Holey Moley...What did I get myself into???

Master the Art of Filipino Cooking.....what was I thinking???
Everyone has their own perfect recipe for all the numerous regional delicacies.  The goal of this culinary journey is not to make the "perfect" recipes but to experience the process of recreating & reconnecting to my Pangasinan & Ilokano roots. Some of the regional delicacies are infused with so much salt, sugar & fats so eating in moderation is the key.
Being dubbed by my Dad as the "experimental" cook in the family, I will "experiment" with other healthy alternatives/ingredients while keeping the familiar flavors of the dish. It is my hope that you will "experiment" along with me. I need all the FEEDback (pun intended) I can get.

Got so excited about my journey, I checked out whatever I had available in the pantry and then....

FLASH BACK > High School, Baguio (70s). I was a home economics flunky.

Mom was physically ill during my teen years and Dad was busy with college (utilizing his VA educational entitlement) as well as caring for Mom. Food was always prepared for us so my hands-on cooking experience was very limited. We left the Philippines in 1973 six months after President Marcos declared martial law.

I managed to embrace this passion for cooking & baking in my 20's. It was fun because I had friends & colleagues that enjoyed and/or were willing to sample my creations. Good, bad, or indifferent, it was free.

Here goes....my recreation of Dad's puto recipe with what I had in the pantry:

2c buttermilk pancake mix

4T Splenda brown sugar blend

1T baking powder

pinch of vanilla & salt

1can coconut milk (13.5 fl oz)

~ Mix all dry ingredients first then add the coconut milk.

~ Scoop 2T mixture into the custard cups

~ batch of three > steam 10 -15mins (use the toothpick check)

(12 servings)

***First attempt (middle photo)

~ first batch of three > > > FAIL - got soggy

~ brown color > FAIL

~ remaining 9 were fairly decent (middle photo) & OK according to my taste buds

***Second attempt (right photo)

~ changed to cane sugar instead of the Splenda brown sugar blend

(the color should be white)

~ lined the streamer trays with banana leaves (from Mom's garden) so that the water does not boil over into the custard cups

~ made sure that the water is boiling before putting the cups onto the streamer trays

~ the result was better than the 1st attempt but the texture & taste not quite like Dad's recipe.

So what's missing? The search is on......

Steamed Bisquick Puto

Ay, naku naman >>> Puto Frenzy

I have been craving puto, the ones Dad and my maternal Aunty used to make.

What's a PUTO? I think of it as the Holy Grail of Filipino desserts. The english translation is steamed rice cake muffin but the way Aunty Beron made it in the Philippines, they came out diamond shaped & completely made from scratch (literally - I will explain later). It's the Holy Grail for me because both my Dad and Aunty are no longer here on earth to provide me with their expertise. So the quest for their recipes is on.....

Flash-Back 1960s ~ Norfolk, Virginia
When Dad would have shore duty (ship docked in Norfolk), he would get up early to make us a dozen before heading into work. They were an awesome breakfast treat. He stopped making them after he retired from the US Navy in 1966. He said it would be easier and less expensive to buy them from someone else.

I have never made puto until now. I remember Dad using Bisquick (yes, the brand) & a steamer. The other ingredients he may have used were sugar, milk, anise, salt, baking powder & eggs.

So, how hard can that be to put all those ingredients together??? Yeah, right. My culinary adventure begins......

My New Culinary Journey

After watching Julie and Julia, I got inspired to embark on my own culinary journey...not to Master the Art of French Cooking but to Master the Art of Filipino Cooking ....maybe according to my childhood taste buds.

My humble beginnings began in a small town in Philippines (zooming in like Google Earth) > Luzon > Pangasinan > Rosales > Santa Maria > Tayug > San Nicolas > corner house on Luna Street. Maternal grandparents & great aunt were our caregivers while Mom was teaching at a distant town elementary school and Dad was somewhere in the Pacific Ocean on a US Navy ship.

There will be lots of flash-backs and flash-forwards in this journey so hang on tight as my time machine gets ready to take you back to my hometown style of Filipino cooking.

Chinese Food

ToMAYtoe Smile