2
" My lola had made a few jars of her specialty, matamis na bao, or coconut jam, to spread on our pandesal and kakanin. The fragrant smell of coconut cream, caramelized sugar, and pandan leaves wafted through the room, the intoxicating aroma of the dark, sticky jam making my mouth water.
I scanned the contents of the fridge, waiting for inspiration to strike. Whatever I made had to be small and snack-y, so as to complement but not draw attention from my grandmother's sweet, sticky rice cakes.
Maybe some kind of cookie to go with our after-dinner tea and coffee? Coco jam sandwiched between shortbread would be great, but sandwich cookies were a little heavier and more fiddly than what I was looking for. Maybe if they were open-faced?
As I thought of a way to make that work, my eyes fell on the pandan extract in the cabinet and everything clicked into place. Pandan thumbprint cookies with a dollop of coconut jam! Pandan and coconut were commonly used together, plus the buttery and lightly floral flavor of the cookies would balance well against the rich, intense sweetness of the jam. "
― Mia P. Manansala , Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
3
" I've never known anyone with the capacity for sugar that Adeena has. She'd demolished her waffles, which she'd drowned in syrup, and then ordered a slice of triple chocolate tuxedo pie, another sugar bomb. If I ate the way she'd did, I'd have lost a foot to diabetes by now.
Martha slid our desserts in front of us, and Adeena and I hummed in appreciation after taking our first bites. The lemon icebox cake was cold and creamy, with a background sweetness and a whole lot of tang. As I often did when sampling delicious desserts, I tried to deconstruct what was in it.
Graham crackers, cream cheese, whipped cream, and a ton of lemon curd seemed to be the basis of the recipe. Similar to the ginger calamansi pie I'd made, but simpler and no-bake, if I decided to buy the graham crackers instead of making my own. Definitely worth experimenting with, as I had a jar of calamansi curd tucked away in the fridge just begging to be used. I made a note on my phone later, maybe as a summer offering.
As per usual when eating out, Adeena and I swapped plates so we could taste each other's desserts.
"What do you think, girls?"
I grinned at Martha. "Delicious. I love how the lemon cake is sweet and tangy, but you don't go too far in either direction."
Adeena added, "It's the perfect counterpoint to my chocolate pie, which is divine, by the way. Rich, creamy, and so satisfying. "
― Mia P. Manansala , Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
7
" So for the first course, we have flounder sashimi served with green onions and momiji oroshi, or daikon radish with chili pepper."
The fish was delicate and subtle, with a nice, firm texture. What followed after this opening course was an onslaught of fantastic nigiri, small balls of pressed sushi rice with various toppings, served two at a time so I could fully appreciate each perfect morsel.
Sea bream was followed by sweet shrimp, tamago, yellowtail, salmon, soy sauce-braised octopus, crab, grilled eel, and the final two pieces were otoro, or tuna belly. The richest, fattest, most melt-in-your-mouth pieces of tuna I'd ever had. "
― Mia P. Manansala , Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
8
" FOOD
Adobo (uh-doh-boh)---Considered the Philippines's national dish, it's any food cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns (though there are many regional and personal variations)
Almondigas (ahl-mohn-dee-gahs)---Filipino soup with meatballs and thin rice noodles
Baon (bah-ohn)---Food, snacks and other provisions brought on to work, school, or on a trip; food brought from home; money or allowance brought to school or work; lunch money (definition from Tagalog.com)
Embutido (ehm-puh-tee-doh)---Filipino meatloaf
Ginataang (gih-nih-tahng)---Any dish cooked with coconut milk, sweet or savory
Kakanin (kah-kah-nin)---Sweet sticky cakes made from glutinous rice or root crops like cassava (There's a huge variety, many of them regional)
Kesong puti (keh-sohng poo-tih)---A kind of salty cheese
Lengua de gato (lehng-gwah deh gah-toh)---Filipino butter cookies
Lumpia (loom-pyah)---Filipino spring rolls (many variations)
Lumpiang sariwa (loom-pyahng sah-ree-wah)---Fresh Filipino spring rolls (not fried)
Mamón (mah-MOHN)---Filipino sponge/chiffon cake
Matamis na bao (mah-tah-mees nah bah-oh)---Coconut jam
Meryenda (mehr-yehn-dah)---Snack/snack time
Pandesal (pahn deh sahl)---Lightly sweetened Filipino rolls topped with breadcrumbs (also written pan de sal)
Patis (pah-tees)---Fish sauce
Salabat (sah-lah-baht)---Filipino ginger tea
Suman (soo-mahn)---Glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed (though there are regional variations)
Ube (oo-beh)---Purple yam "
― Mia P. Manansala , Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
12
" The egg rolls were time-consuming to make, but the bean sprout filling was cheap and tasty. Besides, a party just isn't a party without lumpia. Fried tofu braised with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and peppercorns wouldn't exactly break the bank, and neither would the bitter melon and vegetable stir-fry. The mung bean stew was traditionally made with pork and topped with chicharon, but knowing Tita Rosie, she'd use some kind of pork substitute and leave the pork rinds on the side. "
― Mia P. Manansala , Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
14
" My chubby dachshund, Longganisa, pranced around my feet, waiting for her share of my experiment. I tossed her a bit of the crust I'd trimmed off and waited for her reaction. Nisa was always my first critic. If it didn't pass muster with her, it was a no go.
She snapped up the shortbread in record time and got up on her hind legs, begging for more. A good sign for me, but disappointment for her.
"Sorry, baby, you know you can't have more than that. It's not good for you."
I poured out some of her diet kibble and set it in front of her. She looked down at her bowl, then up at me, and I swear, if a dog could raise an eyebrow in disgust, she would've. Go figure I'd pass my food snobbery on to my dog. "
― Mia P. Manansala , Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
15
" You heard, right? Terrence and I are getting married. He's mine," she added unnecessarily.
"Yup. Congrats."
She waited for more, but that's all I had to say on that matter.
"That's it? After you tried to steal him from me senior year, I figured you'd have more to say."
Don't take the bait, Lila, don't take the bait. This woman is in charge of pretty much all patient information and she could easily get Bernadette fired. Don't push her.
When I didn't respond, she said, "You always had such a smart mouth. Why are you so quiet now?"
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Because that all happened, what, seven years ago? Maybe even eight? How are you not even over it yet?"
She scoffed, so I added, "And if you recall, he came to me when he saw you for the bully you were. Besides, I remember you getting pretty cozy with Derek as well."
Her hand flew to her chest and literally clutched at her pearls. "How dare you! Just because you got dumped by your fiancé doesn't mean you have to lie about mine."
As usual, good news traveled fast around Shady Palms.
"Forget it. I was a fool to think you'd help me." I started to walk away, but knew I couldn't leave it like that and turned back around. "Congratulations to you and Terrence. He's a good guy and there aren't many of them left. I hope you make each other happy. Truly."
She stood there with her mouth hanging open as I walked away, trembling but proud.
I'd witnessed a tragedy, been interrogated by the police, reconciled with Bernadette, told off Amir, and confronted Janet all in one day. And it wasn't even dinnertime yet. "
― Mia P. Manansala , Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)
