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Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Cooking with Asay
By Jeanne Tan-Te
MY fond memories of my father, "A'say" (as he is fondly called by his Chinese friends) have always something to do with food. My earliest happy memory with him is eating pork barbecue at Fort San Pedro Park. Our first movie date -just the two of us - was "King Kong" in 1977. I remember he bought me pack after pack of turon. Ironically though, Papa never celebrates his birthday. So when my younger sister and I turned adolescents, we decided to give Papa a surprise on his birthday. Guess what. A table of all his favorite food.
During college, while most of my friends were experimenting with alcohol (and sex? -- or so I heard), I spent hours in the kitchen blending spices and herbs. And it was through my father that I learned how to cook fresh and fried lumpia and hototay, among others. You see, before he became a master electrician, he worked as a cook in a Chinese restaurant in Manila.
All throughout my journey towards adulthood, Papa and food have been prominent figures in my life. When my husband was just courting me, he didn't give me any flowers. Instead, he would take me out on lunch buffets. I fell head over heels for him! Whenever I had a problem - and even as a married woman - I would go to my father's shop. I would watch TV in his small office. I never really knew if he could sense my state of mind at the time, but he would take a few minutes off from his work, come up to me and ask if I wanted something to eat. I would feel so much better! My second child who has autism had speech delay. The first words he uttered: "apple" and "banana"!
Actually, I never really realized how food, cooking or eating is so much a big part of my life until the day my father died. As his vital signs were beginning to deteriorate early that morning, I struggled very hard inside my heart to accept the fact that this was going to be our last moments together. So, I did the only thing I knew that would make it both "easy" for us - lulling him to his final sleep with stories of our happy memories together, right from the earliest one that I could ever remember. That was how I realized how food has significantly bonded us all this time.
That noon, and just as the doctor declared that Papa was officially gone, the hospital attendant came in with the food tray. It was time for lunch.
Indeed, the way we approach life is pretty much similar to cooking. There are things that you have to "quick fry" and "dig in" while they are still hot. There are those that you have to "braise" in order to bring out its innate flavor. And while it is always best to work with "fresh ingredients", there are "dishes" that become even more delicious after "reheating" several times. But then, no matter how much you have memorized your recipe by heart, you'll never know when to encounter unexpected results. That's why it never hurts to experiment from time to time.
And so, this column is born. This is not only a tribute to my father whose name was "Asay" who, in his own subtle and unique way, and even beyond his death, gave me so much insight about life. This is also an invitation to everyone to share my company and together, let us dare to taste every bitterness, sweetness, surprise, or even boredom that this life can bring.
And as I welcome you to my column, let me share one of the very first recipes that I learned from my father: Fried Lumpia Roll. Please take note that I did not specify the quantity for each ingredient. This is to allow you to adjust their proportion according to your taste preferences. This dish is already a meal by itself and the combined flavors of vegetables and meat are very fulfilling to the senses. So go ahead, experiment.
Ingredients: Chopped Pork Meat (in most recipes, this would be ground pork. I prefer "doing it manually", i.e., chopping the meat finely as this ensures that you use lean portions and it has more munch.), carrots, coarsely chopped; potatoes, cubed; garlic, finely chopped; onion, finely chopped; shrimp meat, cut in half vertical wise; canned peas (canned peas complement this recipe rather than fresh or frozen ones. But then again, you can always experiment.); raisins; salt; and soy sauce.
Procedure: In a bowl, mix garlic and onions with chopped meat and marinate for at least 15 minutes. In a separate smaller bowl, lightly massage shrimps with a little salt. Pour scalding water and soak. Shrimps will almost instantly turn red. Remove shells and head. Cut meat in half lengthwise.
Using a fork, I would crush the heads to make a sauce out of them. I would set this aside and use later to make other dishes like chopsuey, pancit canton or vegetable soups even more savory. You can also sprinkle a few amount to the marinated meat mixture to enrich the flavor of this recipe.
I feel good whenever I am able to use up almost every part of the things from which I am doing or making. In effect, the usage and life of those things are extended to another creation. Try to develop this habit by consistently practicing it, be it cooking, painting a room, or wrapping gifts. Some say, it's mind over matter. In many cases, constant practice influences the mind. Eventually, it forms part of one's mindset. Mix all ingredients.
On a large or XL-sized lumpia wrapper, place a liberal amount of the mixture. Fold two ends of the wrapper, about 1 inch wide on each tip, and then roll through the center. You can seal the tip of the roll with either plain water or raw egg white. Deep fry each roll.
Most lumpia rolls are best served hot because the wrappers are still crunchy by then. There are two things that you can opt to keep the crisp. One, you can set aside some of the rolls that you intend to eat later and fry them halfway. Then, re-fry until done before serving. Another thing that you can do is to oven toast the leftover rolls. In my case, I chow down on these rolls even if the crisps are long gone. I particularly enjoy the "bitey" texture of the chopped meat. And since it is no longer hot, I can pay more attention to the combined tang and zest of the other ingredients. I use vinegar as a dip to complete the heavenly experience. YUM! (Tan-Te writes for Sun.Star Iloilo)
(March 8, 2006 issue)
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