The Manila Machine

Please welcome the first Filipino food truck in Los Angeles: The Manila Machine.

Several months ago, a certain LA Times article asked why Filipino cuisine has yet to assimilate into the the mainstream, especially in Los Angeles where there are more than a handful of Filipino-American chefs working in well-established fine restaurants. I found it upsetting that even though these chefs cook Filipino food at home, they did not think highly enough of their cuisine to even consider cooking it in their professional kitchens. So I found it exciting that Filipino food will be finally be represented in the food truck scene, a step in the right direction in showing how great our food is and can be.

I was also excited by the fact that The Manila Machine is operated by two food bloggers that I have long admired: Marvin of Burnt Lumpia and Nastassia of Let Me Eat Cake. Their passion for food comes through just from reading their blog. It only made sense that they ventured out with The Manila Machine. A very brave move, putting themselves out there, open to criticisms.

So to show my support, I planned on attending their launch two and a half weeks ago at the Downtown Art Walk. I even dragged Malou with me (well, texted her a few hours before, not even having met her before, to tell her I will pick her up. So glad she was game for it! :) ) but we got there to sold-out food! A great sign of support by the food community, showing everyone that Filipino food is welcome here.

Things got in the way and after a couple more weeks of chasing The Manila Machine, I finally got a taste of it on Saturday! Their website says they would be offering both street- and home-style meals. My husband, kids and I ordered a sampling off their menu that day.

And this is what we got, all laid out on the concrete steps! :) From top left, clockwise: Vegetable Lumpia, Lumpiang Shanghai, Longganisa Slider, Beef Tapa Slider, Chicken Adobo, Manila Dip Slider and Bichu donut.

The Vegetable Lumpia ($2) were crisp and warm but not at all greasy. A nice crunch with a mild-flavored vegetable filling inside.

The Lumpiang Shanghai ($2) were as long as the Vegetable ones and were thicker than what you'd usually get elsewhere which I really liked. As you can see there were plenty of filling in there and was still moist and juicy while the lumpia wrapper gave it a good light crunch. This was great, especially when dipped in their accompanying sweet-spicy sauce.

When my husband had his first bite of the Chicken Adobo ($4), he said it reminded him of the first time I served this dish to him years ago. He said it's flavors were held back somewhat, not enough vinegar punch. I understood what he meant since I remember cooking him his first adobo. I thought since he is non-Filipino and have never tasted adobo before, I held back on the vinegar so not to overwhelm him with it's sour tang. So maybe that's what they trying to do here.

But then he also said this: "Adobo is just like what people say about making love, even when it's just okay, it's still sex!" (LOL, I'm not sure my husband would make a good food reviewer.) Anyways, the best part for me here was the chicken skin. It was soft with a little crispy thing going on and it held the flavors just right.

The Pan de Sal sliders ($2.50 each) above are the Beef Tapa Slider and Longganisa Slider. They usually serve the Longganisang Hubad (patty-shaped) Sliders but this day they were only serving the longganisa silog-style (with garlic fried rice & egg). My 10-year old son really wanted a longganisa slider since reading the menu off their website so Nastassia said no problem and made this for him. :)

Sorry for the out-of-focus shot (the only picture taken) of the Beef Tapa Slider. But the taste is NOT out-of-focus at all! The beef tapa was tender, sweet with tart kalamansi citrus flavors, the achara (pickled green papaya) added some crunch and the sriracha mayo gave it a little heat. Great combination of flavors and textures here, definitely something you need to order.

My son couldn't wait to taste this one, as you can see he already bit it before the camera got to it. :) He let me take a small bite to taste. The longganisa is flavorful and juicy, the caramelized onions gave it more sweetness and the peppery arugula balanced it out. Another great one here.

The Original Manila Dip is another great slider. Shredded chicken abobo topped with caramelized onions and served with adobo sauce for dipping. Simple but very satisfying, a comfort food sandwich for me. Love the idea of dipping sauce, letting the pan de sal soak in the adobo flavors.

My family came in a few hours since they've been open for breakfast. That day, they were serving Bichu Filipino donuts. This was the last one, they gave this to my boys for free. This had a light crisp skin, just a little sweet from the outside sprinkling of sugar but it's got a heft to it. Tender yet didn't get mushed when you bite into it. What's not to love about fried dough?

After finishing up, we went in line to get these. A perfect ending to our meal: turon ($2) These banana-filled rolls were just the right width. I detest wide turon because you know those gets mushy in the middle and turns the lumpia wrapper all soggy. But this was perfect, this had the perfect balance of crunchy and soft. Perfect little bites, the drizzled caramel is a welcome touch.



Overall, the food served by The Manila Machine is great. Glad to finally tasted their food and I'd be happily chasing this truck all over town.



Website: The Manila Machine

Follow them on Twitter: @manilamachine

The Cake Slice: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This month, The Cake Slice is featuring Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. For me, there is nothing better to welcome Spring and the warmer days ahead than with this sunny cake. Usually when an upside-down cake is mentioned, it's assumed it has pineapple. Growing up in the Philippines, pineapples are always eaten at my household since they grow abundantly there. Eating pineapples now always remind of my tropical birthplace and the warm weather; it is one of my favorite fruits.

I am always on the look-out for pineapple upside-down cake recipes and have baked plenty. The recipe for this cake uses canned pineapple but found that fresh pineeapples gives better flavor so opted to use fresh for this recipe.

Peeling a pineapple may be cumbersome for most people but I was taught early by my Dad not to peel so much of the tough skin and then make vertical slits all along the pineapples to cut off the "eyes" that runs deeper into the pineapple flesh. Please visit Jun for a great tutorial about peeling pineapples with lovely photos. Lately, though, I found it even easier to "gouge" the eyes out using the smallest melon baller which left me more pineapple to enjoy. :)



I made the recipe two weeks ago and was eager to try it but I am sorry to say that I have had better ones before. The brown sugar and pineapple topping is prepared like ones I have baked from previous recipes but the cake was dense and a little dry and the flavor a little bland. I really wanted to like this since I LOVE pineapple upside-down cakes but this didn't make me go WOW.

Well, a week passed and Jun posted a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake recipe. It is a recipe from Thomas Keller's newest cookbook ad hoc at home. Thomas Keller has a different take for the pineapple topping. He didn't cook the brown sugar and butter, instead they were creamed together and was spread in bottom of pan, a "pan schmear" which is a totally different way of making it. The pineapples were arranged differently as well, they look so lovely, like a flower. So right away I needed to try this recipe. Between the two recipes, I liked Thomas Keller's recipe better. The cake is light and moist and has a tender crumb.

If you have a pineapple upside-down cake recipe, please let me know for I would sure like to try it. Please visit my fellow Cake Slice Bakers for their pineapple upside-down cake creations.


Please click to print recipe from Southern Cakes
Link to Jun's Pineapple Upside-Down recipe
Link to Jun's tutorial on peeling pineapples

Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd

It's been a couple of weeks since I've picked the last of the Meyer lemons from my tree. So far this season, besides making cake, I've also made sorbet, candied peels, curd, lemonade and meringue with them. Most of them were eaten right away without having gotten their pictures taken. :(

These pictures were actually taken the day after I made "Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Meyer Lemon Mousse" recipe from Tartlette that she posted in January. I adapted the recipe by using Meyer Lemon for the cake as well. I served them for an after-dinner dessert and realized after everyone finished, I never took a single picture!! Has that ever happened to you?


So the next day, I still had cake scraps (from having cut 3-inch circles) from the sheet cake and used a smaller biscuit cutter (1.5-inch) to make these mini ones. They are just two pieces stacked together, the bottom brushed with some syrup and the top one cut out with a hole (like a donut) so I can spoon some Meyer lemon curd in it. I used Meyer Lemon curd here since whatever leftover mousse I made the day before were completely polished off by my boys (husband included!) .


Having also been inspired by Tartlette's awesome photographs, I got a little artsy here (haha). It's probably better I didn't get to take picture of the mousse since I don't think I can make it look as good as Tartlette's. :P

Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
adapted from Tartlette

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup egg whites (about 3)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
grated zest of one Meyer lemon
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1 stick (8 oz.) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300F.
Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a separate bowl combine the egg whites and the milk.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly pour in the egg white mixture while stirring with a whisk.
Add the poppy seeds and melted butter. Whisk until smooth.
Pour batter in the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean. Let cool.

Meyer Lemon Syrup:
In a small saucepan set over low heat dissolve 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice in 1/4 cup of water with a couple of tablespoons of sugar. Let cool to room temperature and brush the cake rounds with the syrup.

Meyer Lemon Curd:
makes about a cup

3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
grated zest of three Meyer lemons
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.

Whisk all except butter in a medium non-reactive heat-resistant bowl. Gently heat by placing in a double boiler, whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Make sure not to boil the mixture.
Pour the mixture through a sieve and stir in the butter.
Cover the curd with plastic film making sure the plastic touches the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold.

Gingerbread Skeletons and Mummies

When I saw these adorable gingerbread cookies that Rosie of Rosie Bakes a 'Peace' of Cake made, I knew instantly this is what I wanted to bake with my kids for Halloween. I just couldn't resist, they are so cute!

the ghoulish army waiting for their "bones" to dry up

My husband suggested another monster to bake, like mummies. So we played around with royal icing and this is what we came up with. You like the glowing red eyes?My boys liked cutting up these monsters. We all got really involved in the process, I didn't get a chance to take pictures! These cookies were given to their schoolmates and teachers today (and a few munched by us) who all thought they were adorable. They were such a big hit we're planning to make more for Friday.

mummies & deaddies waiting for their "bandages" to dry

Rosie's Halloween Rattlin' Bones Gingerbread recipe

Coconut Sugar Cookie recipe used for the mummies

Cassava (or Kamoteng Kahoy or Mandioca)

In the Philippines, cassava is called kamoteng kahoy which literally means wooden yam. They are usually prepared to make sweets, the most popular I know of is cassava cake. I also remember eating them just boiled and sprinkled with freshly-grated coconut and a little sugar. Mmmm, simply yummy.

In Brazil, cassava is called mandioca. Brazilians eat them in a variety of ways, mostly in savory dishes. Nothing makes my husband more happy than eating them just boiled, slathered with butter and a pinch of salt.

I found a cassava recipe from A Scientist in the Kitchen called Pasingaw (means "to steam", I think) and was intrigued. I don't think I have had this before. So I was off to my favorite market to get cassava but couldn't find any. Luckily, the market carries frozen bags of freshly-grated cassava so picked those up along with frozen freshly-grated coconut as well and I was good to go.

I wanted to make them small enough to be eaten in a couple of bites so I used a mini muffin tin and placed them into my wok to steam. Twenty minuted later, mmmm, simply yummy.
Pasingaw
makes 24 mini muffins

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen grated cassava, defrosted
1 cup grated coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, softened

Prepare steamer (or wok) by heating water to a simmer. Butter sides and tops of a mini muffin pan with butter.

In a medium bowl, mix cassava, coconut and sugar together until well-combined. Spoon into pan and dab a little more butter on top. Place in steamer for about 20 minutes. Serve with more grated coconut.