famous-chinese-influenced-foods-in-the-philippines

Batchoy

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:30:31 +0100

Batchoy

Batchoy
A bowl of La Paz batchoy

Batchoy is a noodle soup made with pork organs, crushed pork cracklings, shrimp, vegetables, chicken stock, chicken breast, beef loin and round noodles.^[1] Its origins can be traced to the district of La Paz, Iloilo City in the Philippines, hence it is oftentimes referred to as La Paz Batchoy.

Origin

Batchoy's true origin is inconclusive. Documented accounts include the following:

The dish was concocted in the La Paz market in 1938 by Federico Guillergan, Sr.^[2] His recipe called for a mixture of broth, noodles, beef and pork. The soup later evolved into its present form which has become Iloilo City's most popular dish. Federico Guillergan, Jr., the son of the soup's inventor, states that his father at first jokingly called the dish "bats" when asked for its name. Later, he added "choy", from the vegetable dish chopsuey.^[3]

Teodorico Lepura opened his first batchoy shop at the La Paz public market in 1945. Run by Lepura, his wife and their children, the shop sold the original La Paz batchoy at that time priced at 20 centavos per bowl. In the 1930's, as a teenager, Lepura learned the basics of making La Paz batchoy while working for a Chinese merchant, and eventually concocted his own version of the dish.^[1]

Other sources state that the dish originated from the Chinese community in La Paz.^[1]^[4]

Preparation

Ingredients include pork organs (liver, spleen, kidneys and heart) crushed pork cracklings, vegetables, shrimp, beef loin, shrimp broth, chicken stock and round noodles or miki. The noodles are similar to spaghetti, but are generally a bit finer.

Oil is heated in a stock-pot. The pork organs, shrimp, chicken and beef are stir-fried for about a minute. Soy sauce is then added. The shrimp is then added and left to simmer for a few minutes. This broth is then added to a bowl of noodles and topped with leeks, pork cracklings (chicharon) and sometimes a raw egg is cracked on top.

Eating

Most Filipinos eat the soup using spoon and fork, although it may undoubtedly be eaten using chopsticks as well. The solid ingredients (noodles and meat) are generally consumed first, the liquid broth rounds out the meal. Diners are encouraged to ask for a second, third, or even a fourth helping of kaldo (Hiligaynon, "broth").

Siomai

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:24:17 +0100

Siomai

Siomai

Siomai

Siomai in the Philippines is often ground pork, beef, shrimp, among others, combined with extenders like green peas, carrots, and the like, and wrapped in wonton wrappers. It is either steamed or fried resulting in a crispy exterior. It is normally dipped in soy sauce and squeezed calamondin, and for some, with an oily, spicy garlic mix.

A recent variant on the siomai that has been gaining popularity recently is siomai wrapped in nori sheets instead of wonton wrappers, and marketed as "Japanese."

Serving

Within the dim sum tradition of southern China, shaomai is one of the most standard dishes.^[3] It is generally served alongside har gow, another variety of steamed dumpling.

In food stalls in Indonesia, siomai (or "siomay" in local dialect) are eaten together with steamed vegetables and tofu, and served with spicy peanut sauce.

In Philippine food stalls and fast food restaurants, siomai is eaten as is (albeit with the dip mentioned above) - with toothpicks to facilitate handling the siomai, or with rice (which involves using a spoon and fork).

Siopao

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:13:59 +0100

Siopao

Chicken filled steamed bun.

Siopao (燒包, POJ: sio-pau) is a Hokkien term for baozi, literally meaning steamed buns. It is also called salapao in Thailand.

It is a popular food item in the Philippines. It does not require utensils to eat and can be consumed on-the-go. Like baozi, there are several siopao stuffing varieties which could be either Asado or bola-bola that may use pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, salted duck eggs.

Lumpia

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:53:03 +0100

Lumpia

Lumpia are pastries of Chinese origin similar to spring rolls popular in the Philippines and Indonesia. The term lumpia derives from lunpia (traditional Chinese: 潤餅; pinyin: rùnbǐng; POJ: jūn-piáⁿ, lūn-piáⁿ) in the Hokkien language. The recipe, both fried and fresh versions, was brought by the Chinese immigrants from the Fujian province of China to Southeast Asia and became popular where they settled in the Philippines and Indonesia. In the Netherlands and Flanders, it is spelled loempia which is the old Indonesian spelling for lumpia and has also become the generic name for "spring roll" in Dutch. A variant is the Vietnamese lumpia, wrapped in a thinner piece of pastry, in a size close to a spring roll though the wrapping closes the ends off completely, which is typical for lumpia.

Varieties

Lumpiang Hubad

Lumpiang Hubad literally means naked spring roll. It is basically an unwrapped Lumpiang Sariwa (without the crepe).

Lumpiang Sariwa

Lumpiang sariwa – Fresh lumpia

Lumpiang Sariwa, or fresh spring rolls in English, consist of minced ubod (heart of palm), flaked chicken, crushed peanuts, and turnips as an extender in a double wrapping of lettuce leaf and a yellowish egg crepe. The accompanying sauce is made from chicken or pork stock, a starch mixture, and fresh garlic. This variety is not fried and is usually around 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches in length; it is also the most popular among the Filipino variants^{[citation needed]}. It is derived from the original Chinese popiah.

Lumpiang Shanghai

This type of lumpia is filled with ground pork or beef, minced onion, carrots, and spices with the mixture held together by beaten egg. It may sometimes contain green peas. Both lumpiang shanghai and the sweet and sour sauce are served which attests to the Chinese influence. This variety is by standard an inch in diameter and approximately 4-6 inches in length. However, most restaurants and street vendors often serve lumpia shanghai in smaller diameters, typically one-half to three-quarter inches, and is served with a spicy sauce instead of a sweet and sour sauce.

Lumpiang Prito/Lumpiang Gulay

Lumpiang prito – Fried lumpia

Lumpiang Prito literally means fried spring roll. It consists of a briskly fried pancake filled with bean sprouts and various other vegetables such as string beans and carrots. Small morsels of meat or seafood may also be added. Though it is the least expensive of the variants, the preparation – the cutting of vegetables and meats into appropriately small pieces and subsequent pre-cooking – may prove taxing and labor-intensive. This variant may come in sizes as little as that of lumpiang shanghai or as big as that of lumpiang sariwa. It is usually eaten with vinegar and chili peppers, or a soy sauce-and-calamondin juice mixture known as toyo-mansi.

Lumpiang Ubod

This is another variation of the Filipino spring rolls which is made from coconut julienne or heart of palm. Lumpiang Ubod is a specialty of Silay City, Negros Occidental.

Banana Lumpia or Turon

Banana lumpia or Turon is a Philippine dessert, made of thinly sliced bananas (preferably ripe plantains), a slice of jackfruit, dusted with brown sugar, rolled in a papery wrapper and fried. Brown sugar is further added while frying for additional sweetness.

Popularity

Lumpia has such enduring popularity that one can see at least one variant in almost any set of Filipino or Indonesian festivities. Its distinct taste and ease of preparation (the Shanghai variant at least) has caused it to be one of the staple food products on the menus of many Filipino restaurants in the United States.

Pancit

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:41:44 +0100

Pancit

Pancit or '"pansit"' is the term for noodles in Filipino cuisine. Noodles were introduced into the Philippines by the Chinese and have since been adopted into local cuisine. The term pancit is derived from the Hokkien pian i sit which means "something conveniently cooked fast."^[1] Different kinds of noodles can be found in Filipino supermarkets which can then be cooked at home. Noodle dishes are also standard fare in local restaurants. Food establishments specializing in noodles are often referred to as panciterias.

Nancy Reyes Lumen of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism writes that according to food lore handed down from the Chinese, noodles should be eaten on one's birthday.^[1] They are therefore commonly served at birthday celebrations and Chinese restaurants in the Philippines often have "birthday noodles" listed on their menus. However, she warns that since "noodles represent long life and good health; they must not be cut short so as not to corrupt the symbolism."^[1]

Variations

Pancit Alanganin
Pancit Batchoy
Pancit Bato is indigenuous to the Bicol Region; especially the town of Bato in Camarines Sur.
Pancit Bihon Guisado
Pancit Bihongundoy
Pancit Cabagan
Pancit Canton
Pancit Estacion (Tanza, Cavite only)
Pancit Habhab (Lucban, Quezon only)
Pancit Kilawin is also a variety of pancit found only in Tanza, Cavite. Just an ordinary pancit bihon eaten together with a kilawing papaya (shredded raw papaya fruit cooked with vinegar and fish.
Pancit Lomi
Pancit Luglog
Pancit Malabon
Pancit Mami (round egg noodles)
Pancit Miki (round egg noodles)
Pancit Míki-Bíhon Guisado (round egg noodles + bihon)
Pancit Molo (a bit of a misnomer it is Filipino wanton soup without noodles contrary to what the name might suggest)
Pancit Moròng
Pancit Palabok
Pancit Pula (variation of Pancit Miki from Batangas City)
Pancit Sotanghon
Pansit Sabaw (Pansit Miki with soup)
Pancit ng Tuguegarao or Batil Patong

Pancit Palabok

Pancit bihon (bijon)

Pancit bihon (aka bijon) is the type usually associated with the word "pancit", very thin rice noodles fried with soy sauce some citrus, possibly with patis, and some variation of sliced meat and chopped vegetables. The exact bihon composition depends on someone's personal recipe but usually, Chinese sausage and cabbage are the basic ingredients in a pancit bihon.

Pancit palabok and pancit luglug are essentially the same dish, the difference being primarily in the noodles used in the recipe. Luglug uses a thicker noodle than the traditional bihon of a pancit palabok. Both pancit dishes use a round rice noodle (often specifically labeled for pancit luglug or palabok) smothered with a thick, golden shrimp sauce or other flavored sauce, and topped with:

Shrimp, (the size and shell-on or shell-off depending on preference)
Crushed or ground pork rind
Hard-boiled egg (sliced into disks or quartered lengthwise or chopped)
Tinapa (smoked fish) flakes
Freshly minced green onion

Pancit palabok/pancit luglug and pancit canton are communal comfort food, and can be found at nearly all Filipino potluck parties. They are best made and eaten in batches for they are easily consumed.

Pancit sotanghon is a cellophane noodle soup with a chicken broth base. It may include some kind of meat and vegetable. A typical sotanghon is made with calamansi, sliced straw mushrooms, slivered dark-meat chicken and green onion.

Batil patong is not commonly known outside of Tuguegarao in Northern Luzon, Philippines. It is an unusual sautéed noodle dish in that it comes served a dark non-soy-based sauce (unlike the more visually appealing light sauces of pancit canton) and with two piquant side dishes: one, a cup of cloudy pork broth and two, a sizeable dish of chopped onions, vinegar/calamansi, chili peppers, and soy sauce. The noodles called pancit cabagan are wheat-based and made locally. They are served moist and pasty, with a thick sauce, topped with crushed pork-rind crackling, and whipped egg from whence the name batil patong literally 'scrambled and placed on top' is derived.

Seaweed pancit

Tiwi, Albay residents created a new pancit made from seaweed, which has health benefits. It is rich in calcium and magnesium and the seaweed noodles can be cooked into pancit canton, pancit luglug, spaghetti, or carbonara.^[2]

Filipino Chinese Cuisine

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:59:38 +0100

Filipino Chinese Cuisine

There are many types of foods in the Philippines because of inhabitants residing in the country. Most of the Filipino Chinese are ones who have businesses in Chinese food and service restaurants. Restaurants are frequently seen as places where there is a great amount of Chinese Filipino living in that area or somewhere nearby. The food is usually Cantonese where the chefs are from Hong Kong. Typically the Chinese name of a particular food is given a Filipino name or close equivalent in name to simplify pronunciation.

History

Filipino cuisine is influenced principally by China, Spain, Mexico and the United States, integrated into the pre-colonial indigenous Filipino cooking practices. ^[1] When restaurants were established in the 19th century, Chinese food became a staple of the pansiterias, with the food given Spanish names. The "comida China" (Chinese food) includes arroz caldo (rice and chicken gruel), and morisqueta tostada (fried rice). When the Spaniards came, the food influences they brought were from both Spain and Mexico, as it was through the vice-royalty of Mexico that the Philippines were governed.

In the Philippines, trade with China started in the 11th century, as documents show, but it is conjectured that undocumented trade may have started even two centuries earlier. Trade pottery excavated in Laguna, for example, includes pieces dating to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 907). The Chinese trader supplied the silks sent to Mexico and Spain in the galleon trade. In return they took back products of field, forest - beeswax, rattan - and sea, such as beche de mer. While they waited for goods and for payment, they lived here, and sometimes settled and took Filipino wives, a development that resulted in many Filipinos having Chinese origins, bloodlines and the culture now called "Chinoy" (Chinese - Pinoy). It was a development that resulted in major Chinese inputs into Philippine cuisine.

Evidence of Chinese influence in Philippine food is easy to find, since the names are an obvious clue. Pansit, the dish of noodles flavored with seafood and/or meat and/or vegetables, for example, comes from the Hokkien piān-ê-si̍t meaning something that is conveniently cooked: usually fried," however, pansit now names only noodle dishes, and not only stir fried or sauteed, but shaken in hot water and flavored with a sauce (pansit luglog), served with broth (mami, lomi) even a pasta form that is not noodle shaped, but is of the same flour-water formuation, such as pansit molo (pork filled wontons in a soup). One can conjecture without fear that the early Chinese traders, wishing for the food of their homelands, made noodles in their temporary Philippine homes. Since they had to use the ingredients locally available, a sea change occurred in their dishes. If they took Filipino wives, as they often did, and these learned or ventured to cook the noodles for them, then their Filipino tastebuds came into play as well, transforming the local ingredients into a variant dish into an adapted, indigenized Filipino pansit.

Further adaptation and indigenization would occur in the different towns and regions. Thus Malabon, Rizal, a fishing village, has developed pansit Malabon, which features oyster, shrimp and squid. While in Lucban, Quezon which is deeply inland and nowhere near the sea has pansit habhab, which flavored only with a little meat and vegetables, and is so called because it is market food eat off the leaf (habhab).

The same thing has happened to lumpia, the Chinese eggroll which now has been incorporated into Philippine cuisine, even when it was still called lumpia Shanghai (indicating frying and a pork filling). Serving meat and/or vegetable in an edible wrapper is a Chinese technique now to be found in all of Southeast Asia in variations peculiar to each culture. The Filipino version has meat, fish, vegetables, heart of palm and combinations thereof, served fresh or fried or even bare.

The Chinese influence goes deep into Philippine cooking, and way beyond food names and restaurant fare. The use of soy sauce and other soybean products (tokwa, tahuri, miso, tausi, taho) is Chinese, as is the use of such vegetables as petsay, toge (mung bean sprout), pickled mustard greens (mustasa). Many cooking implements still bear their Chinese name, like sianse or turner. The Filipino carajay, spelled the Spanish way is actually a Chinese wok.

Cooking process, also derive from Chinese methods. Pesa is Hokkien for "plain boiled" and it is used only in reference to the cooking of fish, the complete term being peq+sa+hi, the last morpheme meaning fish. In Tagalog it can mean both fish and chicken (pesang dalag, pesang manok).

Since most of the early Chinese traders and settlers in the country were from Fukien, it is Hokkien food that is most widespread in influence. Since, however, restaurant food is often Cantonese, most of the numerous Chinese restaurant in the country serve both types. Other style of Chinese cuisine are available though in the minority.

Examples of dishes, pastries, and others

Pansit
Lumpia
Taho
Batchoy
Maki - pork, beef or fish in a thick cornstarch-based soup.
Kiampong - a variant of fried rice.
Comida China - nowadays a Table d'hote of Chinese dishes offered in some Chinese restaurants.
Hopya (hopia, based on the mooncake in Western countries)
Shaomai (siomai)
Syopaw (siopao)
Kwapaw (cuapao)
Ma-Chang - a variant of Lo mai gai shaped in a triangular pattern.
Mami (bami, invented by Ma Mon Luk)