Angkong’s noodles and other stirring stories

MANILA, Philippines - Elizabeth Yu-Gokongwei grew up amid the delicious aroma of food forever cooking in her grandmother’s kitchen abuzz with the clatter of pots and pans.  There was always something to warm the heart and the belly. She delightfully recalls the prewar days, “I remember the spirit of cooking together. In the kitchen, Grandma was head cook, daughters-in-law were helpers. They washed, chopped, and stirred. There was laughter and chatter. After the men were fed, the women would then sit down and didn’t mind eating the leftovers. Usually, there were soup, vegetables, fish or meat, chicken or pork, no beef.”

Weekends were special, and the young, bright-eyed Elizabeth would tag along with her father to China Panciteria where she would order her favorite fried pigeon, an extremely tasty and chewy Cantonese specialty, and fried pig brain.  “During the prewar years, all the restaurants were run by the Cantonese,” says Elizabeth. “Cantonese food was the best Chinese cuisine and it is still popular now.”

Food was aplenty on special occasions like New Year’s Eve, birthdays, and death anniversaries. “Pancit was always served during happy events, accompanied by boiled eggs,” Elizabeth says, digging into her potful of memories. “I don’t know the significance of serving eggs. Its nutritional value?  It’s a tradition brought in from China. Food was scarce then and eating eggs was a big treat!”

Among the most treasured family recipes, says Elizabeth, are lomi (a Filipino-Chinese dish made of thick fresh egg noodles with pieces of meat sauteed with garlic and shallots) and lumpia (spring roll). “Both are complete and take time to prepare. My mother didn’t teach me how to cook. Maybe I didn’t show any interest then. She was able to train an amah who became a better cook than her. Amah’s specialty was lomi.”

Now, with children and grandchildren of her own, Elizabeth makes sure that the young ones get their fair share of binging on good food. For instance, for Christmas Eve dinner, she always serves lechon from Cebu stuffed with lemongrass, whole cloves of garlic, cracked pepper, onions, and salt, as well as Buddha Jumps Over the Fence soup (a Fujian specialty which will make you jump for joy as it contains the most exotic seafoods). Of course, there’s the requisite pancit.  And of course, on this red-letter day, the grandchildren are happy to receive their angpao (red envelopes containing money).

Elizabeth admits that the Gokongweis are big eaters. They are not picky. And they will only eat Chinese food like sweet and sour pork, roast duck and pancit. They don’t really appreciate exotic Chinese food like abalone, shark’s fin, or sea cucumber.

Elizabeth adds, “My family loves meat in particular. My husband John loves pata tim (pork leg slowly braised in vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar), which I don’t like to serve often. But then, he will order from the Robina Farm and ask the maid to cook it.”

Birthday noodles are a must for birthday celebrations as they symbolize long life. “If there are members of the family born on the same month, we’d have a joint birthday celebration on a Sunday lunch,” says Elizabeth. “The grandchildren love to blow out the candles on the cake and sing the birthday song.”

Like Elizabeth, her children have many delicious childhood memories to share. For daughter Robina Gokongwei-Pe, the mouthwatering memory of her paternal grandmother’s fresh lumpia still lingers in her taste buds. “It was so good I could eat three lumpia rolls in one sitting,” Robina gushes. “She died 20 years ago and I still miss her.”

Likewise, for Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, her paternal grandmother’s fresh lumpia (which takes long to prepare but is certainly long in enjoyment) will remain fresh in her memory. Lisa adds, “Her birthday pancit with peanuts was also served on birthdays.”

As for their angkong (paternal grandfather), Robina and Lisa never got to meet him as he died young at 33. “But I still keep a circa 1928 photo of him and my paternal grandmother,” says Robina. “The photo is in my living room and it’s my most precious antique. I do remember my guakong (dad of my mom) and his booming voice when I would visit him. He would fondly call out, ‘Binaaahhh!!! You are here!!!’”

“My angkong only lives in the stories of my dad who was a tween when he died. He was, I believe, a man who enjoyed business and life in general. Too bad he died young. My guakong was a tall man, over six feet. We didn’t get to interact much, but I would see him a lot during gatherings with my mom’s family.”

Robina remembers those exciting food trips with her dad. “When Lance and I were young, my dad would take us to Makati Supermart in Ayala Center Makati every Saturday morning. He was there to check the movement of URC’s products at that time — such as Chiz Curls, Barbecue Curls, and Shrimp Curls — and then he would tell us we could buy anything we wanted as long as it was a book. Makati Supermart had a fantastic book section. He would tell us that he would meet us at the coffee shop after and then ask us to order anything. Everytime I was there, I would order hamburger until the waiter finally had to say, ‘Always hamburger?’ It was at Makati Supermart where I bought my first Nancy Drew book, The Secret of the Old Clock, for only two pesos and 50 centavos.”

No doubt about it, the Gokongweis love to eat.  “We love to eat, but we eat a lot of unhealthy food,” Robina declares. “Tsk. Tsk.”

To her atchi’s declaration, Lisa adds a mouthful, “Yes, we eat a lot, but we aren’t very picky. My husband Berck was surprised at how much meat and fried stuff we have on our dinner and lunch tables.”

Early in life, Robina learned the value of food. “My dad used to tell me when I was much younger, ‘If you don’t work, you don’t eat.’ Now, I’m finding out that if you work too much, you really won’t eat because you won’t find time to eat.”

So, when the Gokongweis get together, what do they talk about at the dining table? “Tsismis,” says Elizabeth.

“Showbiz,” says Robina. “And my parents would say, ‘Who?’”

“We talk about what probably every family talks about — business, society, political and showbiz gossip,” says Lisa. “But my dad chewed me out during our last Sunday lunch. He said that if we all did that, our businesses would crumble. So I think besides gossip, we get reminded about our family and business obligations.”

Bound to be a sizzling conversation piece is the Chinese-Filipino cookbook My Angkong’s Noodles by Clinton Huang Palanca with photography by Neal Oshima, launched yesterday at Robinsons Magnolia. It’s a delicious gift idea for Christmas, a season for caring and sharing, with profits from the book going to the educational institutions through the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation.

“The recipes of the cookbook were contributed by my friends who are all foodies,” says Elizabeth, who’s the publisher of the book. “They were very enthusiastic and supportive. We had many sessions of food tasting in their kitchens.”

“The creators were very picky about the recipes they picked and chose only the very best recipes from Chinoy families known for their cooking,” Lisa points out. “Obviously, we are not one of those families.”

Between 200-plus glossy pages can be found more than 100 heirloom recipes from Chinoy families — from the simple everyday lugaw to pancit and lumpia to hongba. For instance, there’s the time-cherished Mua Yu Pok Kwei, sesame chicken, which is cooked with no liquid whatsoever, apart from that which the meat itself exudes. Or the Si Dit Mi Sua Teng, a happy birthday misua soup. Or the Tao Hu Que, beansprout and tofu cake. Or the Sua Tang Hun Zhim, sotanghon crab in satay sauce. And so much more to delight Chinoy food lovers. As you will probably discover as you read this absorbing book, Chinoy food not only fills the tummy but also stirs the soul.

There are oodles of noodle recipes, family meals, innovations/variations, medicinal dishes, celebration dishes, desserts, snacks and tidbits, basics and essentials.

Lance Gokongwei remarks, “Mom has always been interested in the influence of Chinoy culture on Philippine society as a whole. So a Chinoy cookbook by Clinton Palanca and Neal Oshima was a great opportunity for her to promote this interest to the mainstream.”

Elizabeth Gokongwei writes, “This book is dedicated to our immigrant grandmothers and great-grandmothers who had to work daily at the stove. Their love for and loyalty to their families were best shown in the food they served on the table at family meals. They wanted to please the palate of the man of the house, even though they were neither schooled in the precise methods of cooking, nor did they know the exact measurements of ingredients. Nevertheless, they were able to pass the recipes on to their descendants. These heritage recipes were methodically remembered and recreated, kitchen-tested and reproduced for photography. The contributors did so with fond memories of past meals and family reunions. We hope the recipes in this book will not merely stay within the pages but be cooked by generations in the future and bring families closer together.”

Surely, the fondest, warmest memories are made when gathered around the table.