Lesson 1: THE PHILIPPINES
Food and Techniques
The original Filipinos were of Malaysian descent and Malay features can still be seen in present-day Filipinos. But today's people often have Spanish surnames, devoutly attend Catholic Church services, and use chopsticks to eat Chinese noodles for Christmas dinner. They also employ the Spanish word for pickling, "adobo", to describe a popular national dish that contains the sour taste beloved by Malaysians and that is often accompanied by Chinese spring rolls, known to the Filipinos as lumpia.
The Spanish influence makes the food of the Philippines unique within Southeast Asia. In general, there are more Western elements in Filipino cooking than in any other Asian cuisine. The food tends to be much milder than in other Southeast Asian countries.
Filipinos insist that everything except dessert tastes better with fish sauce. If you eat fish, consider buying fish sauce to get the experience of authentic Asian flavor. It can be mixed with soups, added to stir frys, and used as a dipping sauce. One of the best brands, readily available at Asian groceries, is Yamasa from Japan.
General Preparation Techniques:
Asian cooking requires the cutting and chopping of ingredients, for rarely are vegetables cooked whole. Sharp knives make cutting both easier and, since less pressure is used, safer. A long-bladed knife is recommended. To chop quickly and easily, hold the point end on the chopping board with the fingers of the left hand and use the right hand to raise and lower the handle in a regular, rhythmic chopping motion. You'll soon learn to follow this method and use it regularly for all cooking. Change the position at the tip end of the knife occasionally and you'll be able to have perfectly chopped foods all of the time.
As the majority of Asian dishes take comparatively little cooking time but place emphasis upon preparation, cut or chop the ingredients in advance. Store them until you are ready to begin cooking. For dicing, cut into small cubes, ranging from one-fourth to one-half of an inch. Dice each ingredient in a different size, for example all onion in one-fourth inch cubes and all green pepper in one-half inch cubes. To slice vegetables, cut crisp ones diagonally. Soft vegetables, including mushrooms, onions, and scallions, should be cut straight.
Another important accessory is a deep skillet, preferably one with a rounded bottom. The skillet should be about 12 inches in diameter to prevent foods from spilling out. A Chinese wok is ideal but any large skillet will do.
