My Angkong’s Noodles

The recipe book My Angkong’s Noodles is more than just a cookbook; it is also a tribute to the Chinese women of long ago.

Publisher Elizabeth Yu Gokongwei dedicated this book to their immigrant grandmothers and great-grandmothers who all had to work daily at the stove. She said, “Their love for and loyalty to their families were best shown in the food they served on the table at the family meals.”

I remember growing up eating those wonderful Chinese dishes cooked by my paternal grandmother and how I looked forward to eating those dishes during family get-togethers. My father and sister remembered how to cook certain dishes but my grandmother forgot to write down her family recipes and it seemed those recipes were lost forever…until now.

The book was launched through a cocktail event held at the Activity Center of Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City. Photos in the book, taken by Neal Oshima, were reproduced and prominently displayed around the venue.

Yvette Fernandez hosted a short program and Robina Gokongwei-Pe, eldest of the Gokongwei brood, delivered the welcome remarks. In her speech, Elizabeth said, “One of my hopes in creating this cookbook is to continue and preserve the traditional way of cooking Fookien food by our great-grandmothers and grandmothers, and I hope that young people, both men and women, will learn to cook and appreciate this food.”

She also thanked all her friends who contributed their clans’ heirloom recipes, and expressed her gratitude to the contributing writers, which include Rafael Ongpin, Mara Coson, Jeffrey Yap and the late food author Doreen Fernandez.

The book’s author, food scholar Clinton Palanca, conveyed his appreciation to the team behind My Angkong’s Noodles, which also includes chef Ginny de Guzman.

Palanca said, “This book is for everyone, male, female, Chinese, Filipino, ‘pure’ or ‘mixed.’ We are doing this not just so that the Chinese have a way of remembering their food culture, but so that everyone has access to these recipes.”

An autograph session by Neal Oshima, Clinton Palanca and Elizabeth Yu Gokongwei followed. 

My family was quite relieved to see so many recipes in the book that my grandmother used to cook.

(My Angkong’s Noodles is available at National Book Store, Fully Booked, Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, Power Books, Shopwise, Buffini and Book Sale. The e-book version is available on the Buqo mobile app for Android and iOS.)