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Cooking Utensils and Techniques

One of the best features of Filipino food is that it is simple to prepare and does not require special skills or exotic cooking utensils. Even rather complicated-looking dishes, such as tamales, can be prepared in any kitchen.

On Filipino Cooking Techniques Filipino dishes do not require elaborate preparations, special cooking methods or presentations. Cooking the Filipino way seems to be a natural extension of the lifestyle of everyday home cooks. Though modern short-cuts and conveniences are used in Filipino kitchens today, the simple roots of the cuisine are evident in the no-fuss recipes that comprise the cooking of the Philippines.

Early Filipinos boiled, steamed and roasted their food until Chinese migrants taught them the art of stir-frying and deep-frying and brought the indispensable soy sauce and other condiments to the wok and dining table. The next wave of innovation to Filipino cooking came when the Spanish colonizers brought with them chili peppers, tomatoes sauces, corn, potatoes and the method of sautéing. In the mid-twentieth century, Americans introduced convenience foods, such as canned meats and canned fruit cocktail, to the country, leading to new Filipino dishes using existing cooking techniques.

Herbs or spices do not feature heavily in Filipino cooking, though black peppercorns and bay leaves (or “laurel”) are used. Instead, fish sauce and shrimp paste are the popular and common ways to add flavor to dishes, similar to the way Westerners use salt, pepper, or ketchup. Further, vinegar adds tang; calamansi, a bright, tart accent; and tamarind, a sour counterpoint.

Chef’s Knife or Cleaver A good cleaver is essential because Filipino dishes are mainly chopped into bitesize pieces prior to cooking. Also known as Chinese cleaver, it is a large, heavy knife with a square blade about 3 inches (7 cm) wide. It is useful for cutting through bones; mincing meat, fish, and vegetables; and crushing garlic cloves. Its wide blade is also useful for transporting chopped food from the cutting board into the pan.

Cutting Board Most wooden cutting boards in the Philippines are made of narra. Good quality wooden boards can be passed down from generation to generation and have advantages over plastic ones. Wood possesses anti-microbial properties, shallow cuts will close up on their own. Wooden cutting boards don’t dull knives but they are not dishwasher friendly, so choose a cutting board that fits your sink. You don’t need to have several cutting boards but a small one can be very useful for quick tasks.

Mortar and Pestle A mortar and pestle set can be found in every Filipino kitchen. This fundamental tool is used to crush garlic, peanuts, and other spices and to extract shrimp juice. It is also used to crush a little bit of chocolate, or break down any hard food into smaller pieces.

Saucepans and Skillets The majority of Filipino cooking is done in saucepans (or pots) and skillets with lids. The most common sizes are a 9- or 10-inch (23 or 25-cm) skillet, a 1- to 2-quart (1 liter to 1.75-liter) saucepan, and a 4-quart (3.75-liter) saucepan.

Wok Locally known as kawali or talyasi and made from cast iron, woks are amazingly versatile for stir-frying, deep-frying, steaming, and braising. The traditional woks with round bottoms can be used only on gas ranges, but they are useful for deep-frying as they require less oil than other cookware. You can find various types of woks including carbon steel ones. Non-stick woks coated with Teflon are popular but susceptible to scratches and are not suitable for cooking at high heat. Woks come in various sizes but a 12-inch (30-cm) wok will serve much of your cooking needs. If you are getting one, it is a good idea to make sure it will fit in your sink because traditional woks are not dishwasher friendly.

How to Deep-Fry

The trick to achieving properly deep-fried food with a crisp exterior and delicious (not greasy!) interior is heating the frying oil to the correct temperature of between 350 and 375°F (175 to 190°C) and maintaining that temperature when frying food in batches. Here are a few helpful tips:

• You can use a specially designed deep-fryer, but any deep pot that is roomy enough will do.

• Use an oil with a high-smoke point, such as canola, grape seed oil or corn oil. Do not use olive oil.

• Use enough oil to completely submerge the food (this amount will depend on the size of the food and the dimensions of the pot), but do not fill the deep-fryer or pot more than half-way full. The latter is important to avoid spillovers or splatters.

• Test the oil temperature before adding the food with either a deep-fryer thermometer or by inserting a wooden chopstick or skewer. (If it is hot enough, bubbles will form all around the stick.)

• If you have a large amount of food, deep-fry it in batches so as not to crowd the pan.

• Remove fried food with slotted spoon or a skimmer and drain in single layers on paper towels.

• To reuse the oil, allow it to cool, strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth, and store in the refrigerator. If the oil develops a rancid or “off” smell, or if it smells like the foods you’ve deep-fried in it, discard it.

How to Stir-Fry This method of fast, high-heat cooking is typically done in a wok, but a large skillet can also be used. The advantage of using a wok is that you can push the food that is already cooked to the cooler sloping sides of the wok, leaving the food that is not yet cooked in the center of the wok that is directly over the heat source. Here are some helpful tips for stir-frying with success: • Prepare all the ingredients you plan to stir-fry before you begin cooking, and have all sauces or condiments at the ready. Once the stir-frying begins, the process goes very quickly, so it’s important to have all prep work completed beforehand. • For the best appearance, cut all ingredients to approximately the same size. If not all ingredients cook at the same rate, you will need to add them sequentially, starting with the longest cooking ingredients. On the other hand, if you don’t mind that the ingredients are cut into different sizes, you may cut the longest-cooking ingredients into the smallest size and cut the quickest-cooking ingredients into the largest size. This will enable you to add all the vegetables and meat to the wok at the same time, space allowing. • Heat the wok or skillet over high heat and then add oil. When the oil is hot, add any aromatics you may be using, such as ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for a few seconds, or until they become fragrant. Then quickly add another ingredient. • Do not overcrowd the wok. If crowded, food will steam rather than stir-fry. If you have too much food for the size of the wok or skillet that you are using, stir-fry the food in batches, starting with the meat (after the aromatics, of course). Then remove the meat, add the vegetables, and return the meat just before the vegetables are done. Sauce or liquids (such as soy sauce) added for flavoring and seasoning are added near the end of cooking.

How to Make Annatto Water Annatto seeds are little red seeds that, when mixed with warm water, produce a natural red food coloring. The red coloring is used in Filipino, Latin America, and Caribbean dishes. It has a bland taste with a hint of nutmeg. Annatto water is commonly used for the shrimp sauce in Noodles with Shrimp and Tofu (page 94) and the base for the Oxtail Vegetable Stew (page 56) as it gives these dishes an appetizing red-orange color. Use a spoon when extracting the color from the seeds or you’ll end up with reddish fingers.

1 tablespoon annatto seeds

¹/₂ cup (125 ml) warm water

Place the seeds and warm water in a bowl, preferably a glass bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes or more. Press the seeds with the back of a spoon for about 5 minutes or until the water becomes reddish in color. Strain the liquid and reserve. Discard the seeds.

How to Crush Garlic

Many Filipino recipes call for garlic to be crushed whether it is used whole or then chopped or minced. Crushing garlic before chopping or mincing it releases more flavor and aroma, and it’s a very expedient way to peel it as well. I prefer to use a mortar and pestle when crushing several cloves of garlic at once.

Using a knife:

1. Place a garlic clove on a chopping board.

2. Place the wide side of the knife on top of the clove and whack the area that is directly over the cloves with your fist (the side opposite the thumb), smashing the garlic.

3.The skin should come off easily. Discard the skin, and then chop, if necessary.

Using a mortar and pestle:

1. Place the cloves of unpeeled garlic in the middle of the mortar. An average mortar will comfortably hold 3 to 5 cloves. Crush the cloves by smashing them with the pestle. It takes some practice to not make the cloves jump out from the hollow of the mortar.

2. The skin should come off easily. Discard the skin, and then chop, if necessary.