“A pyramid of lumpia rests on the counter of our condo's kitchen, right next to the stove. Carefully, I maneuver one from the bottom of the pile and take a bite. It's a burst of all my favorite flavors: the rich, well-seasoned ground pork, the tender rice noodles, the crispy shredded cabbage and carrots, the even crispier fried flour wrapper holding everything together, and the tangy sweet chili dipping sauce.” CookingTastesFilipino CuisineSpring Rolls Book:Simmer Down Source: Simmer Down
“Mom, I think you've done enough experimenting. All of these batches have been delicious." I dip the other, unbitten end into a small dish of sweet chili sauce. "You never know what people will want," she says. "Some like it with pork, some like it with chicken, some like it with shrimp." Our post-work evening has been spent testing out different batches of lumpia for the upcoming Maui Food Festival. Ever since I told her we'd be competing to keep our spot on Makena Road, she's been in a food-prepping frenzy. Every night after work for the past week she's spent hours testing out new dishes, tweaking ingredients to get the flavors just right. Yesterday it was adjusting the level of fish sauce in the pansit, then attempting to perfect the ratio of rice noodle to meat and vegetables.” Mother Daughter RelationshipFood PreparationPreferencesFilipino CuisineFamily BusinessSpring Rolls Book:Simmer Down Source: Simmer Down