FOR CHEF JP Anglo, success didn’t come easy. His family may have owned a restaurant in their hometown, Bacolod, but that endeavor soon failed. Then he decided to go to culinary school to hone his skills.
“Cooking has always been my passion,” he says.
But culinary school proved to be challenging, too. In Australia where he enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu, he worked long hours amid a very competitive atmosphere. Upon his return to Bacolod five years later, he put up a Chinese restaurant called Mai Pao & Mu Shu.
Things still got difficult. There was the matter of finding business partners and he couldn’t get any.
Luckily, his sister Tracie Anglo Dizon and her husband Victor believed enough in him to support his business. Soon, JP set his sights on Manila, the big bad city where only the best survive.
As it turned out, not only is JP now surviving, he’s also thriving. With his first restaurant, Sarsa in Bonifacio Global City, always full of customers, he soon opened a branch in Legaspi Village—and another one not long afterwards in SM Mall of Asia. Kafe Batwan in Rockwell opened this year.
Now that he has achieved the status of “rock star chef,” JP has another challenge: keeping track of his burgeoning culinary empire and staying in touch with the people he works with. For this he has found connectivity through Globe Platinum. With its Lifestyle Plan, he has found it easy to stay connected with his culinary team even while he may be elsewhere (traveling the world, for instance).
Globe Platinum’s perks include access to the newest devices, unlimited all-network calls and texts, rich mobile data allocation, built-in roaming services and complimentary access to a choice of NBA, HOOQ and Spotify Premium, among others.
In addition, there’s a dedicated hotline service, priority in Globe stores, and access to an international concierge (not to mention access to airport lounges worldwide, hotel discounts and even a personal shopper abroad). It’s all part of the perks of being a successful chef, apparently. But considering the persistence and challenges he went through to get to where he is now, JP certainly deserves it.
Here’s his recipe for molo pot stickers, which he served during a recent media event in Kafé Batwan. By using the gyoza technique of browning the bottom of the dumplings to give it a slightly crisp texture, he puts a modern take on this traditional favorite.
It’s a hearty soup you can serve as a first course for your Christmas and New Year gatherings. Because it’s both traditional and modern, it will appeal to both young and old.
Molo Pot Stickers
For the molo stock:
½ – 1 k chicken bones
12 c water, for first boiling
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 medium (about 60 g) onion, chopped
2 small bulbs (about 30 g) garlic, chopped
12 c water, for second boiling
1 tsp rock salt
½ tsp cracked pepper
For the molo dumplings:
150 g ground pork
150 g shrimps, chopped
½ c chopped spring onions
1 small bulb (about 20 g)
garlic, chopped
½ small (about 30 g) red onion, minced
2 tsp liquid seasoning
3 pcs calamansi
30-40 gyoza or molo wrappers
½ tsp salt
Dash of black or white pepper
Cornstarch, as needed
6-8 c water, for boiling
2 tsp rock salt
Cooking oil, as needed
To serve:
Minced fried garlic
Minced spring onions
Annatto oil (achuete), as needed
Prepare the molo stock:
Boil the chicken bones in 12 cups water until scum rises to the surface. Remove scum from the water and remove the bones from the pot.
In a separate pot, heat cooking oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the chicken bones and sauté them just enough to coat them with the onion and garlic. Pour in the 12 cups of water and bring to boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Let simmer for at least two hours (best to simmer for four hours if you have time).
Make the molo dumpling:
While the stock is simmering, combine the pork, shrimps, spring onions, garlic, red onion, liquid seasoning and juice of the three calamansi. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Put about one to 1½ teaspoons of the filling into each molo wrapper (depending on the size of the molo wrapper). Brush the edges of the wrapper with water. Fold the molo wrapper to enclose the filling completely and press to seal (the water brushed on the side will help it to seal). If desired, crimp the edges of the wrapper to make decorative patterns (you can use the tines of a fork to do this).
If needed, dust the molo dumplings with cornstarch to keep them from sticking.
In a pot, bring the six to eight cups water with two teaspoons rock salt to a boil. Drop the prepared molo dumplings in the boiling water. Let cook for about five minutes then remove the dumplings from the water (you can use a slotted spoon to do this). Set aside.
Heat cooking oil in a shallow pan. Fry the bottom of the molo dumplings in the oil, just until they turn golden brown (you may have to do this in batches).
To serve:
For each serving: Ladle about one-fourth cup of the prepared molo stock into a semi-deep plate. Add some molo dumplings. Sprinkle with minced fried garlic and spring onions. Top with a bit of annatto oil. Serve hot.