CHIBOG CHICKA LAKWACHA ATBP

Cheesy Pasta con San Marino Corned Tuna

2010-11-06T12:35:00.000+08:00

Our family can’t live without “merienda.” Some say that the English term for “merienda” is snack. Snack refers to a small portion of food. But for many of us Pinoys, “merienda” is not just eating a small amount of food, we eat until we are full. I always have to stock bread or biscuits and bread spread so that every time we want to eat “merienda” we can easily grab some to fill our hunger. But I also make it a point to serve cooked dish for “merienda.” My pantry always have pasta noodles, San Marino corned tuna, canned mushrooms, pineapple tidbits, and cheddar cheese. I tried to make a pasta dish using San Marino corned tuna. I am not an endorser of this product (hehehe) but I find it very tasty and a real value for your money. I don’t know if this recipe was already featured in “Sarap at Home” (a cooking show using San Marino products from QTV 11 hosted by Ms. Sam Oh) because as of this writing I haven’t watched an episode featuring this recipe, maybe I missed it or I don’t really know. Anyway, here’s my invented recipe.

Ingredients:

2 canned SM corned tuna

400 gms. of spaghetti noodles (cooked as directed)

Crushed garlic

Diced onion

Olive oil

Grated cheese (cheddar)

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedures:

- Saute garlic, onion, and SM corned tuna, add ¼ cup of water then simmer. Season with a dash of salt and pepper.

- Add the noodles, stir to mix.

- Serve hot, top with grated cheese.

My mom-in-law's Pochero

2010-11-05T10:15:00.001+08:00

Before I got married I have this wrong notion that a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law have no chance to live peacefully and harmoniously in one roof. I proved this really wrong. I have a very pleasant relationship with my husband’s mother. Early on in our marriage, we lived in my in-law’s house for 6 months and I really learned a lot from her. She is very generous enough to share with me all her knowledge in managing a household and even some of her personal secrets. She also shared with me some of her recipes, those food that my husband loves to eat. I know that my mother-in-law only wants the best for her son, the man I vowed to love till the end.

I didn’t grow up eating pochero. It wasn’t in the list of my mom’s recipes. My mother-in-law taught me how to cook pochero. Her pochero is a very simple everyday dish and she didn’t follow those Spanish-style pochero recipes. I would say that it is more of a Pinoy viand. The taste is very Filipino with saba and camote as some of the ingredients. The additional gingery taste makes it more flavorful. I usually choose beef sirloin for pochero with some visible fats (yum). I also tried chicken but I prefer beef for pochero.

Ingredients:

Beef sirloin (cubed)

Garlic (crushed)

Onion (diced)

Ginger (diced)

1 pouch tomato sauce

Pechay tagalog or bokchoy

Saba bananas (about 5 pcs. , cut cross-wised)

Sweet potatoes or camote (cubed)

Potatoes (cubed )

Fish sauce and pepper to taste
cooking oil

Procedures:

1. In a pot, boil beef, reduce heat to simmer until beef is tender.

2. In a pan, sauté ginger, garlic, and onions. Add beef (without the stock) and stir frequently until the beef absorb the flavor of the spices.

3. Add the beef stock and tomato sauce and let it simmer.

4. Add potatoes and sweet potatoes.

5. After 8 minutes add the saba bananas.

6. Season with fish sauce and pepper.

7. After 5 minutes, add the pechay or bokchoy.

8. Serve hot.

I am BACK

2010-10-19T20:32:00.000+08:00

Food blogging became one of my hobbies way back 2005. It made me truly realized how food affects our culture and our own life. I started to feel young again because of food that brings back memories of my childhood. I also met many nice people through blogging who really helped me a lot and encouraging me to continue with my hobby.

I am on a temporary hiatus from blogging for almost 3 years because of some very personal reasons. But through Facebook I found some of my blogger friends. Mang Mike posted a comment on my facebook account that there is a plagiarist (someone who copy/paste some of my friend’s blog entries) and he told me to also visit the site to check if my posts were being copied also. But because of tons of blog entries of that blogger, I didn’t have enough time to browse his blogs (yes, blogs because he has many blog sites). From that incident, a dragon alliance was born, we (food bloggers) did our contribution to make that blogger realized his mistakes, and for him to respect his fellow bloggers. As of today, his blog sites are already deleted.

There are rules in blogging and the main rule is RESPECT. We can’t say that we are really good bloggers, but we really make a point that the readers of our blogs will surely learn something from our posts. It isn’t easy to write an entry, we spend a lot of time for a single blog entry. And it is really so unfair for us when our entries are being copied by other bloggers. We can share our entries (including the pictures) if people will learn how to ask for a permission. Isn’t it a big thing to ask? We can create a peaceful blogging community if we know how to respect and give credits to those people who deserve it.

With this, I am officially announcing my return to blogging world because I miss you all, guys.

Lasang Pinoy 17: Egg Roll

2007-05-06T13:29:00.000+08:00

Angelo is hosting this month's Lasang Pinoy event. It was decided that the main ingredient for this event is egg.

I remember when I was a child; my grandmother had a concoction made from egg and sarsaparilla. She always prepared it for me because according to her this will strengthen my body resistance. She chose native chicken eggs because it’s more nutritious than the regular white chicken eggs. I love recipes with eggs, even if it’s quail eggs, chicken eggs, and even duck eggs.

My entry for this month’s LP event is a recipe with no name (lol). I will just name this as “egg roll.” I tasted this recipe way back 1995 from my friend’s wedding reception; her aunt cooked this recipe. I called up my friend to ask her if she knows the ingredients and the preparation of this recipe. But she informed me that she doesn’t know and the only thing that she remembered was that her aunt uses mince meat to cover the egg. So I experimented on this recipe according to my taste.

Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs

½ kilo ground pork

½ cup carrots, diced

1/3 cup Chinese celery or kinchay, chopped

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

Flour

Bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

Procedures:

Mix ground pork, carrots, kinchay, and 1 beaten egg, season with salt and pepper.
Wrap the hard boiled egg with the meat mixture and form like a ball.
Dip egg covered with meat mixture in flour, then dip in beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs.
Deep-fry until cooked through and drain in paper towels.

Thanks Angelo for hosting this month's LP.

Chicken Roll

2007-04-22T19:06:00.000+08:00

This recipe is one of my Aunt Thelma’s favourites. I always find it in her menu every time we have family gatherings. She taught me the procedure to cook chicken roll. I learned that some called this recipe Cordon Bleu.

Ingredients:

½ kilo chicken breast fillets

Flour

1 egg beaten

Bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

4 slices sweet ham

4 slices cheddar cheese

Procedure:

Pound chicken breast fillets in between sheets of cling wrap until they flatten to 1/2-inch-thick. Season it with salt and pepper. Place a slice of sweet ham on one end of each breast. Top with cheese and then roll. Season breadcrumbs with pepper. Dip filled chicken breasts in flour, then egg and roll in breadcrumbs. Deep-fry until cooked through and drain in paper towels.

Embutido

2007-04-04T09:03:00.000+08:00

After a long absence because of some computer problems, here I am again posting this embutido picture. I got the recipe from Iska and tita C. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. You will notice that it's not a round embutido but a square one, I used a loaf fan because I ran out of supply of aluminum foil (lol).

Chopsuey and Banana Choco Chips Cupcake

2007-01-29T07:19:00.000+08:00

Baguio vegetables (as I fondly called it) like carrots, cauliflowers, snow peas, cabbage, and others are a lot cheaper now than last December. Chopsuey is one of my son’s favourite dishes so I make it a point to cook this every other week.

This is my version of Chopsuey.

Chopsuey

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
¼ kilo chicken liver
½ cups chicken balls
1 medium carrot, sliced diagonally 1-inch thick
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 ½ cups trimmed snow peas
1 small head cabbage, cubed
1 cup young corn
1 red bell pepper, strips
½ cup kinchay
1 pouch Mushroom soup mix dissolved in 1 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon pepper

In a wok, heat cooking oil and sauté onions until transparent. Add garlic and sauté until light brown. Add chicken liver and chicken balls and sauté until cook and brown.
Stir in carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about one minute. Add cauliflower, snow peas, young corn, bell pepper, kinchay and cabbage. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in dissolved mushroom soup mix, soy sauce and pepper. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and vegetables are tender crisp.

I love the taste of banana in cakes and pastries. So I was so happy when I saw this recipe from www.mygreatfood.com which is a San Miguel Foods Corporation website.

Banana Choco Chips Cupcake

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup Magnolia Gold Butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 pieces eggs
1 cup full cream milk
1 tsp. calamansi juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with paper cups. Set aside.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Combine milk, calamansi and vanilla.
4. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add alternately the dry ingredients and milk mixture until smooth. Add bananas and chocolate chips and blend well.
5. Pour into muffin pans and bake for 30 minutes.

Chicken Salpicao

2006-12-27T18:54:00.000+08:00

I was buying chicken lumpia mix one afternoon from Magnolia Chicken Station when a saleslady from the store approached me and gave me a leaflet with 3 recipes written on it. The 3 recipes main ingredient is Magnolia Chicken Menudo Cut. It is plainly boneless chicken meat cut into cubes.

I ordered ½ kilo of Chicken Menudo Cut so that I can try the Chicken Salpicao recipe written in the leaflet. The nicest thing about buying chicken from this station is that you can get what cut or part you really want from the fowl. You can buy boneless chicken breast, lumpia mix, pulutan mix, chicken barbecue, boneless menudo cut, etc. Although it is a little expensive when you buy chicken from this outlet but what’s important is that you’re paying for convenience and the high quality of the product you are buying. They guarantee also that their products are safe to eat and clean.

This recipe is a little spicy, but you can adjust the ingredients according to your preference.

Ingredients:
½ kg MAGNOLIA CHICKEN MENUDO CUT
2 tbsp hot sauce
3 tbsp liquid seasoning
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup minced garlic
1 pc finger pepper (siling haba), seeded and sliced diagonally (optional)
1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional), for garnish

Procedures:
Marinate Chicken menudo cut in hot sauce, liquid seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and ground black pepper for about 5 minutes. Heat oil in pan. Saute 1 tbsp of garlic over moderate heat until golden brown. Remove garlic and set aside. In the same pan, melt butter and sauté the 1/3 cup minced garlic moderate heat until fragrant. Drain chicken from marinade and set aside. In the same pan, add chicken and continue sautéing over high heat until chicken turns brown. Immediately add marinade. Let simmer for a minute. Continue cooking until sauce reduces. Remove from heat and add finger pepper. Mix well. Transfer to sizzling plate or serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and fried garlic.

Homemade Pork and Beans

2006-11-20T17:53:00.000+08:00

Pork and beans is not included in the list of my favourite foods. Since I was a child, I don’t remember my father or mother buying canned pork and beans. But when I got married, I learned that my hubby really loves pork and beans. So every time I go to the grocery store to buy things for the house, pork and beans is always in my list of canned goods to buy. Even my son loves pork and beans now. But as much as possible I am trying to lessen the consumption of canned and preserved foods. I know that in the long run, it isn’t good for the health of my family. And if you notice when you buy canned pork and beans, you can hardly find the pork in the can; maybe if you’re really lucky you will find three small pieces of pork or is it ground pork? (lol)

As I was browsing my old issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, I saw this home-made pork and beans recipe. It is a very easy recipe.

Ingredients:

½ kilo white beans (Great northern or navy beans)
1 tablespoon corn oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, chopped finely
½ kilo pork belly or liempo, sliced ½” thick
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 ½ to 2 cups water
½ cup tomato catsup
¼ cup corn oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dispersed in 1 tablespoon water

Procedure:

Soak the beans in enough water overnight. Drain and rinse. In a saucepan, heat oil then sauté garlic and onions. Add sliced pork and cook until brown. Add soy sauce and water. Add the beans and cook covered until tender. You can also do this in a pressure cooker. Add catsup, oil, salt, and sugar. Stir carefully to prevent beans from getting mashed. Thicken sauce with dispersed cornstarch. Cook 1 minute more.

You’ll never buy canned pork and beans after trying this simple recipe. Believe me, it tastes good.

Lasang Pinoy 15: Guinataang Kalabasa (Squash with Coconut Milk)

2006-11-17T17:33:00.000+08:00

I grew up in an animal-lover family. We had many cats and dogs as pet, and we even had chicken and pigs in our backyard. So left-over foods had no place in our refrigerator, it belonged to the tummy of our pets.

When I got married, we lived separately from our family. Even if I really want to have a pet in our house, it isn’t allowed in the place we live in. Early on in our marriage, I usually threw left-over food in the trash can. The only left-over food then that I re-create into another dish is lechon, turning it into paksiw na lechon. As I learned the science of being a true homemaker, I learned ways to create dishes using left-over foods. I observed my cousin adding fish in his hamburger recipe. So, I started using flaked fried fish in many different dishes. I mix it with ground beef or pork to make lumpiang shanghai, sweet and sour meatballs, or torta. I also use left-over fried or grilled fish in my dinengdeng or pinakbet recipe.

Instead of using crab or shrimp, I used flaked fried fish for my guinataang kalabasa recipe which is my contribution for LP 15.

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed squash
1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1 onion, chopped
2 green chillies
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup flaked fried fish (boneless)
1 tbsp. shrimp paste

Procedure:

In a pan, sauté garlic and onion, add green chillies, flaked fried fish and shrimp paste. Add the coconut milk and squash. Simmer until the squash is cooked (actually, I overcooked the squash)

Thank you Mang Mike for hosting LP 15 and for waiting for my late entry.

Chocolate Cupcakes

2006-10-10T10:17:00.000+08:00

A cup cake also known as fairy cake is a small cake. It is designed to serve one person. I usually make cupcakes for my hubby and son. They usually bring it to the office (for my hubby) and to school (for my son). My hubby always shares it with his officemates. It is easy to bring cupcakes because they don’t require plates and it is served individually. I usually don’t put frosting for my cupcakes unless I will bring it to birthday parties or celebrations.

I got my chocolate cupcake recipe from Good Housekeeping magazine (Philippine edition). But I find it a little dry. I want my cupcakes moist and a little spongey so I changed some of the ingredients and suit it for my taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups refined sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup hot water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
cashew or walnuts (optional)

Procedure:

Line muffin pans with paper bake cups. Stir together all purpose flour, refined sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. I usually sift dry ingredients thrice. Add the butter, canola oil, milk, hot water and vanilla extract. Beat with mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Continue beating until smooth. Fill cups ½ full with batter. In on oven preheated to 350°F bake 15-20 minutes until center of cupcake springs back when touched lightly. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

The original recipe calls for 2/3 cup butter, and I changed it to the mixture of 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup canola oil. Good Housekeeping recipe also calls for 2/3 cup milk but I also changed it to 1 cup instead. I also add cashew nuts or walnuts.

Lasang Pinoy 14: Asado

2006-10-01T10:57:00.000+08:00

This month’s theme for Lasang Pinoy entitled A La Espanyola is about Spanish influence in Filipino cuisine. The strongest culinary influence is from Spain which ruled the Philippines for almost 400 years. Food historians claim that 80 per cent of Philippine dishes are of Spanish origin. Because the Spaniards formed the elite, dishes adapted by upper-class Filipinos were also Spanish-inspired. In our house, we usually prepare relleno, paella, morcon, and callos whenever we have parties and/or celebrations.

The usual technique of sautéing tomatoes, garlic and onions with olive oil was introduced by the Spaniards (according to some famous chefs, good quality olive oil comes from Spain). Add to that, as in popular baked good and desserts like Pan de Sal (a crusty dinner roll), Flan (an egg custard), Ensaymada (cheese buns), rice dishes as in Arroz Valenciana or Arroz Con Pollo, etc. Most Spanish recipes had been modified to accommodate what ingredients were readily available in our country Thus, the emergence of a cuisine Filipinos called their own, adapted to their tastes. Even our favorite adobo shows Mexican and Spanish influences but with regional variations.

Spanish-influenced dishes are usually part of my weekly menu. I love to cook caldereta, mechado, embutido, and afritada. Asado is one of my favourites so I asked my aunt to give me her asado recipe. In Spain, asado means “cooked in the oven.” But my aunt’s version of asado recipe is very Filipino. The meat should be cooked in a very low fire until tender. This is my first time to cook this dish and it tastes good. The taste of our Filipino asado resembles that of our paksiw na pata.

Ingredients:
800 gms. pork (kasim or porkloin, whole)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soysauce
1/3 cup sugar
Salt
Pepper
Bay leaf
Spring onion

Procedure:
1. Sliced the pork thinly.
2. Mix the water, sugar and soy sauce in a large frying pan. Add salt and pepper. And the bay leaf and bring it up to medium high heat.
3. Lay pork pieces in the sauce, cover and cook on low heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes and flip the pork, cooking an additional 10-15 minutes until the meat is tender.
4. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Drizzle the sauce over the pork and sprinkle with spring onion.

I would like to thank Purple Girl for hosting this month's LP.

Meatloaf Embotido

2006-09-12T13:32:00.000+08:00

I make it a point to serve rice for breakfast. Having a full breakfast meal makes us more energetic and alert in the morning.

I should prepare viands for breakfast different from our lunch and dinner food. I also consider the preparation time when I’m cooking our early morning food. I don’t want to feed my family processed and canned foods always because these are not good for our health.

Ground meat is the main ingredient in many traditional dishes from almost every culture. I always choose lean ground meat for cooking. I know that there are recipes which benefited from slightly higher fat contents, but still I want lean mince.

We can cook embotido, meat loaf, relleno, galantina, longganiza, and others from mince. I have many embotido and meat loaf recipes but I didn’t have the complete ingredients for embotido and also for the meat loaf when I cooked this food so I just combined what was available in my fridge and pantry to come out with this dish. I called this dish meatloaf embotido (lol) which tastes like longganiza (according to my son).

Ingredients:

½ kilo ground lean pork

1 bulb garlic, crushed

1 large egg

100 gm grated cheese

½ tbsp. sweet pickle relish

¼ cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Combine all ingredients. Grease 1 standard-sided loaf pan. Bake at 220°C for 50 minutes. Serve with catsup or gravy.

my EMPANADA adventure

2006-09-03T15:07:00.000+08:00

Empanada is one of my favourite foods. I usually go to Joni’s cake house when I was younger to buy empanada. I also tried Red Ribbon’s empanada, Empanada Royale and Jamaican pies. I love the crispiness of the Jamaican pies. And before I forget, Ilocos empanada is on my list, too.

I read Connie and tita Celia’s entry in their blogs on how to cook empanada. They unselfishly shared their recipe and expertise. I’m really inspired by their entries to try cooking empanadas. Last Monday, I succeeded in cooking this. I combined the knowledge I learned from Connie and tita Celia.

Actually, at first I was hesitant to make the dough/crust. I asked some foodies where I can buy ready-rolled puff pastry. Many told me that I can find it at Santi’s Deli. I called up Santi’s Deli and I was shocked to learn that it’s very expensive. So, I told myself, “hey Lani, you can make the pie crust from scratch, come on try it.”

I admitted that I almost surrender making the crust. It was so hard for me. I don’t have a large working space in my kitchen to roll the pin and flatten the dough. The mess I created in my kitchen was really unbelievable (lol). But when I tasted the cooked empanada, I was very satisfied. I got the right crispiness of the crust and the filling was very tasty (I used ground pork and ground chicken). And the nice thing was even if I put it in the fridge for storing, the crust didn't lose its crispiness (yipeee). My hubby and my son loved it so much.

Ok, do you want to know if I will make/cook empanada again? My answer is Y-E-S. As long as my family loves what I cook, I will always do it for them.

Lasang Pinoy: Unang Annibersaryo

2006-08-22T07:04:00.000+08:00

Napakabilis ng panahon, isang taon na pala ang Lasang Pinoy. Isang grupo ng mga Pinoy sa web na nagtipon-tipon upang bigyang halaga ang mga putaheng Pilipino. Sa loob ng isang taong pagkakaibigan at pagbibigayan ay naipahayag ng bawa't isa ang malaking pagmamalaki sa mga putaheng nagpapakita ng ating kultura bilang mga Pilipino.

Sa paggunita ng aming anibersaryo ay isinulat ko ang aking kontribusyon sa wikang Tagalog. Minarapat ni Stef na gawing paksa ng Lasang Pinoy ngayong buwan ng Agosto ang mga pagkaing nagpapakilala ng ating pagiging Pilipino. Mga putaheng sa amoy pa lamang ay alam mo ng pinoy na pinoy ito. Mga pagkaing iyong ipagmamalaking ihanda sa mga tao na hindi pa pamilyar sa mga pagkaing Pilipino. Kung ikaw naman ay nasa ibayong dagat, ito ang mga pagkaing iyong kinasasabikan at nagbabalik alaala sa iyong Inang Bayan.

Sa buwang ito ay nais kong ibahagi ang dalawa sa mga paborito kong pagkain. Ito ay ang sinigang na baka sa bayabas at inihaw na bangus.

Tubong San Ildefonso, Bulacan ang aking lola subalit hindi namin nakagisnan na magpunta sa San Ildefonso. Sa Sibul, San Miguel, Bulacan naroon ang malaking alaala ng mga tag-araw ng aking kabataan. Sa Sibul nagkaroon ng 2 ektaryang mahigit na lupa ang aking lolo. Doon kami laging nagbabakasyon. Doon ko natutunan ang pag-aani ng mani at pamimitas ng kamatis, talong, sitaw at okra. Maraming puno ng prutas tulad ng camatsile, bayabas, at kaimito ang inaakyat naming magkakapatid. Sa malinis na bukal kami naliligo, damang-dama ko pa ang lamig ng tubig na lumalabas sa gilid ng mga bundok. Kay sarap ng mga pagkaing inihahain ng kasama ng lolo ko sa lupa. Merong sinampalukang manok, corn soup, prito o inihaw na hito/dalag bukid, sariwang gatas ng kalabaw, native na itlog. Kapag nagpapatay ng baka ay iniihaw ito at ang ibang parte ay ginagawang sinigang sa bayabas. Dito ko natutunan ang pagluluto nito. Mula pa lang sa pagpitas ng hinog na bayabas ay aliw na aliw na ako. Napakabango ng amoy ng hinog na bayabas. Kinukuha rin namin ang ginagamit na mga sangkap sa mga tanim na nasa bukid katulad ng sili, talbos ng kamote, at puso ng saging. Lasang-lasa ang tamis ng sariwang gulay at prutas.

Habang niluluto ko ang sinigang na ito ay punong-puno ng amoy ng bayabas ang aming bahay. Pati nga mga kapitbahay ko ay alam na alam ang ulam namin. Ipagmamalaki kong ihanda ito sa aking magiging bisita na hindi sanay sa pagkain ng ating putahe. Alam kong magugustuhan nila ito, ang naghahalong asim at tamis ng bayabas ang nagbibigay ng kakaibang lasa sa putaheng ito.

Katerno ng sinigang ay ihahanda ko rin ang inihaw na bangus na may palamang sibuyas at kamatis. At siempre may sawsawang kalamansi at patis. Kung mapapansin natin, laging may katernong sawsawan ang ating mga pagkain, nakasanayan natin ito.

Ang pagiging pinoy ay nasa puso, isip, salita at sa gawa. Narito man tayo sa Pilipinas o nasa malayong bayan ay maipagmamalaki natin ang ating pagka-Pilipino. Kaya halina na, kumain tayo ng masarap na putaheng sariling atin. Maligayang kaarawan, mga katoto!!!

Salamat din sa iyo, Stef sa pagho-host ng ating Lasang Pinoy.

Sinigang na baka sa bayabas

Mga sangkap:

1 kilo baka

1/2 kilo hinog na bayabas

4 kamatis

2 puso ng saging

siling pansigang

4 tali talbos ng kamote

asin

Paraan:

1. Palambutin ang baka.

2. Ilagay ang kamatis, bayabas, at sili. Pakuluan hanggang sa maluto ang bayabas at kamatis.

3. Ilagay ang puso ng saging at timplahan ng asin.

4. Pagkaraan ng 5 minuto ay ilagay na ang talbos ng kamote, patayin ang apoy at takpan ang

kaldero.

Tofu and Pork with Black Beans

2006-07-31T06:23:00.000+08:00

I love pork and tofu especially when paired with congee. It is one of my favorite combinations.

Aside from pairing tofu and pork with congee, I also have this recipe using the two ingredients. And this I want to share with you.

Ingredients:

500 grams pork, cubed (preferably kasim or porkloin)
1 block tofu, fried and cubed
1 cup pork broth
garlic, crushed
onion, diced
ginger, stripped
1/2 c black beans
1 115 g. tomato sauce
kinchay
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Boil pork until tender, reserve the broth. Saute ginger, garlic, onion and black beans. Add the pork, tomato sauce and pork broth. Simmer for 12 minutes. Add the tofu, season with salt and pepper, simmer for 3 minutes. Add the kinchay and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Roast Chicken

2006-07-22T17:53:00.000+08:00

I want to dedicate this post to Avi, my friend from Australia. She generously shared with me the recipe for this roast chicken. It is very easy to do. My family and friends love it so much, delicioso!!!

Roast Chicken

whole chicken

1 whole head of garlic, minced

2-3 tbsp dried oregano, finely chopped

2 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. pepper

1 tbsp. paprika

2 tbsp. oil

juice from 1 lemon

Marinate the whole chicken in all of the above ingredients (best to marinate it overnight). Put chicken into roasting tin or pyrex dish and roast for an hour or so on 400 degrees Farenheit oven. I roasted it for 1 1/2 hours because I like the skin to be a little crispy.

Tip: How to tell if the chicken is cook already? Prick the part between thigh and breast and if clear juices come out it's cooked.

Lasang Pinoy 12: Pinoy Pizza

2006-07-21T20:32:00.000+08:00

Fusion is the topic of this month’s Lasang Pinoy event which is hosted by Ces. According to Encarta Dictionary fusion food is food with international influences: a style of cooking that uses ingredients and techniques from around the world, especially one that combines Eastern and Western influences.

Globalization plays an important role in the evolution of Filipino fusion cuisine. High-paying jobs overseas lure many Filipinos away from the Philippines. I can say that there’s nothing wrong with migration because it improves lives of our countrymen. Immigrants to a country bring in their culture traits and some kind of exchange of cultural characteristics will ensue.

Many pinoy fusion cuisines were created out of sheer desire of our “kababayans” to bring with them the taste of food back home. Not all local ingredients can be found in other countries, that’s why Filipinos substitute the ingredients which are available in their host country just to satisfy their longing for pinoy food. And from that Filipino ingenuity, I think pinoy fusion foods were born. In London, they used English leeks and lemons for their sinigang because our souring agents like kamias (bilimbi), sampaloc or santol are not available there.

With regards to Cendrillon (although I haven’t yet been to NY), they offer fusion cuisine not only for Filipino palates but also because they want to capture the taste of other nationalities.

For this LP event, I chose Pinoy Pizza as my entry. Filipinos love to eat pizza, that’s why there are many pizza parlors here in the country and also some restaurants here are offering different kinds of pizza.

According to Wikipedia, in its original form, a pizza is an oven-baked, flat, usually circular bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese with optional toppings. The cheese is usually mozzarella, or sometimes mixture of several cheeses such as parmesan, romano, and ricotta. Various other toppings may be added.

The etymology of the word pizza is disputed. The form pizza first appears in Naples in 16th century. Pizzo, which means point in Italian, may have been an influence.

Our family loves pizza. Well, I would say that not all day can we afford to buy pizza at Yellow Cab, Shakeys, Don Henricos, CPK or Pizza Hut that’s why I always make it a point to find some way to serve it to my family without spending too much. Like Lumen in the Surf detergent soap commercial, I’m also a wais (wise) mom.

This is my version of pinoy pizza. I used sisig, diced onion and cheese as toppings. You can also use pork or chicken adobo as topping.

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:
6 (individual size) pizza crust (store-bought)
1 can sisig (either Argentina or Purefoods)
2 onions, diced
cheese, grated
1 small pouch Del Monte Pizza Sauce (Italian Style)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread a layer of cheese on the dough before brushing with the sauce (this makes for a crispier crust). After putting the sauce, add the toppings then put more cheese if desired. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese melted.

Note: I was listening to GMA's grandstanding (ngek SONA pala) while cooking this.

Lasang Pinoy 11: SUMMERTIME

2006-06-29T18:06:00.000+08:00

I always remember my summer days spent in Sibul, San Miguel, Bulacan. My grandparents from my father’s side purchased a parcel of agricultural land there. It was our vacation house. A small spring was located in our land. There, we got our water supply for drinking, cooking, taking a bath, etc. The water was very clean and we didn’t experience stomach upset drinking spring water.

I remember the food being served by my lolo’s kasama. Every morning we always had fresh carabao’s milk poured in very hot cooked rice. My brother always seasoned it with sugar but I preferred salt. They also served us crispy fried small bulig and/or hito which they got from the rice field. As dipping for the fried fish, they boiled young tamarind fruits and mashed it. The desserts were either fresh watermelon or pastillas de leche. San Miguel Bulacan is very famous for their pastillas. They are using fresh carabao’s milk in making this.

For lunch, we usually had sinampalukang native chicken or native chicken adobo. The corn soup they prepared was also very tasty. What they used for the soup were native corns they planted.

I also loved the taste of boiled native corn. So sweet, soft and delicious, and they also called it lagkitan because it was sticky.

I also remember the camatsile trees; I can say that the fruit was big and so sweet. I never tasted sweet camatsile here in Manila. At night, we always had a game with my siblings. We took out the black covering of the camatsile seeds, the first one to finish 10 camatsile seeds without showing the white flesh just only the brown covering of the seeds was the winner.

That time there was no electricity in Sibul. We used gas lamp or coleman. And the trees outside the house were full of flying fireflies. What a sight to behold. There were no mosquitoes there.

Unfortunately, when my grandfather died, his children sold the land. So now what remains of this land are only memories.

Thanks for hosting our LP 11, JMom.

Lasang Pinoy 10: Food Memories from Childhood

2006-05-25T10:45:00.000+08:00

Cocinero of Buhay Cocinero hosted this Lasang Pinoy event for May. It is all about the food we enjoyed eating during our childhood.

I would say that I'm a Marcos baby. Being born a year after Marcos assumed the presidency. I was 6 years old when Marcos declared Martial Law. My middle childhood years were spent outside our house. It was still safe then to let the children play outside. In the afternoon around 4pm, because that was the time my mom would allow us to go outside after sleeping, we always bought binatog or nilupak. My siblings and I collected used bottles to be exchanged from a pack of caramel popcorn.

(my version of nilupak, boiled cassava with butter and brown sugar)

After playing with siato or capture, we always bought scramble (strawberry flavor for me). It was really a wonderful treat after all the running and sweating. We always watched the basketball tournament every summer in the basketball court about 50 meters from our house. We really enjoyed cheering for our favorite team. There, we bought fish balls and sago't gulaman or cotton candy from an ambulatory vendor.

In school, I used to eat nutribun with star margarine during recess period, I loved it so much. After school, I used to buy manggang hilaw with eco (shrimp paste and salt). I remember that I always bought mansanitas and buko-bukohan (that's a small fruit which looks like a very small buko and the flesh of it tastes like buko, too). Unfortunately, I don't see these fruits now in the market.

Tira-tira, sergs, curly tops, milo, flat tops were some of my favorite candies.

When we were sick, my mother would always give us Royco noodle soup or santa softdrinks and sky flakes. Well, santa and sky flakes cracker are still available in the market now but I don't know with Royco.

It is very refreshing to reminisce our childhood days. Those are unforgettable memories that make me happy.

Lasang Pinoy 9: Chicken Liver Hawaiian

2006-04-28T07:41:00.000+08:00

Lasang Pinoy 9 which is hosted by Cia of Pabulum focuses on internal organs of animals (offal). Offal is discarded by some people as refuse. Filipinos love to eat internal organs of animals like gizzard, liver, spleen, kidney, heart, intestines and even the blood.

There are many of my favorite recipes wherein we use offal, like bopis, papaitan, batchoy, kare-kare, adobong atay/balun-balunan, igado, liver steak and my entry for this LP event which is the chicken liver hawaiian. Some pinoys cook kare-kare with oxtail and tripe only, and some cook it with ox feet and tripe. In our family, we cook kare-kare with oxtail, ox feet, tripe, and ox intestines.

Since I was a child, I really loved to eat liver. I usually asked my mom to cook fried ox liver for me. My mom was the one who influenced me so much with my preference for liver because I always saw her eating it that time because she had anemia. Her doctor advised her to eat liver, sweet potato tops, and bitter gourd (ampalaya).

I remember also that my brother hated liver so much. He had a yucky feeling with liver-eating; he told me he usually thought of aswang every time he saw me eating fried liver. But when we were studying in Quiapo, that was from 1979-1982, we found this restaurant at the last floor of the old Good Earth Emporium. This restaurant served the most delicious liver sandwich I ever tasted. As proof of its deliciousness, my brother finally ate liver. We really tried to save our allowances, so that every Friday we could go and eat to that restaurant. We used to order liver sandwich and milk shake. After the closed down of Good Earth Emporium, my brother stopped eating liver.

I went to Carriedo about a month ago because I heard that Good Earth Emporium is open again. But I was really disappointed when I found out that the old restaurant is not there anymore. And the new building looks like 168 Mall in Divisoria not the Good Earth Emporium before.

Enough of my reminiscing, I would like to share this chicken liver recipe which I got from Kitchenomics. I’m a loyal user of Del Monte products that’s why I usually try all of the recipes I got from the net, booklets, and recipe books.

Chicken Liver Hawaiian

Ingredients:
½ kilo chicken liver, cut in half
1 can (439 g) Del Monte Fresh Cut Pineapple Tidbits, drained (reserve syrup)
3 medium saba bananas, sliced and fried
1 medium carrot, cut into strips
1 tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp. water

Procedure:
Marinate liver in 1 tbsp. soy sauce, pineapple syrup, ¼ tsp. pepper and ¼ tsp. iodized salt for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve marinade. Fry liver in oil until light brown. Set aside.
Stir-fry carrot in 2 tbsp. margarine until half tender. Add ¾ cup water, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, ¾ tsp. iodized salt (or 1 ½ tsp. rock salt), ¼ tsp. pepper and marinade. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add fried liver, dissolved cornstarch, banana and Del Monte Fresh Cut Pineapple Tidbits. Continue simmering for 3 minutes.

Baked Milkfish in Teriyaki Sauce

2006-04-20T20:48:00.000+08:00

We went to my sister-in-law’s house in Paranaque last Sunday. It was her son’s 6th birthday and at the same time, a family get-together. We had Italian-style spaghetti, roasted chicken, fresh vegetable salad, and baked milkfish (bangus) for lunch. We really loved the taste of the baked fish, and from what I learned from my sis-in-law, she used teriyaki sauce for this recipe. She was quite busy at that time that’s why I didn’t have a chance to ask her what some of the ingredients in this recipe are.

Since I bought a big milkfish last Monday (about a kilo/piece), I decided to bake the fish. I will just name my recipe as “Baked Milkfish in Teriyaki Sauce” since I just invented this recipe inspired by my sis-in-law’s version of baked milkfish.

I deboned the milkfish, removed the scales, and cut it into four. I placed it in a square pyrex dish. I added some salt and pepper, crushed garlic, diced onions, basil leaves (the one from McCormick), few drops of sesame oil, and 5 small sachets of teriyaki sauce (this teriyaki sauce I got from an eyeball (EB) I attended last year courtesy of Sysu). I baked it for around 35 minutes at 350˚F. Before serving, I put some onion leeks.

What can I say with my experiment? Well, we loved it so much. It’s really delicious, actually more delicious than my sis-in-law’s version (hehehe, so boastful of me). But I think I will do some justice with this recipe if you will also try to cook it. Enjoy eating!!!

Food Trip: UVA

2006-04-07T08:42:00.000+08:00

Internet helps me to find some of my friends online. I found my long-lost bestfriend from the net. She lives in Los Angeles, California. She is 3 years my senior but we became very closed to each other when we were in high school. For me, she is the older sister I never had. She came to visit us last February. The last time I saw her (prior to the visit) was more than 25 years ago. I really missed her a lot and I was very very happy to see her again.

We met at Galleria, Makati. I hugged her so tightly when I finally saw her. I could say that she still looked young. We laughed a lot reminiscing our old days together; talking about our teenage experiences, our crushes, etc. Some of our conversations about our present life situation were already discussed from a hundred and one phone calls (uber) from her before her visit.

One of the restaurants she wanted to visit here is UVA. She has a TFC channel in the US, and one time she saw UVA being featured in one of the channel's lifestyle show. What stucked in her mind is the "chocnut ice cream" of UVA. So we went to UVA to have lunch, that's in Greenbelt 3 (restaurant strip of Greenbelt).

UVA's interior has a Filipino touch. They used tables made of wood. Upon entering the resto, you will see a table in the center full of different wines. The place is not brightly-lit, some drop-lights adorned the ceiling.

This bowl of different fried foods is being served before our main course arrived. It is composed of garlic bread, fried thinly-sliced camote and banana.

We ordered this UVA salad. It has lettuce, white cheese, seedless grapes, and walnuts. I would say that this is the best vegetable salad I've ever tasted. I really love the slight saltiness of the white cheese (kesong puti), the sweetness of the grapes, and the sourness of the dressing. Plus the fact that the lettuce were very crispy and the walnuts so crunchy. The right combination of flavor satisfied my palate. I think they used lemon juice and some olive oil for dressing.

My friend ordered this "pesang lapu-lapu" which was wrapped in a banana leaf. The aroma of the fish permeates once she opened the wrapper. The food was really delicious.

I ordered callos. It was served with yellow rice and ensalada made up of onion, tomatoes, coriander, and some sigarillas (I don't know the English term, sorry). I actually didn't enjoy the taste of the callos. I think they should add more tomato/tomato paste. UVA's callos was bland.

We also ordered bagnet. It is served with tofu, mung beans soup, and white rice. The bagnet was delicious and crispy also but still incomparable with the genuine Ilocos bagnet.

We didn't forget to order the famous "chocnut dirty ice cream" of UVA, unfortunately, I forgot to take the picture of it. It tastes like the real chocnut, only creamy and cold.

Lasang Pinoy 8: Tuna Spread

2006-03-29T14:52:00.000+08:00

I learned my basic knowledge on cooking from my mother. She started to take me to the wet market to buy ingredients for our meals when I was around 10 years old. She taught me how to choose fresh meat or fish and even fruits and vegetables. My mom is not the type who haggles for merchandise, what’s important for her is the freshness and the quality of the things we buy. I am not good in buying goods from Divisoria or tiangge because of my mom's influence, instead of getting the merchandise cheaper, I usually end up paying more.

If I'm not busy with my studies she would asked me to help her in the kitchen. She first taught me to prepare ingredients; slicing and paring vegetables. She patiently explained to me that one of the secrets of delicious cooking is in the sautéing; many of the viands we cooked (that’s the tagalog way) start from sautéing. “Always make the garlic a little brown (do not roast it unless you’re using it as topping for congee or other soups); when the onion is translucent in color, that’s the time you should add the tomatoes; cook the tomatoes thoroughly until you squeeze all the juices; put the ginger first in sautéing before the garlic (when the ingredients has ginger on it).” That’s some of her tips in sautéing.

I started to teach my son, Aldrin, to cook when he was 11 years old. Even though he is a boy, he should still learn to cook or prepare meals. I told him that time will come that he will live away from us or he will have his own family, and he will definitely use this cooking knowledge. I explained to him that helping his wife (when he’s married already), will not lessen his masculinity. I didn’t get a hard time teaching him because he is a great fan of “Iron Chef” and one of his dreams is to become a chef. I also know that he got his inspiration from me because he always sees me enjoying my cooking and baking.

Since he is a little busy nowadays because of his graduation practices, I instructed him to make this easy sandwich spread. It’s a no-cooking recipe. He loves tuna spread very much that’s why I chose this as my entry to our LP8 which is hosted by pretty Iska of Edible Experiments.

Tuna Spread
Ingredients:
1 pack mayonnaise or mayo magic
1 small can tuna flakes in oil
salt to taste

Procedure:

Drain the tuna, mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Himbabao

2006-03-23T09:53:00.000+08:00

I mentioned himbabao in my previous blog. I included this vegetable in my pinakbet recipe which I learned from a panggalatok vegetable vendor. Many of my fellow bloggers requested me to show a picture of this vegetable. I described it as caterpillar-like veggies. Since himbabao is only available every summer (because I don’t see himbabao in the market when summer is over), I can now post it in my blog.

Himbabao (Broussonetia luzonica (Blanco) Bur. var. luzonica family Moraceae) or alucon (tagalog version according to the veggie vendor) is a medium-sized deciduous tree with a height of 15 meters and a diameter of 30 cm. The leaves are alternate with pointed apex and rounded base. The lower surface is hairy. The flowers are very small and are borne on very long, slender, spike-like flowering branches.

This species is distributed in the Philippines, from Luzon to Mindanao. It is commonly found in thickets and second-growth forests at low and medium altitudes.

The young leaves and flowers are cooked and eaten as vegetables. They could be cooked solely, or in mixture with other vegetables just like what I’m doing with my pinakbet. The flowers can also be made into a delicious salad. Actually, the caterpillar-like part of the vegetable is the flower.

Just like other plants, himbabao can be propagated by seeds, or by cutting from matured branches. Alucon is considered as wildfood plants.

Lasang Pinoy 7: Eggs

2006-02-28T05:26:00.000+08:00

Gising, mag-ALMUSAL na tayo is the topic for Lasang Pinoy 7 which is hosted by Joey of 80 breakfasts. Breakfast, agahan, or almusal is the day’s first meal. Eating breakfast not only fuels the body to help provide stamina, it is also very important for weight management and weight loss. It helps curb our hunger and prevent binge eating later in the day. We really should "Breakfast like a King, lunch like a lord and dine like a pauper…."

When I was a child, breakfast for our family usually composed of hot toasted pandesal from Juat bakery, different kinds of spread; kesong puti, cheese with anchor butter, fried eggs; and hot coffee or milk.

When I reached my teenage years, I started skipping breakfast. I just drink coffee or milk before going to school. I didn’t have enough time to eat because I usually woke up late (typical teenage habit).

I started eating rice for breakfast when I was working already. I need extra energy to be able to work efficiently. I feel exhausted every time I don’t eat enough.

According to a book I read, breakfast is even better with protein. Eggs are a great source of protein, vitamins like B and K as well as folic acid. And since there are many easy ways in preparing eggs, I usually cook it for breakfast. But as much as possible I limit our egg intake for 2-3 times a week.

Whenever I want the pares-type (pair) breakfast; like tapsilog, longsilog, tuyosilog, I usually cook egg sunny-side up or omelette-style. Sometimes I add garlic, onion and tomatoes for my scrambled egg.

I also cook corned beef with scrambled egg. My son loves it so much. I just mix the corned beef with egg and fry it just like in tortang giniling.

Carrot-Raisin Bars

2006-02-20T05:34:00.000+08:00

Now that I’m enjoying baking, I gain extra pounds as a consequence. I couldn’t resist eating a lot. I really made a point to use the freshest and finest ingredients every time I bake. My hubby and son love to eat what I bake. My hubby is also giving his officemates some of the goodies because he is really so proud of the taste of it.

Every time I eat, guilt sets in. How can I lose weight or even maintain my present weight if I don’t get rid of those calories from cakes? Well, I read from many dieting books, eating vegetables is healthy. So, since I love to eat, I chose this cake recipe with carrots. Since carrot is a vegetable then I’m now eating healthy (hahaha, what a logic!). I have this carrot-raisin bars recipe which is really delicious and nutritious but still loaded with fats and calories. At least, I actually get rid of a little of the guilt I feel because there's vegetable in my cake.

Do I make sense here? Oh, well never mind. I just love to share this recipe with you and from now on I’ll tell myself that even I’m plump, I still look beautiful and sexy (hahaha).

Carrot-Raisin Bars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9”x13” baking pan. Mix sugar and margarine. Add eggs and vanilla; beat. Stir in dry ingredients. Add raisins and carrots; stir. Spread mixture into baking pan; sprinkle with walnuts.
Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool; cut into bars.

Hello, Baking!

2006-02-19T13:04:00.000+08:00

After my unsuccessful attempt in baking about 7 years ago, I found the courage to try it again. But before I started, I bought some baking equipment especially the oven thermometer. It is necessary that you have the right oven temperature while baking. Now I know that the failure in baking lies in the temperature and measurement of ingredients.

I started baking banana cake. My friend Nora shared to me her simple banana cake recipe. Hooray!!! I got it right. Well, maybe it’s just a simple recipe that’s why I successfully made it.

I became a little adventurous, I started baking brownies. The first attempt of baking brownies was a real failure; I called it “roasted brownies.” But I don’t lose hope and said to myself, “C’mon Lani, you can try it again.” Here’s my recipe for brownies which I got from Del Monte kitchenomics website. And I’m happy I did it perfectly.

Fruit Cocktail Brownies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup margarine or butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
4 pcs eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp iodized fine salt
1 can (439 g) Del Monte Fiesta Fruit Cocktail
½ cup roasted cashew nuts

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
Melt margarine in sauce pan over low heat. Add cocoa. Remove from heat. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, fruit cocktail and nuts.
Pour onto greased rectangular pan (13” x 9”). Bake for 45 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from sides of pan. Cool slightly. Cut into bars.

Moral of my story: “Try and try until you succeed.”

Lasang Pinoy 6: Kalderetang Kambing

2006-01-30T05:33:00.000+08:00

The drinking of alcohol is a popular practice in the leisure time of most cultures; such as Filipino culture. It is also held in regard as a key part of many religious ceremonies like fiestas and weddings. Drinking is always a part of Pinoy celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries, and others. The most popular way to strengthen friendship is also through drinking.

Drinking session is not complete without pulutan. Pulutan is the Filipino version of appetizers/hors d'oeuvre/pica-pica or finger foods. A pulutan can be as simple as peanuts and chicharon or as exotic as adobong sawa,pawikan or bayawak, kalderetang aso or pusa, and balut ala pobre (adobong balut).

When I read Ting’s blog announcing the topic for our Lasang Pinoy 6, adobong bayawak is the first pulutan recipe that came to my mind. My aunt is expert in cooking this and I know she will share her expertise with me. Unfortunately, I don’t know where to find and buy bayawak nowadays; it’s an endangered species here in the country. So, I called up my mom to ask for another pulutan dish. She told me that kalderetang kambing is the favorite pulutan of her brothers whenever they have drinking spree. She also gave me the recipe. Since I can buy goat’s meat here in Quezon City, I chose kaldererang kambing to be my entry for LP6.

Ingredients:
1/2 k goat's meat
1 can (227 g) tomato sauce
1 can (85 g) liver spread
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp vinegar
1 1/2 cup water
3 siling labuyo
2 siling berde (pansigang)
1 laurel leaf
pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. In a pot, place goat's meat with ginger, 2 tbsp vinegar, and enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3o minutes. Discard the water and ginger. This must be done to remove the pungent odor of the goat's meat.

2. Add soy sauce, vinegar, laurel leaf, pepper, siling labuyo and water to the meat. Boil and simmer for 2 hours or until meat is tender, replenishing water once in a while.

3. Mash liver spread in tomato sauce. Set aside.

4. In another pan, saute garlic and onions in margarine or butter. Add meat including the stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the tomato sauce with liver spread into the pan, add siling berde and simmer for 5 minutes.

Sinigang na Dulong sa Kamias

2006-01-22T11:40:00.000+08:00

My family loves to eat sinigang. It is one of the most popular Filipino dishes aside from adobo and lechon. There are many variations of sinigang; every region here in the country has their own version of it. It’s that certain sourness that gives sinigang a much-coveted taste.

I lived in Bulacan for 4 years; they used to cook sinigang na baka using guavas. They also use tamarind pods and leaves for their sinampalukang native chicken. My lola who comes from Bulacan uses calamansi and tomatoes for sinigang na sapsap.

A friend of mine from Pampanga called sinigang sa bayabas bulanglang. I was really confused before when she told me that her husband wanted bulanglang but what she bought from the market were ingredients for sinigang sa bayabas. In Tagalog and Ilocos regions, bulanglang is a vegetable dish with bagoong na isda as broth.

In Cebu, a tomato-soured sinigang is called tinowa. In Angono, Rizal, they make barutak, a poor man's sinigang of ayungin flavored with shrimp-head juice.

Aside from the ingredients I mentioned, sinigang broth is also flavored with kamias; santol; green pineapples; green mangoes; green sineguelas; or any sour leaf, fruit or flower.

The accompanying vegetables, which complete the meal in a pot, vary according to what is customary, or in season. Some pinoys use singkamas, alibangbang leaves, leeks and even patola in sinigang. I usually use string beans, eggplant, radishes, okra, taro, onions, and pechay for my sinigang na baboy. Whenever I cook sinigang na bangus or baka sa bayabas, I use banana heart and camote tops. Sinigang na kanduli sa miso (soybean mash) and sinampalukang manok are complemented with mustard green and ginger. But I don’t forget to put tomatoes and green sili to every sinigang recipe I cook.

One of the secrets of tasty sinigang is cook it in rice washing.

Many restaurants here also offer different variations of sinigang. I heard that sinigang na corned beef is really delicious as well as sinigang na lechon. I will try these two one of these days.

I have this not so ordinary sinigang recipe. It is sinigang na dulong sa kamias. Dulong or usually called in English as pygmy goby, dwarf goby or starry goby, is a very small fish which can be eaten with crisp bones just like dilis or ayungin.
I got this recipe from CMC; the maker of Knorr products. Since we’re sinigang addict, I couldn’t help myself but to try different sinigang recipe.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pc small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup fresh dulong
4 pcs small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4-4 ½ cups water
1 pack Knorr Sinigang sa Kamias Mix
½ cup sili leaves
siling pansigang (optional)

Procedure:

1. In a sauce pan, heat oil and sauté garlic, onions and ginger. Add the dulong
and cook for about 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Add in the water, Knorr Sinigang sa Kamias Mix and sili leaves. Simmer until
leaves are cooked.

Tip: Fresh dulong purchased from the market should be cooked right away to preserve freshness. Malunggay leaves would also be a nice addition to this dish.

I would say that the Sinigang sa Kamias Mix tastes like the real kamias. But as much as possible, use fresh ingredients in cooking.

Ilocos Empanada in the Making

2006-01-06T05:09:00.000+08:00

I always watch TV programs or documentaries showcasing the beauty of the Philippines. One of the beautiful places I would love to visit is Vigan, Ilocos Sur. UNESCO made Vigan as one of the world’s heritage site.

I remember when I was 14 years old; I watched the movie “Underage” starring Dina Bonnevie, Maricel Soriano and Snooky Serna. Some of the scenes from that movie were shot in Vigan; the old house where they lived and the streets of Vigan.

Talking about Vigan isn’t complete without mentioning its food and delicacies. I love vigan longanisa, bagnet, and the most-famous empanada with sukang iloko dip.

Whenever I want to eat empanada I go to Sidcor Market in The Lung Center of the Philippines parking area every Sunday or in Katipunan, QC. While I was waiting for my order of empanada last December 24, 2005, I asked the stall owner in Sidcor Market if I could take pictures of their empanada cooking. She was really very generous enough to agree.

The procedure starts with the preparation of the wrapper. The woman gets some dough made from rice flour, form it into circle and flatten it with rolling pin.

She puts shredded papaya, cooked mongo on top of the flatten crust.
She adds vigan longanisa and 1 whole egg.

She folds it into half, trim the wrapper, and seal the edges then deep-fry in oil.

Yummy vigan empanada
By the way, empanada costs PhP35.00 each. I also bought bagnet for PhP340.00 per kilo and Vigan longanisa for PhP180.00.

Nilasing na baka

2006-01-04T09:38:00.000+08:00

We usually see men on the streets having a good time and drinking pale pilsen beer. It’s a common sight here in the country especially in places wherein the neighborhood bonding is strong. Drinking pale pilsen beer is usually a part of a celebration whether birthdays, baptisms, weddings, fiestas, etc. Many people also drink beer to drown their miseries.

I did drink beer when I was a teenager but not that I like the taste of it but out of peer pressure. You’re not “in” if you don’t drink. The bitterness of it doesn’t suit my taste.

According to Wikipedia, there are many different types of beer, each of which is said to belong to a particular style. A beer's style is a label that describes the overall flavor and often the origin of a beer, according to a system that has evolved by trial and error over many centuries.

A major component of determining the type of beer is the yeast used in the fermentation process. Most beer styles fall into one of two large families: ale, using top-fermenting yeast, or lager, using bottom-fermenting yeast. Beers that blend the characteristics of ales and lagers are referred to as hybrids.

Most of today's lager is based on the Pilsner style, pioneered in 1842 in the town of Plzeň, in the Czech Republic.

Since I don’t like the taste of beer straight from the mug/bottle, I instead used it in cooking. I got this Nilasing na Baka recipe from CMC (California Manufacturing Corporation).

Ingredients:
1 bottle pale pilsen beer
1 kilo sirloin beef
Medium sized ginger, minced
6 stalks pandan, sliced and crushed
2 pcs. Knorr beef broth cubes
2 cups coconut milk
3 pcs. Siling labuyo
2 tbsp atsuete oil
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp basil
2 pcs red bell pepper, sliced
1 ½ tsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
1 cup coconut cream
2 tbsp spring onions, chopped

Procedure:
1. In a saucepan, combine beer, beef, ginger, pandan, Knorr broth cubes, and the coconut milk.
Simmer until beef is tender.
2. Add sili, atsuete oil, basil, oregano, pepper, and Knorr Liquid Seasoning. Simmer for 5
minutes. Stir in coconut cream and the remaining ingredients. Cook until done. Garnish with
spring onion before serving.

I followed the recipe but forgot to buy atsuete, that’s why it lacks in color. And I also add 1 tsp of sugar to neutralize the spiciness. What can I say about the taste? Its taste resembles a lot to beef with curry because of the spices and herb I used.

Oasis in Cubao

2005-12-30T19:51:00.000+08:00

CUBAO is one of the places I associate with my childhood. Before the emergence of SM North Edsa, Ayala Center, Ortigas Center, and Libis, Cubao held the title of the most-visited place in Metro Manila.

My first carnival visit was in Fiesta Carnival. I was in Grade 5 when our section had a field trip and one of the destinations was the Fiesta Carnival. I couldn’t forget how dizzy I was when we took the octopus ride. I also rode the roller coaster and caterpillar. It was such a lovely experience for me.

My friends and I always watched the Christmas presentation being shown in COD Cubao every year. Unfortunately, COD closed down last year and the traditional presentation ended.

The main attraction in Cubao is the Araneta Coliseum. This is where I watched “Holidays on Ice” when I was 10 years old.

The Aranetas (owner of Araneta Center) are developing Araneta Center now to regain the glory of Cubao. One of the newly-built establishments in Cubao is the Gateway Mall. For me, it is an upscale department store. The main attraction of the mall is the oasis. I couldn’t help myself taking pictures of the oasis.

The place where Fiesta Carnival was formerly situated had become Shopwise Store. Fiesta Carnival became an outdoor carnival infront of SM Cubao.

Lasang Pinoy 4: Soul Food [Paksiw na Pata]

2005-11-22T17:09:00.000+08:00

Soul food is an ethnic cuisine, food traditionally eaten by African Americans of the Southern United States. Many of the various dishes and ingredients included in "soul food" are also regional fare and comprise a part of white Cuisine of the Southern United States, as well.

The style of cooking originated during slavery, when slaves were generally given only the "leftover" and "undesirable" cuts of meat (after the slaveowners had taken the choicest cuts), and had only the vegetables they grew for themselves. After slavery ended, many former slaves, being poor, could afford only off-cuts of meat, along with offal. Subsistence farming yielded fresh vegetables, and fishing and hunting
Soul food is the style of cooking originated during slavery, when slaves were generally given only the "leftover" and "undesirable" cuts of meat (after the slaveowners had taken the choicest cuts), and had only the vegetables they grew for themselves.

The dominant figure in the cultural translation through food is the black woman. Her expressions of love, nurturance, creativity, sharing, patience, economic frustration, survival, and the very core of her African heritage are embodied in her meal preparation" (Hughes, p.272). Women preparing their dishes get a sense of pride as they watch their family devour the food they have prepared. They are happy when they have fulfilled the cravings of their loved ones. "Plumpness is a symbol of the wonderful job which she is performing. Even when her job occupation is food preparation for White America, her success symbol is plumpness. A big body to the Black woman represents health and prosperity" (Huges, p.273).

Lola Anday, my paternal grandmother who died from breast cancer when I was 12 years old, can be likened to the plump black woman who was the dominant figure in the cultural translation through food of African-American people. Even for Asians like us, women are the ones who shower their family with love and concern, they are also usually the ones who prepare dishes for their loved ones.

I remember when I was young; once a month we used to hold a family salo-salo (get-together)in our grandparents’ home in Dagupan, Tondo, Manila. All of my father’s siblings and family were always present at the said affair. It was a bonding time for the family. We shared funny stories with our cousins; we played a lot, too.

My lola Anday was the one who cooked for all of us. She was a very beautiful plump woman. In her menu, she wouldn’t forget to include paksiw na pata with plenty of banana blossom every month because that is my favorite viand. That's why I chose this recipe as my soul food, to pay tribute to my lola's love and devotion to our family.

Food that brings back memories of my loved ones is my soul food. Every time I cook and serve this recipe to my family, I can’t forget to tell them that this food reminds me of my lola.

Paksiw na Pata

Ingredients:
pata front (cut into serving portion)
white vinegar
soy sauce
cup water
crushed garlic
banana blossoms
1 crushed laurel leaf
peppercorns
sugar
(I didn’t specify the exact measurement because I usually cook according to my taste)

Procedure:
1. Marinate the pork pata in the mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and crushed garlic.
2. Add water, peppercorns, and laurel leaf to the marinated mixture and simmer pata until
tender.
3. Add salt and sugar to taste (I want my paksiw sweet).
4. Add plenty of banana blossom.

I am my lola’s first apo. She was a widow with no child when he met my lolo who was a widower with 3 children. They got married and had 3 sons. Even though my lolo had 3 children in his first marriage, lola had a harmonious relationship with her stepchildren.

My mom told me that my lola was very excited when she found out that she was pregnant with me. Lola Anday made sure that my mom would follow all her obstetrician-gynecologist’s advice and that she would religiously take all her vitamins and visit her doctor regularly for prenatal check-ups.

When I was born on June 3, 1966, my grandma was so happy when she saw me. She and my lolo took turns in caring for me while my mom was still recovering from the caesarean operation. I was not an easy baby to take care of (hehehe). I always cried a lot and was also very sickly.

My lola chronicled my life from the day I was born until the day she became sick. Everything about me was written in her diary; the first smile, the first laughter, the first word that I uttered, etc. We only found out this chronicle book entitled Lanie’s biography when we arranged her things after she died.

She provided for all my needs and kapritso. She had so many dreams for me; she wanted me to be a doctor, to have my own car when I reached college, to have my own flat with her, she also wanted me to travel to other countries, and so on. I would say that I became spoiled because of my lola. I was the apple of her eyes. She was so proud of me and always so happy to tell her friends that we looked alike. But the truth is my lola was more beautiful than I am. My vacation and weekends were always spent in my grandparents’ house. I always accompany her every where she went with her friends. They all loved to sing, they were members of a choral group.

When I was 11 years old, my lola found out that she had 4th stage breast cancer. She tried different medical procedures to combat cancer. She underwent cobalt treatment and chemotherapy. She also wanted to undergo mastectomy but the doctor discouraged her. I saw her sufferings but she didn’t give up easily. She was a very strong woman; despite of her illness she tried not to show us her pain. I remember almost a month before she passed away, she was already bedridden because her breast cancer metastasized to her bones. She always cried and ask for forgiveness to me and my mama because she didn't want to burden us. She wanted to live longer to see me fulfill our dreams. Lola wanted to see me graduated in Elementary (that time) with top honors. I became the valedictorian in our school but unfortunately when I graduated, my lola wasn’t able to attend the ceremony because she was in critical condition in the hospital. She went into coma, and died 10 days after my Elementary graduation.

LasangPinoy4

Lasang Pinoy 3: Pinoy Street Food [ TAHO! ]

2005-10-25T18:33:00.000+08:00

This entry is for the Lasang Pinoy 3:
Pinoy Street Food

TAHO! TAHOO! TAHOOO!

“Mom, manong (that’s how we call the taho vendor) is already here; please give me barya to buy taho.” I was always excited whenever I hear the taho vendor’s voice every morning when I was young. Taho is one of my favorite street foods until now. I usually request the vendor to add more arnibal and sago to my taho. I prefer my taho to be really hot (as in bagong luto talaga).

I passed this craving to my son who also loves it so much. Even my niece Gwen waits every morning for the taho vendor. Her day isn’t complete without eating our favorite street food.

I tried before to make taho because I was a little worried about how this delicious food was being prepared and cooked. Being a mommy now, I want my son to eat food which is nutritious and hygienically prepared. Unfortunately, the taho I made didn’t taste like the one we used to buy from manong.

Whenever I go to Sidcor Market (that’s the organic market here in Lung Center of the Philippines parking area every Sunday), I usually buy taho from this stall which is selling soybeans products. I forgot the name of the store (sorry because it’s been a little while since I visited the Sunday market). The saleslady told me that their taho is really pure soybeans and hygienically prepared although a little pricey. That’s PhP25. per cup. But if you would buy it from manong, it’s much cheaper.

I just can’t control my craving for taho. Hygienically prepared or not I still wait for manong every morning to savor the taste and sweetness of taho. Anyway, food addiction runs in the blood of our family (he,he,he).