Tomorrow is the 15th day of the 7th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is the Day of the Ghost, when offerings are made by the living to their dearly departed and hungry ghosts.
I decided to observe the many ways my Filipino-Chinese friends do their offerings (alay). Most of their traditions are largely dependent on what has been passed on to them by their parents, and thus vary from one family to the other.
According to Joyce Co, we make ancestor offerings in the morning and another for wandering spirits in the afternoon of the 15th day of the ghost month. Peaches Tiu added that the act of offering is done to appease the spirits that roam the earth.
Which is why a feast is prepared in front of one’s house or gate, in the belief that the spirits roam freely and are looking for food, this being the only month of the year that they are free to roam, eat and be merry.
Tiu shared that her usual alay menu consists of a whole chicken (the neck and feet intact, as the gods do not like “piece offerings”), liempo, adobo, fruits, hwat ke (buns) and ampao (red rice crispies), Chinese paper money and incense.
The ritual starts by calling on the gods, followed by the lighting of incense sticks. Once the sticks are fully burnt, the food can be shared and enjoyed by all.
Popular dish
Always present on Sofia Co’s menu is lumpia, apparently a popular alay dish. The Chinese lumpia and all its condiments make for a lavish display.
She explained that when making an offering, one must prepare at least five viands and five kinds of fruit. Red ampao, meanwhile, should come in pairs and the hwat ke (steamed buns) always in fours. These numbers and the preparation and presentation of dishes carry special meaning.
Feng shui master Aldric Dalumpines described the act of offering during ghost month as a street party to treat ghosts to a warm and happy send-off.
If ghosts are treated well, they will delight in it and leave you in peace, he said. Your ancestors will serve as spirit guardians and protectors who will keep you out of harm’s way, and ensure your physical health, material prosperity and happiness.
Here are some popular family recipes you might want to cook, offer, then share with your loved ones.
Imelda Tan’s Chinese
Fresh Lumpia
-Shred very finely:
1 kilogram cabbage and ½ kg Baguio beans
-Grate 1 kg carrots, ½ kg singkamas, four big pieces hard tofu or tokwa.
-Prepare: 2-3 cups thinly sliced shallots, 1 c chopped garlic
Procedure:
-Fry tokwa in a little oil until golden. Set aside.
-Heat up wok. Add 3 tablespoons cooking oil.
-Sauté 1/3 c shallots until golden.
-Add ¼ c chopped garlic
-Add ½ kg finely shredded pork, sauté until it changes
color.
-Add two pieces finely shredded fish cake (optional) and two shrimp cubes
-Remove from the wok and set aside.
Vegetables:
– Heat up wok.
-Add 3 tablespoon cooking oil.
-Sauté 1/3 c shallots until golden.
– Add ¼ c chopped garlic.
-When fragrant, add carrots. Sauté until cooked. Set aside.
-Repeat the same procedure for cabbage, Baguio beans and singkamas, cooking them separately, one at a time.
-In a pot, alternately layer the pork, cabbage, carrots, Baguio beans, tokwa, singkamas.
-Continue to simmer over low fire for about 30 minutes. Stir every so often so the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
-Season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Drain vegetables well before serving.
To serve:
(Arrange individually and have your guest wrap their
own lumpia.)
-Vegetables
-Lumpia wrapper
-Lettuce
-Coriander
-Chopped garlic
-Peanut mixture (In a bowl, combine 1 c ground peanuts, ½ c sugar.)
-Ho-ti mixture (In a pan, heat oil and fry 2 c crushed bihon until puffed. Drain. Remove oil. Lower heat, sauté 1 c ho-ti or fine seaweeds. Combine ho-ti and puffed bihon.)
-Chili sauce
-Sweet sauce (Caramelize 1 c sugar in a pan. When golden, add ½ c chopped garlic, 2 c vegetable drippings. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Thicken with cornstarch slurry.)
*Other vegetables that are commonly included, though optional, are sweet peas or chicharo and fresh garlic bulb (bulb and leaves).
Jecelle Tycangco’s
Sweet Chinese Adobo
with Mushroom and Tokwa
1 whole garlic, pounded
3-4 dried shiitake, soaked
1 kg liempo, cubed
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp rice wine
1 block fried tokwa
1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
1 c soy sauce
1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
Procedure:
-Brown pork cubes.
-Add garlic.
-Add all ingredients except tokwa.
-Add enough water to cover pork and simmer until pork is tender.
-When pork is a bit tender, add tokwa to the meat.
-Continue to simmer uncovered until sauce is thick.
Master Aldric and my friends agree that once you start offering on ghost month, you must do so yearly. The gods and the spirits are said to remember the places where offerings have been made. When they pass by and see nothing for them there, they may deem that as a sign of disrespect.
For feng shui consultation, call master Aldric Dalumpines, 0999-3128168. To order alay food, call Diao Eng Chay, Binondo, 2448816 or 2448818; and DEC Food Plaza, Virra Mall, 7224669. For specialty alay dishes and delicious fresh lumpia by chef Yu, call 09189235879 and 029986889; or Happy Delicious Kitchen at 022440120 and 025243280.