“MOM” is a word everyone understands. Being a mother is absolutely the greatest blessing bestowed on a woman. And each one of us can only define “mom” from our hearts. I fully appreciated my mother when I became one myself at the age of 20.
The beautiful cycle of becoming a mother is the essence of life itself.
We carry the memories of our moms wherever our destiny leads us. When I left home to have a family of my own, I know I broke my mother’s heart. And now that my children have moved on to pursue their dreams, I find myself holding on to precious memories.
One of the fondest memories of life with my mom is the times spent in the kitchen where we all learned how to cook. My siblings and I were lucky to grow up in a big household where our grandmother and mother reigned supreme. Our equally huge kitchen was always busy with endless cooking preparation. The Filipino tradition of keeping the family close through food has been handed down from my grandmother, my mother and my own family. And I continue to keep the hearth and heart constantly warm with good food. My children have flown the coop but their homing spirit is strengthened by the memories of my cooking. It is always a reason for them to come home.
My mother’s industrious and fastidious ways come from her Ilocano roots. A pharmacist, she married into my father’s family of pharmacists who owned a pharmaceutical firm, the Arambulo Products Inc. But Nanay chose to prioritize her role as wife and mother. She fussed over all of us eight children and managed a big kitchen with at least two cooks. We were all given our share of chores from cleaning to cooking. My siblings and I became good cooks. Each one had his/her specialties. Long before the advent of modern culinary gadgets, my mother knew the basics of good cooking from searing meats to keep the flavor, deboning chicken for her delicious relleno, bano maria (baine marie) for her leche flan and puddings, to name a few. Nanay’s pastel de lengua, caldereta, adobo, bopiz, bachoy (sautéed innards) and a variety of sinigang, are just few dishes in our “taste of memory.”
Crabmeat Cakes with Sweer Chili Sauce
Crab Cakes
You will need:
½ kilo crabmeat
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup minced roasted red bell pepper
1 cup minced celery, leaves included
1 cup minced onion
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 whole eggs
salt to taste
Procedure:
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Shape into patties and lightly dredge with Panko. Heat non-stick pan with at least ¼ cup olive oil. Pan fry crabmeat patties and carefully flip until golden in color. Serve hot with spicy sweet chili sauce.
“I don’t know what it is about food your mother makes for you, especially when it is something that anyone can make….pancakes, meat loaf, tuna salad –but it carries a certain taste of memory.” — Mitch Albom