BEEF MECHADO

Mechado, Menudo, Afritada or Kaldereta? These are a group of Filipino stews that are similar and oftentimes confusing even for Filipinos. The differences are really nuances and even as I untangle them for myself I am sure many will poke holes at the way I grew up knowing how to tell them apart which is very much based on how my family defined them.. The differences are really nuances and even as I untangle them for myself I am sure many will poke holes at the way I grew up knowing how to tell them apart which is very much based on how my family defined them. It is led by the protein: Mechado is beef, Menudo is pork and liver, Afritada is chicken and Kaldereta is goat. There are common vegetables: carrots, peppers and potatoes at its simplest but it can also be further nuanced. My family adds peas to Mechado, chickpeas to Menudo, Olives to Afritada. We didn’t cook Kaldereta often but a spicier pepper is added to give it some heat compared to the other stews. The sauce is tomato based often with a bit of soy. The nuance of Mechado is that it has lemon so it does have that distinction. Nowadays, as you look at the recipes out there, the proteins seem interchangeable and they often morph into the same dish.

I recently came back from a trip to Europe. When I left Portland, it was hot and sunny and when I came back it is now cold and rainy so naturally, I started to crave some of my childhood favorites and this dish came to mind. It’s hearty and warming and it screams comfort no matter what you call it. In my family, this is our version of Mechado.

As we close out Filipino American History Month, we wanted to say THANK YOU to you and to our friends that contributed: Brady Tuazon, Lester Cabigting and Bea Lugtu and to those that engaged, commented and cooked along with us. We hope that we inspired you to try something new with the recipes and stories we shared this month. Stay tuned because the holidays are coming and Noche Buena is just around the corner.

♥️ Tricia

MAMA’S ILOCANO PINAKBET WITH BAGNET

Pinakbet originated from the Northern Provinces of the Philippines, Ilocos. It’s a mixed veggie stew that pays homage to the Ilocano farmers and help to support their harvest. My mom says it’s a heartfelt dish that Ilocanos can survive on, due to not having enough money since farming is their main source to provide to their family. This dish lets them use whatever vegetables are available. Pinakbet comes from the Ilocano term, “pinakebbet”, which means shrunk or shriveled. A stew cooked with all the seasonal vegetables together at once.

If you know my mom, you know that this is her signature dish that everyone in the family would ask her to cook for any occasion. This dish is the first Filipino dish that she taught me how to cook, side by side. You already know Filipino mom’s don’t usually do that. I always think she’s slowly passing me the torch to keep our culture alive, and help pass it along to the next generation. No matter how many miles away I am from her, I know when I cook this dish, I’ll forever feel like she’s right there with me when I’m homesick.

♥️ Bea Lugtu

BRINGHE

If you have dined at Magna Kusina, chances are that Lester Cabigting has made your food. Most nights, you’ll find him working the line and turning out gorgeous food with love. As one of the younger chefs, Lester is part of the new guard at Magna and one of the restaurant’s rising stars. He is originally from Pampanga, a province in the Philippines located northwest from Manila, and he moved to Portland fairly recently in 2017. Lester developed a keen interest in cooking, but his parents wanted him to pursue a field that had better earning potential and benefits—something many children of immigrants can probably relate to. Although his family didn’t approve, he decided to apply for culinary school anyway and was accepted. Towards the end of school, he was accepted as an intern at Magna and eventually earned his spot on the line. His story is one of many that remind me that pursuing your dream with grit and grace is worthwhile, meaningful, noble.

When I came to visit Lester at the restaurant, he had all the ingredients for Bringhe prepped. Originating from Pampanga where Lester is from, Bringhe is an indigenized version of paella—a remnant of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines—and a favorite dish only seen during larger special occasions like a fiesta or holidays. It is typically used to supplement steamed rice during these larger gatherings so that rice is always present—those rice cookers can only work so hard! When asked what makes this recipe special, Lester shared that he loved harvesting the turmeric growing in the garden which would only be used for this particular dish.

It was so much fun watching Lester make his family recipe for me. Lester shared that his family typically uses chicken meat, gizzards and liver, but when he makes it he omits the liver because of his textural preference. We love how people personalize recipes based on their taste to make it their own.

Please enjoy some snaps from our hang out and look out for Lester’s first pop up .. coming soon.

❤️Jane

FILIPINO SPAGHETTI

A product of US military occupation and food-scarcity-driven resourcefulness is the typically sweet Filipino-style spaghetti. During the US occupation, dishes that American soldiers craved for comfort, like Spaghetti Bolognese, were introduced into the SE Asian archipelago. However, back then, tomato imports were limited, so even ketchup needed to be sourced using an unlikely locally growing ingredient, bananas. I’m not sure who invented it or exactly when, but at some point, spaghetti bolognese evolved into what is now ubiquitous at holiday gatherings and birthday parties in the Filipino diaspora. Popularized abroad by the beloved Filipino chain, Jollibee, it feels like this dish is finally getting some welcome in the West (thanks also in part to Anthony Bourdain’s Philippines episode, where there’s a scene of him surprised by his own enjoyment of the sweet and savory spaghetti with hot dogs). Filipino spaghetti was and always will be a dish that keeps me tied to my roots. This recipe is my version.

❤️Nori

GINISANG SMOKED CORNED BEEF

Carne Norte or Corned Beef? We grew up calling it one or the other depending on our family.  What it is to a Filipino is one and the same, canned Corned Beef. Its origin in Filipino cuisine is a product of American occupation where Corned Beef was part of the American soldiers’ rations during the war. The name Carne Norte is in reference to the American soldiers — ‘norteamericano’ in Spanish, hence Carne Norte or ‘northern meat’. 

Post war, canned Corned Beef became a staple, like Spam. It is often cooked ‘guisado’ style, sautéed with traditional aromatics and eaten with garlic fried day-old rice (sinangag) and a fried egg (as a silog). Like Spam, it is something we enjoyed with family, behind closed doors because eating canned and processed meats was seen as eating cheaply growing up in the US in the 80s and beyond.

This recipe is very much a nostalgic trip for Brady Tuazon. The version he shares with us pulls heavily from the memory of his busy mom making this for him. Sometimes Carne Norte was a snack after school or road trip food, often ‘palaman’ (filling) in pandesal. His all time favorite though is when it’s over rice. Brady takes his mom’s Carne Norte Guisado, smokes components of it, confits garlic and roasts the potatoes, giving it different textures and dimension. It evokes nostalgia but has that something extra. 

Whether you grew up in the Philippines or in the US, whether you like this dish or not, it’s very much tied to our history as Filipino Americans. In fact, we had a good laugh recently when Jane received ‘pasalubong’ (gift from a journey) from her dad who now lives in the Philippines. It included her favorite Filipino sweets and also some Corned Beef! Oh the irony.

❤️Team Tikim

CHICKEN TINOLA

There is such comfort in a bowl of chicken soup, which is probably why so many different cultures have a version of it—tinolang manok is the Filipino take. This iconic dish is said to have been invented in the 1800s, with some believing is was developed even earlier. According to CNN Philippines, “the oldest record we have of tinola is from Jose Rizal, who loved the dish so much he wrote it into the first scene of ‘Noli Me Tangere.’”

Growing up, various members of my family would make their version of this dish when someone was feeling under the weather or when it was especially chilly out. The generous amount of ginger adds a little spice and intensity to the dish which I especially love now as an adult. I like to throw in some extra vegetables because we always needs more veggies in our lives, and I also highly recommended enjoying this with some rice because rice is life.

❤️Jane