02.20.09
My Auntie’s Homecooked Meal
Since Kim mentioned that she was looking forward to “food” pictures, heheh, I decided to make this next post on some Filipino food. Since we all eat every day, obviously there was lots of food to be had. But one of my aunts made a special meal just for us, so this meal meant a lot to me. She’s a great cook, and boy did she make a feast just for us. I’m touched, and so I want to share her cooking first. Here’s a picture of us in her dining room, which is my mom’s old house where she grew up. This aunt is my mom’s brother’s wife, and she’s kneeling down in the front, center of the photograph.
My mom’t brother (my uncle) is standing wearing the orange shirt with dark collar in the back left of the picture. Course, I’m in the back with the long black hair with my middle son, Matty, sitting next to me. Aaron is on the far right. This house used to belong to my grandfather, so you might say this is an ancestrial house, so it has special meaning to me, and of course, to my mom also who is always so happy when she visits there (as evidenced by the smile on her face and how she rushes up the steps to get in, heheh–she’s seated in red on the left of the photo). My mom was a young girl during WWII. This house survived the war as well as a few other houses nearby which belong to our relatives. The house my dad’s family moved into was a few doors down across the street, so I took a picture of it, too, but will share that another time. Unfortunately, it is a bit run down, but I could see how it must have been very nice back in the 30s and 40s. My dad said it was one of the nicest house on the block.
I tried to take pictures of each dish. Here’s one of my boys’ favorites called relleno bangus (fish).
This is a very time consuming dish to prepare because the insides of the fish have to be hollowed out, the de-boned meat is then mixed with other ingredients like grated carrots, raisins, and other vegetables, then carefully stuffed back into the fish skin and then grilled. I “think” it’s wrapped in bananas leaves during grilling to keep the flesh intact. If done properly, the skins are intact and the meat nice and moist inside. Hers was done just right, and tasted wonderful.
This other picture is of her crab dish with her fried shrimp in the dish behind.
This next dish is called lumpia ubod, which is a rice wrapper filled with banana shoots, cabbage, carrots and lettuce topped with a sweet sauce and crushed peanuts.
This can also be another time consuming dish because of all the chopping up of veggies.
And here is her lechon (baked pig).
Now I love pork, and man is the Philippines the right place to be for a pork lover! She also had a sweet sauce that is poured over this. This was all served with white rice. Seeing these pictures I realize I forgot to also take a picture of her fish soup. If I recall correctly, it was catfish with veggies.
Finally, here’s a shot of her coconut drink. This is another thing I miss when I leave the Philippines is the coconuts. This drink is the water from a young coconut with the shavings of the meat added to the coconut water and then refrigerated. I find it to be very light and refreshing. Not too sweet, but just enough hint of sweet to make me want some more.
How can I “not” be touched when I see and know how much work my auntie put into cooking this special meal for us? It felt like a Christmas feast, and I didn’t even take pictures of the fruits and desserts she brought out for us which consisted of watermelon, papaya, mangos, bananas, and bibinka (a sticky rice dessert). I have pictures of those items from other places so will share those later.
I will say, too, that this was just the beginning of the food that was lavished on us. It’s an odd thought for me to see so much of the slums and shantees in the Philippines, but yet also see so much food all over the place! There is food to be had everywhere, it seemed. And I’m pleased to say that my relatives sure know how to cook and feast! Oh, yeah. . .
Now I’m hungry again, so better start working on dinner. . .
Marlakins
Laura Evans said,
February 22, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Hey Marla, It’s Laura from AACentral. I just have to say I am so jealous of all that WONDERFUL looking food. Ryan (my husband) and I are very much into other cultures and their foods, etc. We always try to find great cultural food to try and experience and lets just say you make my mouth water!
Laura
Kim said,
February 23, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Ok! Very nice. Your aunt is a great chef! And yes, now I am sure we are all hungry. Fantastic array of food. I noticed the bright colors of each dish attract you. I can only imagine the lovely aroma of yummy food.
Let’s see I am making pork fajitas for dinner. Well, not quite the same. Sigh!
P.S. You mom is so cute!
Administrator said,
February 23, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Thanks, Ladies! I’ll have to write to my aunt and tell her she made your mouths water! Tee, hee!
Laura, I remember that pic of you and your girlfriends on your blog with the food you were showing off that you accidentally spilled on the floor! Ha ha! That post was so funny, I still remember it. Bet you and your hubby had some really tasty stuff in Mexico during your honeymoon! Yummy!
Kim, I’m sure your pork fajitas will be delicious tonight! If you lived closer, I might be there at your table, ha! For some reason I had assumed you’d had Filipino food before especially since you used to live in the Los Angeles area. Our old office is fairly close to the Filipino district, and there was a Filipino restaurant called, “Good Ha!” Just this recent trip to the Philippines, I saw another restaurant there with the same name and style letters. I had no idea that there might be another one of those. Looks like a hole in the wall . . .
What kind of food does Josh’s wife like to cook?
Take care!
Marla
Laura Evans said,
February 24, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Yes, please do and if you have recipes I will take them although I know I won’t be able to cook it as good as your aunt!!!
That is too funny about the picture!! I totally remember that picture and your response to it! Hilarious!! Yes, we ate so much yummy food in Mexico. We especially are into Asian foods. We just ate at Pho Hoa (sp?) a Thailand food place and it was soooo yummy!!!
Laura
Administrator said,
February 25, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Hi Laura:
I’ll try to see if I can get any recipes for you. While my mom used to cook some Filipino dishes while I was at home, they were not the kinds my aunt cooked. I have had these foods when going to Filipino restaurants and Filipino parties, but I have not cooked them. Instead we cooked other dishes like kare kare, sinigang, lumpia shanghai, etc. I have recipes for those, tho! Actually, I do have pictures of some of those foods and so when I have a bit more time, will post those pics along with the recipes for you. Also, I do want the rellenong bangus recipe, too, as my boys really like that one. So, I’m gonna try to get that recipe and make it. If I can get a hold of the recipe, I’ll post if for you, too.
My husband and I used to go to lots of Asian restaurants, too! Especially before I got AA. Since AA, I went all organic and stopped eating out. . . wah. Since getting better, I’ve been venturing out more again, and then trying to substitute some organic ingredients or substitutes to make some dishes fit my personal diet. You know cause a lot of the Asian dishes have soy sauce and other spices that I just don’t do well with these days. Mostly because now I’m not taking any meds for my allergies and so I try to control my allergies strictly by diet. And that means not eating foods that make me break out. And sadly, that’s quite a bit of yummy stuff out! Wah!
Pho is yummy! I was always under the impression that pho was Vietnamese? Pho meaning “noodles” in Vietnamese? Have I been wrong all this time or was the restaurant you went to a “fusion” restaurant? I love pho, too! Although some Asian dishes can be a bit too spicy for some people, I think they taste really good! But again, for my skin’s sake, I have been trying to cut down on foods that are too spicy (recommendations ala Dr. Pagano). I’m hoping one of these days my body heals enough that I won’t be so sensitive. Been like this since I was a toddler, tho. . . A couple of the dishes my husband and I used to like when we used to go to Thai restaurants is the “pad thai” and the “mee krob.” uuummmmm!!! Also the hot and sour soups cooked with coconut. . . .
My we are food people, huh? LOL
Marla
Administrator said,
February 25, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I just checked “pho” out at Wiki and they say that pho is a “traditional Vietnamese thinly sliced meat and rice-noodle soup dish.” Ah, so I learned something new today as I thought “pho’s” were noodle dishes. Only had that “half” right!
Marla
Laura Evans said,
February 25, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Hi Marla!!
I am so excited!!! I know Ryan is too!
I would LOVE to see pictures of recipes and have recipes to try!! I don’t think we have any Filipino restaurants near by
Yes, that is sad about not being able to eat out the foods you used too
With all the stomach issues and what not they were checking for Celiac disease, etc and thanks GOD it all came back negative otherwise I would just be so bummed!
Oh wait…it was Vietnamese now that I think of it…hahaha!! Some of our best friends are from the LaHu tribe in Thailand and I must have been thinking of them as I wrote it!! (Because I have ate traditional LaHu food that his parents have made…SPICEY!!) Next time we go there I am going to get either the “pad thai” and the “mee krob.”
Laura
Administrator said,
February 27, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Hi Laura:
I posted a couple recipes for you today. One is Filipino Chicken Adobo the way I cook it. It’s kinda mild when compared to Thai food or Mexican food, but if you like, you can always spice it up.
Oh, I’m not at all familiar with LaHu. I’ll have to look that up! If you do try the pad thai or the mee krob, let me know how you like it! I know that Korean and also Indian food can be quite spicey, but yummy too! oh boy. . . drool, drool. . .
Take care,
Marla
Laura Evans said,
March 3, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Thanks SO MUCH Marla!!! I am so excited to try them!!! Personally, I like mild spice better, BUT I will try spicey just to experience the food
Yes, I will let you know how I like it! I know that restaurant has the best egg rolls I have ate in my entire life! I could just eat those.
Laura