As someone who grew up in a Filipino household, I know first hand how diverse Philippine cuisine is. Each region or even Island has its own specialty dishes. The Bicol region for instance is know for their use of coconut milk and hot chili peppers. Kapangpangans are known for adding a touch of sweetness in savory dishes. Batanguenos are known for hearty beef stews like Caldereta, Bulalo and Lomi.
Aside from using ingredients that are abundant in their specific area, each region’s cooking was also influenced by other cultures such as Chinese, Spanish, Malay, Indian, Japanese and MORE. I emphasized the word “more” because as Filipinos work or travel around the world, they bring back ideas to improve their current recipes.
If there’s one word to describe Philippine cuisine, hands down, it will be “fusion”.
This is what Connecting the Pots Cookbook by Malou Perez-Nievera was all about. Her book is a timeline of her life story represented by the recipes she learned from her family and personal travels. I love how she tells the story behind each recipe. You will really feel at home as you turn each page.
Malou’s roots are from the northern part of the Philippines. So even though I spent most of my childhood in the same country, we are from different regions. That being said, I was not familiar with some of the dishes she shared. These were the first ones I tried. The longanisa Ibanag was a big hit with the kids! Yes, it’s naturally gluten free and free of top 8 allergens too.
As I went through the cookbook, I noticed that majority of the recipes do not require hard to find ingredients. In fact, they are readily available in big chain grocery stores or even local Asian stores. Many are gluten free or can easily be made allergy friendly by using alternatives for soy sauce or dairy.
After trying out several recipes to the tee, I can say that this cookbook was very well tested. The measurements are spot on. Even the desserts are not overwhelming sweet.
If you are new to cooking or is interested to cook some Filipino food, this cookbook has my seal of approval. It’s also a good coffee table staple as the included stories are very inspiring and heartwarming. Oh, the pictures are so beautiful too.
Curious? Well, here’s a sweet treat for you. One lucky US based reader can win a signed copy of the cookbook. Just follow the steps below to get entries. Hurry, this giveaway ends on August 6, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST.
What are you waiting for?
Hugs,
This giveaway has ended! Congratulations Steph R.
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I made adobo chicken so far and that’s all. But I did buy myself some coconut vinegar for future recipes
You’ll enjoy Malou’s recipes.
Sounds like a great recipe book! Great to hear the ingredients are easy to find.
Not just recipes but nice stories too.