Death and Dinuguan Quotes

“We all helped ourselves to a piece and took a bite. The bittersweet flavor of good chocolate combined with the richness of olive oil and the flakes of sea salt on top overtook my mouth, and for a moment, Adeena and I sounded like we were reenacting that one Meg Ryan scene in When Harry Met Sally.
Over the top? A little. But what can I say? Sometimes a good brownie just hits like that.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“I got a scoop of the double fudge coconut brownie ice cream in a waffle cone (the smell wafting through the shop as the employees made these from scratch made it impossible to resist), Elena requested the cherry lime rickey, Jae asked for an apple pie milkshake, and Adeena, who we had to talk down from trying to order everything on the menu, settled on an egg cream plus a white chocolate macadamia nut affogato. Elena got sick of Adeena's constant sighing and eyes that strayed longingly toward the counter and added a brownie topped with pear dark chocolate oat crisp ice cream for us all to share. The brownie came with a tiny silver pitcher of fudge sauce, and Adeena audibly moaned as Elena poured it over the ice cream and brownie.
"Girl, we are in public. Please keep your lusting to a minimum," I said. Then I took a spoonful of the brownie-fudge sauce-ice cream combo and let out a similar sound. "Never mind, I take that back. That was the proper reaction to this slice of heaven.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“Adeena had created rose lattes before, as well as rose and cardamom drinks, but even though she'd been working on a drink that echoed the flavors of gulab jamun since the Brew-ha Cafe had opened, she hadn't been able to come up with an iteration she liked enough to put on the menu. Gulab jamun consisted of fried balls of milk solids soaked in a sugar syrup flavored with rosewater, cardamom, and sometimes saffron. Even though the flavors seemed straightforward enough to replicate in a latte, the espresso easily overpowered the rose unless you got the proportions just right. Cardamom and saffron were also strong spices, so she'd been tinkering with the recipe on and off for the past couple of years.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“Gladys strode across the store, a baby blanket-wrapped Cleo in her arms. Seeing her old friend, Longganisa wriggled in her carrier strapped across my chest.
"Hey, Gladys! Great to see you, too. Do you mind stepping outside for a minute? I want to set Longganisa down so she can say hi properly."
I left Adeena and Elena with my basket and followed the older woman out of the shop. Once outside, I unclipped Longganisa and lowered her to the freshly shoveled ground. She zipped over to Cleo, and the two sniffed and circled each other enthusiastically.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“I ignored their banter because my mind was still stuck on what Jae said about creating something crunchy but not too sweet with the honey butter. We didn't do deep-frying at the Brew-ha Cafe, so that was out. I could maybe incorporate our honey butter into a biscotti, but that didn't really excite me. Unless...
"Biscocho!"
"Is that like a Filipino version of eureka? You look like you've had some kind of revelation," Adeena said.
"I mean, I did have a lightbulb moment, but biscocho isn't some exclamation. It's like a budget Filipino version of biscotti, using day-old pandesal. Jae gave me the idea of trying to make a honey butter version."
Jae's eyes were practically sparkling. "Crunchy honey butter snacks?"
I laughed. "If it turns out well, then yes, we'll be able to serve crunchy honey butter snacks.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“Hey, what's that?" Jae reached past me and pulled a tub of honey butter out of the fridge.
"When Adeena was coming up with your drink, I was also playing around with how I could incorporate it into one of my bakes," I said. "It's great on the scones and with the corn and cheese muffins, but I haven't been successful with any of my experiments yet."
Jae glanced around the kitchen before grabbing a box of puffed rice cereal, several bags of marshmallows, and a container of mini mochi that I'd ordered but not used yet. I planned on incorporating them in a new dessert for Yuki's restaurant but hadn't had time to play around with them.
"What about honey butter mochi Rice Krispies Treats? My mom likes to dip fresh ddeok in honey, so I know it'll go well with the mini mochi since they're basically the same thing. But do you think it'll be too sweet with the marshmallows?"
"If I brown the butter and add a good pinch of salt, that should balance everything out," I said, picturing the flavor combinations in my head. "Or maybe some shiro miso for extra umami?”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“Jae's signature beverage was a honey butter latte--- Adeena based the flavor profile on his favorite brand of Korean snacks and tweaked it until the honey butter syrup perfectly complemented her hand-roasted coffee. The honey came from Elena's uncle's aviary, and high-quality butter was something we always had in stock, so it was the perfect addition to our menu.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“Your aunt called it 'chocolate meat,' so I thought it would be similar to mole, but it's not. I can't really describe the taste, but there's something familiar about it. It's really good, even if the texture is a little... different."
Hana agreed. "There's definitely something familiar about it, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe a Korean dish my mom used to make?"
I laughed. "'Chocolate meat' is a euphemism some older Filipinos use since Westerners can be kind of squeamish about our food. If it reminds you of a Korean dish, you're probably thinking of soondae."
"Blood sausage?"
I nodded.
Understanding dawned in Hana's eyes. "Oh, now I get it. The stew is thickened with pig's blood, isn't it? There's a Korean soup that has cakes of blood in it, so that also reminds me of this.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“The pistachio rose white chocolate bar was meant to represent Adeena's Pakistani background while the Mexican hot chocolate bar was for Elena's Mexican heritage (shocker). I wanted something simple and decadent for my Filipino chocolate representation, so Hana created white chocolate and milk chocolate versions of ube truffles. The subtle earthy vanilla tones of the purple yam paired well with both types of chocolate, and the beautiful violet color drew your eyes to the small spheres.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“Adeena Awan, my best friend and business partner, stared down at the pistachio rose white chocolate bar she'd just bitten into. The creamy white chocolate was studded with whole pistachios, dried rose petals, and flecks of cardamom, creating a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue. She glanced at Elena Torres, her girlfriend and my other partner at the Brew-ha Cafe, who was sampling the Mexican hot chocolate bar. The bittersweet chocolate was flavored with cinnamon and chiles plus cacao nibs for texture and vanilla bean for richness.”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan

“FOOD

Adobo (uh-doh-boh)--- Considered the Philippines' national dish, it's any food cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns (although there are many regional and personal variations)
Arroz caldo (ah-rohz cahl-doh)--- A savory rice porridge made with chicken, ginger, and other aromatics
Biscocho (bihs-coh-cho)--- Similar to Italian biscotti, this is a twice-baked bread, often coated with butter and sugar and baked low and slow; often used to repurpose stale bread
Champorado (chahm-puh-rah-doh)--- A sweet chocolate rice porridge
Dinuguan (dih-noo-goo-ahn)--- A savory Filipino stew of pork and pork offal simmered in a rich, lightly spicy gravy of pork blood, chiles, garlic, vinegar, and other spices
Ginataan (gih-nah-tah-ahn)--- Any dish cooked with coconut milk; can be sweet or savory
Lumpia (loom-pyah)--- Filipino spring rolls (many variations)
Mamon (mah-mohn)--- A Filipino chiffon cake, made in individual molds as opposed to a large, shared cake
Pandan (pahn-dahn)--- A tropical plant whose fragrant leaves are commonly used as a flavoring in Southeast Asia; often described as a grassy vanilla flavor with a hint of coconut
Patis (pah-tees)--- Fish sauce
Salabat (sah-lah-baht)--- Filipino ginger tea
Ube (oo-beh)--- A purple yam”
― Mia P. Manansala, Death and Dinuguan