A TASTEFUL EXCHANGE

They call it a culinary exchange. Every year since 1976, six winners of the Great Maya Cookfest, a cooking contest sponsored by Liberty Flour Mills in the Philippines, are rewarded with a highly coveted prize: an opportunity to visit a different country. In 1988 the destination was the United States, which stirred a tremendous response among applying cooks. “Their goal is to share Filipino cuisine and enrich their knowledge of the culinary arts of other lands,” says Nora Daza, a noted Philippines cooking guru and hostess of a TV cooking show in Manila. The moving force behind the culinary exchange program, Daza led the delegation, which visited Los Angeles and Minneapolis; highlighting the trip was a visit to the Betty Crocker Kitchens in Minneapolis. It wasn’t surprising to discover what the winning recipes were, noting how fond Filipinos are of adapting elements of Western culture. These were not the typical Filipino dishes redolent of sauteed garlic and onion. As expected, the dishes were very Westernized with a blend of their favorite seasonings and ingredients. Nineteen-year-old nutrition and dietetics graduate Carolyn Capacillo won first place in the cooking category for her Molded Chick-A-Roni Coup. Reminiscent of the old-fashioned macaroni meat loaf, the dish makes it clear that either the return-to-the-meat-loaf trend has been picked up in the Philippines or that the meat loaf has remained a favorite standby, as I remember from childhood days in Manila. Shaped in a ring mold, the dish was adapted from Capacillo’s old family recipe. It incorporates the richness of ham, chicken and Spanish sausage with macaroni and cheese and, of course, lots of butter for the fearless eater.

A favorite island fruit, the mango was a common choice in most of the winning recipes. It was used in 13-year-old Karla Kangleon’s chicken breast roll-ups stuffed with dried mangoes and cream cheese; 17-year-old Abigail Dy’s cashew-flavored checkerboard--or parquet--cake filled with mango mousse, and Edna Novales’ mango-filled refrigerator meringue torte.

Two of the winners were male cooks: Rodolfo Solatan, a black belt and an automobile technician back home, dished out another meat-loaf-type entree shaped into a log and served with white sauce. Archibald Umacob, a college professor who loves to bake, won a prize for his intricate mocha praline crunch torte.

Featured in ‘Cooking With Nora’

None of these dishes were demonstrated, but we did taste test the macaroni loaf and the recipe is provided below. Instead, the group exchanged popular fiesta and restaurant specialties, most of which are featured in Daza’s cookbook, “Cooking With Nora.”

It was at Ma Cuisine Cooking School in Newport Beach last fall that Daza and the visiting winning cooks staged their culinary performance. Dressed in their colorful native fiesta attire, the young winners cooked a whole menu.

They started with Ukoy, a deliciously crisp fritter made with bean sprouts, shrimp and tofu dipped in a tempura-like batter. These can either be made into small fritters for appetizers or into larger pancake-size fritters as a side vegetable dish, served with a vinegar-garlic dip (Filipinos use this condiment with almost any type of fried item--egg rolls, for instance). The two main courses were Chicken and Pork Apritada, a Spanish-style tomato-based stew garnished with fried potatoes, and the classic Morcon, rolled beef filled with strips of cheese and vegetables and slowly simmered in a tomato-based sauce.

Exceptional Dessert

An exceptional dessert that receives attention for its soft and fluffy meringue and rum-flavored custard sauce is Canonigo. It’s similar to a Pavlova or a floating island but the meringue is baked in a caramel-lined pan. Back in Manila two years ago, we were served a memorable Canonigo at Bistro Burgos. It was a spectacular presentation, served with fresh mango balls and the smooth custard sauce. A tricky one to make, the meringue was baked in an angel food cake pan instead of a loaf pan.

Exchanging recipes with international flair is nothing new to Cecilia de Castro, who was responsible for accommodating the group at the Ma Cuisine school, where she teaches a chef’s training program and East-West cooking. “More and more students are demanding to learn about Oriental cooking,” de Castro explained. The most popular recipes in her collection of Philippine recipes are still lumpia, or egg roll, and the pancit, noodles, she says. Here she shares a recipe for Shrimp-Stuffed Egg Roll with a Sweet and Sour Sauce. An interesting variation of the ground pork-stuffed lumpia, it uses whole shrimp for the filling and the spicy sweet dip tastefully complements it.

At the end of that day, Daza and the visiting cooks, still jet-lagged from their long trip, were ready for their own culinary treat. A tour of the Irvine Ranch Market in Newport and a kitchen tour at Prego’s perked them up. Tim Dobravolskis, Prego’s talented young chef, gladly let them sample his pizzas (he provided the recipes, of course), variously flavored with seafood, mushrooms and artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and capers. The Filipino cooks found them a rewarding exchange.

Food Styling by Minnie Bernardino and Donna Deane

CANONIGO

1 1/2 cups sugar

8 egg whites

1 teaspoon baking powder

Custard Sauce

Melt or caramelize 1/2 cup sugar in heavy skillet over medium heat until lightly golden. Immediately turn into 2 buttered 8-inch glass loaf pans and set aside.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar and baking powder, beating continuously until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Turn into prepared pans. Place pans in larger baking pan half-filled with water. Bake at 350 degrees 40 to 45 minutes or until browned. Unmold onto platter.

Add little water to loaf pans. Return to hot overn to melt. Spoon onto meringue. Serve with Custard Sauce and strawberries or other fruit in season. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Custard Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

8 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup rum

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon Cointreau or 1 teaspoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon milk

In top of double boiler combine sugar, egg yolks and milk. Stir until smooth. Cook over simmering water until thickened. Remove from heat. Add rum, vanilla and Cointreau or coffee. Cool. Serve with meringue. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

UKOY

(Shrimp and Sprout

Fritters)

1 cup flour

1 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons achiote or annato seeds, optional

1 1/2 cups shrimp juice (see note)

1 egg, well beaten

Oil for deep frying

4 cups bean sprouts

1 cup julienned green onions

8 ounces bean curd, cut in strips

1/2 pound raw whole shrimp (save heads for shrimp juice), shelled, deveined and sliced in halves

Vinegar-Garlic Dip

Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper. Soak achiote seeds in 1/4 cup warm water until color deepens, then strain. Add colored liquid to shrimp juice. Stir into flour mixture until smooth.

Heat oil to 375 degrees in wok. Place heaping tablespoon of bean sprouts on saucer. Top with some green onions, 5 or 6 strips bean curd and 1 shrimp, halved. Spoon in about 2 tablespoons batter. Lower mixture carefully into hot oil. Fry on both sides, about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown and cooked. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with Vinegar-Garlic Dip. Makes about 24 fritters.

Note: To make shrimp juice, process heads of shrimp in processor with water and strain well.

Vinegar-Garlic Dip

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup cider vinegar

Salt, pepper

Combine garlic, vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

CHICKEN AND PORK APRITADA

Oil

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 large onion, sliced

3 tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

Salt, pepper

1 pound chicken parts

1 pound lean pork meat, cut into cubes

6 tablespoons vinegar

1 cup water or chicken stock

3 green peppers, sliced in strips

2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

Fried Potatoes

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large Dutch oven and saute garlic, onion, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chicken, pork and vinegar. Simmer 5 minutes. Add enough water to almost cover, about 1 cup. Cover and simmer 55 minutes or until meats are tender. (Remove cover and boil gently until sauce is slightly reduced if too much, or add water if necessary.) Add green peppers and bread crumbs to thicken. Simmer 5 minutes or until green peppers are tender-crisp. Remove from heat and garnish with Fried Potatoes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Fried Potatoes

4 medium potatoes

Oil for frying

Scrub potatoes and peel, if desired. Heat about 2 inches oil in skillet or wok and deep-fry potatoes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

CAROLYN CAPACILLO’S MOLDED CHICK-A-RONI COUP

1/2 pound bacon

2 pounds boned chicken breast, diced

Salt, pepper

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup minced onion

1/3 cup minced celery

1/2 cup minced Bilbao-style chorizo, or pepperoni

1/2 pound cooked ham, diced

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1/2 cup green peas

5 eggs

1 tablespoon Maggi seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 pound salad macaroni, cooked and drained

Sauce

Line 12-cup ring mold with bacon slices. Mix diced chicken with salt and pepper to taste, egg whites and cornstarch and let stand at least 1/2 hour. Melt butter in skillet and stir-fry chicken until meat is no longer pink. Add onion, celery, chorizo and ham. Saute 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Mix in cheese, whipping cream, raisins, pickle relish and green peas. Cool. Beat eggs with seasoning, dry mustard and 2 teaspoons salt. Add cooked macaroni. Mix in chicken mixture to blend. Turn into bacon-lined pan and pack lightly. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until set. Turn out onto serving platter and garnish as desired. Serve with Sauce. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Note: If desired, loaf may be served without Sauce.

Sauce

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/3 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups canned tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

1 bay leaf, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup minced parsley

Melt butter in saucepan and saute garlic until lightly golden. Add and saute onion until tender. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, water, bay leaf, oregano, cayenne and bouillon cubes. Simmer 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add minced parsley and serve hot with macaroni loaf. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

CECILIA DE CASTRO’S STUFFED SHRIMP ROLLS

1 pound lean ground pork (substitute ground chicken, turkey or beef)

1/4 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, minced

1/4 cup minced onion

1/2 cup minced water chestnuts

1/2 cup minced carrots

1/4 cup minced green onions

1 tablespoon dry Sherry

1 tablespoon roasted or dark sesame oil

1/4 cup Shiitake mushrooms, soaked, drained and minced

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger root

1 whole egg

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 package (30 to package, 6-inch square) thin egg roll wrappers, cut in halves lengthwise

60 medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied leaving tails

Egg wash made by blending 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water

Oil for deep-frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce

In bowl combine ground pork, minced shrimp, onion, water chestnuts, carrots, green onions, Sherry, sesame oil, mushrooms, ginger, 1 egg, salt and pepper. Mix well. (To test for correct seasoning, saute 1 tablespoon mixture if desired.)

On shorter end of each half of egg roll wrapper, place whole shrimp with tail sticking out from wrapper. Place tablespoon of stuffing on center of shrimp body. Fold down long side of wrapper and roll from short end side to reach other end. Brush edge with egg wash to seal. Continue with remaining ingredients.

Heat oil in skillet to 350 degrees. Deep fry rolls until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Shrimp rolls can be prepared and frozen uncooked. When ready to serve, place in hot oil straight from freezer and fry 7 to 8 minutes.

Note: To prevent egg rolls from getting soggy, freeze 1 layer at time until hard, then arrange in bag and refreeze. Can be fried 1 hour in advance but don’t cover.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons Sherry

1/4 cup catsup

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup coconut palm vinegar or cider

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple

1/2 teaspoon chile garlic paste, optional

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold chicken stock

In saucepan combine soy sauce, Sherry, catsup, sugar, chicken stock, vinegar, ginger and sesame oil. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and stir in pineapple, chile garlic paste and cornstarch. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day in advance.)