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

TRICIA’S BATCHOY WITH UMI ORGANIC NOODLES

This is a Filipino noodle dish that originally comes from the province of Ilo Ilo, and more specifically, from the town of La Paz. It originated from the Chinese community that settled there. The name of the dish comes from the Chinese (Hokkien) Ba-chui, meaning pieces of meat. Traditionally it is made with pork and pork offal cooked in a beef and pork stock, it uses egg noodles and is topped with chicharron, fried garlic, scallions and a raw egg that cooks in the hot broth. It is a nourishing soup that is full of umami coming from a rich bone broth and shrimp paste. This version is a variation of that dish I use at home made for how we live now with the ingredients around us and I find it is amazing with Umi Organic’s ramen because of the noodle’s amazing bite. I take the time to develop a really good beef broth and use a favorite roast pork recipe as a topping that was developed by my Tita Lydia (which is amazing on its own). I omit the chicharron because my roast pork has a crispy skin that gives it the texture contrast I love; however, if I happen to have it at home, I top it with chicharron anyway. It definitely brings it over the top.

This recipe was originally developed for and published by Umi Organic. Check it out through this link and also check out their ramen. It’s a personal favorite of mine and locally made in Portland. The owner and founder is Lola Milholland and is also part Filipino. She is definitely an inspiration.

♥️Tricia

MISWA AT BOLA BOLA

As April comes to a close and cold and wet weather permeates in Portland, our soup craving continues. One of the soups I remember having a lot growing up is Miswa at Bola Bola or Meatball Noodle Soup. Miswa is a thin wheat noodle very similar to angel hair. It’s a noodle that can be used in dry applications like Pancit but it is also amazing in noodle soups. This is a dish that is quite easy to make because it doesn’t require you to toil over the stove for hours. You can develop a lot of flavor by browning the meatballs first. This leaves fond at the bottom of the pan that you can further develop by adding aromatics then deglazing to scrape any of the brown bits off, adding flavor to your soup. Another hack is using a bouillon cube which is an instant booster. Add vegetables to make this a more substantial meal. Traditionally this soup has patola or sponge gourd. I’ve also used upo or bottle gourd. Right before serving, you add the Miswa noodles. Whether dry or fresh, this cooks quickly in the soup. I love leafy greens too so I also throw in bok choy or gai lan. You can eat this by itself or add a little steamed rice, because why not?!

As we close out Filipino Food Month, we wanted to say THANK YOU to you and to our friends that contributed (@baonkainan @brrraaady) and also joined us in cooking Filipino food this month (@ngaloppo @ehow.eats @here.portland). We hope that we inspired you to try something new with the recipes and stories we’ve shared. For us, Filipino Food isn’t just for the month of April. It’s 24/7, 365 so stay tuned for more from us in the coming months.

❤️Tricia

FILIPINO SOPAS

One of our favorite Filipino spots in Portland is Baon Kainan. It is a food cart in the Concourse Coffee pod together with Matta and No Q No! Taqueria. It is owned by Geri and Ethan Leung, originally Seattle natives who popped up with Matta a few times last year and made a go of it in Portland. In their first year, they won cart of the year which helped establish them and Filipino food in the Portland food scene. Their food is fresh and cart made and you feel the love. When we were thinking of potential contributors for Filipino Food Month, we reached out to Baon Kainan and Geri quickly replied about wanting to share her Sopas recipe. It’s a perfect dish for Portland with our weather that can turn chilly at a drop of a hat.

Sopas is a homestyle Filipino noodle soup generally made with macaroni, vegetables and chicken in a creamy, milky broth often made with stock and milk (in the Philippines, evaporated milk). There are many variations to this dish, predominantly in what protein is used. Aside from chickent, sometimes it’s ground pork, corned beef and hot dogs (or a combination of), that is almost customized by family.

As Geri describes:

“This is one of our favorite Filipino soup recipes. It’s a dish we come back to anytime we need some comfort in a pinch or when we’re feeling under the weather. It’s fast to make, allows the use of leftover ingredients, it’s great the next day and essential when feeling under the weather.”

Some notes and tips from Geri:

Using rotisserie chicken and bouillon may seem like cheating, but there’s no harm in using these ingredients as a fast way to cook a delicious and nutritious meal–great for busy professionals, parents–well, everyone!

If you want to make your own chicken stock–and you have some time–roast chicken bones (or the rotisserie chicken bones) with onions, garlic, and any herbs of your choice for 20 - 30 minutes. Then add the roasted bones and veggies in water and boil for a couple of hours. Strain the broth and discard the bones and veggies.

• You can use whatever milk for this recipe–we used oat milk for this recipe.

• This meal is meant to be easy so versatility is welcome–use whatever veggies or protein you have left over.

• Make this soup vegetarian or even vegan by substituting a plant-based milk and using vegan/vegetarian meat alternatives.

Geri learned how to make Sopas from her mom. This dish was one of her most comforting dishes and she could make it in a pinch without compromising taste. Geri would then make this for Ethan during their dating years so it’s got sentimental value on all counts. Eat it with some steamed rice, it’s comfort food in a bowl.

PANCIT GUISADO

I gotta admit, this is probably not on my “Top 10” if you ask me about what my favorite Filipino dishes are. I think it has a lot to do with my associating it with many Filipino gatherings that I’ve attended through the years and eating mediocre versions of this dish. Additionally, among the Pancit dishes, I have always been more of a Pancit Palabok fan. Unfortunately, along with Adobo and Lumpia, Pancit is the other dish most people in America are more likely to identify if you mention Filipino food. When I recently went home to the Bay Area, I spent some time with my Tita Lydia discussing our family’s immigration and we also spent some time documenting our family recipes and she ended up making this dish. It reminded me that it can be delicious if you take some care in making it but it is also very easy. I decided to give it a try at home and I absolutely fell in love with it again. A huge reason was its simplicity and adaptability and it is certainly a dish you can probably whip up with ingredients that are already in your pantry if you are Filipino.

The take away is really the method of how to make this dish. The dish is flavored by stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce. I find that using fresh shrimp stock really hits the right notes for me. It has a ton of umami. This can also reduce the shelf life of the dish because it is made with shellfish so if you are making this and are wanting left overs for a few days, a chicken or vegetable stock will help it last longer. I know in our household, this will barely make it to a second day so I use freshly made shrimp stock. This dish comes together fast once you have all your mise en place. I don’t love over cooked ingredients so I cook the protein and set it aside, cook the vegetables and set it aside then bring the stock and the noodles together and then add everything in. This keeps the pancit vibrant and all the ingredients are cooked to the right done-ness.

It’s a dish that is very flexible. You can really vary the noodles, the protein, and the vegetables. The noodles I use is the traditional Bihon or thin rice noodles. Tita Lydia actually loves Yakisoba noodles. This has a lot to do with the quality of rice noodles not being very good when she first immigrated to the US and Yakisoba was what she could find the in the grocery store back then so that informed her Pancit. These days, we are lucky with more choices and also better noodle quality so we don’t have the same issues. Regarding the protein, I love the classic shrimp and pork combination. I always have Lap Cheong or Chinese Sausage so I love using this. You can also use pork belly or even bacon. My mom’s favorite is chicken with pork so she poaches chicken, shreds it and adds it in and in a pinch, she has also used store bought rotisserie chicken. If you are vegetarian, this dish is one of the easiest Filipino dishes to adapt and still have a very delicious dish that keeps it’s taste integrity. It really is for everyone.

To eat, it’s amazing when just cooked but it is also a dish that is delicious at room temperature which is why it is a popular party food. If you have the ability to eat some the next day, I think it gets even better because the flavors start to meld even more. I especially love eating it in a hot Pandesal with butter similar to how you would eat a Yakisoba Pan.

So have I changed my mind about this being on my “Top 10”? I am not sure but I can say that I love it more when I make it and sweat the details. I am also bringing this into my weeknight rotation. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

❤️Tricia

PANCIT MOLO

Pancit Molo is a dish I grew up eating for New Year growing up. It’s part of our Chinese heritage in the Philippines. It’s origins are from the district of Molo in Ilo Ilo City where there was a predominantly Chinese population. It really is the Filipino version of Wonton Soup. What makes it distinct is probably the use of fish sauce and also fried garlic as toppings which is often found in many of the Chinese influenced Filipino dishes — think Arroz Caldo, Batchoy, etc.

I remember my Lola making this for us when we came over for New Year’s Day lunch and when we moved to the US, this tradition was continued by my mom and dad. When I got older, this was such a comfort on New Years Day because it was a warm and soothing soup that was the best antidote to a hangover from New Years Eve. There was always a pot of broth going and we would all make our own bowls and customize it with our own toppings.

When I later moved far away from home, this is a tradition I started to pick up for myself and my partner, Brandon. It was a way for us to feel close to family during the holidays. In the Philippines, we celebrate both the Calendar New Year and the Lunar New Year so there is double the opportunity to have Pancit Molo. The latter most likely depending on your family ancestry having Chinese origins. I grew up also eating Tikoy (Nian Gao), a yummy glutinous rice cake that is both sweet and savory because we dip the slice in an eggwash and pan fry it for a crispy outer texture. We love having that with tea for merienda during this time of year. We also always have Pancit as noodles always signify long life.

I am sharing my version of Pancit Molo hoping it resonates with you this Lunar New Year, let me know what you think and also what your family does to celebrate the New Year.

❤️Tricia

ROASTED CRAB 🦀 & GARLIC NOODLES

My dad’s sister immigrated to the Bay Area in the 70’s. Subsequently, the rest of his unmarried siblings followed suit through the years. Our parents stayed in the Philippines because they both had built successful businesses and we were all quite young. I do remember coming to the US to visit during our summer vacations to see our cousins and to also travel to different cities. A lot of our travels involved seeing the sights and of course, food.

An early food experience I remember during one of those vacations is going to Thanh Long in San Francisco. It was all about the Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle. If you haven’t heard of Thanh Long, you may have heard of Crustacean – both are the Anh Family’s legacy. This experience stuck with me because we would eventually immigrate to the US and still frequent Thanh Long.

The Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle is just such a magical combination. The sweetness of the Dungeness Crab paired back with the garlicky noodles is just a food memory that has stuck with my family, so much so that it has somehow made its way into our Noche Buena celebrations through the years. I can’t remember when it first appeared but I do have memories about trying to figure out how to make their noodles. There is something about it that sticks with you and later on, we figured out that it was Maggi (we think!). 😆

Let me just say that the recipe for Thanh Long’s Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle is a closely guarded secret by the Anh family. No one really knows how to make their version but them so go visit them to get that experience. However, to make at home, you can definitely find a place to start by looking online. You’ve got many sources. Try them and make it your own. I will post my version in Stories and Highlights so you can check that out too.

Now you’ve seen @janieP00’s Galbi and my Roasted Crab and Garlic Noodle, neither dish is Filipino but are now part of our immigrant stories of Noche Buena. Do you have an adopted dish as well that is now a part of your Noche Buena? We’d love to hear from you.

♥️Tricia