A recipe for making an American Thanksgiving a Filipino/American tradition

A Filipino American Thanksgiving made its historical debut on network TV in the first season of 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' when main the character Rebecca Bunch cooked dinaguan (pork stewed in pig blood) for her boyfriend's Filipino family.

THANKSGIVING is upon us and that usually means visits from relatives and friends. Our family, like most Asian American families like this tradition because it means family gatherings center around the latest gossip and -- food.

Who can forget this historic first? A Filipino American Thanksgiving dinner made its network debut in the TV in 2017 in the first season of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" featuring Josh Chan's (Vincent Villanueva III) family. Besides the turkey, there was panic, lumpia and dinuguan. That last dish, (my favorite) pork cooked in pig's blood and vinegar, was prepared by Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) who was trying to impress her boyfriend's family.

As a nod to our American tradition, we can't pass up the traditional roasted turkey. Mashed potatoes are a must, but it's not a sin to have rice instead. Or, as a nod to the mixed cultures, both rice and mashed potatoes, not in the same bite, of course

Lots of that turkey gravy over the turkey or rice,  Yum.

However, there is always an Asian twist to the meal. In my case, I mean a Filipino twist.

We reserve the lechon (roast pig) for other holiday feasts like Christmas, Easter or New Years, or somebody's wedding or graduation or any other time weak excuse to have that delicious roasted baby pig with potato-chip like crackling.

What family feast would it be without lumpia, that Filipno take on the Chinese spring roll, except a properly made lumpia is made with the paper-thin rice wrap. I remember my mom experimenting and experimenting with making the perfect rice tortilla-like wrapper. 

Finally, she perfected it. She made it on an upside down pan heated over high heat, much like a French crepe. Her version included a filling of ground pork, chopped up shrimp, chopped up chicken, green onions, chopped cabbage and  bean sprouts. Sad to say, I haven't been able recreate the recipe or technique ... yet.

For my far-flung family (or, anybody else who reads this blog) I can share one quick, easy recipe for your holiday meal: My version of green beans. It involves the use of bagoong, that pungent Filipino shrimp paste. You can usually obtain it in Asian markets.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 TBS of peanut oil
• Dash of red pepper flakes
• Green beans. Amount varies according to how many are at the table. Prepare as you like, tips cut off or cut into two-inch pieces. You can also use Chinese green beans.
• Bacon. Two pieces of thick cut bacon. Cut into quarter-inch slices. Add more bacon if necessary for larger amount of green beans.
• Half a yellow onion, quartered and then cut in half again.
• Bagoong. 1 TBS. Filipino shrimp paste. There are so many varieties on store shelves. I usually buy the one that says alamang from Pangasinan. It is not so odorous as other brands but still delivers that high-salt burst.

STEPS

1. Par boil as many green beans as you want to serve. (If using Chinese green beans, skip this step.)
2. In a wok, add tablespoon of peanut oil
3. Add chopped bacon (or pancetta) stir fry until crisp. Remove from wok, set aside.
4. Add unions and red pepper flakes. Stir fry.
5. Add bagoong. Start with a tablespoon but you can add more if you like. Ahh, this is when the house begins to smell like a Filipino house. Stir fry.
6. Add green beans, stir fry.
7. Return bacon to wok, stir fry.
8. Serve ... with love.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

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