Filipino author and restaurateur Amy Besa, who made a name for in New York with her family’s Cendrillion and Purple Yam restaurants, takes centerstage at the Maya Kitchen by mounting a cooking demo on Filipino food on Saturday, August 30.
It’s just Pinoy food all right but her cooking techniques are interesting and worth seeing. Scheduled for the demo are such dishes as Kulawong Talong (burnt coconut cream over grilled eggplant);Kinagang (buko, crabmeat, sliced scallions and lemongrass wrapped in banana leaf and steamed); Ukoy (deep fried fritter of shrimp, cabbage, carrots, snowpeas, leeks and bean sprouts); Beef Shortribs Adobo (beef short ribs braised in mango vinegar from Abra with fresh kakang gata or coconut cream added to sweeten and thicken the sauce); Steamed Organic Red Rice from Oriental Mindoro and Pinipig Cookie (the Philippine version of rice crispies baked into flavorful cookies).
Together with her husband Chef Romy Dorotan, Amy made waves in New York’s culinary scene
with their famous Manhattan restaurant Cendrillon and later on Purple Yam in Brooklyn. They are also the authors of the book Memories of Philippine Kitchens which won the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) 2007 Jane Grigson Award for scholarship in the quality of its research and writing and was also a finalist for the Julia Child First Book Award.
This year, Besa & Jorotan opened Purple Yam Malate at their ancestral house on 603 Nakpil corner Bocobo Streets in Manila. The place is open only for reservations (telephone: 523-3497 and mobile: 0926-713-3523). Chef Romy takes care of the Brooklyn spot while Amy is in charge of Malate.
The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center is at 8F Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City. Call 8921185 / 892-5011 local 108 for the class schedules.
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