Carnation's Easy Recipes

Writing reviews

2009-08-15T12:25:00.005+07:00

When I was at university there were always assignments related to writing reviews, especially in our English, Humanities and Psychology courses. We were asked to watch stage plays, movies and concerts, listen to music, visit museums and other exhibitions, dine at restaurants, use some products, and then review them accordingly. So now reviewing things and writing about them have become part of our daily lives. Sometimes though we do not have the opportunity to write about them. But things have changed as the internet has opened lots of opportunities to write reviews such as the one offered by LinkFromBlog. If you have a blog and like writing reviews, or want to start writing, and then earn something from it, then why not head on over there and see what it's all about. Cheers!

FTF2: Tofu salad

2009-08-14T07:40:00.007+07:00

Tofu salad - this is what I always order when dining at our favorite Japanese restaurant. The sesame seed dressing is delicious. The topping made of dried/smoked fish flakes is also yummy especially with its woody flavor. I think these are the two main things that make this salad very distinct. I haven't tried making this one at home yet. But I guess that it would be quite easy except that one has to be extra careful with the tofu so as not to break it. The veggies in this photo are just the green and red lettuce and tomatoes, sometimes with some romaine lettuce depending on availability.

Join Friday Food Trip Facebook group.

FTF: Spicy Thai Food - Pla Too & Ho Mok

2009-08-07T06:59:00.007+07:00

Today is Friday. This marks the first day I am joining Food Trip Friday. To be a member, just post any food photo and talk briefly about it, and then share the link in the FTF website by FickleMinded and in Facebook.

Thai food is well-known all over the world. It is really delicious, spicy or not. For me, having some spicy taste is better. It takes some time to get used to but once you've tasted the spiciness, your tongue will always long for that taste. This photo was taken in one of the roadside restaurants where we stopped for lunch. The fried fish (pla too) always comes with the side dish of steamed and raw vegetables (cucumber, brinjal, cha-um omelet, winged beans, etc.) and the chilli and shrimp paste dip. The one in the lower right is called 'ho mok', which is a mixture of fish (esp. snakehead), vegetables, spices and coconut milk. It is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Similar to bibingka but this is eaten with rice not as a snack. Topped with thin slices of chilli and some green leaves.

Just another stir-fried vg

2009-06-10T14:40:00.014+07:00

Ceylon spinach (alogbate)

Shitake mushroom

Fry the chopped garlic

Add the sliced onions

Add some meat if desired. Add pepper powder.

Add the mushrooms

Stir until well mixed. Allow some water to come out
from the mushrooms and cook them in it.

Add the ceylon spinach. Add some oyster sauce.

Stir for a while but not too long. Do not overcook the spinach.

cooking again!

2008-07-14T09:24:00.018+07:00

last post was in may. since that time my interaction with my stove has been erratic. hmmm kitchen is there, but mainly for opening the fridge to get the yoghurt and soy milk. an occasional use of the microwave for sausages and the like. making coffee and toast. but no serious cooking. but yesterday, sunday, i was cooking again! rather, we were cooking again! maybe the lack of homemade meals in our diet has taken its toll, we were craving for something different. so last saturday we went to our suki seller of organic vegetables. bought some stuff. as there was a fisheries exhibition in the same mall, we went there and saw that the DOF was selling smoked milkfish (bangus). we bought one to try it at home. yesterday, after church, we cooked our lunch at home. we seldom do lunch at home, by the way. after putting on the rice cooker, i prepared the fresh shitake mushrooms (เห็ดหอม/fragrant mushroom) and spinach (ผักขม, Popeye's food accdg to the seller), and sliced some garlic and onions. then it was time to stir fry them! my dear hubby volunteered to stir the veggies for me. he took over the cooking then! i just placed the oyster sauce and the soy sauce nearby so he would know these have to be added. he can cook it better than i can, i supposed. i tend to overcook the vegetables but for him he knows just when to take them from the fire, the thai way of stir frying veggies. after that it was my turn to heat the smoked milkfish. it was not boneless but the DOF pressure cooked it first before smoking. so we did not have to worry about the bones. it smelled good but did not know how it would taste. so when everything was ready, we were so hungry that we sat down to eat, after thanking the Lord for His provision. we forgot to take photos of our sunday masterpiece. some other time. the taste was ok, but since we ran out of our chilli powder (pla ku lao prik thai), there was no spicy flavoring. it was still ok though. except that the black belly that milkfish is famous for among the Filipinos was missing!

Thanks to the following sources, esp. for photos. Visit them for more information and links:
marketmanila.com
vinegargirl.com
wikipedia.org

Halo-halo

2008-05-03T22:30:00.003+07:00

I was glad to be able to eat halo-halo when I went home to the Phils last April. Actually I really wanted to eat halo-halo from Chowking but I was not able to. One day we went to the beach and we had some at a nearby shop. It tasted good. With the heat all around us, eating halo-halo really refreshed us. There are many variations to the mixture of halo-halo. The best ones are those that put a variety of fruits in season, with toppings of ice cream and ube halaya. Some have roasted pinipig and peanuts. Hmmm wish I can have one again. Somehow the khanom wan yen here in Thailand does not taste the same, despite nearly similar basic ingredients, like crushed ice, milk, sugar/syrup ... and any topping of fruit and nuts.

Pochero

2008-03-13T18:26:00.003+07:00

This dish is very basic and simple. Potatoes can also be added. At home, we use cooking bananas (saba) and sweet potato (camote) instead of carrots, beans and potato. For a nice smell, we also add edible lemon grass.

Ingredients:
Tenderloin pork (cut into pieces) - can be substituted with beef, chicken or fish
Carrots
Beans
Cabbage

How to cook:
1. Boil the meat until tender.
2. Add carrots and beans. Cook until soft.
3. Add cabbage. Season to taste.
4. Bring to boil one time and remove from fire.

Italian Spaghetti

2008-03-13T18:20:00.003+07:00

So easy to make! Italian spaghetti is quite sour compared to the Filipino spaghetti sauce. But it is still delicious, of course!

An exciting Friday evening!

2008-02-29T22:48:00.004+07:00

Great news! The long-missed Thai Isan food vendors are back on campus! Just before the year 2007 ended last year, all the vendors in the campus cafeteria had to move out. Gone! Coz cafeteria services have been outsourced to a company. So gone were our favorite food sellers. Our acquired taste of the food that is truly authentic campus cafeteria taste could not be satisfied by this new group. That's why we had been having fun with our food marketing and kitchen adventures. But then, this evening when we were moving around the campus, we saw a crowd at the Thai Isan food kiosk by the swan lake. It was announced last week that a new concessionaire has taken over there selling Thai Isan food. It did occur to me that maybe this Isan couple might come to sell food there. But since I was so busy during the past week it slipped my mind to go and check. Anyway, tonight I was planning to cook pasta with tomato sauce and pepper ham. I had already taken them out to prepare when we had to go out. And thus we passed nearby the kiosk. So we decided to see what was going on there, and maybe we were hoping that the new vendors would be our favorite one! And we were not mistaken! We were so excited to see them and we were so happy also to know that it was them! I bet that nearly all their loyal customers on campus feel the same way as we do! So we decided to eat dinner there. Al fresco! By the lake, with a huge monitor lizard coming out once in a while to say hello. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera so I could not show all the favorite food we ordered, namely som tam, namtok mhu, kho mhu yang, sticky rice! And coke. We were being bad but we just shared a bottle. And we were celebrating. Now I am drinking ampalaya tea. So I think it would be ok. Our taste buds were so happy to be tasting some delicious Thai Isan food again. Aroy mak mak! Sep lai lai!

He can cook, thank God!

2008-02-29T22:32:00.005+07:00

Last night I left the office at 730 pm coz we had to do some more budget calculation for our annual work plan. So my husband had to cook dinner. Again since it was already towards the end of the week, the food supplies in the kitchen were nearly depleted. When he called me at around 6pm or so to inform me that he had already arrived, and I mentioned that I would be late coming home, he volunteered to cook dinner. Yehey! So nice of him! It seems it is becoming a habit! Anyway, we only had morning glory and mushrooms left in the crisper. No more meat and fish. We did have some pepper ham and eggs. When I got home he had already prepared the veggies and he was about to cook them. It was good he did not forget to cook rice!

I left him to cook it and I just took photos so I can post them here! I gave instructions only ha ha ha! So first was to heat the wok and add some oil, then saute the chopped garlic and the sliced red onions. The smell started to come out from the spices! And my stomach started to growl. I was already hungry and it was only the initial ingredients! Then add the veggies, oyster sauce and some powdered black pepper. Just stir fry for a few minutes and dinner was ready!

What's cooking, again?

2008-02-21T09:35:00.004+07:00

Yes, again because I am back to cooking mode. Even though the other day the exhaust fan in the kitchen broke down. It was working well the night before. But then the cleaners came and they cleaned it. They must have broken something in there. The motor was running when we turned it on but the blade just would not turn with the motor. So I was planning to inform the Housing Office yesterday but I totally forgot about it coz of too much work. My husband said I should have noted it down so I could remember. Oh yeah, well I forgot to write a reminder note ha ha ha. It will have to wait tomorrow because today is a holiday. So last night when I cooked dinner, there was no exhaust fan. The kitchen got really hot. Even the dishes on the rack were also hot to the touch! I opened the windows a bit and directed the fan to it to blow the hot air out. Nevertheless the cooking smell still remained. Especially so since I fried some fish (pla salit ded deaw). This is a gurami fish which has been dried under the sun for just one day. You can imagine the smell. But it was yummy coz I fried it until it was crispy. Sort of intentionally and also because while frying it I could not stay in the kitchen so it stayed longer than necessary but it was not burned. It was too hot in there so I went to the dining room to continue with my crossword puzzle. Then my husband would remind me a few times that there was something burning in the kitchen. I told him that I was frying fish and I wanted a crispy one. Not the 'yeh yeh' kind you get from vendors who did not want to waste time to fry it longer than necessary. Anyway, I also cooked stir fried vegetables to go with the fish! Just 2 kinds of vegies, 'Baguio' beans and morning glory (pakbung, kangkong, tangkong). I added some oyster sauce, then I remembered that I had some basil leaf mixture. Just to have some spicy flavor so I also added some. The end result was very good, indeed. My husband told me it was delicious! That was enough to make my day I was so happy to wash the dishes later, even though actually it should be him coz I already did the cooking! But I did not mind :)

New but ...

2008-01-04T14:28:00.000+07:00

Something new was coming up on campus this new year! Guess what? A new cafeteria, as in, new management, new vendors, new service, new everything. So what we have been used to before is now gone! Thus on the first day of work on campus, I deliberately planned to have my lunch at the new cafeteria. By the time my stomach was growling at around past noon, I was ready to venture to try & taste something new. I decided to walk so I could get some exercise. I was quite excited at the prospect of trying out this new thing as it was hyped earlier that outsourcing cafeteria services is the answer to all our cafeteria woes! So there I was, walking excitedly with a spring on my steps, despite my weakening knees due to hunger. I went in and sensed that things were sluggish and the mood was quite subdued. People were idly milling around in front of the stalls, some flitting from one stall to another, others were queuing up and waiting for their food, & then leaving. I saw some friends moving around, complaining there was nothing to eat! I had to see for myself what was on offer. And indeed, I myself did not find the food appetizing or palatable! Despite my hunger, it was not able to coax my mind to accept just any food. Was it that bad? Hmmm. I saw a friend who was brave enough to order from the Thai salad stall. She said she would just try it. I was afraid to just try anything. I felt like I lost something! Me with my hungry stomach felt like a kid who was left at school waiting for somebody to pick her up but that somebody never came. I made another round again to really see if I could order something. But there was really nothing. It was not as if there was no food there. There was but they looked like hmmm somebody said, “hospital food”? I decided to just leave and find food elsewhere on campus. I went to the Arcade where a grocery shop was also selling some food. I met a few friends there who had the same experience as I had earlier. So we bought sticky rice and fried pork. And banana. That was my lunch that day. I took it to the office and ate it there. A couple of officemates who had lunch at the new cafeteria came and they were talking about how expensive the food was, the serving especially of rice was so little it would not last them all afternoon, the service was slow, and many more. I told them that I had to walk out and find food elsewhere! Another officemate arrived from there and said that she would never go back and eat at the cafeteria anymore!

Oh well, I do not know whether this is a normal reaction, something like “resisting change”? But I do not think so. We are mature people here and we know when a thing is good and when it is just so-so or “cheuy cheuy”. My observation if I use colors is like this: previously things in the cafeteria were pink, yellow, orange, green and a kaleidoscope of colors, but this time, we just see gray and white and black. I hope that things can be rectified soonest, before the avalanche comes, i.e. when offices open full blast and classes start, which is next week!

For me, so I wouldn’t go hungry and get some ulcer and blame the new cafeteria, I planned my own feeding strategy ha ha ha just like fish culture. I would buy food in the morning at the Arcade and keep it for lunch, similar to bringing a lunchbox to the office. I did that for lunch earlier and it worked ok. Also, that means that I have to do more cooking at home, especially for dinner. That was what another male officemate said yesterday, he had to start using his kitchen and stock up on kitchen things. We do not have a choice really until the situation improves (if ever).

What's cooking?

2007-12-28T16:27:00.000+07:00

I have neglected this blog for a long time. It's proof that I haven't done much cooking these days! What with the easy to get food within campus and nearby places, and time constraint ... I used my kitchen for occasional coffee, tea and sandwich thingy. Also cooked some spaghetti and noodles. Some fried fish as well. But nothing elaborate so no new recipes have been made. Now I am looking for a recipe of a low fat cheese cake made mostly of yogurt. A colleague made one last time we had a party in the office. When I asked her for the recipe because it tasted very nice and it was not so creamy and sweet, she joked that it was a secret. Later she told me that she got the recipe from the Bangkok Post. So I remembered that I used to cut out a recipe for that but now I could not find it. I am surfing the net but so far could not find that particular recipe. One thing living here in Asia is we could not find some ingredients mentioned in recipes for cakes and the like based on western kitchens. That is why I try to keep those I find in Asian publications. But alas for this one particular recipe, I couldn't find it anymore. Oh well ... hope I can find it someday, or ask my colleague again to share it with me.

So what have I been cooking? I have revisited my kitchen and filled up the cupboards and the fridge of late, since the campus food shops are closed for the holidays. I have some miswa noodles I bought from the Pinoy sari-sari store but there is no singkwa. I will try to cook it with sardines w/o the singkwa then.

What do I plan to cook for new year? We need to bring a dish for the new year's eve service on the 31st. I still have not decided, although I was thinking of making the cheesecake mentioned above.

Christmas message

2007-12-10T15:30:00.001+07:00

Awesome Graphics at pYzam.com

Kinaray-a.com Anniversary Updates

2007-12-03T08:10:00.000+07:00

Anniversary Updates
AntiqueÃ±os Community Website - Monday, 03 December 2007

Birthday cake

2006-07-14T09:53:00.000+07:00

I also baked a cake for my husband's birthday. Again, using available ingredients in the kitchen, I was able to bake a cake called Eggless, Milkless, Butterless Cake. I modified the recipe from www.allrecipes.com (2004).

Ingredients:
1 c brown sugar
1 c waer
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 c chopped cashew nuts

1. Combine sugar, water, oil, sesame seeds, cinnamon and salt in a microwavable glass bowl. Stir. Put in microwave at medium heat for 3 minutes. Take out and stir. Cool.
2. Measure flour, baking soda and baking powder, and sift together.
3. Gradually stir dry ingredients into sugar mixture. Beat well. Add the cashew nuts . Pour batter into a greased pan, preferably an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
4. Bake at 165 degrees C for 30 minutes (if pan is square or rectangle and bigger than 8 x 4 inch). if using the loaf pan, bake for 165 degrees C for about 1 hour.

Mocha frosting (adapted from the recipe for mocha filling):
1/4 c butter
1 c sugar
1 tbsp coffee powder mixed with 1-2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cocoa

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar alternatively with milk and coffee mixture and cocoa. Blend well.

Birthday noodles

2006-07-13T23:14:00.000+07:00

We always cook noodles during birthdays. So last 12 July was my hubby's 41st. I cooked noodles the night before (see recipe below) and also for dinner on the 12th. This time I used brown rice vermicelli with shrimp balls (mixed with carrots). I only had cabbage as vegetable as this was the only one available in my fridge (for noodles). Other vegetables that can be used include carrots, mushrooms, green beans, bean sprouts.

Ingredients:
Brown rice vermicelli, 100 g
Shrimp balls, 200 g, sliced into pieces
Cabbage, half medium, sliced into strips
Chopped garlic
Sliced onions
Knorr cubes
Soy sauce
Pepper

1. Prepare noodles as instructed, i.e. soak for 5 minutes or so. Then cut at sides/corners. Drain
2. Saute garlic and onions.
3. Add sliced shrimp balls and knorr cubes. Mix. Add carrots, beans and mushrooms if available. Cook for a minute.
4. Add softened noodles and mix.
5. Add some water to cook noodles.
6. Add cabbage.
7. Add soy sauce and pepper.
8. Serve.

Miswa with sardines

2006-07-13T23:07:00.000+07:00

This recipe is an old one which we used to do at home esp. for dinner. For a long time that I have been looking for miswa noodles here in Thailand. Recently I found one so am glad to be able to cook this dish again.

Ingredients:
Miswa, 70 g
Sardines in tomato sauce, 1 small can
Chopped garlic
Sliced red onions
Choice of knorr cubes/soy sauce/fish sauce/salt to taste
Chilli powder or fresh chilli (optional)

1. Saute garlic and onions
2. Add sardines, crush fish into small pieces
3. Fill the can with water and add into the pan (2x)
4. Bring to boil
5. Add the miswa noodles
6. Bring to boil. Add water if more soup is needed.
7. Season to taste
8. Serve immediately as the noodles absorb water quickly.

Bitter gourd and egg

2006-06-30T09:36:00.000+07:00

When we were at the supermarket last Saturday my sister said she wanted to cook bitter gourd with egg. So we bought the bitter gourd. Last night we had the opportunity to cook it, I mean I was the one who cooked it! Most people do not like eating bitter gourd because of its taste (bitter!). However, it is good for health. So how to prepare it to reduce the bitterness? First, cut the vegetable open in half. Then remove the inside (seeds) by scraping it with a spoon. The remaining part should then be cut into small pieces across to get a c-shaped piece. Sprinkle with salt and squeeze until some juice (greenish) comes out. Then rinse the salt with water. Soak the gourd with water for a few minutes, then drain. The proper recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
Bitter gourd prepared as above
Egg, beaten
Garlic, chopped
Onions, sliced
Butter
Knorr cubes
Soy sauce
Pepper

1. Place bitter gourd in a microwavable dish, add garlic, onions, butter, cube, soy sauce and pepper. Place in microwave and cook at High (#5) for 2 minutes. Cover.
2. Take out from MW and stir.
3. Return to MW and cook for another minute.
4. Take out and pour egg over it. Stir.
5. Return to MW and cook at High for 1.5 minutes.
6. Take out and stir.
7. Return to MW and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Remove from MW after 1 minute and serve.

My husband's comment was that it didn't taste that bitter. So I explained to him what I did to reduce the bitter taste. Cooking it this way is healthy coz there isn't much oil. Oftentimes when we cook it in the frying pan, we have to use lots of oil for sauteing.

Healthy and easy

2006-06-23T15:47:00.000+07:00

The other night we had baked/grilled red tilapia and blanched green vegetables (pak waan in Thai). So easy to cook. For the red tilapia, I just put some vinegar and soy sauce, then chuck it in the oven for 20 minutes at 220C. For the vegetables, I just added hot water and let it soak for a few minutes. Then I drained the water before serving. So easy and nutritious. If I had enough time I could have added some chopped garlic, pepper and other spices to the fish. But it tasted ok just with vinegar and soy sauce!

Photo: honey oatmeal bread w/ sesame seeds

2006-06-23T15:35:00.000+07:00

Just baked honey oatmeal bread with sesame seeds. Not bad considering this was my first time to use this recipe. I modified the recipe I downloaded from AllRecipes.com. I did not put wheat germ and salt as I had none of these at that time. I used low fat milk (liquid), but I will try the powdered one next time.

Honey oatmeal bread

2006-06-21T16:48:00.000+07:00

Today I found the bread oven transformer, so I got to work with my bread oven. However, I could not find the recipe book. It might still be in one of the unpacked boxes when I moved from the campus to our condo last year. Anyway, I found 2 recipes from my recipe envelop. One calls for sugar and I do not have sugar at this time, I forgot to buy. But the other calls for honey and that I have. So now my honey oat bread is in the bread oven. It is nearly 1 hour and it will take another 1 hour and 15 minutes. I modified it a bit by adding some sesame seeds. I will see what the result will be. Also for the low fat milk, I do not have the powdered one so I used the liquid milk. I hope the bread will not be too wet. It's the first time for me to use this particular recipe. Hmmm I have to get used to it. And I have to look for that recipe book of mine where I have already done nearly all the recipes so I know the 'secret'. You see, sometimes the recipe needs some adjustment because of differences in elevation, humidity, temperature and the like. And since this bread oven and the recipes were designed for the US, using it here in Asia needs some adjustments. I will report later on the results!

Breadmaking

2006-06-19T13:17:00.000+07:00

I will open my bakery soon :)) yesterday I was able to buy from a visiting Indian trader who comes to the campus every 2 weeks. I usually buy wholewheat flour from him. One pack contains 5 kg and is much cheaper than buying from the supermarket. The price of this 5 kg pack is equivalent to less than 2 kg in the supermarket!!! I am using a breadmachine to make wholewheat and rye bread. I make it plain, or sometimes I add some cashew nuts or sesame seeds. But I have to look for the transformer coz this machine is from the US (110v) and we are using 220v here.

Instant noodles

2006-06-11T21:25:00.000+07:00

Here we call instant noodles, Mama. It is a basic food especially among students. There are many ways to cook Mama (the noodles). Here in Thailand, it is readily available and the easiest way is to pour boiling water onto it and after 3 minutes or so, it is ready to be eaten. However, it is also nice to add some other things such as fresh green vegetables, meat and eggs. This can be cooked on any cooker. I use the rice cooker.

Instant noodles (any flavour), 1 pack per person
Egg
Vegetables-can be pakchoi/bokchoi, mustard leaves, cabbage
Chinese sausage/kuncheang/chorizo bilbao-sliced diagonally/ground pork/meat

1. Boil water (1 bowl/pack)
2. Add the noodles and seasoning
3. Add sausage or meat
4. Let it boil
5. Add egg, stir
6. Add vegetables
7. Serve while hot!

Spaghetti tuna carbonara

2006-06-11T21:12:00.000+07:00

We live in a condo and gas cooking equipment is not allowed. So I use the following electric cooking equipment: rice cooker, microwave and conventional oven.

250 g spaghetti
290-g can, white sauce/carbonara (cheese and herb flavour)
185-g can, tuna steak in oil
grated cheddar cheese
chilli powder (optional)

1. Boil water in the rice cooker, then add the spaghetti pasta. Stir until cooked (about 10 minutes). Once cooked, remove the cooking pot and pur cold water. Drain.
2. Microwave sauce at high for 1 minute.
3. Microwave tuna at high for 1 minute.
4. Serve with cheese and chilli powder.

Easy recipe, right? The sauce can be substituted with tomato sauce. The tuna can be substituted with hotdog or ground meat or pork.