Junblog

November 2, 2011

K is for Kamayan and How to Make Fish Paksiw

My dad has been on my mind lately. Just the other day, I was perusing a gift shop and a stack of playing cards instantly reminded me of him. My dad never tired of playing solitaire. He could spend hours playing the game with his old, beaten-down deck of cards. When he was still alive,…

October 26, 2011

How to Make Ginataang Halo-Halo

The air was still and the fog glided in a stream that virtually kissed the ground. The blanket of early morning mist that rolled across the marshlands of Coyote Hills looked strikingly dramatic. The slender reed stood tall, nearly motionless, against the faint orange sky lit by the sun that peeked through Mission Peak. It…

October 19, 2011

J is for Jackfruit and How to Make Pan de Sal Bread Pudding

With one confident stroke of my knife, I cut the thirteen-pound jackfruit in half. I cut the huge, heavy fruit — langka [lang-kah], as we call it back home — the way my mom cuts it. I quartered it and sliced each piece into smaller wedges with a knife coated with vegetable oil to keep…

October 12, 2011

Slaughtering Chickens and How to Make Chicken Tinola

I sat on pins and needles next to my mom on the 45. I was too nervous of being spotted with the live chicken in our bag. The silver-haired Chinese lady and the unshaven Mission hipster seated across from us clearly didn’t mind but I was too restless. I kept on glancing around to see…

September 28, 2011

I is for Itlog na Maalat and How to Make Salted Duck Eggs

A billowy cloud of salt muddied the bottom of the tall, wide glass jar. The brine bath roiled as my fingers gently stirred the fragile eggs. Half of them were white duck eggs and the other half were brown chicken eggs. One by one, I turned them as gingerly as I could so that not…

September 21, 2011

H is for Himagas and How to Make Brazo de Mercedes

The stone bench at the north side of the church next-door to my elementary school was our favorite lunch spot. Everyday at noon, my mom and I got together there for a picnic lunch. I was in first grade back then, which meant I had to be in school for practically the entire day, from…

September 14, 2011

Squirrels, Edible Gardens, and Pickled Radish

I was busy in the kitchen tinkering with my camera when I noticed Stanford pacing briskly back and forth out on the deck. He click-clacked his way up and down the beaten wooden planks and appeared enchanted by something in the old Redwood tree. It must be his new friend, I thought. Or his new…

September 7, 2011

G is for Gata and How to Make Ginataang Hipon (Shrimp in Coconut Milk)

Half a cup of coconut milk for a pound of shrimp. Roughly. Use cream instead of milk, when you can. Devein shrimp but keep heads and shells on. I skimmed through my mom’s recipe for shrimp in coconut milk once more. The shrimp had been deveined and cleaned. Their spiny heads with their jet-black eyes…

August 31, 2011

How to Make Gobba Gobba Hey Coconut Gobs with Ube Filling

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about this piece of good news. I am writing this with a big grin on my face. A huge grin from ear to ear. I’m not one for brazen self-promotion but I’m telling you anyway. I am now a published cookbook photographer. This is bigger…

August 24, 2011

How to Make Cantaloupe Melon Coolers

Water steadily trickled through the web of pulp and seeds I carved out of the cantaloupe. In the stillness of the morning, I could hear the stream of nectar dwindle into faint drops. I watched the water slowly dribble down to my glass bowl, stripping away every ounce of sweetness from the fragrant pulp. I…

August 17, 2011

F is for Fish Balls and How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce

I knew the oil wasn’t hot enough when the fish balls hissed only feebly. I expected the pool of oil to bubble furiously as soon as I dropped the fish balls in the wok but all I got was a scant sizzle. I knew I was too impatient. I waited on pins and needles while…

August 10, 2011

E is for Ensaimada (Filipino-Style Brioche)

Imagine this. A soft brioche bun lavished with melted butter and a flurry of sugar. Flour, butter, sugar, yolks, and milk are blended together and formed into a deep yellow dough that’s rolled and twisted into a beautiful coil, and then baked until its crust turns into a radiant hue of golden brown. Now, take…

August 3, 2011

How to Make Calamansi Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

In 2006, I ran my very first marathon. Twenty six miles in four hours and thirty seven minutes. It was in San Francisco, up and down its daunting hills, across its picturesque landscape. It was a feat so unthinkable for someone like me who was so unathletic. It took a lot of courage and a…

July 27, 2011

D is for Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew)

When I was little, I had a debilitating aversion for vinegar. My mom often cooks with cane vinegar to make stews like adobo and paksiw, which I have always loved, but vinegar in its pure form was what I found utterly repulsive. I detested how its pungent vapor climbs up the back of my nose…

July 20, 2011

Jun-blog Turns Two and How to Make Black Forest Cake

Two years ago today I published my very first post in Jun-blog. It was a sweet tribute to San Francisco, the place I call home away from home. Looking back, I marvel at how much the blog has changed and how much it has changed my life. Recipes shared. Memories rekindled. Opportunities gained. Friendships forged.…

July 13, 2011

How to Make Buko Pie

Butter had leached out of the flimsy cardboard boxes. I peeked into one and the smell of the flaky crust that cradled the delicate strips of young coconut wafted through my nose. I wanted to rip the box open and tear a clumsy piece off but I held back. Begrudgingly held back. The bakery in…