A New 'Filipinx' Cookbook

In her debut cookbook, Filipinx: Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora, chef Angela Dimayuga explores the recipes that remind her of home, growing up as one of the more than four million people of Filipino descent in the United States. Dimayuga comes on to talk the new cookbook, and showcase her take on the classic Filipino dishes she grew up eating. Coconut Milk Chicken Adoboah • DOH • bohSERVES 6 TO 8Adobo is probably the Filipino dish best known and least understood by Westerners. Like the name of the Philippines itself—imposed by Spanish colonialists in the sixteenth century in honor of their king, Philip II—it bears the lexical imprint of a foreign empire. In 1613, a Franciscan friar, attempting to compile a Tagalog dictionary, reached for the Spanish verb adobar to describe the dousing of ingredients with vinegar, to season and pickle. But that technique of preservation, essential in a tropical climate, long predated his arrival. Adobo is an indigenous dish, and one that contains multitudes, with no two recipes alike.Vinegar is the constant. Here I use coconut vinegar (see page 179 if you’re feeling ambitious and want to make your own!), along with coconut milk and coconut oil—three forms of coconut, to bring silkiness without heaviness. (Coconut milk adobo, or adobo sagata, is a tried-and-true variation in the Philippines but a little less common in the U.S.) It’s just as good if you substitute rice vinegar or diluted white or apple cider vinegar. And the chicken is just a suggestion: You could roast or steam a whole fish and pour the adobo over it, or sear mushrooms, fresh langka (jackfruit), or big meaty chunks of cauliflower and throw them in as the stew simmers down and turns thick.2 tablespoons coconut oil, store-bought or homemade (page 193)2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes4 pounds (1.8 kg) chicken drumsticks and thighs, bone in and skin on15 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut vinegar (store-bought or homemade, page 179) or rice vinegar1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce8 bay leaves, fresh or dried1 whole fresh serrano chileSteamed rice, for servingIn a large pot, heat the coconut oil on medium until shimmering. Add the whole peppercorns, coarsely cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Lay the drumsticks and thighs in the pan, skin side down, and raise the heat to medium high. Cook for about 5 minutes, resisting the urge to poke and prod; just let the chicken cook undisturbed, until the fat starts to render, melting into the pan, and the skin turns slightly brown. Using kitchen tweezers or tongs, flip over the chicken.Add the garlic, coconut milk, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, serrano chile, and 1 cup (240 ml) water. Let the mixture come to a boil. Put a lid on the pot, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 1 to 1ó hours, stirring occasionally. The chicken should feel loose, almost—but not yet—ready to slip off the bone.Remove the lid, raise the temperature to medium high, and reduce the sauce by cooking uncovered for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick as velvet.Serve over rice, to soak up the sauce. Reprinted from 'Filipinx: Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora' by Angela Dimayuga and Ligaya Mishan. Photos by Alex Lau. Published by Abrams.