The Filipino-American Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors [Hardcover]

Jennifer M. Aranas (Author), Brian Briggs (Author), Michael Lande (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2006

Containing over 100 traditional and modern adaptations of Filipino recipes, this cookbook is perfect for Americans with little to no experience with Filipino cuisine, and for Filipino-Americans interested in learning new adaptations of traditional dishes. A comprehensive guide, The Filipino-American Kitchen includes a brief culinary history of the Philippines, a list of Filipino ingredients used in the recipes, and a guide to navigating Asian grocery stores. There is also a resource section for ordering ingredients online or directly from stores, followed by 10 chapters of recipes organized by course, with main courses organized by food type. Anyone interested in Filipino cooking will find this book an invaluable resource.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the current jumble of pan-Asian and Nuevo-Latino fusion, Aranas's sensible, solid home cooking stands out."—Food & Wine

"For those who know squat about Filipino food (which would be most of us), this book is perfect; it not only provides a ton of great recipes, but it also has a snooze-free intro on the evolution of Filipino cuisine and a cool "buying guide" that demystifies ingredients with descriptions and photos."—Time Out Chicago

"People will recognize the ingredients and flavors. Like taco Tuesdays and spaghetti on Wednesdays, you could have Adobo Thursdays." Think of it as an exotic but familiar twist on moms ' menus everywhere."—East West

About the Author

Jennifer Aranas was the chef and owner of the nationally acclaimed Rambutan Restaurant, Chicago's first fine-dining Filipino eatery. She sold the restaurant in 2002 to focus on her food writing and teaching cooking classes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Hardcover with Jacket edition (November 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804838364
• ISBN-13: 978-0804838368
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Pacific Rim

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Asian but with a lot of foreign influence, March 5, 2007

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Filipino-American Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors (Hardcover)

The dishes in this book fit the title: Filipino American. That is, they are based on the traditional foods of the Philippines but modified to allow the chef to take advantage of fresh local products, and of a minimum of specialty spices. The resulting foods are thus more suited to both the American taste and the American supermarket than highly traditional recipies.

Philippine food traditions are based on their particular variant on oriental cooking, but modified by years of invluence from incoming cultures. The Spanish took over the island in 1542 and left them with a deep impression of Spanish culinary heritage (paella for instance, but without saffron). The Spanish in turn brought with them some Mexican influence. And then there were the Americans, the Japanese, the Chinese.

Ms. Aranas has done an excellent job of fitting these into an American kitchen. You will be hard pressed to flip through this book without finding something that you want to try.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE for all Filipino generations!, December 13, 2010

By 

F. R. Padilla "frp" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Filipino-American Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors (Hardcover)

For years, I've been pleading with my mother to write her recipes down on paper -- everything she's ever cooked for us growing up was from her memory. And, as she was a caterer, there are many, many recipes, family or otherwise, that I would like to memorialize and pass onto my kids.....

Alas, no recipes from my mother. Yet. But. But but but but but, Ms. Aranas has managed to put into one book the key Filipino recipes ALL Filipinos should have, especially my generation and all generations to come. The recipes themselves are straight-forward -- most Filipinos will be familiar with almost every single recipe. The pictures are stunning, and evoke memories of my childhood. She gives the reader excellent insight on Filipino ingredients, and the recipes are quite easy to follow.

For all 1st generation Filipinos living in the US, BUY THIS BOOK. Hand it down to the next generation. For anyone interested in Filipino cuisine, BUY THIS BOOK. You will not regret it. I can't more highly recommend this book as a cornerstone for Filipino far into the future.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great recipes, August 3, 2008

By 

John "Mountainman" (oregon USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Filipino-American Kitchen: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors (Hardcover)

This is a very well put together book of fil/am delights. Lots of great recipes and even soups and salads. Mouth watering pictures to accompany the recipes from beginning to end, and easy to follow instructions. Malugod ito....Gusto ako!