Meet Yasmin:
Yasmin Newman is a food columnist, cookbook author and presenter. Her first book, 7000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines was released in 2013 in Australia, Philippines, UK and US. Not long after, it was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ Cookbook of the Year 2013 by Books Kinokinuya in Australia. Yasmin’s recipes, food and travel stories are regularly featured in Australia’s top food media, including SBS, Feast Magazine, Delicious, MasterChef Magazine and Selector.
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| Nigel Lough Photography |
Website: Yasmin Newman
Facebook: Yasmin Newman - Author
Instagram: @yasmin_newman
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Current Residence: Central Coast, Australia
Was there someone in your family who motivated you to cook Filipino food?
My mother, a Filipina, has been the greatest influence. She is a wonderful cook. Her eyes light up at the mere mention of her favourite Filipino foods and I inherited the same habit. I love how simple adobo is to prepare, and how much flavour it gives in return – the two don’t really align, which makes it even more satisfying to eat! I also love the versatility of adobo: the technique/flavours can be applied to just about any meat and vegetable.
What's a special memory you have about Filipino food?
There are many. My fondest memories are from childhood holidays visiting my mother’s family in the Philippines, when my brother and I would hang out with our myriad cousins, eating copious halo halo, Filipino spaghetti, tsomporado and lumpia Shanghai – all the kiddie favourites. Life in the Philippines seemed so carefree and fun.
Tell me about the Filipino food culture in Australia and how you think it differs from other countries’:
While there is a large number of Filipino migrants in Australia, Filipino food’s presence is limited – almost invisible. It’s surprising considering Australia’s love of Asian cuisines, such as Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese. In my book, based on theories I’ve heard, I posit that it’s the largely middle class nature of the Filipino migrant base (the financial imperative to open a restaurant hasn’t existed for them as it has for other immigrants) and Filipino’s preference for home cooking.
Australians are typically culturally inquisitive, particularly when it comes to food, and I am always asked: “What is Filipino food?” This signals a definite interest, so I think there may be a shift soon.
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| Published by Hardie Grant Publishing - available on Amazon |
Congratulations on your new book 7,000 Islands and your book tour! What do you want your readers to get out of this book? Anything memorable from your tour?
Thank you Jo! It was an honour to write the book on behalf of the Filipino community, and so fulfilling personally. As I mentioned earlier, there is an Australian interest in all things Filipino, but very little on the topic out there on it. Writing the book was my way of helping promote the Philippines and spreading the Filipino food word. For other Filipinos like myself, be they expats, first or second generation, it was a way of documenting this incredible food culture for ourselves and food future generations. In writing the book, I have received countless emails from people thanking me for writing the book and sharing a part of our story with others. This has been the most fulfilling part of the process – knowing that it is of value and meaningful to others.
Recipe provided below is excerpted with permission from 7000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines, copyright 2013 by Yasmin Newman.
What makes your adobo special?
In the Philippines, adobo is most often made with chicken and pork (or a combination of the two), and traditionally, goat. In Australia, lamb is a very popular meat, which I’ve used here, combining a little bit of the two countries I love so much. Lamb is also similar in many ways to goat, and I’ve chosen the lamb shoulder as a cut as it braises well and the bone adds flavour. This is a very delicious rendition of adobo.
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| Photo by: Jana Liebenstein |
Adobong Tupa - Lamb Adobo
by Yasmin Newman
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 garlic bulb, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1.4 kg lamb shoulder, bone in, trimmed and cut through the bone into 6 pieces
60 ml soy sauce
190 ml cane or rice vinegar
250 ml beef stock
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt flakes
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
2 long dried red chillies
2 short dried red chillies
Crisp-fried garlic (optional) and steamed rice, to serve
Method
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a casserole dish or large, deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until softened. Increase the heat to high, add the lamb and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until just browned.
2. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, stock, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the dish and stir gently to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 1 1⁄2–2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is very tender (add more stock or water if necessary).
3. Using tongs, remove the lamb and transfer to a plate. Return the liquid in the dish to medium–high heat, add the dried chillies and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced.
4. Tear the lamb into large pieces, discarding the bones, then return the meat to the pan. Stir gently over low–medium heat until warmed through. Season with freshly cracked black pepper, transfer to a serving bowl, scatter with crisp-fried garlic, if using, and serve with steamed rice.
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| Photo by: Yasmin Newman |
Where do you think Filipino food will go in the next few years?
I’d like to say it’s the next big thing, and I think there’s that possibility, but it really depends and relies on more of us – Filipinos or otherwise – becoming ambassadors for the cuisine and sharing its riches with others. There are signs of this everywhere, from cool restaurants in New York’s Lower East Side (Maharlika) to food trucks in LA (Marvin). It’s an exciting time for Filipino food. On my end, I’m going to keep sharing recipes in Australian magazines and food media. I’m also starting demos next year, with a pop-up restaurant on the cards. I’ve also started selling a few Filipino artisan products on my website, from sweet pasalubong to native homewares.
Who are your professional influences?
Again, there are many – and without whose work before me I would not have been able to write this book. Among the long list are Dorren Fernandez Gamboa, Amy Besa, Felice Sta Maria, Claude Tayag and Poch Jorolan. What influences me most about this set is their enduring passion to promote not just Filipino dishes, but the vivid stories that surround them. Food is not eaten in isolation; it is a rich, cultural experience.
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| Photo by: Yasmin Newman |
How important is it for you to pass on the love for Filipino food to future generations?
Extremely. As a food writer and food lover, I believe all food cultures need to be documented and preserved. My own heritage and passion happens to be Filipino, so I’m concentrating my efforts where I feel them most. I feel particularly impassioned with Filipino food as so little, comparatively, is currently known about it and written on it in a global context.
If you can share your adobo with anyone passed on or alive, who would it be and why?
My paternal grandmother, Nana. She and I were very close, but during her lifetime, I had not yet developed my interest in Filipino food from a journalistic perspective. As an Australian who had never traveled overseas, but was so curious about other cultures, particularly my mother;s, I think it would mean a lot to her to try my adobo, to see how her bloodline has travelled across the world and back home to her.
Aside from adobo, name a Filipino food that everyone should try at least once: Ensaymada. Filipinos are deft hands when it comes to baking and Filipino cuisine is laden with divine sweet treats. For me, ensaymada also captures the Filipino love of salty-sweet, which is something I see as being truly Filipino.
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| Photo by: Yasmin Newman |
Do you cook or bake? What are your favorite things to prepare in your kitchen?
I love both, but I am a baker at heart. I get kicks out of testing new recipes (and eating them of course) and bake something sweet almost every day. This ranges from Filipino goodies (I enjoy making polvoron) to rustic French desserts and everything in between.
You’ve traveled a lot in your life. If you had a round trip plane ticket that could take you to ANY 5 destinations in the world, where would you head to?
Starting at Sydney as your destination point, GO!
I’m going to name places I’ve never been before, although it’s tempting to return to favourite spots, particularly the Philippines and France. As you’ll see below, they’re all food meccas!
Sydney > Capetown/South Africa > Istanbul/Turkey > Montreal/ Canada > Shanghai/China > Wellington/New Zealand
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| Malatapay Beach - Photo by: Yasmin Newman |
Yasmin's book
can be found on Amazon and where fine culinary books are sold.
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