Quintessential Filipino Cooking

In her terrific debut cookbook, Agbanlog collects Filipino favorites from her Salu Salo Recipes blog. Recipes include traditional dishes such as kare-kare (oxtail stew in peanut sauce) and champorado (a chocolate rice porridge commonly served at breakfast), as well as more inventive ones, such as a chicken kabob marinated in lemon juice, citrus soda, ketchup, chili and soy sauces, and garlic. Vinegar figures prominently in many recipes, not only in classic Filipino pork and chicken-based adobo dishes but also in a brine for fried chicken, the classic fish escabeche, and paksiw na isda, in which fish is cooked in a broth of vinegar, water, and ginger. Although most recipes aren’t overly complicated (pork in guava soup calls for just eight ingredients; her must-try sweet rice cakes only requires four), readers may have to do some digging for some ingredients, like the cornstarch noodles known as pallabok sticks, sponge gourd, and burro bananas for banana fritters. Nevertheless, this is a flavor-packed introduction to a vibrant cuisine sure to resonate with armchair travelers and curious home cooks of all skill levels. (Aug.)