Quintessential Filipino cooking 75 authentic and classic recipes of the Philippines

In her terrific debut cookbook, Agbanlog collects Filipino favorites from her Salu Salo Recipes blog. Recipes include traditional dishes such as kare-kare (oxtail stew in peanut sauce) and champorado (a chocolate rice porridge commonly served at breakfast), as well as more inventive ones, such as a chicken kabob marinated in lemon juice, citrus soda, ketchup, chili and soy sauces, and garlic. Vinegar figures prominently in many recipes, not only in classic Filipino pork and chicken-based adobo dishes but also in a brine for fried chicken, the classic fish escabeche, and paksiw na isda, in which fish is cooked in a broth of vinegar, water, and ginger. Although most recipes aren't overly complicated (pork in guava soup calls for just eight ingredients; her must-try sweet rice cakes only requires four), readers may have to do some digging for some ingredients, like the cornstarch noodles known as pallabok sticks, sponge gourd, and burro bananas for banana fritters. Nevertheless, this is a flavor-packed introduction to a vibrant cuisine sure to resonate with armchair travelers and curious home cooks of all skill levels. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In blogger Agbanlog's (Salu-Salo.com) own words, this debut collection of -Filipino recipes is meant to share her cooking with people in a new way. A few of the dishes, such as Lumpiang Shanghai, are found on her blog, but many are unique to the book, which is organized by meal type: pork, chicken, seafood, vegetable, rice or noodle, etc. Each of the approachable recipes includes a brief introduction with historical context; bright photographs are a bonus. Recipe and section titles are given in both Filipino and English, while the index also lists entries for each dish in both languages. -VERDICT A solid introduction to Filipino cuisine for those wanting to try something new, or possibly be reminded of their roots. Similar to the -author's blog, the straight-forward recipes allow for novice cooks to follow along easily.-Dawn -Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.