupcake transporter until consumption. :)

Cupcake transportation at it's best!

So, I'm glad that I can share this with you all!  I'm excited to be out of my 27th year, as you readers can see it's been a difficult one.  But I'm also excited to be a little bit older and, I hope, a little bit wiser.

Here's to making 28 an awesome year!

Hooray for 28!

Did you send in your Census 2010?

Don't worry, I'm not going to get hyper-political right now (though I do think that politics is important, but that might be a whole separate blog post for later).

I was so psyched (there's really no other word for how I felt) when the boyfriend and I filled out the Census 2010 paperwork.  And this is why:

Filipino!!!

This is the first time I remember filling out the Census on my own, and this is definitely the first time I'm filling it out as an adult.  But I have never been so excited to see a check box.

What strikes me as somewhat funny about the situation is the fact that, being an educated Filipina, I can't help but think of the irony in my excitement.  Since I consider myself open-minded and quite liberal, and I have friends of different ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations, I feel like I've had many conversations about identity and that damn check box.

I understand the idea that the check box is a way for others to literally "box" people into an identity.  Who determines the categories?  In a world that has so much diversity, is it fair to lump people in generalized categories?  And before this Census, why were we confined to check a limited number of boxes, merely 1 or 2?

But, I have never been so proud to check a box.  I do believe that we, the Filipino community, are lucky to have activists fight for our right to a box.  Also, considering that Filipino's make up the second largest "Asian/Pacific Islander" population, it's pretty neat that we have been acknowledged.

We've definitely come a long way from this:

"Positively No Filipinos Allowed"

But there's still quite a lot more room to grow.

Asian/Not Asian Hair

Back in February (why does it feel like so long ago?), when the boyfriend and I were in Los Angeles, I decided on the very last day to get my hair cut.

December 2009

The last time I had a cut was maybe April 2009, so while my hair was long there were also many a split ends.  The problem is that I don't have a specific hair person.  It's possibly because I've moved around so much and gotten my hair cut in so many different cities.  But every time, I'm not necessarily leaving feeling like, "Woo hoo!  Look at my hair!  It's so AWESOME!!!" 

This might sound a little crazy, but I kind of feel like I have very specific type of hair.  Being Filipino, I have Asian-type hair, but it's thicker.  If I wash my hair and just let it air dry, it would be floofy and slightly wavy, but would flatten out by the end of the day.

There are times when I would like to go into a hair salon and say, "Do whatever you'd like to do."  But I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to go for it.

If I could choose my perfect hair style, it would look like I just came from the beach but cleaned up.  But that kind of hair style takes a lot of work and a lot of product.

From marieclaire.com

Another part of my problem is that I don't really want to put in so much work.  Why is it that I just can't wake up and have it all be a flowy and perfect when I wake up?  So, I'll do some work, but if I could find the easiest way to get to the picture above, that would be awesome.

Now back to my hair cut situation.  The hair stylist needs to know how to work with Filipino hair, which makes me feel nervous about getting my hair cut in Boston since there's not a huge Filipino community.  But, being in Los Angeles at the time, I didn't know exactly where I should go.

I did Yelp a couple of places nearby and I did end up getting my hair cut after a lot of back an forth about who I should see.  I ended up settling for this Thai woman back in L.A. whom my family affectionately calls "Bo-dai."

***If you're planning to get horribly offended in the next couple of minutes, I would probably stop reading.  Thanks!***

This particular woman has been cutting my mom's hair since we've moved from the Philippines back in 1986.  Since then, many of my cousins and other relatives have seen her for their hair cuts.  Now, another big issue of mine is that while I feel like the stylist should know how to deal with Asian hair, I don't actually want to look Asian.

You know what I'm talking about!  I'm not even going to include any picture examples.

I know what you're saying.  "But...you are Asian/Pacific Islander...why not embrace it?"  I know I know.  But there's no need in looking like a fortune cookie cutter (HA! How'd you like them apples???).

But I digress.  "Bo-dai" got her nickname because, as the legend goes, she would always say that to my mom.  My mom, not really sure what she was saying, would always just smile and nod.  At some point, she realized the woman was actually saying, "blow-dry" in a heavy Thai accent!  And from then on, my mom would always say, "I'm going to see 'Bo-dai.'"

One day, some relatives who just moved to Los Angeles was asking my mother about where she gets her hair cut.  Of course, she told them she goes to "Bo-dai" and gives them directions.  Of course, those relatives proceeded to walk into her salon and asked, "Hi, could we get our haircut with 'Bo-dai'?"

March 2010

She's a lovely woman.  And she proceeded to take my hair - after telling her that I wanted 3 inches off and layered - to take my hair, twist sections of it, and cut it.  Shorter than it's been in a very long time.

I'll admit that there was definitely a moment when I felt like I was on America's Next Top Model smack dab in the middle of Make-Overs.  I couldn't believe what was happening, and I was really thinking that I'd be walking out looking more Asian than ever.

But when it was all said and done, it wasn't so bad.  I probably will not see "Bo-dai" next time I'm in Los Angeles in need of a hair cut, but it wasn't the worst possible experience.  I miss my long hair, but it'll probably be long again by the end of 2010.  And once again, I'll be on a search for my perfect hair stylist.

What's In a Name?

Names have power.

Naming things has power - for better or for worse.

Names can be changed in order to remove or increase power.

Names are identity.

I personally love my name, in all its Filipino-ness, 274th in popularity, Simon & Garfunkel ode-inspired, and significance.

How Much I (and the boyfriend!) Love Sinigang

Being Filipino in Boston is not easy.

Being the only person in my family in New England is even harder.

Though more recently the boyfriend and I became part of the Boston Filipino-American Bookclub, one of the major ways I've held on to my culture and not get super homesick is through the food. Even the book club has an emphasis on the food - each person brings a dish to share. The Filipino community in Boston is much smaller than that of Los Angeles or even New York. Most of the community is in the outskirts of Boston, areas that aren't as T-accessible necessarily.

But, I digress...let's talk about sinigang.

*My Lola (grandmother) singing about sinigang. Thanks Sinta!*

Mmmmmmmmmmmm......sinigang....
Specifically, singang na baboy (pork sinigang)...
There's actually several types of sinigang:

• baboy (pork)
• bangus (milkfish)
• baka (beef)
• hipon (shrimp)
• manok (chicken)

But really...I'll stick with the baboy, thanks :)

Sinigang is basically a sour soupy meal with a sampalok (tamarind) base. You can also use a gabi (guava) base, but it's not as sour. Sour tamarind-based sinigang is hard to beat though, and it's clearly my personal favorite.

It's definitely a strange meal if you're not used to the Southeast Asian-type flavors. Honestly, I was really worried that the boyfriend (who is of German-Irish decent, raised in Massachusetts, and lived in Japan for 6 years) was not going to like it much. My ex (who is of African-American decent, and life-long lover of Japanese/Asian things) definitely did not like it, though I think he'd eat it if he had to - if it was the only thing on the menu. But, that's why he's my ex, now isn't it?

When I first told the boyfriend about it, he said, "What's silly-ging-gong?"
After I explained the proper pronunciation and the basics of the meal, he sounded more interested but insisted on calling it silly-ging-gong. As I started preparing it, the smells of the meal got him more and more excited about eating it. When he found out that one of his favorite root vegetables, labanos (daikon radish) is part of the dish, he was even more excited!

When he finally sat down and had a heaping bowl of the stuff (paired with brown rice), I'm pretty sure he fell in love with it. Now, I am just the girl who lives in the same apartment that cooks silly-ging-gong for him.

So, here are my personal tips and tricks to making sinigang - especially if you live in Boston.
Ingredient List and Where You Can Buy Them:

• 1.5-2 lbs Country-style pork ribs - You can get these at any regular (big-chain) supermarket. I go to Shaw's/Star Market and Stop & Shop. I usually ask the butcher to cut them into smaller pieces. Sometimes they come without the bone, but I recommend getting it with bone.
• 1 Packet of Tamarind Seasoning Mix/Sinigang na Sampalok Mix - These awesome little pre-packaged mixes (either Mama Sita's or Knorr brands) can be found at larger Asian markets. I will suggest that you don't look at the Ingredient list on the back, since there are some not so fun looking preservatives. But I've been eating this for years, and I'm still here! In Boston, there's Super 88, but there's a little gem in Chinatown called See Sun Market. In the very back is a section filled with Filipino goodness. If you're lucky enough to be near or able to easily get near Quincy, the Sure Pinoy Market is like heaven...AND it's right next door to the only Filipino restaurant in town! So maybe you don't need to make this recipe at all :) I'm so jealous of you now.....
• AND/OR Tamarind itself! - I've seen a box of tamarind at Super 88.
  
• 1 large Onion - I like getting yellow onions, but the only one I wouldn't personally use are red onions.
  
• 2 medium Tomatoes - Any tomato that isn't cherry or grape will do.
  
• Bag of Baby Spinach - If you prefer to get fresh spinach, go for it! I only choose this for the easy factor. You can probably put a whole lot of spinach in this recipe since the leaves shrink when they're cooked.
  
• 1 large Daikon Radish - Once in a while, they'll have these at Super 88. But when they're out of season, the only place I can seem to find them is Whole Foods.
  Extras:
  
• 5 or 6 pieces of Okra - I cut the ends off, and slice these into pieces. I've only bought them at Whole Foods, but I'm sure it's the same situation with Super 88 (not always available).
• Baby Bok Choy - Most Asian markets will have this, as well as Whole Foods.
  

Did you enjoy your whirlwind trip getting all the ingredients?
Now, let's get cooking:

1. Boil pork ribs in 1/2 full 8 quart pot of water.
2. Take out the impurities (they'll look foamy) before it fully boils.
3. When boiling, add 2 medium tomatoes (diced) and 1 small onion (diced). Let it boil until meat is cooked. (When boiling, put heat at medium high).
4. When meat is cooked, add Tamarind base, but don't stir yet!
5. When boiling, stir and add daikon radish (cut into disks), and any other veggies (I recommend okra).
6. When daikon radishes are soft, put in the spinach or other leafy green vegetables go last.

Now, if you're willing to go the extra tamarind route, here's how you do it:
After putting the tomatoes and onions in, and letting it cook for a couple more minutes, take some of the broth and place in a regular bowl. Take one of the tamarind pieces (with the shell and all!) and place into a sieve. Dip the sieve into the bowl of broth, and crush the tamarind with a spoon. You can do this with at least 3 or 4 of the tamarind pieces. When done, put that broth back into the pot! This will produce a more "tamarindy" taste.

*Don't mind the mess around the delicious meal :) *

Here's the nutrition information provided by livestrong.com:

Nutrition Facts

Recipe Serves 4 people

Amount per Serving

• Calories 239 Calories from Fat 61

% Daily Value *

• Total Fat 7.07g 11%
• Saturated Fat 2.52g 13%
• Monounsaturated Fat 0.01g
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0.01g
• Cholesterol 65mg 22%
• Sodium 843.03mg 35%
• Potassium 115.25mg 3%
• Total Carbohydrate 18.52g 6%
• Dietary Fiber 5.84g 23%
• Sugars 3.31g
• Protein 24.71g 49%

• Vitamin C 2.95
• Calcium 8.75
• Iron 4.18
• Vitamin E 0.01
• Vitamin K 0.15
• Thiamin (B1) 0.02
• Riboflavin (B2) 0.01
• Niacin (B3) 0.08
• Vitamin B6 0.05
• Phosphorus 10.75
• Magnesium 8
• Panthothenic Acid 0.05
• Zinc 0.07
• Manganese 0.05

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 26.6% Carbs 31.0% Protein 41.4%

So, the lesson of the story is this, if the person you love loves sinigang, you've got a good thing going.