Rating:  Summary: Loaded with inaccuracies Review: I love this book! When I started to date my Filipino boyfriend, I wanted to learn to make some of his favorite foods. This book gives easy instructions and explainations. I love the glossary in the back that gives English translations for different ingredients and cooking methods. My boyfriend loved what I cooked and I was even able to impress him with some of the historical facts I learned from the introduction of the book! Cook on, Gelle!
Rating:  Summary: Great Introduction to Filipino Cooking Review: I love this book! When I started to date my Filipino boyfriend, I wanted to learn to make some of his favorite foods. This book gives easy instructions and explainations. I love the glossary in the back that gives English translations for different ingredients and cooking methods. My boyfriend loved what I cooked and I was even able to impress him with some of the historical facts I learned from the introduction of the book! Cook on, Gelle!
Rating:  Summary: Years were spent to gather the information provided. Review: I spent 20 out of 35 years of my life gathering the information necessary for this book. I hope many people enjoy it.
Rating:  Summary: Finally, a good filipino cookbook! Review: I was a bit skeptical in buying this book since it was a hardcover and it was the most expensive Filipino cookbook I own. I even have the majority of the more recent english version cookbooks that can be bought. I do admit, I have tried about 1/3 of the recipes in this book and I have not yet been disappointed. What I find intriguing is that sometimes the ingredients seem out of the ordinary or shouldn't be included - from past experience of people passing recipes. However, I have followed these recipes to the tee and have gotten rave reviews from my family and friends (non-filipinos) about the really good tasting fare I have made. This was really important to me as I am Filipino, but have never made good Filipino food. I can make Italian, Chinese and any north american fare, but good Filipino food was my down fall. Ever since moving to Dallas, I have craved good tasting filipino food, which is very hard to find - this was my saving grace! My book pages are so tattered from use and going back and forth on what I should make next. If you want to be successful - give this book a try - it is worth every penny spent!
Rating:  Summary: the author doesn't look 63-years-old Review: More like 30-years-old. That aside, it's wonderful to have a Filipino cookbook whose recipes have been adapted to U.S. kitchens and the food/ingredients available here. Maraming salamat for your work, Gerry Gelle!
Rating:  Summary: A great book on Philippine cuisine Review: This book focuses on the recipes of Filipino favorites, everyday dishes as well as fiesta ones. The recipes offered made up delicious food. It does not dwell on lots of glossy pictures. The pages are not glossy so the book is easy to read and use. The ingredients asked for in the recipes are easy enough to get in smallish to larger cities. Filipinos who would like a quality ethnic cookbook will enjoy this one.
Rating:  Summary: Tasty Review: This book gives an excellent introduction to Filipino food and cooking. The author has collected and tested hundreds of traditional recipes. While I'm no expert on the authenticity of these recipes, I can say that they are tasty and not too difficult to try at home. Some of the special features are adobo (vinegar and garlic sauce), coconut recipes, purple yam recipes, and pickles. While pork is a central ingredient in many of these recipes, it is also easily possible to put together a completely vegetarian menu using this book. Gelle includes a brief overview of Filipino food history and regional specialties at the beginning of the book, as well as a glossary of ingredients and index at the end.
Rating:  Summary: Tasty Review: This book gives an excellent introduction to Filipino food and cooking. The author has collected and tested hundreds of traditional recipes. While I'm no expert on the authenticity of these recipes, I can say that they are tasty and not too difficult to try at home. Some of the special features are adobo (vinegar and garlic sauce), coconut recipes, purple yam recipes, and pickles. While pork is a central ingredient in many of these recipes, it is also easily possible to put together a completely vegetarian menu using this book. Gelle includes a brief overview of Filipino food history and regional specialties at the beginning of the book, as well as a glossary of ingredients and index at the end.
Rating:  Summary: Straightforward and simple with some variations Review: This cookbook of traditional Filipino dishes is comprehensive and logically organized. The recipes are very easy to follow and don't incorporate obscure tools or ingredents that are difficult to find. The dishes I have tried are tasty, but there are a few caveats. The adobo recipe doesn't use soy sauce, which is an essential ingredient in my Filipino family's version of the dish. Also, the bibinka recipe is a version that uses regular flour, not rice flour. The latter version is what I grew up with and may also be colloquial.
Rating:  Summary: Finally, a cookbook to celebrate with... Review: What a pleasure it was to have come across this gem of a book. No longer will I need to suffer the generalisation of Filipino cuisine to "lumpia" and "adobo." This volume brings the wonderful flavors and aromas of real Filipino cooking to the general public. Perhaps we will begin to see a revolution in the fickle American palate and celebrate the one of the world's first true fusion cuisines; where else can one taste the influences of India, China, Mexico, Spain, America, and Malaysia integrated seemlessly with indigenous flavors and ingredients. So, whether you simply wish to read the book and imagine the unctuous recipes already prepared or, if you prefer as I do, put into practice what Mr. Gelle has carefully layed out, none of the dishes will disappoint.
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