Meet Marvin: Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Marvin Gapultos is a first-generation Filipino American and author of the celebrated food blog Burnt Lumpia. With his unique approach to Filipino cooking, Marvin became the first Filipino American food blogger to truly champion and showcase Filipino cuisine to a worldwide audience. In June of 2010, Marvin decided to take his recipes to the next level and opened The Manila Machine–Los Angeles’ first gourmet Filipino food truck, and the first food truck to be completely owned and operated by food bloggers. Working the competitive food truck circuit on the streets of L.A., Marvin went from self-taught home cook to cutting his teeth as a professional cook–all while introducing Filipino food to the hungry masses of Southern California. In just a short amount of time, Marvin’s cooking gained both a loyal following, as well as critical acclaim.
Marvin’s pioneering efforts and singular passion in promoting the food of the Philippines has made him one of the leading voices on Filipino cuisine.
His first cookbook, The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey, is available in bookstores now.
Marvin’s pioneering efforts and singular passion in promoting the food of the Philippines has made him one of the leading voices on Filipino cuisine.
His first cookbook, The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey, is available in bookstores now.
Hometown: Valencia, CA
What Inspires You To Make Adobo?
A never-ending quest in researching and learning more about Filipino cuisine is my inspiration for making adobo. The great thing about adobo, and all Filipino food, is that there are so many great versions and iterations. So with each new adobo I make, the more I learn about our culture.
What Makes Your Adobo Special?
People with little to no exposure to Filipino food think that it is all
brown, porky, and unhealthy. This bell pepper adobo proves otherwise.
Special Memory About Filipino Food: My
Grandfather used to grow an incredible bounty of vegetables in his
Delano, California backyard. He harvested everything from eggplant, to
squash, to bitter melon. Though he didn’t have a huge plot of land, he
was always able to grow more than enough vegetables for the family,
enabling him to happily share his yield with neighbors and friends.
But among my Grandfather’s crops, my favorite might have been the mild, finger-length green chili peppers that he once grew. I wasn’t quite so enamored with the chili peppers themselves, as much as I was in love with how my Grandmother would prepare these chili peppers. My Grandmother would take the freshly picked peppers and simply simmer them in soy and vinegar. Because the chili peppers were so mild, they made for a great vegetarian Adobo, imparting a wonderfully fruity and peppery aroma and flavor—without much spice or heat.
I never figured out the exact species or type of chili pepper that my grandfather grew, and I never see them in any stores—perhaps because my grandfather smuggled the seeds in from the Philippines once upon a time. Nevertheless, my updated version made with colorful bell peppers is a close facsimile, and a comforting reminder, of that adobo once made from my Grandfather’s chili peppers.
 |
| Published by Tuttle Publishing, a
division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold. |
Excerpted with permission from The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey--From Food Blog, to Food Truck, and Beyond,
copyright 2013 by Marvin Gapultos.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over moderately high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Toss in the bell peppers and sauté until they just begin to soften, 3-5 minutes.
Pour in the vinegar, soy sauce and water, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the brown sugar and black pepper, and add the bay leaf. Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the bell peppers become tender but not mushy. Discard the bay leaf and serve with white rice.
Bell Pepper Adobo
Serves 4-6
2 tablespoons oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
4 bell peppers of differing colors (green, red, yellow, orange), deseeded and cut into thin strips
¼ cup (65ml) Filipino coconut vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
¼ cup (65ml) soy sauce
¼ cup (65ml) water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 red onion, thinly sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
4 bell peppers of differing colors (green, red, yellow, orange), deseeded and cut into thin strips
¼ cup (65ml) Filipino coconut vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
¼ cup (65ml) soy sauce
¼ cup (65ml) water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over moderately high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Toss in the bell peppers and sauté until they just begin to soften, 3-5 minutes.
Pour in the vinegar, soy sauce and water, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the brown sugar and black pepper, and add the bay leaf. Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the bell peppers become tender but not mushy. Discard the bay leaf and serve with white rice.
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