missing our food from home: fish lumpia

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

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

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

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

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

From ice cream

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

From ice cream

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

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

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!!!!