My relationship with food began with my mom, Lilia.

Mommy Lil used to let me sit in a corner of our kitchen while she was busy preparing and cooking the food of the day. She would whip up simple, home-cooked meals for us with her own special touch.

Meals became nostalgic and delicious. In our kitchen moments together, I realized that meals tasted better when prepared by a mother, for they created warm memories, and the key ingredient that made them exceptionally tasty was her unconditional love.

So vivid in my memory is how she would make traditional Ilocano recipes.

Take, for example, pinekkel rice. Pinekkel means “to squeeze” in Ilocano. It is a combination of cooked rice and the lard of tulapo (chicharon). With the palm of her hand, she would form the rice mixture into a ball, then dip it in bagoong-calamansi sauce.

The rice dish is paired with pulpog, a dish of grilled sliced pork liempo made with some Iloko aromatics. Every time my mom cooked the dish, the aroma of her pulpog filled the house and lured me into the kitchen.

Balancing of flavors

Another dish that my mom always cooked for lunch was dinengdeng (vegetable stew), a must on our table. The native vegetables came from our backyard.

Dinengdeng is the simplest to cook, but it also needs balancing of flavors and timing. A combination of backyard veggies, bagoong stock (bagoong sauce and water) and fried or inihaw na isda is needed to enhance the taste of the stew.

These dishes have been my favorites, and the first dishes I learned to cook. It was during my teenage years that I stepped up and took on the role of cooking for my family. I had become more engaged in the world of cooking with the things I saw in cooking shows and recipe books.

Years back, I crossed paths with my good friend of more than 30 years now, chef Reggie Aspiras, who invited me to her culinary school. I was in awe upon seeing her school, the food her students learned to cook, and how a professional chef moved!

Chef Reggie offered me a chance to be part of her team, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I knew I should grab.

As an assistant, I learned so much from her—not only the serious skills and cooking know-how, but other enriching experiences. Our travels together here and abroad were all memorable to me because of the food and culture immersion. They made me realize that food plays such a large role in our lives. I largely owe her what I am doing now.

In my 14 years as a cook, I can’t help but relive wonderful memories. Food must not only be delicious, inventive and inspiring, it must also have a story to tell.

Dinengdeng

You may use any green local leafy veggies, like the following:

2 pc regular-size eggplant, cut diagonally

1 handful camote tops or saluyot leaves,

1 handful bagbagkong flowers (from a native veggie vine plant)

5 c water

1-2 pc fried or inihaw na isda (any regular fish)

2 Tbsp bagoong juice

In a saucepan, simmer water then add the bagoong juice.

Add saluyot leaves or camote tops. After few minutes, add in the rest of the veggies plus the fried or inihaw na isda. Cook until the veggies are cooked well. Season to taste. Serve hot.

Pinekkel Rice

2 c hot rice

1 Tbsp lard of chicharon or from lechon kawali1-2 Tbsp bagoong juice with a little amount of calamansi juice

Combine in a bowl the hot rice and the lard.

Scoop a tablespoonful of the rice mixture and form into a ball. Shape it in the palm of your hand by squeezing until the rice is intact.

Dip the balled rice into the bagoong-calamansi juice sauce when eating.

Pulpog

½ kg pork liempoRock salt

Freshly cracked pepper

3 pc white-yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp calamansi juice

2 Tbsp sukang Iloko

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

2 tsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp regular soy sauce

Green chili finger, thinly sliced

Wash and pat dry the pork liempo. Season all sides of the meat with rock salt and pepper. Marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.

Charcoal-roast until the meat is tender. Slice into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Mix with the grilled liempo slices. Serve.

—CONTRIBUTED

The author is a cook and an advocate of local food. He loves to travel.

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