A sparkling grilled aubergine, mango and tomato salad, plus crisp sweet potato fritters with a moreish dipping vinegar
M
y mum is from Manila in the Philippines, but has spent more of her life in the UK. When I’m sad, stressed or out of sorts, it’s my mum’s Filipino food that I crave. As a whole, Filipino food has sometimes unfairly had a reputation for being overly sweet, overly meaty and deep-fried, but with more than 7,000 islands rich in culinary traditions, there are, of course, thousands of dishes to enjoy. Bringing it back to the UK, though, when we dust off the barbecue, picnic blankets and cool bags, there’s nothing better than incorporating these sweet, sour, spicy and salty flavours for parties (or fiestas as they’re called in the Philippines). And if you’re after a sweet, refreshing treat, look out for ube ice-cream, which is gaining popularity in UK. Ube is a sweet purple yam native to the Philippines.
My mum didn’t teach me how to cook so much as how not to waste, which is why fritters are something we make weekly to use up any leftover veg. My daughter adores sweet potato, but this would also be delicious with carrot and potato. The dipping vinegar is something we make in a big batch and use all week to brighten up leftovers such as fried rice, or to dress cabbage slaw or chicken salad.
