tokwa't baboy

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.

frozen tofu...anyone?

i mistakenly popped a tofu in the freezer.

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

tofu got twisted

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

tofu got twisted

2 blocks tofu

2 eggs

flour

coarse bread crumbs

lots of oil

kikkoman soy sauce

wasabe

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

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

in a deep fryer, add lots of healthy oil.

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

fry the tofu till golden brown.

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

Emer's Restaurant

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.