28. Philippines (an archipelago in Southeast Asia)
It’s an archipelago (means a group of islands) consisting of over 7,000 islands and islets.
Capital is Manila.
“The Philippines takes its name from Philip II, who was king of Spain during the Spanish colonization of the islands in the 16th century. Because it was under Spanish rule for 333 years and under U.S. tutelage for a further 48 years, the Philippines has many cultural affinities with the West. It is, for example, the second most-populous Asian country (following India) with English as an official language and one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia (the other being East Timor). Despite the prominence of such Anglo-European cultural characteristics, the peoples of the Philippines are Asian in consciousness and aspiration.” -Britannica

The dishes we made:
Chicken Adobo, Lumpia (with 2 different fillings), Banana Ketchup, (Inihaw na Manok) Chicken Barbecue -we substituted pork tenderloin, and (Tortang Talong) Eggplant Omelet.

 

Chicken Adobo          VERY, VERY, VERY Good!

Marinade:
Garlic, 3 cloves minced
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp White Vinegar
3 Bay Leaves

Chicken:
Chicken thighs
Oil
Garlic, 3 cloves minced
1 small Onion
1.5 cups Water
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Black pepper
Green Onions/Scallions for garnish

 

Combine marinade ingredients and allow to marinate at least 20 min. or overnight.
Sear chicken, set aside, add garlic and onion, sauté a few min.
Add reserved marinade, water, brown sugar and black pepper.
Simmer over medium-high heat ~20-25 min.
Turn chicken periodically.
Remove chicken and thicken sauce.
Serve with scallions over top along with rice and cucumbers.

 

Lumpia     VERY, VERY Good!
We made 2 different fillings for the lumpia.
The sweet potato filling is similar to a sweet potato-curry filling that we have made in the past for lumpia.

Lumpia or Springroll Wrappers
Oil, to fry with

Lumpia – Sweet Potato filling:
2 cups Water
Garlic
2 cups Sweet Potato chunks
Cabbage, shredded
Soy Sauce
Salt
Black Pepper

Cook sweet potatoes and garlic in water, remove both from water and mash.
Mix with rest of ingredients.
Fill lumpia wrappers with a line of filling on one end and roll into a cigar shape.
Deep fry and serve.

Lumpia Pork filling:
Ground Pork
Onions, minced
Carrot, minced
Garlic, minced
Black Pepper
Salt
½ cup chopped Parsley
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Sauté onions, garlic and carrot.
Then add pork and rest of ingredients.
Fill lumpia wrappers with a line of filling on one end and roll into a cigar shape.
Deep fry and serve.

 

 

Banana Ketchup            VERY, VERY, VERY Good!
1 Tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ small onion, diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 bananas, mashed (roughly 1 c)
¼ c tomato paste
¼ c brown sugar
½ c white vinegar
½ c water
⅛ tsp cayenne powder

Sauté garlic, onion, and ginger for 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
Add the mashed bananas, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Mix well.
Add the vinegar (maybe a little less than a ½ cup), water, and cayenne powder.
Mix well and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened slightly.
Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth (or transfer to an upright blender or food processor, whatever you got).
Let cool.

 

Inihaw na Manok-Chicken Barbecue      VERY, VERY, VERY Good!
NOTE: We substituted chicken in this dish with pork tenderloin and it was delicious!

2 1/4 cups (540 ml) banana ketchup
1 cup (240 ml) 7UP or other soda (we used Club Soda and lime juice)
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce
1/2 cup (120 ml) white sugarcane vinegar
1/2 cup (110 g) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (35 g) minced garlic
3 pounds (1.4 kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces (Pork Tenderloin)
Cooking spray or vegetable oil, for greasing

In a large Ziploc bag, mix together the banana ketchup, 7UP, lemon juice, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the pork and coat.
Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.
When you are ready to cook the meat, Heat your grill.
Pour the marinade into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes to thicken; use to baste meat while it grills.
(Discard any leftover marinade.)
Serve with extra banana ketchup, rice, and tomatoes and cucumbers.

 

Tortang Talong-Eggplant Omelet

2 large Asian eggplants (about 1/3 pound/155 g each)
2 extra-large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Fish sauce, for serving

Preheat the broiler or grill the eggplants.
Lay the eggplants in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil them, flipping once or twice, until they are soft and blackened on all sides, about 15 minutes. (If you have a gas stove, you can do this by holding the eggplants with tongs over a burner on medium-high heat, turning them so they blacken on all sides.)
Place the softened eggplants in a ziplock bag.
Set aside for 10 minutes to steam (this makes the skin easier to peel).
Peel the eggplants, discarding the skins, and use a fork to gently flatten the flesh.
Put the eggs in a shallow bowl.
Beat well and season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
Dip each eggplant in the beaten eggs, letting it soak for a second or two so that it is well covered with the egg. Season the egg-dipped eggplant with additional salt and pepper and place it in the skillet.
Repeat with the other eggplant, making sure there’s room between them in the skillet.
When the eggplants are crispy and browned on one side, 4 to 5 minutes, flip them over and cook until browned and crispy on the second side, about 3 minutes more.
Serve hot or at room temperature, with fish sauce.