frozen tofu...anyone?

i mistakenly popped a tofu in the freezer.

now, i'm not sure what to do with it.

gelan korean restaurant: a learning experience

my hunny is on overtime work and i'm scouting for a new place to eat. near their office are two korean restaurants. we visited the Korean Palace restaurant. Checked it out and it's more of a chinese than korean. across the building is gelan korean restaurant. we tried that one.

inside, the ambiance is clean and clear. tables are in wood. walls are in white. low tables are available on the other side. my hunny's boss recommended the place so we chose this one.

we ordered dolsot bibimbap. this is a mix of vegetables, pork, mushrooms, red spicy sauce and korean sticky rice on a stone pot.

the appetizers are refillable. that is, you can get and consume all you want even if you just ordered a basic meal.

taking our first bite is a learning experience. i like korean food's totally complex flavor and preparation. however, this is a restaurant where you will clearly distinguish totally awesome korean delicacies to awfully bad korean servings.

during the course of finishing the bibimbap, i get the feeling that i'm in a formal wedding celebration where i am forced to eat what is served in front of me. ho hum.

kimchi is poorly prepared. you'll get a mash of veggies in indistict red sauce. taste is not good. even though they insist that it is refillable, i did not dare go get another serving. i've seen kimchi in neatly cut chinese cabbages in a roll-like shape. not just a mix of veggies hidden in thick red sauce.

dolsot bibimbap is served in a stone pot. but this one is a fake. rice is not cooked on a HOT stone pot. instead, they just placed the electric-rice-cooker-cooked-rice in a room temperature stone pot. hmm... i think they haven't understood it yet that some of the great stuff in a bibimbap is the sauce-drenched rice that got stuck toasted-crisp on the hot stone pot.

my recommendation: walk 2 blocks away and try Dong Won Korean Restaurant instead. price is the same but quality is far better than this one. sorry gelan.

gelan korean restaurant

kalayaan avenue near corner of makati avenue

makati city

tofu got twisted

i dropped by a local supermarket and found a corner of the refrigerated area full of tofu squares from of different brands from here and abroad. never saw this much on a local supermarket. i got the local ones...but i got about 6 blocks of tofu!

tofu got twisted

2 blocks tofu

2 eggs

flour

coarse bread crumbs

lots of oil

kikkoman soy sauce

wasabe

slice the large tofu block into 1 inch by 1 inch cubes. lightly beat the eggs. add little salt on the flour.

preparing 1 tofu cube at a time, dredge in flour, dip in egg, then dredge in bread crumbs. do this in all the tofu you can make.

in a deep fryer, add lots of healthy oil.

when hot and ready, add the tofu by batches. never over fill the oil as the temperature may drop and affect the frying.

fry the tofu till golden brown.

for the dipping sauce...hmm......how do you do it.... hmmm... ... ... ... i guess..... uhhhhhhh.... wellllllllll... uuuuuuuuuuuhhhh... what the heck..... just mix the wasabe paste with the kikkoman soy sauce.

aling lucing's sisig

a real kapampangan knows this. aling lucing became popular with her sisig recipe. sisig is made with pork head boiled, grilled, chopped then seared on a piping hot plate.

aling lucing's original shop is located near the "riles" (railroad tracks) at angeles, pampanga. their shop there is still going strong and went into restaurant franchising.

we visited their shop in makati to reminisce the flavors they have made.

sisig is still good as always. a lot of variations have evolved from the original. my mom told me that the authentic kapampangan sisig is made with boiled pork, chopped, and marinated in vinegar, salt, chopped onions and chili.

my version is to boil the pork, grill, fry and serve it on a hot plate. mixed with the pork are chopped grilled liver and boiled pig brains. yup. pig brains. you get them here locally. pork is marinated in vinegar, chopped onions, and chilli. i'll blog my sisig when i make one.

aling lucing's sisig is similar but they serve them on a hot plate with chili only as an option. they have modified the preparation to adjust to the likes of the city slickers. they serve it with rice and a selection of other viands.

aling lucing's sisig

pasong tamo, near the corner of buendia

makati city

ampalaya guisado

ampalaya (bitter melon) is a very popular veggie here. a lot of recipes are available for this bitter veggie. once you develop your taste for ampalaya, you'll definitely crave for one.

there are techniques in minimizing the bitterness of the fruit. one is to put little salt on the ampalaya after slicing then squeeze out the juices. just be careful not to mash the flesh.

the other is not to over mix the veggie when cooking. just let it stay on the pan till ready.

but for my taste, i like its mellow bitterness that embraces your taste buds.

on this dish, this is a version very easy to make using everyday ingredients. an option is to add canned sardines after sauteing the garlic and onions. but this simple dish is perfect in itself.

ampalaya guisado

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 medium onion

2 medium tomatoes

2 eggs

1 large ampalaya

salt and pepper

chop the garlic. slice the onions in rings. chop and seed the tomatoes. heat the pan with little oil. add the chopped garlic till golden brown. add the sliced onions and saute till translucent. add chopped tomatoes. saute till tender but still firm.

lightly beat the eggs and add it to the saute. swirl the egg around to cover the bottom of the pan creating a flat yellow mixture. slice the egg in slivers using your ladle and mix around.

add the sliced ampalaya. heat through for about 5 minutes. add salt and pepper to taste.