The Pilgrim’s Pots and Pans

New research, old conclusion. Well, old to my Lola.

A study conducted by the University of London shows that eating more than five (5) servings of fruits and vegetables each day significantly lowers the risk of stroke. I think my grandmother knew that from way, way back. Well, or something like that. Fruits and vegetables were supposed to help us grow healthy and prevent heart ailments. Didn’t we know that there was this child who refused to eat his vegetables and grew up sick and died of a heart attack? Hmmm… No old wives’ (or grandmas) tale, it seems.

From the BBC, Fruit and veg ‘cut stroke risk’:

“Lead researcher Dr Feng He said a diet including lots of fruit and vegetables was also likely to further reduce the risk of other forms of cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.”

With all the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, it seems that one is the most crucial in preventing stroke:

“However, the researchers suspect that potassium may be the most important factor in preventing stroke.

“Professor MacGregor said: “We know that if you give people additional potassium it lowers blood pressure.”

Aha! So it’s been identified, it’s that specific! If Lola was alive, she’d be pleased and say “Didn’t I say so?!”

Photo courtesy of the BBC.

This is my second entry for the month’s Is My Blog Burning? with the theme I Can’t Believe I Ate Vegan! hosted by Sam at Becks and Posh.

What I’m presenting is a twist on an old family favourite, my grandfather’s original spicy chicken recipe which he called Lutong Bombay (Hi Nupur!). In a way, it is also a continuation of my Lolo’s tinkering in the kitchen to come up with original recipes. His grandchild has now improvised on it to come up with something new yet old, different yet similar. It is actually the garlic and ginger base which lends a very distinct flavour to the dish that made me decide to cook it with tokwa (also tau kwa, firm soy bean cake – tofu will do too).

This entry is also meant to prove that with a little ingenuity, meat dishes can be transformed into vegetarian/vegan recipes.

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Sam at Becks & Posh is hosting this month’s edition of Is My Blog Burning? with the theme I Can’t Believe I Ate Vegan! Much as turning vegan has never entered my mind – I’m too much of an ecology empiricist – I have to admit it wouldn’t be such a radical change in lifestyle if I decided to. I grew up in a very traditional household, culinary-wise. This means we ate rice, mostly fish and vegetables on regular days. Since I am a vegetable lover, I later found myself experimenting with all-vegetable meals.

Modesty aside, my dishes have always been successful that even avowed carnivores and vegetable haters have eaten them with gusto. Vegan is but a step further. One of Sam’s stipulations is “conjure up some Vegan food so fantastic that anyone who eats it won’t even be the slightest bit aware that absolutely no animal-derived produce has passed their lips.” A big problem since almost everyone I know doesn’t have qualms about eating vegan. They just don’t call it that. This is Asia after all.
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The heartiest of appetites are brought on by rainy days – that’s what I notice. Almost anything tastes good. Freshly steamed rice with tuyo (dried salted fish, usually sardines) dipped in very spicy vinegar, bibingka, fish escabeche – all these and a lot more are perfect when the skies are pouring. At home, all sorts of soups make their appearance.

One of the most favoured is a soup made from tinapa (smoked fish) in a tomato base. Originally, it is called sabo tinapa-culut apalya but since I couldn’t find culut (culatding in Tagalog – thanks Maricel!) – the tendrils and very small leaves occuring in clumps and only emerge after harvesting the bitter gourd (ampalaya in Tagalog – Momordica charantia) – I had to settle for the regular bulung which means dahon in Tagalog and leaves in English.

If culut is used, the leaves are placed into the soup upon serving it on the table, just before eating. If regular leaves are used however, these are dropped into the pot to cook slightly. Since the leaves are still somewhat fresh when eaten, there is no bitter taste. However, if they are left to steep in the soup for a long time, the bitter taste then comes out. For many Kapampangans however, it is this taste which is sought after. We love spicy, sweet, sour and bitter in our food. And apalya is not worthy of its name if it is not bitter. In our family, much as we love this soup freshly cooked, we also like it the day after, when the taste of the leaves have flavoured the broth. Re-heated once or twice, it is a balm to the body and soul, especially on a rainy day.
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Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are hardly a new phenomenon. Historical documents note that in 1600 Filipinos arrived in California, way before it was part of the United States. They were among the first agricultural workers or field hands in the mission areas. Today, like their contemporaries of centuries ago, most OFWs – whether manual labourers or salaried professionals – are well-liked by their employers because they are conscientious workers who will try to learn new skills to cope or just to be better at their jobs.

This versatility is also found in adapting to different tastes in food. Although there is a propensity for sweet-salty-sour dishes and to always look for rice, the Filipino palate can adapt well to any prevailing culinary conditions be it sushi, hamburgers, shawarma, sauerkraut or whatever is available. With stable work difficult to come by in the Philippines, it is also not rare to find many Filipinos of different vocations to transform into cooks in many ships and restaurants abroad, most especially in the Middle East. The father of a close friend was originally a skilled carpenter/house painter in the Philippines but became head cook in one of the Emirates in the 1980s. I have also heard of similar situations before. It is perhaps only now that the situation has changed since the food industry has become more specialised with culinary schools being established in most major cities worldwide.
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