“Milkier Pigs & Violet Gold: Philippine Food Stories”, the follow up to Brian Koh’s “Milk Pigs & Violet Gold: Philippine Cookery“, is now available. It was launched by The Kitchen Bookstore on September 24 at the Marriott Hotel Philippines.
Signed copies of Bryan Koh’s book, “Milkier Pigs and Violet Gold” are available at The Kitchen Bookstore
What made this culinary book stand out from other books out there is that it is written from the perspective of a foreign national, 32-year-old Koh who is Singaporean. His love for local cuisines started when he first tasted Filipino food when he was only two years old through the meals prepared by his Filipino nannies. Lydia Baltazar, who hailed from La Union and Evelyn Mendoza from Laguna, did not only cook for him, but also taught him how to prepare Filipino fares like adobo, sinigang and pinakbet.
Koh’s fascination for Filipino cuisine did not go away even when his Filipino nannies had left their household (Baltazar in 1997 and Mendoza in 2009). In fact, it actually prompted him to embark on writing a book about Filipino cuisine. His first attempt was the three-volume book “Milk Pigs & Violet Gold”, which was co-published in 2014 by Holy Angel University’s Center for Kapampangan Studies. Koh travelled extensively in the country, from Pagudpud to Zamboanga, in search of recipes. Hear the story from Koh himself of how the book come together: Milk Pigs & Violet Gold: Philippine Cookery.
Now, two years later, an enhanced version has been released. Just like the first book, Milkier Pigs is divided into Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. However more recipes from new places were added from Batanes, Cavite, Samal Island and others. Some chapters were also expanded.
Watch Koh’s journey in collating recipes for his new book and be amazed at the color, flavor and culture infused in Filipino food: Milkier Pigs & Violet Gold Trailer.
Recipes do tell stories and Koh is one enthusiastic storyteller of Filipino food. In fact, he said, that is how he wants to be known. “I am no authority…I am not even a chef, I am a home cook at best. I travel, write and cook. I don’t want the book to merely give instructions, instead I want it to start conversations.”
