Customer Reviews

Filipino Cuisine: Recipes from the Islands (Red Crane Cookbook Series)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Here in the US, Philippine cuisine is most often summarized by the following: lumpiang shanghai, lechon (manok), pork barbeque, pancit, sinigang and adobo. If you can cook the above, consider yourself an experienced Pinoy chef; this book, fortunately, blows this notion out of the water.

The book reveals a cuisine that is the amalgamation of history and geography; it features a multipage discussion on how Filipino cuisine can be subdivided into regional specialties, each with its own historical influences; it provides a grouping of dishes by genre (how many Filipino cookbooks describe the various meat and seafood ginataan variations while smartly leaving the dessert ginataan for later?); it compares and contrasts dishes with similar ones from other parts of the Philippines. From reading the book, one gets a glimpse of just how diverse Filipino cooking really is, each major region in the archipelago of 7100 islands, large and small, developing a unique taste that warrants its own recipe book.

Accurate/appropriate English translations for many of the recipe names help make the recipes seem less exotic and unapproachable while the clear instructions guide the novice through even some of the more intricate dishes.

What a pleasure it was to have come across this gem of a book. No longer will I need to suffer the generalisation of Filipino cuisine to "lumpia" and "adobo." This volume brings the wonderful flavors and aromas of real Filipino cooking to the general public. Perhaps we will begin to see a revolution in the fickle American palate and celebrate the one of the world's first true fusion cuisines; where else can one taste the influences of India, China, Mexico, Spain, America, and Malaysia integrated seemlessly with indigenous flavors and ingredients. So, whether you simply wish to read the book and imagine the unctuous recipes already prepared or, if you prefer as I do, put into practice what Mr. Gelle has carefully layed out, none of the dishes will disappoint.

As a first generation Filipino, I have collected several cookbooks on Filipino cuisine and this by far is the best, in the format, recipes and background info on origination and regional histories. Very thorough, informative. I highly recommend it!

I was a bit skeptical in buying this book since it was a hardcover and it was the most expensive Filipino cookbook I own. I even have the majority of the more recent english version cookbooks that can be bought. I do admit, I have tried about 1/3 of the recipes in this book and I have not yet been disappointed. What I find intriguing is that sometimes the ingredients seem out of the ordinary or shouldn't be included - from past experience of people passing recipes. However, I have followed these recipes to the tee and have gotten rave reviews from my family and friends (non-filipinos) about the really good tasting fare I have made. This was really important to me as I am Filipino, but have never made good Filipino food. I can make Italian, Chinese and any north american fare, but good Filipino food was my down fall. Ever since moving to Dallas, I have craved good tasting filipino food, which is very hard to find - this was my saving grace! My book pages are so tattered from use and going back and forth on what I should make next. If you want to be successful - give this book a try - it is worth every penny spent!

This book gives an excellent introduction to Filipino food and cooking. The author has collected and tested hundreds of traditional recipes. While I'm no expert on the authenticity of these recipes, I can say that they are tasty and not too difficult to try at home. Some of the special features are adobo (vinegar and garlic sauce), coconut recipes, purple yam recipes, and pickles. While pork is a central ingredient in many of these recipes, it is also easily possible to put together a completely vegetarian menu using this book. Gelle includes a brief overview of Filipino food history and regional specialties at the beginning of the book, as well as a glossary of ingredients and index at the end.

I AM MARRIED INTO A CAUCASIAN FAMILY WITH GOOD APPETITES-ESPECIALLY MY HUSBAND. SADLY, MY MOTHER NEVER TAUGHT ME THE ART OF FILIPINO COOKING (AS SO COMMONLY DONE), BUT I FOUND MY SALVATION IN THIS VERY BOOK.
IT GIVES A BRIEF HISTORY ON THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PHILLIPPINES AND THE DIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE, HOW A CERTAIN DISH CAN VARY FROM REGION TO REGION AND THE DIFFERENT TASTES INVOVLED TO TEMPT YOUR PALATE.
ASIAN COOKING IS AT IT'S BEST AND GELLE KNOWS HIS STUFF! IF YOU NEVER COOKED FILIPINO STYLE BEFORE AND ARE LOOKING FOR A CHANGE IN YOUR MONOTONOUS COOKING,OR YOU ARE FILIPINO AND FELL INTO MY CATAGORY OF "COOKING NEGLECT" TRY THIS BOOK OUT. THE STEPS ARE EASY TO READ AND FOLLOW. INGREDIENTS ARE EASILY ATTAINABLE MAKING COOKING A JOY THROUGH EXPERIMENTING AND INDIVIDUALITY.
THIS IS "THE" BIBLE OF FILIPINO COOKING.

i grew up in the philippines and presently lives in the USA. unfortunately, i never took time to learn how to cook -- until i moved where nobody else can cook for me. i tried so many cookbooks but to my dismay, they never tasted the way i hoped they would be. i bumped into this book and was so amazed at how easy it was to cook while getting the results i wanted. i strongly recommend this to anyone who would like to learn how to cook filipino dishes -- or simply just to learn how to cook.

I've seen my share of Filipino cookbooks, both in the US and the Philippines. Until I found this book, there weren't any selections that impressed me enough to spend any money.

The directions are easy to understand, and I like the fact that the author included historical background, geographical notes, and an in-depth glossary. There aren't many pictures, but the few pictures in the book are lovely. I made the sapin-sapin (sticky rice cake), and it was a success. I even bought a copy of the book for my mother because my dad lost her Filipino cookbook that was over 30 years old. She was very impressed with the choice of recipes.

This is the best Pinoy cookbook I've seen. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Easy to follow! Tastes just like Grandma's cooking! I grew up in California and usually ate Filipino food but never could make it the "way it's supposed to be" but thanks to this book, my cooking now tastes the way it should be!

This cookbook of traditional Filipino dishes is comprehensive and logically organized. The recipes are very easy to follow and don't incorporate obscure tools or ingredents that are difficult to find. The dishes I have tried are tasty, but there are a few caveats. The adobo recipe doesn't use soy sauce, which is an essential ingredient in my Filipino family's version of the dish. Also, the bibinka recipe is a version that uses regular flour, not rice flour. The latter version is what I grew up with and may also be colloquial.