minced me

missing our food from home: fish lumpia

2008-11-29T14:33:00.003-08:00

living here in a place away from home, we usually miss local food prepared using native ingredients. well...here...we try our best to get alternative ingredients that is a good substitute and very close to the local flavor.

here, we had fried tilapia to make this fish lumpia. they also call the fish tilapia here. i'm not sure though if there's a western name of it. my mom who visited a place near jerusalem found a market there selling tilapia too.

the difference of the tilapia sold here is that you buy them in large adult sizes. there are no small or medium sizes here. and when you buy them, you'll be lucky if the fish monger will clean the guts out of the fish you bought.

fish lumpia
1 large tilapia, cleaned and fried
1 medium tomato
1 small onion
1 small carrot
1 small bellpepper
8 stalks of coriander leaves
salt and pepper to taste
square pastry or lumpia wrapper

prepare the tilapia. clean the fish. fry the fish till done. set aside to cool. flake the fish removing the skin and the bones.

prepare the other filling. cut the tomato crosswise. under cold running water, lightly squeeze the tomato to remove the seeds. dry with a paper towel and cut into very small chunks. peel and cut the onion and carrot. cut them into small chunks. remove the seeds of the bell pepper. cut into small chunks as well. cut up the coriander leaves and mix it together with the vegetables. add a little salt and pepper to taste.

make sure that the vegetables are cut having same sizes about the size of a pea.

prepare the lumpia. place enough filling diagonally close to the corner edge of the lumpia wrapper. fold over the corner covering the filling and roll it back nicely but a little tight. close the ends of the lumpia to secure the filling. continue rolling the lumpia till you reach the other end. with a little water, moisten the wrapper to seal.

on a shallow pan, place some oil enough to fry the wrapper. as the filling is already cooked, you only have to cook the wrapper. lumpia is ready when golden in color. place the fried lumpia on paper towels to drain.

for the dipping sauce, crush some fresh garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper and some red hot chilli peppers.

craving for KFC

2008-11-08T15:56:00.003-08:00

my hunny and i went to richmond centre and got hungry in the middle of walking around in circles. at the center of the mall is a food court. and in one little corner is...voila!!!! KFC!!!

fresh chicken here is a bit expensive which makes KFC a little bit expensive. we got the best priced meal for the buck and got a 4 piece regular recipe chicken, a regular sized mashed potato, a large drink, and a tub of gravy. all are for about 12 dollars. wow! that's about 500 pesos for a 4 piece chicken!!!!! crazy!!!!!!!!!!

that's equivalent to having a big barrel of KFC back in manila plus all the sidings you can have and an unlimited supply of gravy!!!! yummmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and take a good note of this- gravy is bought separately!!! they will just serve KFC with catsup. KFC is not complete without gravy!!! ugggghhhhhhhhh!

well...i still enjoyed KFC. I would still get KFC wherever I go....and whatever price they dictate.

milk on milk candies

2008-11-02T16:16:00.004-08:00

when i was a kid, i used to have a quick self prepared snack of powdered milk and sugar. variations were made if powdered chocolate drink is available. i mix everything up...no science in mixing...just everything in a small cup. i would then bring this along with me around the house slowly spooning my time away with this glorious powdered invention of mine.

a few years later, my hunny introduced me to this easy recipe of a similar combination. again, there's no science behind the mix. just do what you like.

milk on milk candy

1 can condensed milk

2 cups powdered skimmed milk

about 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

pour the condensed milk in a large bowl. add 1 cup of skimmed milk to the condensed milk. mix the two milk mixture well. if the dough is too sticky, add more skimmed milk then mix it well again. adding more skimmed milk will make the dough drier and a little tougher. just take it easy on adding more skimmed milk. you may need to use your hands in mixing the dough as it will be too heavy to mix using a spoon.

when the dough is easily handled and doesn't stick on the hands, it is now ready for shaping. easiest method is to flatten the dough half an inch thick. then with a knife, cut the flattened dough into small squares. again, no science. you may shape them into your own desired shape. u can make them into balls as well by rolling small pieces of dough on your hand.

if you have choco chip morsels, you can plug it in the cut dough to have variaty to the chews.

roll then the small candy chews on granulated sugar to prevent them from sticking with their fellow chews.

curry me back

2008-10-30T21:22:00.003-07:00

i'm back and it's my first autumn. trees are turning red. time to cook red!

vancouver is a good place to find different cuisines as the city is built with different cultures of the world. indian stores are everywhere. as a newcomer here, we got lost somewhere around the city and got into a good indian store.

ge got different curry mixes, some are sold in pouches, some are sold by the kilo. here is a simple way of preparing a simple dish but making it appear real!

we also found a pack of mixed dry curry spice. my best guess is that it has crumbled kafir, whole mustard seeds, whole fennel seeds and whole corriander seeds. i liked this one as this pack retained the texture of the spices and not just a fine powdered mist that you would never know what's inside.

Red Curry Shrimps

1 pouch red curry paste
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
1 big knob fresh ginger
1 tablespoon of mixed curry spice
1 cup yogurt
1 can coconut cream
1 big can chickpeas
2 cups peeled shrimps

on a pan with hot oil, add ginger. mix till the aroma fills your kitchen. ginger may be more. i actually used 1 giant knob of ginger instead of a conservative big knob. add onions and garlic. garlic need not be browned. add the dry mix spice. saute a bit then add the red curry paste. your whole house will now be engulfed with the curry essence.

add the coconut cream and yogurt. set the fire to medium low. add the chickpeas. simmer for about 5 minutes. watch the pot and don't let it boil over. it should be in a slow simmer and never a rolling boil. this is to prevent the cocounut cream from curdling.

you don't have to add water as we will make a thick curry sauce. simmering will take about 8 to 10 minutes or until the consistency of sauce had thickened a bit.

add shrimps and simmer for another 2 minutes. add chopped chili if preferred. serve with tons of basmati rice!

one of my friends is mad at me because of no foodie updates. this one's for him who's first name starts with j and ends with j. i guess he knows who he is.

trapping the last days of summer

2008-09-09T21:24:00.003-07:00

we're now on the tail end of our first summer here in vancouver. summer here is still cold. but vancouverites wear ultra mini skirts while i hide in my thick jacket.

shops here place on sale different cool treats to fizzle out the summer heat. on my part, summer or winter, i always enjoy a good serving of ice cream.

From ice cream

Safeway popsies. Twin popsies from manila is better.

From ice cream

Local brand. vanilla sandwiched in moist chocolate graham cookie. place your freezer on high to preserve its form.

From ice cream

premium ice cream. expensive in manila. still expensive here! but you get one of the better ice creams around.

From ice cream

8-8-8

2008-08-09T10:54:00.002-07:00

Eighth day of the eitghth month of the eighth year. it only comes once in a a millenium. i'm lucky to be alive on this day! a great chinese philosophy considering it very prosperous. it is probably the reason beijing olympics opted to host the games.

to ride with the chinese luck, one shop here released new flavors of potato chips. they added an oriental zing to an old favorite.

this is the first time i came across a General Tao Chicken. i wonder if there really is a good secret sauce for an authentic General Tao Chicken. ...and who is General Tao? is he a noble kitchen man aside from handling a big hungry army???

well, based from the chips, this one tastes like ginger, soy sauce and hoisin sauce. a pretty nice combination for the good name of General Tao.

ahhhhh.... this is easy. anything from szechwan is spicy! yeah. but this one, they kept it safe for everybody. mildly hot and a touch of sweetness. i guess the market here is to make the spice mild....or else....nobody's going to try the product!

Granville Island part 2

2008-07-24T21:04:00.003-07:00

running around the farmer's market, you'll find it tiring and now you're willing to get something to sink your teeth into. of all the shops in the market, i found this sausage shop with a long line of people. this is my cue for me to try their sausages.

I got a double smoked sausage with sauerkraut, caramelized onions, pickle relish, pickled bell peppers and whole grain mustard.

i chose to eat outside and enjoy the sun. be careful not to leave your sausage on the table as one of those big birds would swoop down and get it! goooooooodbye doggggggiiiiiieeee!!!!

Granville Island

2008-07-22T18:58:00.003-07:00

Granville Island is a must see for tourists in Vancouver. Located under the huge bridges of Vancouver, this place is bustling with activity. Restaurants, food shops, market, toy stores, tattoo shops, art galleries, park and boat haven are in one place. If you go to vancouver, go here.

salmon and tuna (i think)

cheese frenzy

bagel haven

fruits of a farmer's labor

closest thing to an old fashioned fudge

pasta galore

The Soup Stock. This is a shop from which I got my first job offer in vancouver! I liked the idea of working there but they needed me tied with them for 6 months. I refused. Sorry. but the shop is great!

bread mania

sweet tooth paradise

crab in a (not so) secret ingredient

2008-07-09T12:14:00.008-07:00

this is a recipe that would make a soda pop giant very happy. they might not even know that their product is being used all over the philippines for preparing good sea food meals. in any small village in any point of the country, they would know this for sure!

crab in a (not so) secret ingredient

crab

1 bottle secret ingredient

salt

get a good sized live crab. mussels, which are common in the philippines, and shrimps may be used too. place it in a deep pot.

pour the secret ingredient into the pot enough to half cover the crab.

poach for about 15 minutes or until the crab is done and had changed color.

and the secret ingredient is..................

orange!

2008-07-08T11:46:00.005-07:00

orange kisses!

orange ice cream!

my first grill-out in vancouver

2008-07-07T13:24:00.008-07:00

since arriving here last winter time, i've been waiting for the hottest days of the months. they tell me that it will be so annoyingly hot that even if you leave the doors and windows open, all you get is steady air! but where is it? it's already july!!!!

well, last weekend, we had a clear and warm day. cool winds are still there but none of the annoying stuff. we slept over with some friends and we had the chance to grill! yeah! grill! my first here in vancouver!

we're with friends and i have to make some ribs with marinade from anything i can find available. i used here a mix of italian seasoning, a dab of oyster sauce, a little soup stock to make the marinade runny, salt and pepper. marinade is not extra rich and thick as i want my ribs not to be over-powered by a heavy sauce.

ribs were pre-boiled to make it tender and easily grilled without waiting several hours to cook through. i also found some onions, a piece of corn, and two slices of pink salmon in their fridge. i decided to grill them too to have a little variety.

asian burger

2008-07-02T14:56:00.006-07:00

with the abundance of asian grocery stores here, adding a twist to a western sandwich is a stroll in the park. I added tofu and coriander leaves to a basic burger recipe and it did wonders.

asian burger

1 kilo good quality ground extra lean beef
1 egg
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
3/4 cups of roughly chopped fried tofu
salt and pepper
pinch of rosemary (optional)
fresh coriander leaves

mix the ground beef with the chopped onions. add the egg to bind the meat together. add salt and pepper according to taste. I usually add about 1 teaspoon of salt and about half a teaspoon of ground pepper. the pinch of rosemary will add a little taste of freshness to the burger. add a tablespoon of soy sauce. soy sauce will improve the color and adds flavor.

combine the chopped fried tofu with the meat mixture. i used about 4 small 2x2x2 cubes of fried tofu which i got from a chinese grocery store. mix the meat mixture until all the spices and the meat are properly blended together.

get a chunk from the meat mixture and form it into a small ball with your clean hands. using your palms, flatten the ball into a nice patty. it would be up to you on how big or how thick you want your burger to be. just keep in mind that when cooking extra thick burgers, place your heat into medium low to let the insides cook through without over-cooking the outsides. patty will shrink a bit after cooking so make sure that the raw patties are a bit bigger than your bread!

layer patties on plastic sheets to prevent it from sticking together. I use cling wrap for these. once frozen, you can easily pull-out 1 patty instead of getting the whole batch thawed and re-freeze again....which is not good.

to prepare, pan fry the burger till done. smother a lightly toasted burger bun with mayo and mustard. place the burger inside. top it up with cheese and lettuce. generously add fresh coriander leaves.

baked basa fillet

2008-06-25T11:10:00.005-07:00

one of the easiest way to make a good dinner is to bake fish. the secret here is just make sure you have good quality fish. this is a sure-fire-sumptious-sonofogun-sarvation-satisfaction for guests who come crashing to your door for no reason at all.

baked basa fillet

2 large pcs cleaned basa fillet

olive oil

butter

sprigs of rosemary

salt and pepper

a squeeze of lemon

coriander leaves for garnishing

on an oven proof dish, drizzle olive oil. place the 2 basa fillets on the dish. add a few rosemary sprigs on top. sprinkle a little sunshine of salt and a happiness of pepper.

squeeze a lemon full of life and a dollop of butter on each fillet. drizzle more of the good olive oil.

bake for about 10 to 15 minutes on a hot oven or till soft and done. garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

you can substitute basa for any other available fresh big fish options.

H-Mart, Robson

2008-06-24T15:48:00.005-07:00

wandering around downtown vancouver, you come across a mix of restaurants of various cuisines. at the corner of Robson and Seymour is H-Mart. On the second floor, a korean grocery occupies the flat except for the window aisle.

at the far side of the grocery store is a small food court. one of them is a korean stall. it sells exciting korean cuisine translated into a colorless english equivalent. the stall has no name...or just a generic "Korean Food" stall.

we got yuk gae jang. it's humdrum english equivalent: hot beef and vegetable soup. hmm...yuk gae jang sounds better. Beef broth is full bodied. getting a peek into the kitchen, a big pot of simmering broth is continuously brewing. I guess this contributes a lot to the flavor you get when they serve the soup. i only wish that they serve them in one of those hot stone pots to keep the broth hot up till the last morsel.

the meal comes with a siding of kimchi. i'm not sure though if they prepare their own kimchi. or maybe, they just go around the counter and get one from the grocery store. anywayz, their kimchi is great with yuk gae jang.

price is ok at $6.50.

H-mart

550 Robson Street and Seymour

Vancouver

sisig!

2008-06-12T12:57:00.013-07:00

one of the truly filipino delicacy, very famous to all beer drinkers. sisig is a very popular dish all over the philippines. anywhere you go, this dish is a big hit. filipinos would always try get a big portion of sisig.

hundreds of variations have been developed on sisig. a very ingenious way of preparing it is on a hot sizzling plate!

this is expensive when bought in a restaurant. maybe because it is a big hit...or maybe it is cooked three times.

I got an original recipe from my mom (she knows all original recipes) and it is quite boring. it's plain boiled, chopped, and served drunk with vinegar, fresh onions and chilli.

recipe might sound unpleasant, but the food is cooked 3 times!!!! i guarantee that it is really cooked and that the flavors are fantaballistic!!!

i'm doing here is one of the variations. although, you can experiment a lot to infuse new flavors and textures! hmmm... i feel hungry now....

sisig!

4 pcs. pig ears, cleaned
1 medium onion
whole pepper corns
salt
bay leaf

pig brains
pork liver

1 head garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

soy sauce
coarsely ground pepper
salt
chopped red hot chilli peppers

1. boil
place the cleaned pig ears in a large pot. add water until covered. add a chopped medium onion, pepper corns, salt and a small piece of bay leaf. boil ears till tender and cartilage still has the crunch to the bite. drain and set aside to dry a bit.

get the pig brains. on a non-stick pan, add little water. place the pig brains at the center. add a dash of salt. poach brains in a slow simmering heat for about 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked. water should never be on a rolling boil as it may dissintigrate the structure of the brain. gently remove the brain from the water and drain. be careful with the brains as it is very soft like soft tofu. set aside.

2. grill
get the whole pig ears. with long tongs, place the boiled ears on a nice sunday afternoon charcoal grill. the smoke from the wood and charcoal will infuse into the pig ears. grill for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the heat of the charcoal. it is usually done when the skin starts to show sparsely seared spots.

remember, the pig ears are already cooked. what we're after here is the flavor from the grilling. on a very nicely built grilling fire, it may take just about less than 5 minutes to sear. dice the grilled pig ears.

get the cleaned liver. add salt and pepper. grill the liver until well done. chop the liver and set aside.

3. fry

get the pig ears. chop them into small pieces. probably to a size of pea. pig ears will be sticky. with little oil and on a hot non-stick skillet, add the chopped pig ears. fry for about 6 minutes without stirring while allowing it to get fried-crunchy.

ears will now stick together and form into one big piece. with a swooping motion-like a pancake chef artist-flip over the pig ears to fry the other side. fry for about 4 minutes.

ears will shrink a bit. when done, remove from pan and place i on a chopping board. coarsley chop the fried pig ears into small chunks. set aside.

on the same non-stick pan you used, add oil, brown the garlic then add the onions. adding more garlic and onions will improve the flavor. add the ginger to saute. mix till you smell the aroma of the ginger.

with the heat on high, add the pig ear chunks into the saute. add a tablespoon of soy sauce. if you have the knorr seasoning or the maggi seasoning, it would be better! this will improve the color and flavor and will invite your neighbors to come over. add the chopped liver and a part of the chopped red hot chilli peppers. to finish, add the poached pig brains into the pot. brains will be like mayo and melt. saute till the brains becomes the sauce and cover the ears and liver.

for the grand slam, place the sisig on a sizzling plate and generously add chopped red hot chilli peppers! where's the beer!!!!!!

tokwa't baboy

2008-06-04T16:19:00.011-07:00

tokwa't baboy has since been a favorite filipino appetizer. the balance of saltiness and sour is the trick. taken also as a compliment to arroz caldo (chicken congee) or fried lumpia (spring rolls).

the basic ingredients are readily available anywhere in the Philippines. pig ears, soy sauce, vineger, onions and tofu. the other stuff added are just my contribution to improve flavor.

It has been a long time since i made my last tokwa't baboy. I miss the days when i go home from work, i would just drop by a neighborhood wet market and get my ingredients there...even at night time!

I promised myself to make one on my birthday but it didn't go my way. ho hum.

well, now i got time to make one. i got the pig ears from a chinese store from a city nearby. tough to find in the western world. tofu came from the same store.

tokwa't baboy

4 pcs. fresh pig ears
1 medium onion chopped
1 pc bay leaf
pepper corns
salt
firm tofu

sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
salt and pepper
tablespoon of water
red hot chilli pepper

optionals: grated ginger, chopped chinese celery, rubbed sage

clean the pig ears. place it in a pot. add water enough to cover. add chopped onions, about 8 pepper corns, and about a teaspoon of salt. place a piece of laurel leaf in to improve flavor. boil till pig ears are tender but leaving the cartilage still crunch to the bite.

drain and let cool to room temperature.

prepare now the sauce. mix equal amounts of soy sauce and vinegar. add a little water to balance off the saltiness and sour flavor of the mix. adjust according to taste. the touch of water will make it easier to get the desired balance of flavor.

as an option, add grated ginger, chopped chinese celery and rubbed sage...or any of them. these little stuff improves the flavor.

add fine pepper and a little salt. chop finely the red hot chilli peppers and liberally add it to the sauce.

when the pig ears have cooled off, dice the ears. chop onions and set aside.

on another pan, fry the tofu, remove from pan and dry off on a kitchen towel. chop tofu to the size of the diced pig ears.

to serve, in a bowl, add equal amounts of pig ears, chopped tofu, and chopped onions. generously pour the sour and salty sauce over the mix and serve.

easy baked ribs - anything goes

2008-05-28T12:45:00.011-07:00

baked ribs is one of the best great looking and great tasting food to serve for a group. it will definitely be the main conversation piece on any gathering. they would think that you are an oh-so-perfect master of the kitchen. well....there's a trick. just go through the refrigerator, check what's left of it, mix everything, then...voila!!! this meal was done as i saw the ribs on sale at a downtown supermarket. I got the slab for just $2.50.

Baked Ribs - anything goes

fresh ribs for baking

onions

garlic

celery

salt and pepper

baking marinade:

oyster sauce

catsup

left over barbecue dressing

soy sauce

salt and pepper

rosemary

garlic

onions

to start of, use a pressure cooker! haha! gotcha! there's no 900 hours of slow roasting here! on the pressure cooker, saute garlic till golden, add onions. stir through till onions are soft. be generous with the onions as this will add flavor to the meat. place the rib in the pot. add enough water to cover. add a few chopped celery. sprinkle a little salt and pepper. cover and pressure cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.

for the marinade, mix the oyster sauce, catsup, leftover bbq dressing, a little soy sauce, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. i have some dried rosemary and i added it to the marinade. mix well. consistency should be a little runny and not too heavy, similar to a regular bottled catsup. marinade will dry up when baked. we want the sauce thick and flavorful after baking.

after the ribs are done, remove it from the pressure cooker and drain. keep the broth as you can use this for soups and other stuff as meat stock.

brush the tender ribs with the marinade. make sure that the ribs are coated generously.

slice onions thickly. on an oven-proof dish, place a bed of onions. gently position the ribs on top of the bed of onions. pour extra marinade on top. if you have olive oil, drizzle olive oil on the ribs.bake for about 10 minutes or until the ribs are magically browned. serve well!

Vancouver...where?

2008-05-27T09:06:00.006-07:00

It has been a while since my last blog. That was when i was in manila. I finally got a nice cam from here. My first cam after cuzz k's cam died on me.

On the search...

I was searching for native vancouverite food. I might be speaking to the wrong people...or there aren't just any local vancouver food shops.

Vancouver is a multi-cultural city. In effect, food shops and cuisines are a total mix. Some old time restaurants are here. The White Spot and The Keg. I haven't been into any of them but they're all over.

Setting aside the asian, european and middle eastern shops, fish and chips is a common sight. but i guess, this is an English classic meal....still not a vancouver meal.

oh well... i'll still look for the real vancouverite's meal. maybe i need to talk to local historians here.

hunny, this is for you....

2007-10-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

one night after work, we went home and had nothing to cook. in the freezer, i found some frozen fries and some bread i use for my office sandwiches. i quickly fried some fries and made a nice ham and cheese sandwich. poured out some catsup on the plate and some mayo to make it little creamy.

i gave it to my hunny and said, "hunny, this is for you....". then she laughed out loud. oh life.

corned beef omelet

2007-10-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

argentina corned beef recently released a "light" version of the product. they removed majority of the fats that hug the tender beef strands. aside from this, price still remained the same as their regular product.

i made my hunny her lunch omelet. you'll be amazed on argentina's light product as when it came out of the can, the strands remain packed and firm which shows that much of the mushy fat was removed. so, i sauteed the corned beef back in oil to bring back the oily goodness. (lol)

corned beef omelet

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced in rings
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

saute garlic till brown. add onion rings and mix till limp. add the corned beef. saute for 2 minutes. remove from pan.

lightly beat the eggs. add a little water to make it moist when cooking. this is about 2 tablespoons only. add the lightly beaten egg into the non-stick pan. swirl around to cover the flat of the round pan. cook in low to medium heat until the eggs are stiff enough for folding.

remove from the heat. place the corned beef saute lengthwise slightly off the center of the egg.

gently fold 1 side of the egg over the corned beef to cover. slide the omelet on a plate. serve hot.

tempura japanese grill

2007-09-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tempura Japanese Grill is around for quite some time now. Name sounds very generic but it packs some surprises. This is a bit different as the japanese restaurant is purely filipino owned. Some authenticity might be amiss but i see it as japanese food with pinoy ingenuity.

Branches are now all over the metro. we tried the one at makati avenue, bel-air, near my hunny's office.

my hunny likes anything asparagus. we got their tepanyaki. asparagus spears, scallops, shrimps and bell peppers are teppan fried on a soy based sauce.

we also got a sampler dish of different makis. the unique thing here is that the maki is rolled in balls and that there are bits of crispy fried salmon inside.

another maki was given a different appraoch. they quickly deep fried the roll creating a thin crisp crust on the outside. philadelphia cheese inside the maki made it extra rich and creamy.

food is great and price is very reasonable. you might not find real hardcore japanese food in here but their versions appeal to the masses. for a japanese fast food chain, this is rated A1.

my first kosher salt

2007-09-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

salt is everywhere and salt is available all year long. i grew up in paranaque, a city south of manila. it's a place whose primary industry is salt making. they get good salt water from manila bay and have them dry up in salt beds. but that was decades ago!!!

i grew up using sea salt. sea salt sea salt sea salt. they come in very cheap. from time to time, i see a different type of salt on foreign cookbooks. kosher salt. hmmm.... years went by and i didn't even bother knowing what's kosher salt.... or who or what is kosher. googling through, i had a taste of history as kosher has something to do with jewish food ideas.

when my cuz k was here, good thing her dad accidentally packed a box of kosher salts!!! now, i get the chance of using and tasting its difference from common sea salt or iodized salt. yay for cuz k's dad!!! i hope he accidentally packs more stuff when they visit manila! wooooohoooooooo!!!!!!!!

I had my first kosher salts in a big tub of home popped pop corn. i added dried rosemary together with the unpopped kernels into the hot oil. after popping, kosher salt is sprinkled happily.

my first fried ice cream

2007-09-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

we went to WOFEX - world food expo here in manila. this is where they introduce new products before they go out to the local market. you'll find interesting items from food products to packaging equipment. everything is sold at a trial price.

this is where i got my first fried ice cream. i wasn't much expecting any flashy experience. well... i was just curious on how it works.

the icecream is wrapped in a thin pastry dough, ball-shaped and frozen hard. on the cart, it has a freezer and a deep fryer.

the frozen ball is dipped in a white gunk. i guess it is made up of sugar syrup, flour and milk. freezing through the wet batter, the ice cream is then transferred to the hot deep fryer.

for about a minute or so, or until the pastry changes color, the fried ice cream is fished out from the fryer and served on a stick.

first bite is hot. but the ice cream inside cools your lip immediately. you have to finish the ice cream fast as it has the tendency to melt because of the frying.

as an ice cream buff, the frying killed the purpose of enjoying a frozen ice cream. i never liked the obscure combination. but i wouldn't mind if someone would treat me for my second fried ice cream.

otap: resurrected

2007-09-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

otap: a cookie delicacy from cebu. made from sweet pasry, flattened thinly, rolled, cut lengthwise and baked very crisp. sometimes called as tsinelas, or slippers, as it resembles the shape of a slipper - very similar to the woven slipper espadrilles.

it is very common that i get these cookies from the south. so common that i usually fake my enthusiasm in getting them.

i recently got one threw it at the farthest back side of our ref. several days have passed and forgotten all about it. i then got a craving for some dessert and went checking the ref. i found my savior!!!! hidden behind all the stuff is the gleaming bag of otap!

still looking around, i got cream and milk. ok, this is enough to get me going.

otap cream bar

24 pieces otap (1 bag is ok)
1 cup all purpose cream
1 cup condensed milk
vanilla
choco chips for toppings

mix together the all purpose cream and the condensed milk. add vanilla to taste. in a deep dish, evenly arrange the otap biscuits in layers. it should be about 2 inches thick or 2 to 3 layers of otap. this will hold the structure of the bar.

add the cream mixture on the otap just enough to cover the layers. top with generous chocolate chips and refrigerate overnight.

the dry otap cookies will gently absorb the cream mixture and will form into a nicely textured subtle bar.

new street food fad: calamares

2007-09-10T01:40:00.000-07:00

around makati and now spreading all over the provinces, the new fad for street food is the calamares. maybe the yuppies of the makati district are fed up with the squid balls on the streets. they might be going into real meat to bite into.

the cart vendor told me that the squid are all imported. hmm... i wonder getting them from the pacific ocean is considered imported... or it's just a trick for me to be convinced that he's using quality squid.

anywayz, the squid is tender. i know there is a big squid variety here called "lumot" that even if you grill or fry more than what is needed, it would still remain tender. but the vendor still insists that it is not the local variety "lumot".

well, squid is simply dredged in flour with salt and pepper. maybe, tons of msg is added and was hidden within the flour mixture... but i can't tell.

you have the free will to select the squid part you like. definitely, go for the big parts. a small plastic cup is used for you to put the squid into. you then generously drench your calamares with the pink colored vinegar.

this is a nice alternate for a noontime snack as you get 3 pieces for 10 pesos or 7 pieces for 20 pesos.

frozen tofu...anyone?

2007-08-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

i mistakenly popped a tofu in the freezer.

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

gelan korean restaurant: a learning experience

2007-08-19T04:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

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.

summer dessert: milky guacamole

2007-07-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

summer is here... or it's about to go. going home, we saw a street peddler pushing a cart of avocados. it's at 30 pesos a kilo. we got some and made a quick cooling dessert.

milky guacamole

2 medium avocados
1/2 cup fresh milk
sugar
sesame seeds

cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. scoop out the buttery flesh in bite size pieces from the skin. add milk and sprinkle some sugar on top. refrigerate to cool.

before serving, dry roast the sesame seeds on a hot pan. top the milky guacamole with the roasted sesame. the milky guacamole may be served frozen as well.

pasta squink: boon or bane

2007-07-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

my cuzz k got us some good pasta sauces from somewhere she only knows. we got to try them and the most fun is the black ink pasta.

it was my wife who asked for it and she's been very eager to prepare one at home. she's been seeing them on cable and tv shows and this is now her time to make one.

i boiled some pasta al dente. i saw my wife really excited and can't wait to prepare the sauce.

we opened the pack and got a sachet. inside is the prepared squid ink. no other packs of mixed spices are included.

in a nice bowl, my wife placed enough steaming pasta. we mixed the black sauce with the pasta. yeah! this is going to be good. the nice appetizing aroma seized the air.

but on each second my wife mixes the pasta with the black ink, pictures of slimy wriggly black worms clouded her imagination. the scent of fresh pasta was immediately sucked up by the attack of the mental imagery of larval dynamism masking the appetite for a warm homey dinner.

bummer. my wife immediately stopped mixing the pasta, left the dinner table quietly and just went inside the bedroom alone and cold.

there goes the pasta. but the pasta was good. my wife just got confused on what was served on the plate. i continued from where she left. i added some parmesan and topped with fresh coriander leaves. pasta was great and finished all of it. i recommend the pasta for people who has no phobia on worms. it was awesome!

lechon: the real deal

2007-07-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

from pig to lechon.

warning: not for the faint hearted

this is what really happens behind the preparation of lechon.

go to my flickr account to check the photos.

i've set the pics there to make my foodie blog still safe and easy for guiltless reading.

i shot them from a fiesta in a province. it may be a shock to many but just normal to people who prepares them every feast.

click here for the extreme lechon pix.

ping ping lechon: chicharon bituka

2007-07-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

As you visit ping ping lechon and restaurant at la loma, the familiar smell that would greet you is not the lechons displayed, but the very tempting cholesterolific chicharon bituka cooked outside.

this is one of those things that are bad for you but can't stop from taking one.

the chicharon is purely the intestines of pork. you may call this a by-product of the lechons they make.

the intestines are cleaned (hopefully they do this well) and boiled till tender. then they dry them up under the sun. after drying, they are cut into bite sized pieces and deep-fried just to cook through.

after the first frying, the cut intestines are drained and dried for the second time which makes it ready for the second and final deep frying.

Their final frying is done on the side of the road to keep the smell from their restaurant and to entice calorie craving customers.

you dip the chicharon bituka in vinegar, salt, pepper and siling labuyo. the vinegar will assist in washing away part of the calories from this oleaginous treat.

ping ping lechon and restaurant
la loma street, manila
+632-740-2111, +632-740-2175

ping ping native lechon

2007-06-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

one time when we were going to pampanga, we went through a different road and passed by la loma. this is the lechon capital of metro manila. although lechon is available everywhere, this is where you will find the biggest lechon restaurants in manila.

ping ping lechon is open for decades now and it is only now that i got to go in their restaurant. outside, you'll see whole lechons in a big display area. inside, a typical old carinderia (canteen) is still maintained by the chinese owners.

they already serve other dishes to complement their roast pig. we ordered pansit with the lechon. quality of the roast is still good. skin is crackling crisp. meat is juicy and tender. this is made possible by roasting the pig on a slow fire for several hours.

served with the lechon is a liver sauce. the sauce is made up of roasted liver, chopped finely, and made into a thick peppered stew mildly sweetened to suit the traditional filipino taste...which i never liked. i prefer dipping the lechon in vinegar, soy and chili to spice it up.

ping ping lechon and restaurant

la loma street, manila

+632-740-2111, +632-740-2175

ziggurat: a different food experience

2007-06-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

ziggurat is a restaurant hidden behind the busy streets of makati avenue and p. burgos. it is situated on the quiet area of the makati's red light district. you can dine there cozily with friends without the tiring noise you usually hear on bars and joints.

ambiance is very middle eastern. you sit on square pillows on a low lying table. persian carpets cover the floor.

since the place is in the red light district, you'll see foreigners with babes as a common customer.

food is good. you have a number of options ranging on arabian, mediterranean, african, indian and egyptian. samplers are available for the adventurous group.

we tried some and we were not disappointed. they serve a really interesting mix of food very new to a pinoy's taste.

i can't seem to remember the exact names of the dishes as they are really new to me. but the owner knows what he's serving.

from top to bottom: spiced ube (purple yam) boiled and mashed. fresh garlic and olive oil is mixed. this is similar humus but they used local ube to make it creamy.

steamed dumplings. this is similar to samosas or pot stickers or siomais at a different shape. these dumplings were boiled on broth instead of plain water. this dumpling is filled with a mix of veggies and some meat.

black curry. an invention of the owner...or one of the exotic foods from somewhere. curry is tamarind based. a hint of tang is infused in the curry. it's the tamarind that makes the curry dark. fish is used in this dish.

orange curry. this is a curry mellowed by the flavor of orange. a touch of sweetness and gusto of orange is introduced. chicken was used here.

basmati rice. pinoys' staple food with a twist. fluffy with a bit of saffron and spices.

honey beer and mango lassi. imported beer with pure honey and lassi with fresh mangos and yoghurt that's home made.

ziggurat

tigris corner euphrates streets

bel-air, makati city

max's chicken and the secret sauce

2007-06-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

i attended a friend's baby's christening last sunday. reception was at max's fried chicken in
alabang. the restaurant is all over the philippines with some branches in the US. the restaurant rests on their perfect fried chicken. if you're craving for simplicity, go to max's.

chicken is pressure fried. nothing fancy. spices that i can sense are only salt and pepper. (i wonder if there's msg in it.) this is a recipe unchanged since 1945. well, that's how they relate their history and how my parents remember the old max's. nothing was changed.

added, however, are other dishes. they are now serving sinigang, kare-kare, pansit and the lumpiang shanghai (pictured).

I guess the secret on max's is not only on the chicken, but on the ritual you have to do on every visit. you have to mix these three: Jufran banana catsup, Alexander worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. they never relied on exotic oriental dips or gravies with 11 secret herbs and spices. they are still banking on simplicity. without these three-sauce combination, max's will never be the same.

looks very familiar

2007-06-15T00:14:00.000-07:00

my melon!

capricciosa: rosemary chicken

2007-06-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

we visited capricciosa again at greenbelt as we invited a good friend to dine with us. we had the salmon spring rolls and the shrimp and spinach rigatoni. you can never fail on these two when visiting capricciosa.

last time we went to the place, the whole place is smoked up with the appetizing grilled scent. it was the rosemary chicken. it doesn't sound exciting but it's worth a try.

surprisingly, we got a good serving of a flavorfilled rightly roasted chicken. chicken is deboned and was marinated with rosemary, toasted garlic and some soy to improve color. placed in the oven to slowly cook through then pan fried in olive oil on high! the dish is served with the chicken drippings and a slice of lemon to add zing. well, that's my best guess on how it was prepared. i asked how they prepared it but they told me it's a corporate secret. yeah right.

champions of all champs: champorado

2007-06-08T01:08:00.000-07:00

champorado is a local chocolate treat for filipinos. easily made, this merienda is served either hot or cold. on a hot weather like what we're experiencing now, having a nice cold champorado will cool your spirits down.

sometimes, this is served with tuyo (dried and fried salted fish) or dilis (dried and fried anchovies). the fish adds a bite of saltiness which infuses a contrast of sweetness and saltiness to your taste buds.

milk is added to make the treat rich and creamy. i flooded the champorado with milk as i want it extremely creamy.

champorado

2 cups glutinous rice

6 cups water

4 tablets of pure unsweetened chocolate

4 tablespoons sugar

milk and dilis for the finishing touch

boil the glutinous rice in water until soft. add more water if needed. consistency should be a bit runny. stir the rice mixture from time to time to prevent it from sticking at the bottom of the pan. add the chocolates and stir to dissolve. add sugar. simmer for 2 minutes more. serve hot or cold. add milk and dilis as toppings.

easy breakfast: hash browns and green peas

2007-06-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

we woke up very hungry and went straight to our empty ref. good thing we still have the frozen hash browns and green peas chilling out.

the hash browns were fried to a crisp.

the green peas were pan fried in very little oil until the liquids dry up. salt and pepper was added and topped with parmesan cheese.

beating the heat: swim!

2007-05-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

the family just had a swim at a nearby province to escape the heat. we headed to bulacan, a nearby province of pampanga. bulacan is becoming a resort haven as it now have a number of water theme parks.

together with the swimming escapade is the fun food that flavors the feast. we had a good mix of everything all bought from nearby market and anything found in ther ref. charcoal grilled pork belly is always in the list on every swim trip,

tocino, a famous kapampangan processed food is included. we just bought these from the supermarket and fried straight in a hot pan. sometimes, they boil the tocino before frying to remove some of the preservatives from the meat.

chicharon and danggit. danggit is a small fish usually butterflied and dried. this danggit was given to us by our friend from the province of cebu. danggit is famous for its taste and aroma. it's either you hate it or you'll love it.

the fried foods served is best with mango ensalada. this is a mix of julliened mangoes, chopped tomatoes and salted eggs. salted eggs were already invaded by the hungry honchos before i got the chance to shoot this pic.
this pork and chicken asado in a box was made the day before the swim. stew mix varies. usually, it ends up with just about a mix of soy sauce, pepper and anything you find in your food cab. i think they added some tomato sauce and vinegar into the stew. yup. best eaten wehn day old. sauce seeps into the meat giving glorious time to develop its flavor.

chicken in a bag. fried chicken breaded in flour, salt, pepper and tons of garlic. the old plastic bag and the used newspaper makes this meal very rustic. our province is not the best place to find high end space age food preserving containers.

korea quest: korea garden restaurant

2007-05-18T23:14:00.001-07:00

on my hunny's birthday, we had dinner at a korean restaurant not far from where we work. we had a craving of korean food while watching tons of korea-novelas.

we walked around jupiter street, makati. this area is in full blast during night time. this is also the place where young pros go after a hectic day at work. restaurants, bars and even karaoke shops are within the area.

we stopped at korea garden restaurant. the restaurant was established in the 70s and it was only now that i entered the place. the restaurant's interiors has no interesting feature except for its cleanliness.

placed in the menu are their specialties with pictures beside it. a nice touch for people like me who doesn't really know all the korean food names.

we got a safe restaurant favorite. a generically named: korean dinner. for about a little over a thousand pesos, you would get about a dozen appetizers, a korean bbq on a hot grill, some glass noodles in sesame and soy based sauce, pan fried gyozas, seafood soup and different kinds of kimchis.

this is probably the best option when going in there for the first time. everything from kimchis, seafood, some pork stuff and a good serving of korean bbq is prepared.

size of the serving is good for 4. although the appetizers are not refillable, the quantity is good for hungry stomachs.

the restaurant's ambiance is very pleasant and you would see the korean owner wait for guests at the doorway. you now seldom see owners greet guests.

this is a nice place for good korean food and a quiet area to eat. ample parking space is available.

korea garden restaurant
jupiter street
bel aire
makati city

korean quest: dong won 2 - the grill

2007-05-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

on the second time we visited the dong won restaurant, we tried their grill. the table setup is somewhat similar to shabu-shabu.

an open grill is molded at the center of the table. fire used is from burning charcoal. fans feed oxygen to the flame and suck up the smoke from the grill which prevents you from being suffocated by white smoke.

mich rosales, a pioneer of the restaurant who knows what she's doing, assisted us on the grilling.

when going there, ask for mich. she will introduce you to the good food they serve at a layman's language.

grill is in stainless steel. no oils were added. good quality pork is placed on the grill. grill is dome shaped. similar to the cast iron korean bbq grill. oil will drip at the edge making the pork a little less sinful.

fresh garlic and onions are placed beside the pork. big lettuce leaves are served together with scallion kimchi and a red pungent sauce.

preparation is similar to peking duck. with your bare hands, get a good, big lettuce leaf. place a piece of the grilled pork. smudge it with the red sauce. pick some of the scallion kimchi and place it on top of the pork. roll the lettuce leaf gently forming a bite size veggie pocket.

this dish comes with dong won's unending appetizers of kimchis, tofus, mussels and other veggies.

price is superb. it is just like getting two mcdonalds happy meals. but this one is incomparable to the fat saturated gleaming burgers of mcdonalds.

dong won restaurant and grill

jupiter street corner polaris street

bel aire

makati city

korean quest: dong won restaurant

2007-05-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

one night, we craved for korean cuisine. we only see korean food in korea-novelas. the meals are very interesting as they usually show several appetizers in one regular meal.

near the office of my hunny, we crossed one korean restaurant. outside, you would only see a bungalow with an old and faded restaurant sign.
you need to have guts to check the place as it does not have all the glitters you expect in a restaurant.

but inside, cubicles are available for a real korean feast. low tables are available for added authenticity where in you sit on the floor to dine.

and best of all, the food is superb! we already went there several times trying all the out-of-the-ordinary dishes they offer.

the good thing is that koreans go there to eat. this sends a good signal that the restaurant is serving real korean taste.

the trick is to go there with a hungry stomach. get one dish...and enjoy the 10 appetizers they give you. different kimchis, tofu, eggs on a different way, veggies of a different kind. each day, new appetizers are introduced. there's a hint of excitement on every visit as you would be served something different each time. an added bonus is that these appetizers are refillable! with no extra cost!!!

and when you get the bill...price is very pinoy friendly!!!

now that your tummy is filled up and ready to go, the friendly receptionist will hand you a complimentary pack of kimchi for you take home. good way to end the night!!!!

ask for mich rosales when visiting the place. she serves well...a pioneer of the restaurant. she knows the food and attends to you alertly.

dong won restaurant
jupiter street corner polaris street
bel aire
makati city

chocolates from pampanga: nanan's chocolates

2007-05-11T01:20:00.000-07:00

on our way to manila from pampanga, we usually drop by a pasalubong store where you get native delicacies. "tita's" is a famous pampango brand selling tocinos, langonizas, and tapas. the store also sells turones de casoy, pulvorons, peanuts and other sweets locally made in the province.

one product that got my attention is a chocolate candy. nanan's. so far, this is the first pampango chocolate candy i have encountered. kapampangans, and bulaquenios, are famous for producing sweets. but never a chocolate candy.

i tried a plain chocolate and a one with cashew. i would rather say that nanan's is did a good effort on going into the chocolate business. however, price is a bit high for an average quality chocolate. i might be able to duplicate the candy by buying raw chocolates from chocolate lovers at quezon city.

nanan's milk chocolate

nanan's chocloate factory

angeles city, pampanga

(045) 887-3688

beating the heat: sherbet

2007-05-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

every holy week, we go to pampanga to participate in the lenten procession. we prepare our antique carosa for the evening walk around town. part of the event is to absorb all the heat summer has to give. to combat this, we get a nice locally made sherbet at the nearby market. you usually order this a day ahead as it needs time to set and to freeze.

but several summers ago, when the coconut trees are still bearing lots of fruits (or nuts), we make our own sherbet. young coconuts are gathered from the trees. they are cut open with the juice reserved. the meat is then scraped into strips. juice and the coconut strips are combinde together with water and sugar.

the secret to a good coconut sherbet is the dalayap. this is a golf ball sized green native lemon whose rind is used more than that of the juice. the rind has a mellow scent somewhat similar to lemon grass with hints of lime. when mixed with sherbet, the rind's scent will infuse into the coconut mixture producing flavors that will cool you off on a summer's day.

the preparation includes a calapinyera. this is an aluminum cylindrical container where the coconut mixture is placed. then the calapinyera is placed inside another bigger conical wooden case. crushed ice mixed with sea salt is placed inbetween the calapinyera and the wooden case that envelopes the aluminum canister. salt will slow down the melting process of the ice giving it more time to freeze the coconut juice.

once prepared, the calapinyera is mixed and moved in a circular motion so that the juice inside will freeze faster. since it is continuously mixed, the juice will not freeze into one solid piece. instead, it will be in a state similar to finely crushed ice. if ice supply is good, setting will just take 4 hours of mixing....or even less.

variations have evolved on this local sherbet. sometimes they are mixed with milk, fruits of the season, cheese, chocolate and other local flavors available.

beating the heat: samalamig

2007-05-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

pinoys have come up with ways on beating the heat. one very simple way is to prepare an ice cold drink from simple ingredients found in a local market.

known as "samalamig", this is a cold drink with big chunks of ice sold on a street corner. this drink is usually flavored with cheap essences. banana and vanilla are popular. sago, or tapioca pearls, are in summer colors. unflavored jello is sometimes added for fun. this is prepared in 3 to 5 gallon plastic jars and sold by the glass.

tapioca pearls may be bought raw or cooked. raw sago is boiled in plain water until soft and translucent. it is easier to get cooked ones as raw tapioca needs time to boil.

samalamig

drops of banana essence
3 cups sago
muscovado sugar (regular brown sugar will do)
big chunks of ice
3 gallons of water

mix the sugar with water. stir till dilluted. others prefer to mix the sugar with hot water to dillute the sugar faster. but using cold water is ok. you just have to mix it longer for the sugar to dissolve. sugar amount will be according to your taste.

add the sago. add prepared and set unflavored gelatine cubes if desired. add about 3 drops of the banana essence. vanilla flavor is a good substitute.

add big chunks of ice to cool off the drink. serve by the glass.

post hibernation: 50's diner

2007-04-24T01:29:00.000-07:00

yey! i'm back squeezing office time to post some more.

the past weeks are a bit busy. ordered computers, installed a network, made a wifi connection, yadayadayada... my dad got out of the hospital... and still recovering.

my dad got hospitalized in baguio, the summer capital. go to baguio whenever the heat is killing you.

on the evening after being discharged, we treated dad in a nice restaurant at baguio. it's the 50's diner.

food is great and very affordable. serving is totally more than that of a typical pinoy can eat.

one great order is their 50's club sandwich. the club sandwich has chunky chicken sandwich inside...and when i say chunky, i mean real big chunks of chicken!!! totally incomparable to the citibank chicken sandwich.

it includes the basic cheese, lettuce and tomato and folded cold cuts. bread is superb. the loaf is soft, toasted rightly and sliced in 1 and a half inch thick!!!! but the thickness of the bread still can't overpower the filling! if the bread is big, the filling is even bigger! this club had sidings of buttered carrots and a heap of french fries.

we tried other stuff and the serving is still good. we got the tower of pancakes. i got that one even on dinner...just to see what it is. layers of pancakes with bananas, jams, creams and syrups in between.

my mom got a "SHE". it's a platter of different stuff. it's a sort of a sampler designed for ladies. but the serving is not for a very demure lady. it has a piece of everything...chicken, a nice pork chop, fish fillet, wad of fries and buttered veggies.

we also got the seafood mix. this is another platter of different stuff of grilled seafoods. i ordered an extra seafood mix and brought it home to manila for my hunny's pack lunch. it's worth the effort for the very affordable price.

i tried their spaghetti. its beefy sauce tastes a bit sweet. the bonus is that this reminds me of the pasta we eat when i was a child at the old foodarama fast food center near the old quad movie house which is now the glorietta.

50's diner
leonard wood corner a. luna streets
baguio city

capricciosa: cheese overload

2007-03-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

one night, my hunny was craving for cheese. cheese stuff. any cheese. just cheese. we remember my cousin k treated us at an italian restaurant at greenbelt. we were told that this is a franchise and has branches at guam and all over.

we remembered the cheesy stuff we got and went there to satisfy my hunny's craving.

we entered capricciosa and was welcomed by the waiters warmly. sat on a couch, the waiter explained their food stuff in layman's terms...which is good as pinoys are not that really knowledgeable of italian stuff.

we got a salmon spring roll for appetizer and a full serving of shrimp spinach rigatoni.

the salmon spring roll is good. fresh salmon slivers are rolled with a mix of veggies inside and deep fried just enough for the salmon still in its glorious pink color.

the spring roll comes with a creamy white dip. we asked the waiter what's in the dip. he just told us that it is a house ceasar salad dressing but with a mix of spices that he is not allowed to tell. hmmm..... i'll wait for this waiter to be disgruntled about his work and maybe ask the secret spices from him after.

next was the shrimp spinach rigatoni. this is the cheese overload that you'll look for. the rigatoni is smothered by cream and melted cheese with large shrimps and spinach tenderly mixed with the sauce. after having this rigatoni, you'll never have another evil cheese craving for months.

capricciosa
level 3, greenbelt 3
makati city

citibank tuna sandwich

2007-03-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

our sales manager struck a deal and decided to treat us to a quick snack. he decided to get sandwiches for everybody.

our office is in one of the floors of citibank tower here in makati. they went to the citibank canteen and got tuna sandwiches.

here is the tuna sandwich citibank canteen is offering.

neatly packed in crisp paper, the sandwich is toasted rightly - reaching my table still hot from the oven.

but look at what they are really offering!

thinly scattered tuna flakes smudged by sweetened mayo.

just think that this is the sandwich they feed the good citibank employees that serve millions of customers. hohum.

cater pro
8/f Citibank Tower
Paseo de Roxas st.,
Makati City

surviving on food from nowhere: tuna chili tops

2007-03-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

we rummaged around our trusty old ref and found in the vegetable compartment a bundle of chili tops.

chili tops are the young leaves of a native siling labuyo. this is a small chili pepper whose hotness is strong but not very sharp to the tongue. it's a bit mellow and tolerable. i think this is also known as bird's eye chili pepper. i have to ask pilgrim's pots and pans for the technical aspects of this wonderful chili pepper.

going through our food cab, a can of tuna was there waiting for us.

my hunny had an idea of combining both ingredients for dinner. she developed a marvelously combination of flavors between the saltiness of tuna and the slightly bitter taste of the chili tops.

tuna chili tops

1 bundle chili tops
1 can 350 gm tuna, solid in vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 medium onion chopped

oil for sauteing

salt and pepper

1 boiled egg, quartered

fried chopped garlic for garnish

remove the leaves from the tough stems of the chili tops. select only the young and tender leaves. add as well the baby chili peppers if you find them hidden within the young leaves.

on a hot pan, add oil. add the garlic. before turning brown, add the onions. garlic should be a bit white and not golden brown.

open the the can of tuna. add the oil in the saute then drop the solid tuna in the pan. saute for about 2 minutes. add the chili tops. simmer till the leaves are limp or for about 2 minutes more.

put the tuna chili tops in a bowl. top it with the quartered boiled egg. if desired, add the fried garlic chip on top to add flavor and character to the dish.

good alternate: spinach

a good substitute for the chili tops is spinach. just trim the spinach from the main vine and use it instead of the chili tops.
you can use the spinach as whole leaf or you can roughly chop them like what we did.

yummy lunch cancer

2007-03-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

i just got a copy of a new magazine from summit media. Yummy.

i think this is the first magazine of summit media for food lovers.

magazine is interesting and it is a good buy for local kitchen folk.

ingredients are adapted to the local market. nothing fancy. (or maybe they are still feeling through the market and we might expect surprises on the second issue.) get a copy and you can go right through the grocery store and get all the ingredients in a jiffy.

recipes and information are entertaining especially this one. a spinach article was posted. and it says:

"It's been reported that folks who eat spinach daily are less likely to develop lunch cancer."

tuyo scent busters

2007-03-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

tuyo is any kind of small fish, salted and sun dried. tuyo, which literally means 'dried', is a poor man's food. however, filipinos, rich or poor, are very much into eating this delicacy on any meal.

tuyo is usually fried and eaten with vinegar and hot chili peppers or man-handled tomatoes. i don't know why but this is best eaten on a rainy day!

the problem (or the good thing - depends on you) with cooking tuyo is that the scent (love it or hate it) of the fried fish will engulf the whole house and even invade the streets around you.

people passing by would sense the smell and would blurt out...that smells good!!!! and then they would cook tuyo as well.

but this blog is not about tuyo, it's about how to get rid of the smell in your house! we found a good combination which we practice and perfectly removes the odor quickly in 2 simple steps.

Step 1. Open all windows and doors. This is very simple to do. No muscles necessary.

Step 2. This is the hard part. With the very minimal muscle activity on step 1, you now have to exert effort for this one. Get a floor wax from a nearby store, preferably the scented variety, and wax the floor of your house! this sounds unreal but it works! you will not only have a good dinner, but your house will look clean after. Yeah!

pipol fish chips

2007-03-13T00:57:00.000-07:00

i walked around a nearby supermarket and saw an interesting locally made chips. Fish crackers in foil packs. Usually, these fish crackers are sold in flea markets in big bags. This one is packaged in foil packs for a cleaner supermarket item feel.

but looking into the product, i noticed something unique....

... they're selling FISH CHIPS in FISH FLAVOR!!!!! very clever!!!!

KFC Hopia

2007-03-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

my brother went home bringing along a box of hopia bought from a local guadalupe market. hopia has been one of my favorite local bakery item and i usually get one from any bakery to check if it is ok or not. (the other item i like is a local pan de sal)

hopia is a flaky pastry perhaps originated from the chinese ancestors. common fillings include kundol, munggo, ube and baboy.

hopia baboy is a misnomer. no pork meat is inside. my lola told me that they use pork fat when preparing the hopia to infuse pork flavor. my hunny once had a bakery. she told me that the hopia baboy only contains sweet white mongo paste but with caramelized red onions as an added flavor. again, no pork meat was used.

but going back to the KFC hopia, the box came in with about a dozen hopias inside. very excitedly, i got my first bite. first taste gave me memories of mc donalds burgers. but on the succeeding bites, it dawned into me that it tastes like KFC fried chicken!!!

I wonder if Ribbonettes found the formula behind the 11 secret herbs and spice which KFC is protecting.

Ribbonettes is available in the metro at different local markets. Try their special hopia baboy and let me know if you taste the flavor of a real KFC fried chicken!!!

Ribbonettes Bakeshoppe
Hopia Baboy
41 Dingginbayan St.,
Tipas, Taguig
Metro Manila

surviving on food from nowhere: tomatoes, eggplants and chicharon

2007-03-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

we went home a bit late and very hungry. we are tired to make a nice meal but we need to satisfy our hungry tummy. moving around our humble ref, we found tomatoes and eggplants. opening our food cab, we still have chicharon from guagua.

this combination is a very typical capampangan combination. i still have to see another province that does this for a full meal.

ask the guru from the pilgrim's pots and pans and she would definitely have this good stuff anytime!

tomatos, eggplants and chicharon

2 large eggplants
3 medium tomatoes
6 native eggs from free-range chickens
slivers of leeks
good chicharon

wash the eggplants. cut the eggplants lenghtwise and into 3 inch parts. on a hot pan without any oil, grill the eggplants skin first for about 5 minutes or until they have changed color and the aroma is in the air. flip te eggplants gently and let the other side brown a bit. set aside.

for the tomatoes, wash them thoroughly. with clean hands, cut, squeeze, mangle and mutilate the tomato flesh to bite size pieces. this may be done with a knife to chop the tomato cleanly...but elders from pampanga encourages the manual process as it makes the dish more flavorful. (i really don't know the science behind it. maybe the squeezing helps release the additional flavor pulps from the fruit.)

add slivers of leeks on the tomato. i added the leeks as we have some extra from our ref. this may sound as a forced option...but it's a very good option. you can add chopped onions as well.

for the good chicharon, just have it with the meal. or, do it like my mom does. crush the chicharon into coarse powder and mix it with the tomato. have the meal with nice fluffy steamed rice.

you may add boiled eggs on the tomato to add variety. ima and tatay gave us some free-range eggs and added to the dish.

this meal may look simple but the flavor and the the vegetables and the chicharon will bring memories of native pampanga.

resuscitated toasts

2007-02-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

we had some bread from a bakery shop in one of the makati malls. these breads are displayed on open shelves. the good thing is that you see the product easily. the bad thing is that the mall environment dries up the bread badly.

we needed a fast meal for our office snacks and my hunny thought of a way to resuscitate the breads. bread was prepared morning and was eaten lunchtime. bread was better than before.

resuscitated toasts

generous butter
mall dried sliced breads

heat up a non-stick pan for toasting. add a dollop of butter on the pan and immediately place a slice of bread on top. let the butter melt with the bread's life slowly being resuscited. toast one side of the bread for less than a minute. add another dollop of butter on the pan and flip bread on to the fresh dollop. remove the bread from the pan after about 30 seconds.

this is an easy way of saving the life of a mall dried bread.

North Park: Lechon Macao

2007-02-25T21:35:00.000-08:00

one night on our way home, my hunny and i met with a good friend who's working in the province of bicol. bicol is located south of luzon, about 19 hours of bus ride from manila. he's here for a job interview.

we treated him at North Park at the lobby of Convergys Bldg., Ayala Ave., Makati City. My hunny suggested their lechon macau as it is prepared at the right crispness.

this is a surprise as against to the lechon macau we had at ongpin last chinese new year. i was expecting then that the lechon made by the chinese is better but they failed me.

North Park's version is similar. the lechon is served on a garlic fried rice with a steamed baby pechay to add color. it came with pickled raddish and hoisin sauce. A clear soup, resembling broth from boiled beef bones and tendons comes with every visit. we add chili sauce to adjust the flavor.

the difference lies on the process of preparing the lechon. the one from ongpin was tough and served cold. North Park prepares the lechon in a totally better quality. skin is puffed beautifully and very crispy. not tough. meat is very tender and moist, roasted just right without any red and underdone areas.

for 120 pesos, you will have a very satisfying dish in the middle of ayala.

the downside is that the service is way too poor. never go there on a totally empty stomach as service will really kill you. hoisin sauce was served on a shallow dish, dried like paste. tip the dish and it won't budge. we also ordered steamed pork dimsum but had to follow it up from the waiters three times before being served.

well... just go there when you're curious of the lechon macau.

surviving on food from nowhere: pansit canton in an jiffy

2007-02-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

we were looking around our hand-me-down ref looking for something for dinner. we found portions of cabbages, carrots, and a half bell pepper. In the freezer, i found 2 pcs of crab sticks and 2 pieces of frozen fish tofu. this is the one used on shabu-shabu that you dump into a boiling broth. going through our food cab, i saw two packs of local 2-minute noodles. this is a good time for a quick pansit! (hey, i'm not paid by lucky me to do this!)

pansit canton in a jiffy

2 pack pansit canton

half small cabbage

1 carrot

1/2 medium bell pepper

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

oil, salt and pepper to taste

boil 4 cups of water. drop the dry noodles into the water. boil for about 2 minutes or according to packet instructions. make sure the noodles are not fully cooked as cooking will continue later when mixed with the vegetables. drain the noodles and set aside. reserve the broth from the noodles.

inside the noodle packs, you'll find packaged seasonings, soy sauce, and oils. open them all and mix in a clean bowl. get half of the boiled noodles and mix them with the seasoning mixture. add the remaining noodles into the bowl and mix carefully.

prepare the veggies. shred the cabbage very thinly. slice carrots to julienne strips. chop the bell pepper. slice the crab sticks into chunks. slice thinly the fish tofu.

in a pan with little oil, saute garlic till golden. add the onions. saute till soft. put the flame on high. add the julienne carrots, bell peppers, crab stick chunks and fish tofu slices. flip pan to toss and mix. add the shredded cabbage. mix for about 2 minutes or until the cabbage is tender and shiny.

still on a high flame, add the seasoned noodle mix onto the vegetables. mix well. if the pansit is a bit dry, add enough broth that you have set aside. serve hot!

kung hei fat choi!

2007-02-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

on a hot sunday afternoon, my hunny and i went to Ongpin St. in Manila to check out the chinese new year. Ongpin is the main business district of manila's china town, the premium place for oriental shops, and feng shui's luckiest place to start a business.

we were expecting a lot when going there on a chinese new year. however, i think we went there a few hours late. fire cracker residues already litter the streets indicating that the celebrations have ended.

if i'm not mistaken, the chinese new year is celebrated on a very specific hour of the day. no earlier...no later.

but we were welcomed by dragon dances strutting their way through the traffic laden streets going from store to store.

a chinese friend of my hunny recommended 'La Mien'. A noodle shop on a street parallel to ongpin. but the shop is closed because of the new year. i should've figured that out!

so we went to a different dimsum place. i can't remember the name of the shop but it is on the street on the right after crossing the second bridge of ongpin.

majority of its customers are chinese businessmen in casual attire. we asked the waiter to have the dimsum cart parked beside our table. there we asked the waiter what they offer and gave us a very gawky pinoy descriptions of the fascinating dumplings.

1. vegetable dimsum but with pork (chinese spinach and ground pork)

2. adidas (chicken feet)

3. fish dumpling (shark fin...but i guess it's actually not the real shark fin. the waiter's telling the truth)

4. seafood dumpling (i saw bits of shrimp and more of ground pork)

the waiter might have had a hang-over from the celebrations but the dimsums are good. i'm not sure if it is authentic but i would recommend visiting the place when in Ongpin.

we tried their lechon macao checking if it is ok. their version is just plain lechon. not much chinese spices added and it was served at room temperature. the lechon macao of North Park, a chinese fastfood restaurant chain, is far better.

Emer's Restaurant

2007-02-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

On the eve of the chinese new year, we were running around a nearby mall. we visited Makati Cinema Square. This is a 4 storey mall with a high storey residential condo with it. MCS had its heydey in the 80's when visitors come from everywhere just to check the shops inside.

Now, the mall is infested with pirated DVDs, second hand stores selling clothes and mobile phones, and shops selling dry goods which seems to be not moving in any way.

a dragon dance is drumming its way around the building. got a glimpse of the dragon as it skids its way past my low-res cam.

One of the old establishments there is Emer's. My mom has stories of the old Emer's restaurant. She told me that the Emer's at MCS is still the same Emer's they were going to years ago but i think it was in manila. we find old couples having their lunch...maybe reminiscing of the old days of Emer's.

Emer's is at the first basement, at a far corner of the building. Building is old and a bit dark. Going inside, you smell the familiar chinese incense and the aroma of food cooking.

my hunny and i decided to taste their new fare and a classic pansit. the crispy tofu is a fresh tofu breaded with breadcrubs and deep fried. served with it is hoisin sauce.

the classic dish we got is the guisadong bijon. this is fine rice noodles stir fried with chopped vegetables, liver, pork and baby shrimps.

pansit was a bit dry but the tofu is a never fail option.

everything is under 300 pesos. food is ok for the price.

burrito quikito

2007-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

i have heard that burrito is an american invention and not a mexican delicacy. i'm not sure though as burrito is a donkey....i think.

anyways, we had burrito one time and just used basic supermarket goods. very simple but when assembled, everything looks fancy.

burrito quikito

beef burrito filling

2 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 medium onion

3 stalks celery

2 medium bell peppers

1/4 kilo lean beef

1 cup tomato paste

curry powder to taste

yo-yo sauce

(mayo-yoghurt sauce)

3 tablespoons white creamy unflavored yoghurt

3 tablesppons white creamy mayonnaise

fresh veggie filling

1 medium onion, chopped

grated cheese

chopped lettuce

finely chopped cabbage

1 pack flour tortillas

to assemble the yo-yo sauce, mix equal amounts of mayo and yoghurt in a bowl. set aside and let the mix develop its flavor. if you want to add some zing to the yo-yo sauce, add fresh chopped garlic and mix....then, the sauce will now become... yo-yo-ga sauce! (very clever!)

to make the beef filling, in little oil, saute the garlic till golden brown. add the onions. saute till translucent. add the chopped celery and the chopped bell peppers. increase heat and add the lean beef. cook for just a minute or until beef changes color. do not over do the meat as it will toughen up. add the tomato paste and little curry flavor. adjust salt and pepper to taste.

to prepare the tortilla bread, place the flour tortilla on an open flame. we placed it directly on top of our gas burner. in about 10 seconds, tortilla will generate black spots. flip over the tortilla to fire up the other side for another 10 seconds. place the tortilla on a plate.

to assemble, spread a layer of the yo-yo sauce on the fired up tortilla. add about 2 tablespoons of beef burrito filling. add shreads of lettuce, cabbage and the chopped onions. add the cheese on top.

make sure that the filling is not abundantly laid on the tortilla as you need to make some space for it to be conveniently rolled up neatly.

be fast in assembling the tortilla as when the flour tortilla cools down, it will become crisp which makes it hard to roll up. you may add more of the yo-yo sauce to make it more creamy. enjoy!

chunky chop salsa

2007-02-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

after mass yesterday evening, my hunny and i dropped by a supermarket and checked the goods. tomatoes cost less now as they are in season. as we had extra celery and bell peppers in the ref, we decided to make a salsa out of them.

(thanks to tostitos for the old salsa jar. think recycle!)

chunky chop salsa

8 small tomatoes

4 medium bell peppers

4 medium stalks of celery

1 big onion

1 cup tomato paste

salt and pepper

brown curry for flavor

cut the tomatoes cross-wise and remove the seeds under running water. chunky chop the tomatoes.

wash the bellpeppers and remove the seeds under running water. chunky chop the bell peppers.

wash the celery and remove the leaves. chunky chop the celery.

wash and skin the onion. chunky chop the onion.

on a pan with little oil, add the chunky chopped onion. when soft, add the chunky chopped tomatoes. saute in about 1 minute. add the tomato paste. mix for about 2 minutes for the paste to cook through. add the chunky chopped celery, and the chunky chopped bell peppers. add a tablespoon of the brown curry mix for flavor. adjust salt and pepper to taste.

mixture will be thick and chunky. add a little water if you want a more runny sauce but this will kill the chunkiness of the salsa. but thick sauce is good for chunky chip dipping.

i guess you now have heard more than enough chunkiness in your chunky chop salsa.

red curry beef

2007-02-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

last night we had an easy curry using modern day stuff from the supermarket. I saw a red curry pack and brown curry pack made from thailand from a local supermarket. we tried the red curry last night.

red curry beef

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 kilo beef shank

3 small potatos

3 small carrots

5 pieces long leaf coriander, sliced in slivers

1 cup chopped celery stalks, diced

3 medium green bell peppers, chopped

6 pcs native round eggplants, quartered

oil for sauteing

1 pack red curry sauce mix

1 pack powdered coconut milk

1 cup cold water

boil the 3/4 kilo beef in water for about an hour or until tender. reserve the broth.

add oil on a heavy sauce pot. saute garlic till golden brown. add the chopped onions. saute till soft. add the red curry sauce mix on the pan. mix till fragrant or for about 2 minutes.

add the beef together with the broth. add the chopped long leaf coriander. gradually mix the pot for the curry to blend with the broth.

chop the potatos and the carrots to bite size pieces. add them to the pot. simmer till the potatos and carrots are soft but firm. add the quartered eggplants and chopped celery.

in a separate bowl, dissolve the powdered coconut milk in 1 cup of water producing a thick mixture. pour the coconut milk into the pot and mix gently.

add the bell peppers and simmer for about 5 minutes. adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

The curry is good served with piping hot rice or a pita bread. Flavor will develop when eaten the day after. Just be sure to refrigerate the curry after cooling as it is highly perishable. If you have fresh ginger, it is good to add slivers of ginger when sauteing the garlic and onion to enhance the flavor.

long leaf coriander

2007-02-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

the officemate of my hunny has a small garden patch which grows different herbs. one of them is the long leaf coriander. the flavor is similar to a regular coriander but the texture is different. leaf is a bit tough.

we usually add the leaf to tomatoes to add fresh flavor. just cut the coriander leaf into slivers to release its peculiar taste and mix it with chopped tomatoes. add salt as needed.

the tomato salad is a good siding to fried stuff such as a nice fried pampano. pampano is a local fish available in the market that has no fishy smell. id you don't like the fishy taste of fish, try pampano. steamed, poached, fried or grilled, the fish never produces any of the unwanted fishy taste.

Welcome!

2007-01-25T00:45:00.000-08:00

welcome to my food blog. i will concentrate on what's really happening inside my kitchen. i'm with my hunny and cook a lot of stuff but not on a scientific approach. age old techniques may be followed coming from my grandparents but the exactness of the measurements vary.

we use ingredients from stuff given by friends or plainly bought from a small grocery store across our street.

all our meals are cooked depending on what our ref will give us. but everything is made with warmth and joy which makes the meal very appetizing.