"Nilagang Liempo at Manok"

Earlier today, this dish was our lunch. My kiddo and I liked our "Nilaga" this way ..... sweet and tangy! Because of the sweet potato (kamote) and chinese celery (kinchay).... great combination in soup! (",)

You’ll need:

• 350 grams pork belly cut into 2” cubes
• 4 pcs (350 g) chicken wings
• 6 cups rice wash or water
• 1 tsp rock salt
• 1 pc chicken cube
• 1 large native onion
• 3 pcs (300 g) sweet potato, whole
• 2 small (200 g) potato, cut into two
• 6 pcs ripe plantain bananas, cut into two
• A bunch (25 g) of chinese celery, seperate the stalks from the leaves
• 80 grams chinese cabbage, cut at 2’ length
• 80 grams green cabbage, cut into large wedges

Here’s how:

1. In a thick bottom casserole, over high heat, put the pork, chicken and rice wash. Cover. Bring to boil (remove scum as it arises). Put the next-five ingredients. Cover again and let it boil. Then, reduce fire to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.


2. Increase fire to medium, mash one piece of sweet potato, making sure it dissolves in the soup. Put the bananas and chinese celery stalks. Cover. Cook for another 8-10 minutes.


3. Put the chinese celery leaves, chinese cabbage and green cabbage. Cook until veggies are soft-crunchy.


4. Serve immediately. Best with warm rice and fish sauce with hot chili pepper.

Summer Skate Manila 2006

For all the GT Mommies who wanted to see the pictures of my kiddo... hehe (",) These photos were taken last summer, May 23-25 2006 at SM-Mall of Asia, Int'l Ice Skating Rink.

continue reading ....

Pao Express

I wasn't able to update my blog for over a week now. Too busy with my kiddo's skating lessons, make up tests in school, part-time chocolate business and doctor's appointments! whew! (",)

Yesterday, after school, we went to SM-Southmall for my Little One's ice skating lessons. It took only an hour but for my son it was grueling!!! The competition is getting near ... he needed the extra push! Before going home, we bought pasalubong for Lola. I decided to try "Pao Express" and their assorted mini-siopao (bola-bola, asado, monggo and ube). For me and my mother, the taste... hmmm......was okay nothing to rave about! Still, nothing beats Ma Mun Luk's special siopao!!! But my kiddo loved it! He preferred the asado flavor.

"Cheez Pimiento Crepe"

A different crepe but very easy to make .... yumyum!

Good for 3 servings.

You'll need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pancake flour
• 1 tetra pack (250ml) fresh milk
• ¼ cup margarine or salted butter
• 3-5 tbsps of cheese pimiento spread

Here's how:

1. Place in an ovenproof bowl the butter. Put inside the oven toaster. Turn knob to 5. Bake until butter melts.


2. Heat a non-stick skillet at medium heat.


3. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add pancake flour and fresh milk. Blend. Add the melted butter. Whisk well until batter is smooth.


4. Pour ¼ cup of batter to skillet pan. When it bubbles, flip. Cook the other side for 30 seconds or until it browns. Remove from pan. Fold into to two while still hot. Do the same to the rest. It yields 9 crepes.


5. Place 3 crepes in a side plate (should be ovenproof). Top with a tablespoon or more of cheese pimiento spread. Do the same to the rest of the crepes. Warm crepes inside the oven until cheese melts.


6. Serve immediately.

"Fiesta Ham & Crab Stick Fried Rice"

A crab stick is an item of food made from surimi (processed fish). It is a tight roll of white fish meat formed into a rectangular shape about the dimensions of a finger. It is flavoured similar to crab with the outer part dyed in bright red color.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• 3 pcs eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp extra light olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 5 cloves of finely minced garlic
• 2-3 pcs of finely minced shallots
• ¼ pc (10g) of finely minced chinese sausage
• 2 cups (250g) PUREFOODS fiesta ham, thin strips
• 8 pcs (125g) crabstick, cut at ½” thick
• ½ cup (100g) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed & drained
• 8 cups packed white cooked rice, mashed to separate grains
• 1 pack (23g) KIM’S fried rice seasoning mix
• 1 heaping tbsp of MAMA SITA’S oyster sauce
• ¾ tbsp MAGGI SAVOR liquid seasoning, hot chili flavor
• 1/3 cup (25g) spring onion, minced

Here’s how:

1. In a large non-stick wok, place over medium-high heat. Put cooking oil. Heat slightly. Pour beaten eggs. Continue stirring until half-cooked only. Remove from pan. Place over cooked rice.


2. Back to the wok, put extra light olive, sesame oil & garlic. Sauté until light brown only. Add shallots & chinese sausage, cook for 20 seconds.


3. Put ham, crabstick, frozen mixed veggies, cooked rice and eggs. Mix well.


4. Add seasoning mix, oyster sauce and liquid seasoning. Mix well. Cook until rice is fluffy, stirring very often. Remove from fire. Sprinkle with spring onions.


5. Serve hot.

“Adobong Baboy” (Pork in Savory Sauce)

This dish was Tito Jonathan’s baon last week. He was sailing back to Davao.

You’ll need:

• ½ kg pork belly, cut into ¾” cube
• 2-½ tbsps soy sauce
• 1-½ tbsp white vinegar
• ½ tsp of rock salt
• ½ tsp white sugar
• 6 cloves garlic, finely crushed with some skin
• 1 small native onion, finely minced
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 1 tsp freshly cracked peppercorns
• ½ tsp whole peppercorns
• 2-3 tbsps of cooking oil

Here’s how:

1. In a thick bottom casserole (use non –stick, if possible), put all ingredients except for the cooking oil. Cover. Over medium-high fire, bring to boil (Do not open cover until it is boiling or vinegar is fragrant). Then, reduce fire to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Mix every 10 minutes.


2. Increase fire to medium, put oil. Stir-fry for about a minute.


3. Serve with hard-boiled eggs, chopped tomatoes & cooked white rice. This dish is also good for lunch baon.

“Laing” (Dried Taro Leaves in Coconut Cream)

For 2 weeks now, I still have cravings for vegetables. This time, I want it with coconut cream. I have a pack of dried taro leaves in my pantry for quite awhile now. A pasalubong from Bicol by my friend, Tin-tin. What’s so good about it, it’s an authentic dried taro leaves! No other extender and stalks. It’s aromatic and has a sweet-tangy taste along with the sauce-like coconut cream…. Yummy!

Good for 6 persons.

You’ll need:

• 450 grams pork belly, cut into 2”x ¼” cubes
• 1 tbsp of rock salt
• 3 tbsps cooking oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• A thumb sized ginger
• 2 tbsps fish paste (bagoong isda)
• ½ pack -45 grams of dried authentic taro leaves
• 6 pcs finger chilis, cut diagonally
• 2 pcs chili pepper, minced
• Coconut cream (kakang-gata):
• 2 pcs (800 g) coconut, grated
• 1 cup warm water
• Coconut milk (pangalawang gata):
• Coconut used in extracting coconut cream
• 3-2/3 cups warm water

Here’s how:

1. Foremost, extract the coconut cream. Then, follow the coconut milk. Set aside separately.


2. In a bowl, combine the first-two ingredients. Mix well. Set aside. Meanwhile, pound together the garlic and ginger with a mortar and pestle until finely crushed.


3. In a pan, over high fire, put the cooking oil. Add marinated pork. Lightly fry both sides of pork. Remove from pan.


4. Back to the pan, reduce fire to medium-high, sauté the garlic and ginger until golden brown. Pour the fish paste. Saute until oil sizzles. Add the coconut milk and dried taro leaves. Stir lightly. Let it cook over low fire until all liquid evaporates or taro leaves are soft.


5. Put the coconut cream, chillies and fried pork. Mix lightly. Simmer in low fire until desired thickness of coconut cream.


6. Best serve with cooked rice.

Paniki (Bats)

Yesterday my mother's been talking about bats (paniki or kabog) in our backyard. She saw them flying around our Sugar-apple tree (puno ng atis). Out of curiosity, I waited for it and took pictures. It was around six in the evening (habang nag-aagaw ang dilim at liwanag!). I got a little scared not because of myths and stories about them but the fact that they may actually bite me! I've read somewhere that they do bite. I was in the dark in the middle of our backyard while I took pictures of them. They were only a few meters away and circling almost at the top of my head (",)

A Surprise Visit

Yesterday, we had a surprise visit from Lolo Tinok and Lola Josie. They were relatives from my biological father side. It was good to see them again after almost two decades. Yup, that long! hehe! I ordered "Pancit Malabon" from Aling Lucy's Panciteria and "Bonete" from a nearby bakery. We munched on it while talking. They were even interviewed by my kiddo! He's so talkative nowadays .. too many questions! (",)

"Garlicky Chicken Drumstick"

When Manila was hit by typhoon Milenyo, we had no electricity for a whole week. We practically lived on canned goods, eggs and frozen processed foods, which by the way needed to be consumed asap! – no fridge! Because of this, I was craving for veggies while my kiddo's begging me to cook fried chicken. He's begging coz his allergic to it. To compromise things, I came up with these two recipes.


You’ll need:

• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 600 grams chicken drumsticks
• ½ tbsp of rock salt
• ¾ tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 tbsps cornstarch
• 3 tbsps flour
• A cup of cooking oil

Here’s how:

1. Using a mortar and pestle, pound lightly the garlic. Remove skin. Now, one by one, pound the garlic until finely crushed. Place the crushed garlic in a chopping board. Mince finely.


2. Place in large plastic bowl the chicken drumsticks. Add salt, pepper, vinegar and garlic. Mix well using your hand. Let it stand for 15-20 minutes.


3. Using a round bottom pan, heat cooking oil over medium fire. Heat thoroughly.Meanwhile, sprinkle the marinated chicken with cornstarch and flour. Cover the bowl with a large plastic plate. Hold it together firmly then shake it until chicken is well coated. Fry both sides until rich golden brown.


4. Serve with hot cooked rice and “Garlicky Chayote”

"Garlicky Chayote"

You’ll need:

• 9 cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
• 3 pcs (950 grams) chayote, sliced at 1/8” thick and 1/2” wide
• 2 pcs chicken cubes

Here’s how:
Remove skin of garlic. Pound the garlic with mortar and pestle until well crushed. Transfer to a chopping board. Finely mince.

In a skillet, over medium fire, put oil. Heat very lightly. Place garlic. Reduce heat to low. Slowly sauté the garlic until it turns rich golden brown in color.

Add chayote and chicken cubes. Increase slightly the fire to medium-low. Cover. Let it cook for a few minutes until soft but not overcook. Stirring every now and then, to have even cooking.

Best as a hot side dish.

Different Animals & Plants in our Backyard

Manila was hit by typhoon Milenyo last Sept 28. For this reason, we haven't had electricity for 7 straight days! It was a week of discomfort. Well, nothing much to do ... no surfing the net and blogging for me! I just played with my camera and took pictures of anything in our backyard (",)