Nigella Lawson Just Gave This Filipino Cookbook High Praise—Now She’s Off to Make Crispy Pata

(SPOT.ph) As the clamor for Filipino food continues to grow outside the Philippines, you can expect to see more expressions of the cuisine in different parts of the globe. Over in Ireland, you've got the folks of Bahay giving locals a taste of Filipino flavors via their pop-ups. And now from Bahay comes MASARAP, a cookbook covering Filipino food from a Filipino-Irish perspective.

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Here's what you should know about MASARAP, the Filipino food cookbook that's now out in Ireland:

Published as part of the Blasta Books quarterly cookbook series with illustrations by Nicky Hooper, MASARAP explores the world of Filipino cuisine through Irish lens. The cookbook is authored by Bahay's Filipino-Irish owners Chef Richie Castillo and Alex O’Neill, covering everything from the Filipino pantry, to the impact of historical events on our cuisine today, to, of course, their takes on Filipino recipes. 

What kind of recipes, you ask? Think one-of-a-kind bites like banana ketchup-glazed chicken wings, as well as classic crispy pata—which got a shoutout from no less than the Nigella Lawson. "A huge shout-out (sic) for the gorgeous [MASARAP cookbook]... a small book of Filipino food that I love in a big way," the British chef and food personality writes. "Already have the ingredients in for the Crispy Pata—whole, deep-fried ham hock—and can’t wait to cook more from this lovely little number."

Castillo grew up in Dublin to a Filipino father and Irish mother, and has worked the kitchens of the likes of Dublin's Clanbrassil House and Bastible. After losing his job in light of the pandemic, he started Bahay with O'Neill (who has a background in digital marketing and IT) in 2021. The venture does pop-ups, showcasing the flavors of Filipino cuisine using Irish ingredients where applicable as a way for Castillo to "go back to his [Filipino] roots" and while bringing in more of his own creativity in the process.

Orders of the cookbook can be made via the Blasta Books website, which ships to the Philippines with an P800 fee.

For more information, check out Bahay's Instagram page.

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