Kam Over Here

Ate Anchang's Arroz a la Valenciana

2014-09-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

A tribute to one of the people who inspired me to learn how to cook. This is her signature dish (although hers is much better than my quick version).

RIP Ate Anchang, I am sure you will be making awesome dishes in heaven :)

What you need:
3 cups jasmine rice
3 cups coconut milk
1 cup water

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, shopped
1 shallot, chopped
3 chicken thighs, sliced to small pieces
3 kielbasa sausages, sliced diagonally
pinch of annatto powder

2 potatoes, cut to medium cubes
2 medium carrots, cut to medium cubes
1 red bell pepper, sliced to squares
1 green bell pepper, sliced to squares

1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1-2 dried bay leaves

fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Here's how you do it:
Ate Anchang's version requires cooking the rice on the wok itself, making the cooked rice more flavorful. I have never tried doing it but will do soon :P

I, on the other hand, used my handy rice cooker to cook the rice in coconut milk and water.

In a wok, heat up the olive oil. Saute garlic, shallots. Add chicken and cook until all pink are gone.
Add in annatto powder and season with salt and pepper. Add in tomato sauce, water and bay leaves.

Then, add sausage, potatoes and carrots. Let simmer on low to medium heat until potatoes and carrots are soft.

Add bell peppers. Season with fish sauce, salt and pepper.

Once rice is done, add the rice in the tomato sauce and mix carefully.

Ginatang Langka at Baboy (Young jackfruit and Pork in Coconut Milk) a la Kam

2014-09-03T19:14:00.002-07:00

I usually eat jackfruit as dessert (usually in turon) but I tried this dish in a Filipino restaurant in Seattle and decided to give it a try. Another yummy coconut milk dish! The sauce is the same as my other coconut milk recipes :)

What you need:
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
small ginger (half of a thumb), chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 lb pork strips

1 can of young jackfruit in BRINE (not syrup!), sliced
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp. shrimp paste (or more)
pepper to taste

How it's done:
Heat up a wok and add in the vegetable oil. Saute garlic, ginger and shallots for around 1 minute.

Add in pork and cook until all pink are gone.
Add coconut milk. Let simmer for around 7 minutes on medium heat.
Add in shrimp paste and jackfruit. Let simmer for around 5 more minutes.
Season with pepper to taste.

Serve with rice and sliced bell peppers on top :)

Ginisang Sitaw at Kalabasa (Long Beans and Squash in Coconut Milk) a la Kam

2014-08-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

Quick post on a favorite Filipino coconut milk dish :) I added some crunchy pork belly on top to make it yummier!

What you need:
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
small ginger (half of a thumb), chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 bunch long beans, cut around 2 inches long
1 small squash, cubed
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp. shrimp paste (or more)
pepper to taste

Protein options:
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
2 strips pork belly - broiled on high for 15-20 minutes

How it's done:
Heat up a wok and add in the vegetable oil. Saute garlic, ginger and shallots for around 1 minute.

Add in squash and coconut milk. Let simmer for around 5 minutes.
Add in long beans and shrimp paste. You can add shrimp at this point if you have it.
Let simmer for around 3 more minutes.
Season with pepper to taste.

Add sliced pork belly. Serve with white rice :)

What's in my iPhone?

2014-08-05T14:16:00.001-07:00

Pics of food that I made! I love this so much more than taking a selfie :P

Cookies and Cream, Hazelnut, Pistachio

Thanksgiving goodies

Fruit Tarts in Sunny San Diego

Peach Macarons with homemade peach jam

Seattle Seahawks Macarons

Tapsilog a la Kam (Filipino breakfast - marinated beef, garlic rice and egg)

2014-06-07T21:13:00.002-07:00

The Filipino "-silog" suffix is added to a platter that is served with garlic rice (sinangag) and egg (itlog). Silogs have always been my breakfast comfort food (also a good sober-check) and they are huge here in the Bay area. My all-time favorite is tapa (marinated beef) - adding "-silog" suffix to that makes Tapsilog. Here is my version, good for Sunday brunch!

What you need:
1 lb. beef (I used ribeye steak for this recipe, but you can get round or chuck, sliced
1/4 cup (or more) Filipino vinegar
2 tbsp. Filipino soy sauce
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
pepper to taste

2 tbsp. olive oil

How it's done:
In a bowl, add vinegar, soy sauce, chopped garlic and pepper. Mix well.
Add in sliced beef.
Marinate for at least 4 hours, better if you leave it in the fridge overnight.

To cook, just place beef in a pan over medium heat.
The juices will come out, so do not put oil yet.
Let simmer until dry and then add in the olive oil.
Cook for 5-7 minutes on low-medium heat.

Serve with garlic rice and sunny-side-up egg :)

Steak Lunch a la Kam

2014-06-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to see the latest Game of Thrones episode tonight that while I was thinking of what to make for Sunday lunch, I was actually thinking of what I would feed Prince Oberyn before he fights the Mountain. What a fan-girl :P

This is my usual steak meal: steak, mushrooms, gravy, mashed potatoes and some greens.
Game of Thrones-inspired :)

What you need:

For the Steak
8 oz thin-cut Rib Eye steak seasoned with:
garlic salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder

Using an iron skillet on medium heat, I just cooked the steak for 2 minutes on each side (this is for medium well, adjusted since my steak is thin). You can use this steak rareness scale I found on the internet as a guide on that "How do you like your steak?" question:

For the Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 medium red potatoes
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced

Slice potatoes in quarters and place in a pot filled with water, add a pinch of salt.
Let boil for 5-7 minutes.
Use fork to test if potatoes are soft, place in colander to remove excess water.

In a big bowl, add in cooked potatoes, butter, heavy cream, salt and pepper and minced garlic.
Mix and then start mashing potatoes until creamy.

For your Greens
You can just create a simple salad or in my case, just steamed 5-6 pieces of asparagus :)

Serve steak with the side of mashed potatoes, gravy and asparagus. Pair with a good red wine.

Bokchoy and Tofu Stir Fry a la Kam

2014-05-19T20:02:00.002-07:00

I always have bokchoy handy in the fridge because it's so versatile. I can add it in soup or just make a quick stir fry to eat with rice. Lately, I have been eating a lot of sandwiches and salads but my Filipino palate sometimes still craves for kanin-ulam-sabaw (rice-dish-soup).

So here is a quick dish, done in less than 30 minutes!

What you need:
1 block of tofu, pan fried and cubed
(You can also use pre-fried tofu that you can get in any Asian store)

1/4 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2-3 pieces of Bokchoy, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
dash of oyster sauce
some pepper to taste

How it's done:
Slice the tofu in quarters and then pan-fry until all sides are brown.
Let cool and slice into smaller cubes.

In a pan, heat up the olive oil in medium heat.
Add in the garlic, cook until golden brown.
Add in chopped onion and cook until translucent.
Pour the vegetable stock, flavor with oyster sauce and pepper.
Add in the chopped bokchoy. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes.

To thicken the sauce: (optional)
You can cornstarch mixture (around 1 tbsp cornstarch diluted in 2 tbsp. water)
while the stock is simmering.

Place tofu cubes on top. Serve with rice :)

Katsu Karē (カツカレー) Breaded Pork Cutlet with Japanese Curry

2014-02-09T14:13:00.001-08:00

What is katsu? I did a little research and found out that it is short for katsuretsu, the Japanese translation for cutlet. It is used for meat that can be pounded thinly, like pork (tonkatsu) or chicken (torikatsu). I am not sure if there is any relation with it being fried though. My family has been making tonkatsu since I was kid - yes my mom likes to fancify the good 'ol fried pork chop :P

I have discovered katsu curry from my friends who love Japanese food and I tried it in this one hole-in-a-wall in downtown Seattle (Tsukushinbo, FYI for my local Seattle friends - should try this!). And then they pointed out that I can DIY the sauce by buying a cubed version from the Asian market.

So this is my version, if you like Thai Panang curry or Filipino Bicol Express, this is worth the try.

What you need:
4 boneless porkchops, preferably pounded
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs, or more if needed
pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
around 1/4 cup or less of Olive oil for pan frying

1 package (3.5 oz) curry sauce mix - get the cubed ones

How it's done:
Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Prepare your workstation:
Bowl 1: Flour
Bowl 2: Egg
Bowl 3: Panko bread crumbs

Coat pork with flour, dip in egg and then coat completely with bread crumbs. Do for all pork chops.
Pan-fry until golden brown, around 5-7 minutes each side on medium heat.

For the sauce, prepare according to instructions at the back (yes, there is an English version :P).
You can add chopped potatoes, carrots and onions, just like I did :)

Slice fried tonkatsu (pork chops), place sauce on top and serve with rice. Itadakimasu!

Mushroom Gravy a la Kam

2014-02-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

Filipinos LOVE gravy. I remember coming here to the US and ordering a bucket of chicken from KFC expecting to get gravy, but I didn't. It was hard to eat American fried chicken as my childhood memories always partnered fried chicken, pork chops or steak with gravy. Even when I was in college, I remember my guy-classmates would order 1 small piece of chicken and 7 cups of rice. Yes, they can finish the rice with just a little fried chicken thigh, because it came with a gravy-all-you-can bowl (refillable gravy - only in the Philippines- Almer's Dapitan to be exact).

So having family over for the weekend, I made a simple Filipino steak dinner for them. T-bone steak prepared medium with rice and gravy. They loved it and I still have leftovers :P!

Here is my quick gravy recipe. Serve it with any meat you like to eat with gravy.

What you need:
A few drops of olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
Around 10-15 button mushrooms, sliced according to your preference
1 cup of water
1 beef cube
*around 1 tbsp. whipping cream
*1 tbsp. corn starch diluted in around 1/4 cup water

How it's done:
On a saucepan, heat up your olive oil and then add in garlic.
Immediately add in the mushrooms, cook for around 3 minutes.

Add in the cup of water and beef cube. Let simmer for 3 minutes on low/medium heat.
Add in the cream, mix a little.
Add in the cornstarch solution to thicken.

Kam's Tips:
- I tweak this recipe a bit to make my meal "fancier", I remove the cream and the cornstarch mixture and add red wine instead.

Chicken Arroz Caldo a la Kam (Filipino Porridge with Chicken and Egg)

2013-11-17T17:13:00.001-08:00

After a quick hi-hello phone call from my Filipino friends in Iowa, I got envious that they were making Chicken Arroz Caldo - which I think is the best comfort food when the temperature is below freezing.

Arroz Caldo is the Filipino porridge, made with rice, ginger, garlic, onion and safflower. The common additions are chicken and hard-boiled egg. Fancier ones have tripe, pork blood and sometimes fried tofu (this I believe, is goto).

What you need:
Around 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
ginger, size of a thumb, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cubed
dash of fish sauce (patis)

1 cup rice (long-grain is good, sticky/glutinous rice is better actually)
4 cups water (or more if the soup gets thick)
1 chicken cube or around 1 tbsp. chicken bouillon powder
pinch of safflower
pepper to taste

fried garlic, hard-boiled egg and chopped green onions for garnishing

How it's done:
Heat a medium soup pot and add in the oil.
Add the garlic, saute until light golden brown.
Add in the onions and the ginger, saute until onions are translucent.

Add the chicken and cook until pink are gone.
Add a dash of patis.
Put in the rice and mix (this process makes this soup VERY flavorful!)

Add water and chicken cube.
Let boil for around 40 minutes with constant stirring.
Add the dash of pepper and the pinch of safflower (optional)

Serve with hard-boiled egg, fried garlic and chopped green onions on top :)

Pinoy Brunch

2013-09-30T21:32:00.002-07:00

Quick photo blog post :) Pics from a Filipino Breakfast-inspired brunch I had a couple of weeks ago.

Cute little "kawali's" from my mom, bought from Quiapo Ilalim - I LOVE THAT PLACE!

Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice)

Filipino Corned Beef

Longganisa (Filipino sausage) and Filipino hotdog

Tocino (I love it when it's tustado/pagod/well-done)

If this post made you hungry, my apologies :P

Bistek Tagalog a la Kam

2013-09-17T00:42:00.002-07:00

Quick blog post about a quick Filipino comfort dish :)
Enjoy!

What you need:
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 lb. sliced beef (Beef for hot pot would be awesome for this)
Juice of 5-6 Calamansi (or 1 lemon/2 small limes)
1/8 cup Filipino soy sauce
1/8 cup Water
pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped to rings
1 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine *optional

How it's done:
In a pan, heat up olive oil and then add garlic. Saute until golden brown.
Add in sliced beef and cook until pink is all gone.
Add soy sauce, water and calamansi. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low to medium heat.
Add the pepper, Chinese cooking wine and onions, and simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes.

Serve with rice, yummy!

Black Chicken Sotanghon Soup for the 30-yr-old Woman's Soul

2013-09-03T19:29:00.002-07:00

Yes, I just turned 30. It's a bit surreal but it's something that needs to be faced. Just last month, I had to purchase a new set of eyeglasses (thanks to grad school and 12++ hours of being in front of a computer all day everyday).

The good thing is right now, I feel like I am the fittest and healthiest I have ever been in my life. Still, I try hard to be more aware of what I eat. I started looking for "superfoods" that prevent aging and help with improving vision, and with some research and suggestions of a Chinese friend (and some gutsy why-not? attitude), I decided to try doing something with black chicken and gogi wolfberries.

Gogi wolfberries are the red berries on the left, great for anti-aging and vision. Dang Gui, which is the bark-looking stuff on the lower left, is great for women's health - especially during those "fragile" few days every month.

So after a quick visit to my neighborhood-most legit Chinese supermarket, I found a chicken soup mix that I thought would go perfect with black chicken. I'm sure each of them have their benefits to a women's health so just adding them in a pot with black chicken would result to all goodness on earth.

Of course I had to add a Filipino twist on it, thus the Sotanghon soup :P It turned out great! I had a terrible headache the night I made the soup, and after having some, my headache was gone in an hour and I slept very soundly after that.

What you need:
1 small whole chicken (black/silkie or ordinary), cut to pieces
Around 4-5 cups of water
half pack of Chinese chicken soup mix (available in Asian stores)
Ginger - size of a thumb, skin removed
Dash of garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
around 1 tsp. of Magic Ginisa Mix (optional)

2 small packages of Cellophane/Sotanghon noodles (1 is usually tied with a white thread)
Fish Sauce or Patis to taste
Fried garlic (optional)
chopped green onions (optional)

How it's done:
Make your basic chicken soup base: Place chicken, water, Chinese chicken herb mix, ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper and Ginisa Mix in a large soup pot. Let boil and simmer on low heat for 4-5 hours (Yes, this is the secret to really flavorful soup).

I plan to keep this chicken soup base and use it for a variety of dishes (What I have in mind: chicken sopas, chicken mami or even Tinola). For Chicken Sotanghon soup, I just added 2 small packages of cellophane noodles and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add fish sauce according to your taste.

To serve, just place a piece of chicken, some noodles, soup and then add fried garlic and chopped green onions on top.

Kam's Tips:

- I added some shitake mushrooms (because I am in love with mushrooms). You can add vegetables! Just add them with the noodles and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Panko-Crusted Tilapia Fingers

2013-06-29T20:11:00.001-07:00

This is a quick post on my favorite way to use Panko breadcrumbs and FYI, I use this same method on pork chops (for tonkatsu), chicken breast (for torikatsu) and shrimp (for my version of ebi tempura).

What you need:

5 fillets of Tilapia (or any fish of your preference), cut in half lengthwise

1/4 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs, or more if needed

1 lime (better if you have calamansi - in that case use two!)

pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

around 3 tbsp. Olive oil for pan frying

How it's done:

Squeeze the juice of lime on the fish, half of lime on each side.

Season fish with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Prepare your workstation:

Bowl 1: Flour

Bowl 2: Egg

Bowl 3: Panko bread crumbs

Coat fish with flour, dip in egg and then coat completely with bread crumbs. Do for all fillets.

Pan-fry until golden brown, around 3-5 minutes each side on medium heat.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. (Soy sauce and chili FTW!)

Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon) a la Kam

2013-06-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

I had some out of town guests from Georgia last week and as a Seattle host, I had to take them to good Seafood-feast dinner place. Saying they loved it, is an understatement, because my friend told me she was still daydreaming of those crabs etc. while sitting on her flight back to Georgia - well that's one thing Paula Deen can't give! (Kam is punching into thin air)

So after a bit of researching, I got an idea from a great blog here and voila! Served with newly cooked rice and kimchi - awesome!

What you need:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 eggs
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- Olive oil for pan frying
- Seafood (I used shrimp, clams and mussels - off the shell of course and already cooked)
- salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
- dash of Magic Sarap (optional, yes I am so Filipino)

Dipping Sauce
- 1 tbsp. Kikkoman soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- white part of 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- a dash of sesame oil
- pinch of garlic powder
- pinch of some red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)

How it's done:
In a large bowl, mix flour, water and eggs with whisk. Add in green onions and seafood.

Add olive oil on non-stick pan and then add in around 1/2 or less of batter, the thinner the better. Pan-fry over medium heat and then flip over, just like cooking an omelette, 5-7 minutes each side.

Slice and serve with dipping sauce, don't forget the kimchi!

Kam's Tips:
- Vegetarian? Scratch the seafood and add in shitake mushrooms and carrots.

Filipino Shanghai Meatballs Surprise a la Kam

2013-06-01T11:54:00.002-07:00

I made quite a huge batch of Filipino spring rolls the other day and ran out of spring roll wrappers. I knew immediately I was going to make meatballs out of the extra meat. You see, when my siblings and I were growing up, our weekends were spent either in Nueva Ecija (where my dad is from) or Cavite (where my mom is from) and during those weekends, I've tasted the best Filipino food of my life!

In Cavite, my aunt's cook was a sweet elderly lady we call "Manang" and she was actually the one who came up with the idea of adding hard boiled egg in a meatball (I'm pretty sure you have figured out why it's called Meatballs Surprise right?).

What you need:
(Lumpia Shanghai Meat)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 medium sized carrot, chopped
- 1 medium sized onion, chopped
(or 2 stalks of green onions, chopped)
- 1 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
- Dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder

- 2 tbsp. flour
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut in half
- Around 3 tbsp. olive oil for pan-frying

How it's done:
Mix ground beef, chopped veggies, oyster sauce and seasonings together.
The best mixing tool are your hands my friend :)

Sprinkle some flour on your hands and then scoop in some of the meat mixture.
Add half of one egg and wrap, just like you are wrapping a dumpling, only your wrapper is meat :P
Sprinkle in more flour if the meat becomes sticky.

Pan fry the meatballs until all sides are brown.
Finish cooking in the oven and bake at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Savory Chinese Steamed Egg Custard (Zheng Ji Dan Geng)

2013-03-18T18:19:00.003-07:00

As I have mentioned in my Vietnamese Spring roll post, I plan to create my own version of dishes I came across to while in graduate school. Done with Vietnam, next is China. I know I have somehow posted some Chinese recipes before but this particular post is different. You won't see this in the usual Chinese restaurants alongside Kung Pao Chicken. The closest I have encountered is in a Korean restaurant, and apparently Koreans have a version of this too, and they call it Gye Ran Jjim.

So I did a little bit of researching and found out that this dish is very common in Northeast China and at some point, everyone has eaten steamed eggs in their lives, especially when they were kids. Hopefully, this recipe brings out a Ratatouille Moment for someone (that moment when a familiar flavor can take you back through time).

What you need:
-1 egg (to fit a small ramekin)
- 1/4 cup water
- few drops of Soy Sauce (or Filipino Knorr Seasoning)
- few drops of Sesame oil
- chopped green onions

How it's done:
Place egg, water in a bowl and beat with whisk, add few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce and whisk to mix.

Have your steamer ready (I'm using my handy-dandy bamboo steamer), steam for around 8-10 minutes.

Serve with chopped green onions on top. You may add a few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce or if you like it spicy, some chili oil.

Kam's Tips:
- Since egg is the main ingredient in this recipe, I suggest using cage-free/organic eggs for a really fresher taste.

Sotanghon Guisado (Filipino Sauteed Cellophane Noodles) a la Kam

2013-02-22T20:04:00.002-08:00

This is a quick blog post requested by a friend celebrating her birthday this weekend :) Here's to long life!

What you need:
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 boneless chicken breast, cubed
- 3 pieces Chinese sausage (or Chorizo de Bilbao), cubed

- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- around 2 cups of Chicken Stock (or more if needed)
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- juice of 1 lemon
- dash of Sesame oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 small packages of Cellophane Noodles (usually tied with a white thread)
- half of a cabbage, chopped

- green onions, chopped

How it's done:
Saute garlic until a little brown, add onion and saute until translucent.
Add chicken and cook for around 2 minutes until pink is gone.
Add in Chinese sausage, celery, carrots, chicken stock, soy sauce, lemon and sesame oil.
Let simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add noodles and simmer for around 10 minutes on low heat. Have water available just in case the noodles absorb the stock.
Add in cabbage and mix, let it stay on low heat for 3 minutes more.
Serve with green onions on top and sliced lemons on the side.

Kam's Notes
- I chop my vegetables because some people don't like eating big chunks of celery. If you have friends who don't like eating vegetables, chopping them small is the trick :P

- I add some shitake mushrooms or chayote if I have them available :)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Cha Gio/Nem Ran)

2013-02-16T18:32:00.002-08:00

Hello everyone, I am glad to be back! Sorry for being MIA for more than a year, I had to pursue graduate studies and was away from my kitchen for the year 2012 (haha funny - I was AFK, gamers will get it), but I am back for good and I hope you guys missed me as much I missed my kitchen.

When I was in graduate school, I've met people from all over the world and they have inspired me to try a variety of different dishes. Try - meaning I plan to create my own version of it, not taking away the essential flavors but adding a touch of Filipino taste in it. The first on my list is Vietnamese Spring Rolls , as inspired by my lovely friend Sinh from Hanoi who now lives in Pittsburgh. (Hi Sinh!)

I've tried different versions of this on Vietnamese restaurants around Seattle and it was because Sinh made some a week before (and then sent mouth-watering pics), that pushed me to finally try making it. If you are Filipino and you know how to make killer lumpiang shanghai, then you should definitely try this. Now I think I won't order this again when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant (see I have this thing when I order only the things I can't cook, makes sense right?).
What you need: - 1 lb ground beef (may use ground pork or ground chicken)
- 1 lb shrimp, chopped
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped or shredded
- 1 cup Tree Mushrooms (Tengang Daga), soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, and then
chopped
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 small portion of bean thread/cellophane noodles (sotanghon), soaked in warm water for
30 minutes and then chopped
- Dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder
- 1 package Menlo spring roll wrapper (50 pieces)
- Paste made with 1 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup of water, microwaved for 30
seconds
- 1 Butter or Romain lettuce
*Optional:
- Filipino Magic Sarap Seasoning (1 small pack)
- few drops of Knorr Seasoning

Fish Sauce Dip:
- around 1/8 cup water
- 2 tbsp. fish sauce (Patis)
- 1 calamansi or key lime, squeezed
- 1 tsp. maple syrup or 1 tsp. brown sugar
- some julienned carrots (around 1 tsp)
- around 1/2 tsp. chili oil

How it's done:
Mix ground beef, ground shrimp, chopped vegetables, noodles, flour and seasonings together. As I have mentioned before, the best mixing tool for these kinds of recipes are your hands, so don't be afraid to get a little dirty!

Prepare your working station, see my Lumpiang Shanghai blog for more details. For this recipe, I didn't cut the wrappers in half as you should be putting a hefty amount of mixture inside the wrapper.

Place a heaping spoonful of mixture on 1 wrapper and roll. Start tight, finish tight. Seal with cornstarch paste.

This recipe yields around 50 pieces of spring rolls. Heat up your frier and deep-fry. Serve with lettuce and fish sauce dip.Kam's Tips:
You can save uncooked spring rolls in the freezer for next time :)
The mini-chopper is your friend! Makes chopping vegetables so easy.

Chicken Menudo a la Kam

2012-01-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are all as excited for 2012 as I am. :)

My brother (let's call him Yams :b) from Manila is in town for the holidays and he is a complete health buff, so in an attempt to eat healthier, we have been tweaking rich and greasy Filipino dishes to make them lighter versions. I admire his discipline on food (FYI: this brother used to eat a whole bag of Hershey's kisses like potato chips).

So here's my version of the Filipino Menudo, no it's not the same as the Mexican one. Filipino menudo is a stew that is usually eaten with rice (like every other Filipino dish) while Mexican menudo is a spicy soup made with tripe (I bet it's a good hangover soup).

What you need:

- Around 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cubed

- juice of 1/2 lemon (you will use the other half for the stew)

- 2 tbsp. dark soy sauce

- 1 tbsp. Olive oil

- clove of garlic, minced

- small onion, chopped

- 1 medium potato, cubed

- 2 carrots, cubed

- Around 1.5 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

- juice of the other half of the lemon

- 1 small can tomato sauce

- green peas or cubed bell peppers (optional, great for pops of color)

- salt and pepper to taste

How it's done:

Combine soy sauce and lemon and marinate chicken for around 30 minutes.

Heat up a wok, add the olive oil. Saute garlic and onion. Once onion is translucent, add chicken and cook until all sides are brown.

Add stock and let simmer for around 5 minutes. Add in potatoes, carrots, lemon juice and tomato sauce and simmer for another good 10 minutes.

Add in green peas/bell pepper and simmer for another minute.

Season as you wish, you can either do fish sauce or salt and pepper. I like adding a little bit of rosemary.

Serve hot with rice :)

Kam's Tips:

- Like pork? Substitute the chicken with 1 lb. pork and add another 5 minutes simmer time.

- Some add chick peas and raisins, two things that I am not a fan of, you can add them towards the end if

you prefer.

- Want it spicier? You can either add a little bit of red pepper flakes or a few drops of tabasco sauce :)

Buco Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes

2011-10-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

The idea of making cupcakes with Filipino flavors came into me after watching back to back episodes of Cupcake Wars in the Food Network. Every major city has a cupcake store so I wanted to be different and incorporate tropical and fruity flavors to my cupcakes. (FYI: I strongly disagree to anyone who says cupcakes are out this year)

So here it is! Buco Pandan salad flavors in a mamon-like cupcake :)

Buco Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes (tweaked this recipe by Kirbie Cravings)
(makes 24 cupcakes)

What you need:

(A)
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar

(B)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 egg yolks
1/2 tbsp. Green food coloring mixed in
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. Pandan flavor

(C)
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar

How it's done:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine (A) in a bowl. Stir well to blend. Add (B). Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Beat (C) (egg whites and cream of tartar) in a separate bowl until soft peaks formed. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff and shiny peaks are formed. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolks mixture, fold to mix and then add the rest of the egg whites. Fold gently but thoroughly, so no white streaks remain. Scoop into cupcake pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Kam's Tips:
- Always, always use room temperature eggs especially if you are using egg whites.
- Never open the oven door while the chiffon cupcake are baking (I know you are tempted by the smell, must resist!) Opening the door will result to sagging cupcakes.
- Frosting ideas: Vanilla buttercream topped with toasted coconut flakes - FTW!

Chewy Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies a la Kam

2011-08-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

How do you like your cookie? Do you like it crunchy on the outside yet chewy on the inside? Or did you prefer it crunchy all the way? I like mine chewy all the way! This does not only lessen the occurrence of crumbs (which I hate because, in case I haven't mentioned yet, I am a major neat freak) but also because I like it tasting like it just came out from the oven.

Here's a quick cookie recipe I like to do when I crave for something sweet and comforting :)

What you need:
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp. Salt

- 3/4 cup Crisco Shortening (added 1 tbsp. water to this)

- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips

How it's done:

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 320 degress F.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt and then set aside.
Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, cream shortening, white sugar and brown sugar.
Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla.

Mix in the sifted dry ingredients.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Form dough into 1.5" balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
Let cool on rack for few minutes.

Kam's Tips:
- I am planning on doing a Macadamia and White Chocolate version! Instead of 2 cups of chocolate chip, make that 1 cup white chocolate chip and 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts :) (Ohh yummy!)
- Everyone loves the smell of baking cookies! If you are expecting guests and want your place to smell amazing, make a batch!

Pork Adobong Gapan with Pinakurat

2011-06-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

This is my default Adobo recipe, just because Piano man and I LOVE fried garlic. There's probably hundreds of Adobo versions out there but my palate is used to two versions, this one and the Cavite version. (FYI: Haven't really tried making the Cavite version but all I know about it is --> achuete is your friend)

My father's family is from Gapan, a small town in the province of Nueva Ecija up North. I remember spending weekends there enjoying the best pastillas, barquillos with ice cream, my lola's Chicken Afritada and Adobong Gapan. I was in awe everytime we go to their town market as I often see "unique" ingredients that are not only new to my eyes, but also to my smell. (Burong Isda FTW! Eekkk, I kid)

Dinuguan & Burong Isda. Pic taken from pinoy_pinay

What you need:
- 1 lb. pork (I use pork butt but this is better with pork belly)
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup Pinakurat**, optional
- 1 cup water
- 3 Bay leaves
- Salt & Pepper to Taste

- 5 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
- Another 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

How it's done:
In a big sauce pan, add pork, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, Pinakurat, water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until meat is tender. Season to taste.

Remove meat and strain. Set sauce aside.

In a big wok, heat up the vegetable oil. Brown minced garlic, add in meat and brown all sides.
Add in the sauce. Serve hot with rice.

Kam's Tips:
- I add a bit of ginger powder for a bit more flavor.
- Craving for something salty? After browning the meat, add around 3 tbsp. of brown bagoong to make Binagoongan :)
- **Pinakurat is a vinegar mix of coconut sap (tuba) and small red chilies known as labuyo in the Philippines. You can always use ordinary vinegar of course. Always take note though: Filipino vinegar is what makes Filipino adobo tasty! You'll find some on most Asian stores.

Humble Banana Bread

2011-05-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

This morning, I noticed 4 ignored and lonely bananas on top of my kitchen counter. They don't look very pleasing to the eye, thus no one wanted to eat them, but they are actually the perfect baking bananas for banana bread.

So here's a very simple banana bread recipe from my mother-in-law. I'm not sure why she called it humble (will ask the next time she visits).

What you need:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 4 Ripe baking bananas, mashed
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

How it's done:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease 1 large loaf pan (12in x 4.5in) or 2 medium loaf pans (7.5in x 3.5in). Set aside.

Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, cream butter and brown sugar.
Add eggs and mix on low speed.

Combine flour and baking soda and then add to mixture.
Add bananas and mix on medium speed for about a minute.

Pour mixture into pan/pans. Top with walnuts (optional)
Bake for 1 hour.
Let cool before slicing. Great for afternoon snacks and tea :)

Kam's Tip:
- Are you a chocolate lover? Reduce the brown sugar to 3/4 cup and fold in around 1/4 cup or more of semisweet chocolate chips before pouring into loaf pans.

Tinolang Manok (Chicken Soup with Chayote and Spinach) a la Kam

2011-04-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

As you may already know, I am HUGE fan of chayote, and so it's just obvious that I love any dish that has it. Tinolang manok is one of my favorite dishes to make, mainly because it is fast, easy and soothing (hmm ginger) especially when served hot over steamed rice.

Other versions use dahong sili (chili leaves) or malunggay (moringa), but if you live in the US, I would recommend using fresh spinach.

What you need:
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
A clove of garlic, minced
Ginger the size of a thumb, minced** (I hate having to take out pieces of ginger in my mouth)

4 Chicken Thighs (that I sliced into smaller pieces)
Around 2 cups of Rice Wash or Hugas Bigas (or you can use chicken broth)

2 Chayote, sliced
1 tbsp or more Fish Sauce
Bunch of Spinach
Salt and Pepper to taste

Here's how it's done:
Heat up a wok and add in vegetable oil, after around 5 minutes, add garlic. Saute.
Add in onions and ginger. Saute until onions become translucent.

Add chicken and saute until all sides are brown (My mommy calls this "sangkutsa").
Add fish sauce and mix to incorporate into chicken. Add rice wash or broth.

Simmer for around 20-30 minutes.
Add chayote and simmer for additional 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper, or more fish sauce if you wish.
Turn off fire, and then add the spinach.

Serve hot with steam rice.

Kam's Tips:
** I ALWAYS use minced ginger when cooking, it is not only more convenient to eat, but also more flavorful.
** You can use green papaya or squash instead of chayote. Green papaya would give the tinola a sweeter taste.