Cooking In Paradise with Filipino Chef Meryll

Cooking in Paradise

with Filipino Chef Meryll

by Joyce Malicse

Photos by Meryll Montano

With over 7,100 islands, the Philippines is home to delicious dishes influenced by different cultures, such as Malay, Spanish and Chinese. We explored Filipino cuisine with Meryll Montano, cookbook author and founder of Vegan Vedas to learn how veganism has shaped how she cooks and views the Filipino experience.

JM: Filipino cuisine is known for being meat-centric, and it can often be difficult to find 100 percent plant-based recipes. What challenges did you face when converting family recipes?

MM: In the beginning, my choice to remove meat products from my diet caused a lot of tension within the family dynamic. The biggest challenge when converting family recipes was having healthy and efficient dialogue within the household about the positive health benefits of eating 100% vegan. In my experience, compassion is always the secret ingredient to making any transition in life an enjoyable challenge and converting family recipes was no different.

JM: Who inspired you to explore vegan Filipino cuisine?

MM: RG is the recipe developer behind Astig Vegan, a vegan Filipino food blog. She was the first of many vegan food bloggers that inspired me to the core of my vegan activism. I have a deep admiration for her loving approach in sharing authentic and soul nourishing Filipino food. Another recipe developer, youtuber, and vegan food blogger I’ve grown to adore over the last seven years is Jasmine Briones of Sweetsimplevegan.

Her ability to make veganism fun, accessible, and entertaining affirms my belief that encouraging others to make healthier choices is much more efficient than blaming, shaming, or guilting people about their food choices.

JM: Your kamayan pop-up dinners are an exciting way to showcase vegan versions of traditional Filipino dishes. What is your favorite part about hosting these events?

MM: My favorite part of the vegan kayaman experience is the intimacy and connection that is shared at the table. Kamayan, after all, is a Tagalog word directly translating to “eating with or making a connection with your hands”. By eating with our hands, we channel our inner child who is more open to the exploration of new flavors and textures such as ones found in fruits and vegetables indigenous to the Philippines. This mind-opening experience helps us bridge our differences at the table through the art of storytelling and deep appreciation of diversity.

What should a person do who wants to learn more about your work? Read my latest book, Eat For Life, and get assistance and support at www.DrFuhrman.com

JM: Your cookbook, Stranded in Paradise, is such an inspirational creation. Please tell us more about your cookbook and your biggest takeaway from being stranded on a beautiful island during COVID.

MM: Stranded in Paradise was birthed as a selfcare project during a time of much needed solidarity, introspection, and self- love. It became a channel for me to digest my emotions and experience during this unprecedented time. The recipes in this cookbook are an attempt to preserve the beautiful memories I experienced navigating my time on the island as a stranded vegan chef. The simple island lifestyle graced me with so many blessings. My biggest takeaway from being stranded on Siargao is this: money can buy you happiness, but it cannot buy you a deep sense of joy. Happiness is fleeting, but heartfelt joy comes from the intimate connection you share with yourself, your community, and your environment.

JM: Vegan Filipino cuisine is constantly growing, with more chefs embracing traditional flavors using plant-based ingredients. What are you most excited about when you think of the future of Filipino food?

MM: It’s very exciting to see people revering Filipino ingredients for their unique flavors, vibrant colors, and superfood qualities - respectfully. As for the future, I am most excited to see how Filipino food will continue to attract people of all walks of life to sit at the table together, learn about each other’s heritage, and appreciate each other’s differences.

Meryll’s ayurvedic nutrition courses can be found on www.veganvedas.com. You can also follow her on Instagram at @veganvedas.

BINIGNIT TROPICAL TAPIOCA PUDDING

by Meryll Montano

There’s something about the heat and humidity of the tropical climate here in the Philippines that makes sweet treats sound so appetizing. Binignit is the Bisaya name for a popular Filipino sweet treat I grew up knowing as Bilo Bilo made with coconut milk and a variety of sweet fruits, vegetables, and tapioca pearls or chewy mochi balls. This tropical tapioca pudding is my interpretation of this decadent dessert. It was inspired by the joys of finding yet another exciting ingredient- tapioca pearls- on one of my vegan, treasure hunt market trips.

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Serves 6

Ingredients

2 16-ounce cans of coconut milk 1 cup fresh jackfruit, cut into shreds or 1 cup mango, small diced 2 cups senorita bananas, diagonally sliced ¾ cup sweet potatoes, peeled and small diced (super pretty if you can find purple potatoes) 1 ½ cups small tapioca pearls 1 cup of brown or coconut sugar 5 cups water

Directions

• Boil water in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add tapioca pearls and lower heat to medium-low. For the first 5 minutes, be sure to continuously stir the tapioca pearls as they will immediately begin to stick to one another. • Tapioca pearls take about 13-15 minutes to cook. If you start to see tapioca pearls clumping again, gently break them up pressing the clump against the pot using the back of a spoon. You will know when they are done when the center is soft and chewy, not hard. • Once cooked, add two cans of coconut milk, small diced sweet potatoes, and sugar. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes depending on how small you chopped your sweet potatoes. (Be sure heat is on medium-low to prevent sugar from burning) • Next, add sliced bananas and jackfruit or mango to the pot and turn off heat. • Garnish with mint and serve warm.

Food is really and truly the most effective medicine.

- Dr. Joel Fuhrman

RECIPES