MANILA, Philippines - Memories of Philippine Kitchens by Amy Besa and chef Romy Dorotan, owners of the Purple Yam in Brooklyn, is now available with a newly revised and updated content.
Memories of Philippine Kitchens is about connections and cultures, stories and over 100 unique recipes from local cooks around the country. It is about vivid food memories passed from generation to generation, and a love for our land and our heritage.
Enthusiasts of Filipino food came together at Enderun Colleges to witness the launch of the revised edition of Memories of Philippine Kitchens. According to Amy Besa, the couple wanted to share their continuing journey as they delve into their relationship with food, explore Asian influences in our own food and how they transformed these varied and wonderful flavors into the much-acclaimed dishes that they serve at their restaurant in Brooklyn.
Guests had the chance to try selected dishes from featured contributors of the book. The first dish was Nana Meng’s Dinuguan, a recipe from Margaux Salcedo’s grandaunt. Salcedo explained that the dinuguan recipe was never put in writing but was passed on from generation to generation to those who cooked in the kitchen.
Lola Anday’s chicken kinulob is a dish from the great grandaunt of Tricia Tensuan, a senior executive of Enderun Colleges. Tensuan recalls that chicken kinulob was a staple at their family gatherings in Bulacan. Chicken kinulob is native chicken stuffed with ginger, onions and pork stomach, topped with cabbage, celery leaves and leeks, eggs from inahen, chicken blood and rice cakes.
Amy Besa also acknowledged the presence of a group of Enderun culinary students, who call themselves Kawali Kings. Led by Enderun instructor, Erwin Lizarondo, the Kawali Kings assisted in preparing the dishes that were served in the book launch. Erwin Lizarondo explained that the group’s mission is to learn traditional Filipino cooking from different regions and help increase appreciation for local food.