WORLD CUISINE — THE IMMIGRANT RECIPE
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A sweet slice of Manila town in California
By Weelee De Jesus
WEST COVINA , Calif. — The middle-aged Latina looked bewildered, puzzled. The fast-food eatery was serving some familiar dishes. There was menudo and chicharones, but the male cashier and other food servers didn't jibe with her idea of a Mexican restaurant. "Are you tsee-no?" she asked, referring to the Spanish term for Chinese. "No, ma'm," the cashier replied, smiling. "I'm a Filipino."
Welcome to West Covina 's Woodside Village, where a short visit becomes a quick trip to another culture. Located about an hour drive east of Los Angeles, this area offers the equivalent of a Manila town, where the mouth-watering smell of grilling meat marinated in soy sauce, garlic and peppercorns mix in the air with conversations spoken in English and various Philippine dialects.
Composed of 7,100 islands in the Pacific, the Philippines boasts of a cuisine that's difficult to categorize. There are more than 80 dialects in the country and each region offers a variety of culinary tastes. But passport is not necessary to experience another culture here in West Covina, where a sprawling complex offers a variety of restaurants offering dishes using the traditional "turo-turo," which literally means "point and point," in which dishes are displayed behind the glass. You take a pick, point and then proceed to the cashier.
There are two strip malls on Amar Road and Azusa Avenue that contain the commercial hub of the biggest concentration of Filipino immigrants east of Los Angeles. Everything from banana pie to mango cake to "empanadas" (a chicken pie) provide newcomers a chance to remember the culture they've left behind.
It's also a place for cultural gathering during special Philippine occasions, such as Independence Day. The area has been transformed into a virtual Philippine territory. Outside the Seafood City supermarket on Amar Road, there's even a bust of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, whose nationalistic writings and execution by firing squad in 1896 helped launch a revolution against the Spanish colonizers.
A weekly visit promises a chance to meet an old acquaintance. New immigrants can also get an update on Philippine politics by simply grabbing free Filipino weekly newspapers while shopping around popular bakeshops like Valerio's, Goldilocks and Red Ribbon. <
City officials are baffled at the attraction of the Woodside Village for Filipino immigrants. They estimate that up to 12,000 Filipinos live within a three-mile radius from the ethnic enclave. This strong purchasing power has captured the attention of businessmen seeking to get a slice of the market.
One of the newest additions is Jollibee, the Philippines ' answer to McDonald's and KFC rolled into one. Jollibee offers fried chicken cooked in nearly identical crispy style as Kentucky Fried Chicken. But chicken is served with rice. Spaghetti is served with slices of hotdogs. Ketchup is banana, not tomato, surely not appetizing for those accustomed to using Heinz but is preferred by the Filipino palate.
City officials are not certain why so many Filipino immigrants found this particular section of West Covina desirable. Perhaps it was the local catholic church or the proximity to downtown Los Angeles and Orange county. But to Hector Batongmalaque, he moved here from Riverside because of the Filipino restaurants.
"Now my wife doesn't have to cook," Batongmalaque said. "All I have to do is go to Goldilocks or Chow King restaurants and choose my dinner by pointing.”
FILIPINO PANDESAL RECIPE USING BREAD MACHINE
Pandesal is a rounded bread usually served during breakfast and, in rural areas in the Philippines, often dipped into coffee. It can be prepared in a variety of ways, which explains why the final result could be either bland or slightly sweet.
Pandesal has a powdery texture and its main ingredients include flour, yeast, eggs, sugar, lard or vegetable oil and salt. It is the most popular bread in the Philippines. For Hispanic immigrants, the pandesal resembles rolls from the Dominican Republic known as Pan de Agua or Bolillos in Mexico. While the name “Pan de sal” in Spanish literally translates to “salt bread,” it is rarely salty. It is, in fact, often prepared slightly sweet.
- 2 eggs, make sure they are at room temperature.
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 oz. lard cut into small pieces or 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 3/4 cups bread flour (prefer bread machine flour)
- 1 sachet of fast rising yeas (prefer bread machine yeast. You will use only one tablespoon.)
- Breadcrumbs (you can just make your own. Put some bread in the liquidizer then crumble it.)
Add all ingredients (except the bread crumbs) in the order suggested by the manufacturer of your bread machine. Usually the liquid ingredients come in first followed by dry ingredients.
Select DOUGH cycle. Combine lukewarm water and yeast and let it stand for 5 minutes before adding all the ingredients.
Knead the dough manually. Combine lukewarm water and yeast. Stir. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Combine all ingredients except bread crumb.
Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Let it stand in warm place and wait for it to rise. Cover with plastic wrap or moist cloth for two hours or until you notice that the size has doubled.
Punch down the dough and turn out on a lightly floured board.
Divide dough according to desired size. If you make them in the normal size you often see in the Philippine, you can make around 24 pieces. Roll the doughs in bread crumbs.
Place them in baking trays.
Cover, let rise in warm place, free from draft, until light and double in size. It takes about two to four hours to achieve light and fluffy bread.
Place the pandesal in the oven (gas mark 6 or 400 in electric) Bake at 375 degrees, for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy your pandesal.
Got recipe? Immigrants always have that secret recipe handed down through generations. If you'd like to share your recipe to your fellow immigrants, send it to us via e-mail and we will post it in this section.
- GET THE HOT MEXICAN TAMALES RECIPE: Click Here
- READ "A COOKBOOK FROM OUR IMMIGRANT ANCESTORS"
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