Fil-Am cookbooks for Filipino Food Month

April is Filipino Food Month and is filled with a buffet of different in-person and online programs that are meant to engage, educate and delight food enthusiasts.

This annual event organized by the Filipino Food Movement has activities from coast to coast.

Even as the month comes to a close, love for food endures. One way to keep your appetites whetted is via cookbooks. For gourmands who are also book lovers or for anyone who is interested in learning more about how Filipino food is prepared in the US, here are some cookbooks by Filipino Americans.

Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed

By Abi Balingit

Named by New York Times as one of “The Best Cookbooks of 2023,” Balingit gives her personal take on 75 recipes such as Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookie, Strawberry Shortcake Sapin-Sapin, Ube Macapuno Molten Lava Cakes, Matcha Pastillas, Melon Chicharron Crumble and Halo-Halo Baked Alaska.

Filipinx: Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora

By Angela Dimayuga and Ligaya Mishan

In this tome co-written with food writer Ligaya Mishan, award-winning chef Angela Dimayuga offers 100 deeply personal recipes. With fresh spins on adobo (with coconut milk) and bistek (with ribeye steaks and orange juice), among others.

Cook Real Hawai’i: A Cookbook

By Sheldon Simeon and Garrett Snyder

Two-time “Top Chef” finalist Sheldon Simeon’s recipes show the many cultures that have come to create the cuisine of his beloved home: native Hawaiian traditions, Japanese influences, Chinese cooking techniques and dynamic Korean, Portuguese and Filipino flavors. Recipes include wok-fried poke, pork dumplings made with biscuit dough, crispy cauliflower katsu and charred huli-huli chicken slicked with a sweet-savory butter glaze.

Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Food In a Multicooker Pot

By Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino

Some traditional Philippine dishes require hours of braising, roasting, etc.. These 36 recipes were developed for the Instant Pot and most brands of multicookers. This collection promises to help home cooks prepare Philippine dishes adapted for an American kitchen in half the usual time. “Just like mom’s cooking, you can achieve the soft tenderness and succulent flavors of favorite Filipino main dishes and desserts,” according to the book.

Lemongrass and Lime: Southeast Asian Cooking at Home

By Leah Cohen and Stephanie Banyas

Leah Cohen, whose mother is Filipino, offers the exciting flavors of Southeast Asia at her beloved New York City restaurants. Her more than 125 recipes of authentic dishes with a modern twist ranges from addictive street food snacks like lumpia to Burmese Eggplant Salad, Grilled Cod in Banana Leaf with Yellow Curry, Crisp Banana Fritters, and even fiery cocktails.

I Am Filipino: And This is How We Cook

By Nicole Ponseca

Restaurateur Nicole Ponseca ran restaurants Maharlika Filipino Moderno and Jeepney Filipino Gastropub in New York. The book is part travelogue, chronicling food research forays in the Philippines, and has recipes ranging from traditional to contemporary, spread across nine categories.

Walter Ang is the author of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater. Available at Amazon, Bookshop and other online booksellers.