Kamayan - by Rex Guzman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Learn how to make over 70 classic and delicious Filipino recipes at home in this definitive guide to the food of the Philippines

Known for its vibrant flavors, the cuisine of the Philippines is a product of its native land and practices melding with cultural influences from Spain, China, Japan, the Americas and beyond, resulting in distinct and delicious flavor combinations. In his debut cookbook, British Filipino chef Rex De Guzman shares nearly 80 delicious Filipino recipes ranging from Grilled Pork Belly with Vermicelli Noodles to One-Pot Chicken Tomato Stew, Crispy Tofu with Soy Vinegar, Tocino Pork Chops with Pineapple and Soy Glaze, Condensed Milk Crème Caramel and so many more.

A finalist in Jamie Oliver's hit TV series The Great Cookbook Challenge, Rex won the nation over with his vibrant recipes rooted in tradition and flavor. This comprehensive collection of Filipino recipes is sure to delight.

Review Quotes

If you're hoping to cook something a little different this week, then look no further then the criminally under-appreciated cuisine of The Philippines.

UK-born Filipino chef Rex De Guzman has made it his mission to share his culture's bold flavours and exciting dishes with a British audience, and his restaurant Turo Turo has won a host of fans since it opened in 2024.

Now, his new book Kamayan is packed with ideas that are easy to get on the table and exciting for all the family.--Hannah Tavner

Rex De Guz-man's col-or-ful cook-book Kamayan is a tempt-ing ini-ti-ation into Filipino cuisine.

Brit-ish-born Filipino chef Guz-man runs pop-up res-taur-ants and was a final-ist on The Great Cook-book Chal-lenge with Jamie Oliver. A three-month stay in the Phil-ip-pines allowed him to recon-nect with his her-it-age. Com-pared to other Asian coun-tries' cuisines, he says that the Phil-ip-pines' is "largely unknown in much of Europe. However, that is all begin-ning to change."

Due to out-side influ-ences encountered through trade and colo-ni-al-ism, the Phil-ip-pines developed "the ori-ginal fusion food," Guz-man con-tends. A trade-mark sour-ness from vin-egar and fruits is bal-anced by sweet and salty fla-vors. Coconut and rice are ubi-quit-ous ele-ments. Staples take on dif-fer-ent dimen-sions when used in a savory dish versus a dessert, and the recipes lend them-selves to adapt-a-tion.

Break-fast options include a charred egg-plant omelet and gar-lic fried rice. Sin-igang, or poached sal-mon in sour tam-ar-ind and tomato broth, and roas-ted cauli-flower and pea-nut stew are among the allur-ing plates. Other sec-tions cover bar-be-cue and street food, nibbles to eat with beer, and the "mer-ienda" snack between lunch and din-ner. Two mouth-wa-ter-ing sug-ges-tions are plantain spring rolls with brown sugar syrup and "Lola Rosa's mango float," a layered con-fec-tion of crème pâtissière and mango gel on a Bis-coff and gra-ham cracker base.

Some pre-par-a-tion times are less than half an hour, but there are also more involved menus for feast days. All instruc-tions are writ-ten in a clear fash-ion. Inform-a-tion is also given about what ingredi-ents to keep in the pantry. Street scenes are depic-ted, too, set-ting the food in con-text.

With bold fonts, geo-met-ric color blocks, and crisp pho-to-graphs, often taken from above, the sunny cook-book Kamayan is an invig-or-at-ing culin-ary tour of the Phil-ip-pines.--Rebecca Foster

About the Author

Rex De Guzman is a British-born Filipino chef, entrepreneur, content creator, and media personality. He built his professional career working with notable brands such as the Gordon Ramsay Group and briefly under Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone. His passion for Filipino cuisine gained him nationwide exposure as a grand finalist on Jamie Oliver's TV series, "The Great Cookbook Challenge." In 2014, Rex hosted his first pop-up restaurant, marking the beginning of his mission to popularize modern Filipino cuisine. In 2016, he embarked on a culinary research expedition to the Philippines to gain a deeper understanding of Filipino food and culture. He returned to start Turo Turo, a Filipino street food business, and will soon be opening his first restaurant in London.

Allan Pineda Lindo, known professionally as Apl.de.Ap, is a Filipino-American musician based in Los Angeles, California. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Black Eyed Peas. With them, he has been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards; the band won six awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album.