Reel and Grill

Baka Tim or Beef Pata Tim (Beef in Sweet-Savory Sauce) for December Kulinarya Challenge

2011-12-18T12:12:00.001+08:00

For foodies and people who love food, cooking, eating and everything in between (you are right, the one after eating is usually not well loved :)), one Christmas tradition that excites me the most is the Noche Buena. The customary dinner or feast shared by and between the whole family on Christmas Eve …… usually right after attending the midnight or late evening Christmas Eve Mass called Misa De Gallo.

Keeping up with that tradition, Joy of Gastronomy by Joy and She of Señorita Sisa’s Blog of the Kulinarya Cooking Club (KCC) chose the theme Noche Buena (of course) for our December Challenge where participating members will prepare one dish of their choice. Something that they intend to become part of their family’s Noche Buena come Christmas Night.

Since I decided to dwell on the centerpiece of the Noche Buena which is usually accorded to the magnificent ham or the all-time Filipino favorite fried or roast whole chicken or the pricey roast pig, I decided to make a new dish that could be placed at the center table with all pride and glory comparable to that of the three mentioned main dishes but characterize by a fresh idea, easy preparation and relative affordability. Here comes my version of “pata tim” prepared using a slab of beef instead of the usual pork knuckle – the “baka tim”. :-)

Although the dish may appear difficult to prepare, it is actually easy and simpler than most of us thinks. Since the preparation involves a slow cooking process (which brings out the rich and robust flavor), I usually have lots of time watching CSI or NCIS or Criminal Minds while waiting for the meat to gradually tenderize. An occasional peeking just to flip the meat over for uniform cooking and ensure that broth won’t dry out are all we need which of course could be safely done in between commercials.

To prepare, I purchased a one-kilo slab of beef that is not lean. :-). Well, I simply mean a section of the meat bearing some fat, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. This is one tough meat yes but full of flavor. And since it will undergo a long slow cooking anyway, until the grains basically fall off, this is the type of cut I need for the dish.

The other ingredients needed are as follows: ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp oyster sauce, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 pcs small onions, peeled and halved, 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and lightly crushed, 6 gloves garlic, crushed, 2 small pcs star anise, 2 small pcs (or 1 large pc) bay leaves (“laurel”), 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp white sugar and importantly, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn.

Additionally, we need about 3 cups broth for the simmering and 1 tsp sesame oil to finish the sauce up.

The first step is to dry toast the Sichuan peppercorn for a minute in a small pan then grind using mortar and pestle.

In a thick pot or casserole, place the slab of beef and add in onions, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, star anise, ground Sichuan peppercorn and half of the salt.

In a mixing bowl combine about 3 cups broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce and rice vinegar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour this mixture to the beef in the pot and commence cooking over medium heat. Once the liquid boils, lower the heat to lowest setting possible while maintaining the liquid to a point still gurgling.

Continue simmering. Flip the meat over every 30 minutes to assure uniform cooking. Don’t let the liquid dry up. If necessary, add hot water 1 cup at a time. Simmer until beef is very tender and sauce is reduced.

Take the whole meat out and strain the remaining sauce. Discard bay leaves, ginger and star anise. Using the back of a spoon, mash the soft garlic and onions and combine this with the sauce to thicken it. Heat the sauce up on low, taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and/or white sugar as necessary.

Finally, add the meat back to the sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes more. Slather the sauce to coat the meat. Finish it up with splash of about a teaspoon of sesame oil.

In a large platter, arrange the meat at the center. If you like, you can slice the meat crosswise for easy serving. Pour the sauce over and serve immediately.

Tender, juicy, tasty and flavorful, this is a fine Noche Buena fare for me. Of course, this should go with some other family favorites such as crispy “pata”, grilled fish and meat, “pancit bihon”, fried chicken, spaghetti, pork & chicken barbeque, banana cake, “leche” flan, “kutsinta” and lots of macaroni and fruit salads.

Don’t be astonished; this list is good for one week. Lol.

To see what my fellow Kulinaryans have been contemplating for their Noche Buena, please check out their entries for this month’s challenge.

Enjoy the holiday season! Eat more but take time to work out. Take it from me. I’m very successful with the first part …… that’s all …… what second part? c“,)

Apple Loaded Fruit Salad

2011-12-16T11:26:00.001+08:00

Just when you thought you are so tired or actually lazy to make an awesome dessert, try this fruit salad. It’s so good you will impress yourself and boost your morale. This is the perfect dessert for a lazy weekend. We have them for three (yes that’s 3) consecutive weekends already and we don’t think we’ll experience a taste fatigue any sooner. Okay, the analogy about lazy and having it on several weekends does not seem to favor me. I admit I have been so sluggish to hit the kitchen lately but it’s due to the work overload at the office. I intentionally included the word “office” for I believe it is the magic word …… to at least make it a valid reason for not being able to post anything for quite some time now …… to lessen the feeling …… of guilt that is. :-)

Featuring this simple and easy version of the well loved Filipino dessert is just in time for the holiday season ……… in particular the “Paskong Pilipino”. This salad is among the top favorites Filipino table fares during such special family occasions where only the grandest foods are served.

Different regions have different preparations of fruit salads. The variation is dictated by the use on the types of fruit as well the kinds of sauce. Generally though, fruit salad is a dish consisting of numerous kinds of fruit, served in a liquid, either in syrup or simply in their own juices. While fruit salad or “buko salad” in the Philippines is typically made with condensed milk, cream, canned fruit cocktail or fresh fruit specially young or tender coconut and relatively sweet the other countries’ fruit salads can be savory with the use of sour cream or yogurt or mustard and spicy with the inclusion of peanut and shrimp paste.

Obviously Filipino fruit salad is served as a dessert while others can be eaten as a side dish or an appetizer. Being a Filipino, the fruit salad recipe that I am sharing today is typically served after indulging in a grand meal …… to sweeten things up.

As explained, the most popular version called “buko salad” has strips of young coconut as the predominant fruit ingredient. But since the usually available young “king coconut” or “thambili” as called here in Sri Lanka, are often harvested too young that it barely contains a kernel, I substituted apple in this preparation. This may be very easy and simple but you’ll be surprised with the taste. Instead of wondering with those last words I said, go and try doing it.

The ingredients needed are as follows: 1 big can fruit cocktail, 1 short can condensed milk, 2 tetra packs all-purpose cream and about 3 medium crunchy apples. For the exact sizes or quantities just refer to the photo below. I don’t think there is a chance you’ll get it wrong. :-)

First step is to peel, core and dice the apples to about 1 cm cube. Never mind if it’s not a perfect cube. Mine is so rough, right? Just do this swiftly before apple turn to a little darker hue which happens shortly.

The next steps are just merely mixing-up everything together. In a wide bowl place the diced apples then add in the drained fruit cocktail.

Pour in the condensed milk followed by the all-purpose cream and mix everything gently …… and I mean really gently. The elusive 3 pieces of cherries might just disintegrate. You wouldn’t like that I’m sure.

This is important: For those who prefer it really sweet you can use the whole condensed milk or if you are like us who want it not overly sweet, reduce the milk quantity by about ¼ cup approximately. Feel free to adjust it according to your or your love ones preference. :-)

At this point you can start eating it but I would suggest you wait a little longer.

Transfer in a covered container and keep inside your freezer for some time …… until the salad is chilled and sauce starts to harden. Transfer into small serving bowls, serve and be delighted.

Commence the wonderful experience …… a journey to richness, wonderful flavors and comforting sweetness. For a moment you will forget your problems. :-)

This time, I don’t need to remind you to enjoy. I’m certain you will. c“,)

Arroz Caldo (Filipino Chicken Congee) – iLugaw 4S for Kulinarya Challenge

2011-11-21T11:39:00.001+08:00

It’s Kulinarya time once again …… and the November Challenge conceived by Joy of Joy’s Misadventures is up among the (probably) finest Filipino food bloggers around …… exploring an authentic Filipino light meal or snack dish generically referred to as “lugaw” …… a common name which for me is representative of scrumptiousness, self-effacement, simplicity and serenity …… my own concoction of iLugaw 4S. :-)

This month’s theme is “arroz caldo”. A type of Filipino congee or “lugaw” (as referred in the local language) flavored or added with chicken. As you may know, the main component of the dish is rice which in the Spanish language is called …… you guessed it right, “arroz”. Well of course, the other originally Spanish word “caldo” refers to broth or stock …… I know you knew that …… and you need a lot of it to be able to prepare a really tasty rice congee worthy of being called iLugaw 4S.

This modest dish is superb when the climate is cool …… during winter (obviously when living outside the Philippines, like most Kulinaryans are) …… or when it’s windy and rainy. It is believed to possess the ability to perk-up or improve one’s body condition after dining with it …… piping hot of course. It is also considered an ideal comfort food for the sick and elderly as it has a therapeutic effect …… or healing power of sort, if you like.

Apart from my “Goto Arroz Caldo”, I have already posted a recipe for “Arroz Caldo” before (no, it’s not called iLugaw 4). While I am fully satisfied with it, in honor of Kulinarya Cooking Club, I will attempt to make a reboot entrée to offer a fresher approach to the dish …… hopefully to come out with simpler or easier procedure but geared towards accommodating many variations or possibilities …… and probably …… just probably …… we could make serving and eating the humble “lugaw” more fun and exciting. :-)

The good thing about congee is that there are many varieties of toppings and flavoring ingredients that can be added to make varied offerings. While of course chicken is the predominant ingredient when it comes to “arroz caldo” some other add-ons won’t hurt the taste but instead would make it even more interesting.

Since my iLugaw 4S is a new generation “arroz caldo” and is designed to compose of many other toppings like fried tofu, crumbled chitterlings, boiled eggs, crispy fried garlic, minced spring onion or scallion, chopped leeks and dash of citrus to name just a few possibilities, we will try to do just that for this Kulinarya entry.

The two (2) main ingredients needed in making “arroz caldo” are of course, rice and chicken. About a cup of rice; I preferred a combination of regular long grain and glutinous but I only have this Pakistan rice so I have to settle with it.

For the chicken, we need about 1 kilo of the white meat cut up to serving sizes. While the use of cut up whole chicken is excellent, you can always use choice cuts of thighs or drumsticks as I always do.

You don’t like your congee to be oily so trim your chicken pieces with excess skin. Lightly season this collected skin with salt and pepper and set aside. You’ll have use for this later. :)

The other ingredients are pretty basic: about 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 whole garlic, peeled and minced, 1 pc thumb-sized ginger, peeled and minced, 2 tbsp good quality fish sauce, 1 onion, chopped, 1 pc leek, sliced diagonally, 1 tsp “kasubha” (safflower), 1 tsp ground pepper, 1 pc chicken cube seasoning, about 2 tsp salt or to taste, 3 tbsp minced scallion or spring/green onion and additional broth to make about 10 cups (maybe more) all in all.

Season the chicken with about 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground pepper and then slowly boiled in a casserole with enough water to cover until tender. Remove it from the broth and set aside. Strain the broth and set aside as well.

Heat about 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a thick pan then fry half of the garlic until crispy. Drain and set aside.

In the same pan, add the remaining oil and fry the remaining garlic followed by ginger. Add fish sauce, followed by onion and continue frying. Wash and properly drain the rice and add this to the pan. Continue sautéing for several minutes.

Pour in about 2 cups broth and let it boil with the lid on. Continue cooking in the pan until the rice grain is partially cooked through.

Transfer everything in a large heavy bottomed casserole, add the remaining broth and continue simmering on low heat. Add chicken cube and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Simmer for about 40-45 minutes or until the rice grains are fully cooked and puffed. Add in leeks and continue simmering for several minutes more.

Add in “kasubha” followed by the boiled chicken. When it boils again, taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more broth if needed. Add salt or fish sauce as necessary (I did not). After several minutes or when the “lugaw” has attained the consistency you prefer, it’s done. :)

Transfer in a wide platter, sprinkle with spring onion and crispy fried garlic on top and serve immediately.

No! Not so fast …… this is iLugaw 4S, remember? We need to make this into something people will anticipate and queue up for. As 4S means loaded with new features, some add-ons are necessary like our “SARI” (short for sari-sari ingredients :-)).

For my “SARI”, I deep fried the seasoned chicken skin set aside earlier to make crisp “Chicharon Balat ng Manok”, fried some tofu and boiled some eggs.

Add the above toppings along with halves “calamansi” to make our dish a killer “arroz caldo”. Now, this is what I call an iLugaw 4S.

Yes, it can now be served. :) Enjoy! c“,)

Please don’t forget to check out the other takes of my fellow Kulinaryans for this month’s challenge and maybe, we altogether, can broaden your knowledge about the rather modest Filipino congee called “arroz caldo”.

You’ll be surprised with the possibilities. :)

Atay ng Baka sa Oyster Sauce (Beef Liver Stir-fried in Oyster Sauce)

2011-11-10T17:24:00.000+08:00

This is about beef liver as a culinary item …… and I need to tackle this matter convincingly …… my better half is not a fan of the food and as we all know, it’s hard to argue with the wife …… most often it is a no contest situation …… lol. No matter how good my preparation is …… if it has liver, chances are my wife will not touch it …… much more eat it. :-))

But that should not discourage me from sharing you good people what I believe is a wonderful food item …… both in taste and in its nutritional contents. Am I that obvious I love this food? I think so… :) Simply grilled, lightly fried or cook in “calamansi”, soy sauce and onions like in “bistek” (Filipino beef or pork steak), liver or “atay” (as called in the Philippine language), be it from beef, “carabeef”, chicken or pork, never ceases to delight me.

Yes, beef liver has delicate texture and is delicious. Okay, okay that’s only me speaking and not my better half. And it’s also full of high quality protein, has lots of vitamins such as A, C and many types of B as well as riboflavin and niacin, essential minerals such as copper, selenium, iron & zinc and other nutrients such as omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

I guess she will have to agree with me on the last statement. After all, it is factual that beef liver or calf liver has an incredible nutritional value even when served in small quantity. To mention just a few, it helps the immune system in functioning well, improves cardiovascular health and decreases the risk of having a heart attack. Who would not like that benefits? Except my wife that is. :)

Truly, there are more reasons to eat liver than not! Here is one take that you could try if you have not been transformed yet. Who knows, it could open a whole new insight on the rather exotic food.

If you have been visiting this website, you will know that we have shared many unusual recipes involving not only the muscular part (meat) of beef and pork but also the edible internal organs like tripe, lights or lungs and heart, intestines and mesentery and yes liver. Eating such exotic parts of animal is however not new. Since men successfully domesticated cow or calves some 4,000 years ago, it also started consuming the bovines’ meat along with their internal organs. :-)

Today, beef or calf liver is part of many different cuisines all around the world. It is considered a distinct delicacy in most Asian nations including China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines and even here in Sri Lanka. The same is true in some European countries, like Italy, Germany, France and Austria. Probably, it’s time to have a second look at this distinct food commodity.

One important requisite of cooking beef liver is not to overdo it. Beef liver tends to become very tough and fibrous when overcook. Preparing it in small sizes or thin slices is preferred. That’s why for this quick-fry dish, the 500 grams beef liver should be cut to small bite sizes like this.

The other ingredients needed are as follows: 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided, 1 large bell pepper or capsicum, sliced lengthwise, 2 medium shallots, chopped, a handful of onion leaves or leeks, chopped, 3 gloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced, several pieces of hot chili peppers (adjust according to your heat tolerance), minced, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar and about ¼ cup broth or water.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and broth or water to attain this sauce mixture:

In a wide non-stick pan, heat about 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and stir-fry the beef liver for about 2 minutes, until just cooked through and uniformly seared. As I said, don’t overcook. Take the meat from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the remaining oil and continue frying garlic, followed by onions. Add in onion leaves, chili pepper and bell pepper. After the bell pepper has partially cooked through, return the seared liver to the pan and continue sautéing.

While sizzling, add in the oyster sauce mixture and continue cooking for about 2 minutes more. The sauce will slightly thicken and coat the liver pieces. It’s done.

In a wide platter, transfer the dish and serve immediately. Yum yum! :-)

The dish goes well with steamed rice or fried rice, but you can also eat it with bread. Beer? What do you mean beer? This is a child-friendly blog, sorry! Well, maybe later. Secretly! Enjoy! c”,)

Avocado-Banana Milkshake (Smoothie)

2011-11-05T16:14:00.000+08:00

Avocado is in season here in Sri Lanka and our group has been consuming the healthy fruit (or vegetable, if that’s the way you like categorizing it) enormously. Either prepared as avocado shake/smoothie as a drink or lightly pureed and sweetened with condensed milk and eaten as a dessert (the popular Filipino way of eating it), avocado is truly delicious. Wait …… I’m drooling just thinking of the greenish yellow, velvety, buttery flesh of the fruit .... so make that very delicious. :)

Taking advantage of the current abundant supply which also translates to very reasonable or inexpensive cost, we have avocado smoothie almost every day. Don’t be astonished. While we love it and there is no indication that we will develop a taste fatigue any sooner, I decided to effect counter measure early on and made an easy variation by blending banana into the luscious drink. The result is pretty fabulous and worthy of posting hence this feature now.

This is a nice addition to the several fruit shake recipes already posted here such as the exotic bael (beli fruit), guyabano (sour sop) and green mango (unripe); the typical ones like pineapple, mango, avocado and papaya; and mixed-flavor concoction like the mango-papaya. Since guyabano and avocado are my top picks, this new avocado-banana blend is another potential favorite for me ……… and just probably, yours too!

Apart from their wonderful flavors, avocado and banana promise a great deal of natural vitamins and minerals. Everybody knows this. Both are popular in the vegetarian cuisine that could well substitute for meat in many preparations from salads to sandwiches to fritters.

For best results, the fruits should be on their proper ripeness when blended. Anything under or over affects the sweetness or tartness and therefore will influence the overall taste of the smoothie. Since we have a weekly supply of both fruits, timing for the preparation is easy for me.

We always buy local fruits at a little under ripe state like these ones:

So all we have to do is wait for several days when the ripeness is at its best for making a smoothie which appearance should look like this. :)

For a single blending good for about 3 tall glasses of the drink, the few ingredients needed are: 2 medium avocados, flesh scraped from its thick skin, 3 small bananas, peeled and diced, about 2 cups fresh milk, 6 tbsp white sugar and about 1 and 1/3 trays ice cube, about 16 pieces.

To prepare, just put everything into the blender. Ice and sugar first, followed by avocado and banana then covered with the milk.

Put the lid on tightly and pulse it several times until the ice cube and fruits are broken down and blended evenly with the other ingredients.

Stir the mixture using spoon and then pulse it a couple of times more until a smooth, rich and creamy consistency is attained. As I always say, don’t over blend.

Pour the drinks into tall glasses and serve. For me and my colleagues, gulping this drink after a meal is done in just a matter of minutes …… okay, sometimes seconds. :-)

We can confirm, healthy drinks can be so easy and refreshingly tasty. Enjoy! c“,)

Pichi Pichi (Cassava Pudding with Grated Coconut)

2011-10-31T15:27:00.001+08:00

I bet you’ll love this. Seriously! :)

Although “pichi pichi” is just a simple Filipino sweet delicacy (“kakanin”) which I believe is just a recent addition to the Philippine gastronomic scene, it is for me full of potentials and appeal which could make a stir in the international food scene given the right opportunity or exposure. Being a Filipino I can be a little bias of course but don’t just take my words for it …… you can always try it and discover for yourself.

I have to warn you though …… this is potently addictive. :-))

Unlike the traditional “kakanin”, this snack and dessert dish has depth and class worthy of international recognition. Wow, I really like saying that. Despite the simplicity in its preparation, the taste, texture and appearance attained a level much higher than any of its kind within the context of Philippine cuisine. There's no wonder why this has been a favorite gift food item whenever one is visiting a friend or relative or attending an occasion.

I first ate this sometime in the year 2000 when a colleague brought some from his town in Concepcion in the province of Tarlac (Philippines) where it became an instant hit to our office in Greenhills, Manila. Since then, I have eaten this many times in parties and social gatherings and being a chef-wannabe, prepared it several times with moderate to high success. :)

I believe it’s now time I share this very easy recipe with you …… for your next occasion …… birthday or anniversary party or better yet in December …… include it among your Christmas banquet for the whole family.

“Pichi-pichi” is a type of cassava or manioc pudding prepared like the traditional rice cakes of the Philippines. It is made by simply steaming sweetened grated cassava infused with screw pine leaves or “pandan” essence (very Pinoy) and then covering in grated coconut. It can be eaten on its own or alongside other “kakanin” or Filipino noodles as a snack or “merienda” or as dessert after a meal.

For this preparation I bought about 2 kilos (4.5 lbs) cassava. Just make sure to buy those newly harvested tubers, within the same day if possible. It would be much better if you will just pull it from your garden at the time of cooking. Very few among us have that privilege now. :)

Wash the cassava properly. Peel off the thick rind and grate the white starchy tubers. This will mean a lot of arm work which is good for you …… and me …… probably mostly me. :-). After grating, lightly squeeze the flesh to remove the excess liquid and you’ll then have like this:

One important aspect of this recipe is the use of “pandan” leaves. Whilst I don’t grow cassava to personally pick from our backyard, I have “pandan” plants to provide me with an abundant supply of its fabulous essence …… and that esteem of personal harvest …… day and night …… whenever I need to. Here it is …… get all the leaves you need.

To complement about 3.5 tightly packed cups of grated cassava (that’s all we need for this recipe) we require a few more ingredients as follows: 3 cups granulated white sugar, 2 “pandan” leaves, 2 tsp lye water or “lihiya” and 1 whole coconut, grated. Additionally we need about 7 cups water.

To prepare, pour the water in a thick casserole or pot and heat on high heat. When the water boils add in “pandan” leaves and continue cooking on medium for several minutes, until the leaves have wilted and its essence infused to the water. Take out the leaves and add in sugar and grated cassava. Stir to properly blend.

Stir in lye water and continue simmering with regular stirring, keeping watch on the bottom and sides to avoid scorching. You would not want that. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and the cassava is partially cooked through. Don’t eat just yet, it’s still not done. :)

Bring out the silicone muffin cups we used before in preparing the “Kutsinta A La Lalaine” (Filipino brown cake). This will be our mold for the “pichi pichi”. If you don’t have ones, use any muffin cups you have which are okay for steaming. Using spoon, fill the cups until just full. Do this until all the mixture is used up. You’ll probably make about 50 to 60 pieces depending on the size of the cups.

Arrange the cups in batches in a steamer. Steam them under medium heat for about 12 to 15 minutes. I have small steamer so I have to repeat the process many times. :(

After steaming, the “pichi pichi” will be more shiny and appealing. Let them cool a bit.

Using spoon, carefully take them out from the molds and immediately roll over grated coconut to coat them. Now you can have the first bite. Go ahead it’s too gorgeous to resist, I know.

Continue doing this for the rest of your “pichi pichi”. It’s basically a lot so by the time you finished them all, you could have eaten about 3 pieces (or more) already. It is fine, it usually happen to me. :-)

Since my grated cassava is more than 3.5 heaping cups, I used the excess to make some “Sumang Kamoteng Kahoy A La Fely”. You can also do this if you like. Yummy too!

But this moment belongs to this delightful “pichi pichi”, so let’s fully savor its heavenly goodness. :)

There it goes. It is easy, inexpensive and more importantly very tasty. Make that very delicious! Try it and enjoy guys. c“,)

Buntot ng Baka sa Oyster Sauce (Oxtail in Oyster Sauce and Lemon Grass)

2011-10-24T19:31:00.000+08:00

Oxtail is quite exotic a cut of beef and therefore less appealing (if at all, it is even considered an edible cut of meat) to most, especially mothers, ladies and young children. It composes lots of tailbones called caudal vertebrae, strong ligaments (that allow the joints to move), cartilage (that cushions the bones) and some rather tough flash that’s full of veins and tendons. In some Asian countries like the Philippines, the regular cut even includes, hold your breath ……… the tough rind or skin covering …… but which becomes gelatinous (due to collagen releases) after long hours of patiently slow cooking the meat. :-)

With such a composition, the uninitiated can only imagine how the meat would taste in, say, a rich stew or hearty soup. But before you even judge oxtail, try this dish first. Who knows, it might open a new perspective on how you and other people look at oxtail as an alternative food item? As for me, I have been enjoying its unique robust flavor for a very long time.

Whilst oxtails, in the olden days, really come from oxen or steers, today they are simply the tails of cows and other bovines (like the Philippine “carabao” or water buffalo) of both genders. Surprisingly, oxtail makes for a very flavorful stew or rich soupy dishes with its tasty meat and naturally intense beef flavor due to its bones and marrow. That is provided you are willing to undergo the long hours (based on my own experience, about 2 – 3 hours sometimes more) of slow cooking, either by braising or controlled boiling or simmering.

If you have not tried this fabulous meat yet, this should be the right time. Many adventurous chefs have been trying their kitchen prowess at this meat quite often now. The attempts are so variable and excitingly beyond the usual stew and soup preparations. Let’s be part of the ongoing trend of rediscovering the humble meat that has been with us for ages …… since the time we have started eating beef. :-)

The culinary term oxtail is also spelled ox tail or ox-tail in some instances. In the Philippine language, it is called “buntot ng baka”. As I said above, while ordinary oxtails in other countries are commonly skinned, the Philippine cut is particularly sold with the skin on making the resulting dish even richer and more flavorful albeit more oily. But I usually skim off the oil floating on the surface of the soup or sauce for healthier option and so as not to mask the bold flavor of the dish.

I am in Sri Lanka and the available oxtail is, unlike in the Philippines, skinless. For a group of 3 hungry males, we purchased 2 medium pieces of oxtails, about 1.5 kilograms or 3 lbs, cut up to serving sizes. As usual, the meat is properly washed and rinsed several times. :-)

To complement the meat above, we need the following basic ingredients: 2 pcs small shallots with its green leaves, 3 pcs lemon grass or “salay” (white portion only), 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp fermented black beans or “tausi”, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, ½ tsp ground black pepper, salt to taste and enough broth or water for simmering.

In a heavy bottomed casserole or pot, arrange the cut-up oxtails and fill it with enough water to fully cover the meat. On high heat let the water boil for some time. Expect somewhat dark bubbles, rendered fat and impurities to appear on the surface as the oxtail is heated through. We don’t want this in our dish, so empty all the liquid out and lightly wash the meat again over running water to remove all traces of curdled blood.

Once again, cover the meat with enough water (or broth if you have) and resume cooking on high heat. Let the broth boils then adjust the heat on low. Add in soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, salted/fermented black beans, lemon grass, black pepper and shallots. Continue with the long process of slow cooking.

Continue simmering until the broth is reduced and meat is fork tender. Avoid drying the liquid up by adding 1 cup broth or hot water as necessary during the simmering process. Taste the slowly thickening sauce and add salt as needed. Simmer further until the meat is very tender and basically falling off the bone. The sauce should be rich, thick and a bit gelatinous.

Transfer into serving plates/bowl along with lots of plain steamed rice. You will be surprised by how tasty this oxtail dish could be. :-)

With its thick flavorful sauce, the dish goes very well with some buttered or steamed veggies, like the simple one we prepared here.

Try this and you’ll probably start considering oxtail among your regular cut of beef. It surely takes long to prepare but the wait is really worth it. :)

While the dish is already very good right from the heat, it is surprisingly better if reheated and eaten the following day. Enjoy! c“,)

Adobong Manok Sa Tomato Sauce (Chicken Adobo with Tomato Sauce)

2011-10-09T17:47:00.001+08:00

I have three words for this dish – INGENIUS, FABULOUS and DELICIOUS. I kid you not. This is one smart variation of adobo worthy of your time, money, effort and yes, experimentation. :) The improved “adobo” flavor of the dish, which for me transcends way beyond the flavor boundaries of garlic, vinegar and soy sauce, is simply amazing …… a welcome development for a dish extremely popular and widely eaten and that has essentially established itself to be like a cuisine of its own …… that is so dynamic …… continuously evolving …… reinventing …… even as we speak now.

The credit goes to a family friend Michael of Padre Garcia, Batangas (Philippines) from whom we learned the rather brilliant idea. This is basically how he cooks his popular and much-loved (by friends, relatives and guests) pork “adobo” which I tried recreating here in Sri Lanka through the use of the all-time available and very dependable chicken. Okay, okay, I like pork too but we don’t have one at the moment and I can’t wait any longer. :-)

While this technique has similarity with the “adobo” cooked with fresh tomatoes which I myself have prepared several times in the past (though not yet featured here), the use of the richer and fuller-flavored tomato sauce makes for a much improved “adobo” taste, at least according to my humble judgment. This I believe is due to the added hints of balanced sweetness and acidity that is naturally present in tomato sauce. I also thought that the aroma diffuse during cooking is also something very delightful, suggestive of a very good dish in the making …… but don’t just take my words for it …… you have to smell it to believe it …… so try doing it now! :-)

For the huge league of adobo lovers, the avid fans and followers of the typical adobo for which I am an active and dedicated member, this is only an option or alternative, sort of further enhancement intended to stir excitement and renew interest and not really find replacement to the authentic “adobo” for which the goodness has been running through the veins of each and every Filipino.

While I always prefer using cut-up whole chicken including its giblets (liver, heart, gizzard and neck) in an “adobo” for richer taste, I will just be using a combination of choice chicken cuts compose of the thigh (my all-time fave cut), legs and wings for this preparation.

To accommodate a rather large group such as ours, we need about 1.5 kilograms or about 3.3 lbs cut-up chicken. The meat should be properly cleaned to remove feather remnants in and around the legs and wings section, washed several times to remove traces of blood and then fully drained.

The other ingredients needed are: 1/3 cup (about 90 ml) tomato sauce, 1 head garlic, peeled and minced, 1 large onion, peeled and chopped, ½ tsp whole peppercorn, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (or more), about ½ cup natural vinegar (please adjust accordingly, depending on the acidity), ½ cup soy sauce, 2 small bay leaves, about 2 tbsp of vegetable oil for sautéing and some iodized salt to taste.

Additionally, we need about 4 small potatoes, peeled and cut up and about 1 cup broth or hot water for simmering.

The first step is to marinate the chicken with the vinegar, soy sauce and ground pepper (use more if you like, I did). Marinate inside the fridge for about an hour. Stir occasionally to have even infusion of marinade into the meat.

In a large heavy pan or wok, heat the oil and fry garlic until it is slightly browned. Add in onions and cook until it is translucent. Add in tomato sauce and sauté until it boils. Continue cooking on low heat until the sauce becomes somewhat oily and has caramelized a bit. Add the marinated chicken pieces and lightly stir to evenly coat with the sauce. Pour the leftover marinade and simmer on medium heat until partially cooked through and some liquid has evaporated.

Add in bay leaves, whole peppercorn and some salt to taste. Pour in some broth or hot water as necessary and continue simmering until the chicken is just tender. At this point, add in potatoes and continue simmering until everything is fully cooked through; when the potato is already soft and chicken would easily fall off the bones when bitten.

You can finish it off at your preferred consistency level of the sauce. For me, I want it reduced, has slightly thickened and already somewhat oily.

Transfer in a serving platter. Serve it with lots of plain steamed rice or fried rice. Like any other “adobo”, the dish is better served alongside some chopped fresh tomatoes and/or pickled green papaya (“atchara”). As I told you, this is one very yummy “adobo” …… and very fragrant too. :-)

There it is, “Adobong Manok sa Tomato Sauce” …… a new addition to our long list of “adobo” preparations. Thanks Michael for the inspiration. This is among my favorites now. Try it and enjoy guys! c“,)

Tocino A La Lalaine (Filipino Cured Pork)

2011-10-03T16:29:00.000+08:00

For me, “tapa” (meat jerky), “longanisa” (a type of fresh sausage) and “tocino” (sweet cured pork) all together make the triumvirate of authentic Filipino meat breakfast. Arguably, I think they comprise the top Filipino-style meat preparation (or processing, if you like) techniques that have captured the unique taste of Filipinos. As a result, most mothers always include them in their weekly menu, especially for those who have kids with persistent habit of escaping breakfast. The food serves as bait in effectively luring kids back to the dining table. The sight of the freshly cooked meat alongside garlic fried rice and sunny side-up eggs are simply too enticing to ignore, even when in rush. Yes, I’m speaking from my own experience. :-)

For this post, our friend Lalaine will be sharing a unique recipe for pork “tocino”, a top favorite of most children including mine. While generally, “tocino” is prepared by marinating or curing thin slices of pork in salt, sugar, Anise wine, annatto, garlic and saltpeter, Lalaine’s version is with the use of pineapple juice and totally without saltpeter or “salitre” (in the local language). While I understand that saltpeter is a standard additive in most commercial preparation intended to extend the shelf life of the processed meat, I think homemade versions such as Lalaine’s should consider deleting it …… and I am happy she did.

The reason is that saltpeter is actually potassium nitrate, a chemical use in the manufacture of gunpowder and explosive devices as well as fertilizers. Therefore, the fireworks and rockets we light during New Year’s celebration have saltpeter in them and I don’t think you like the additive to be in your food as well. :-)

“Tocino” is traditionally simmered in a small amount of water until the liquid evaporates and the meat is then slightly fry with the rendered fat and some oil. Alternately, you can directly fry it in oil though this method will usually result to somewhat burnt appearance. Another way of cooking, although not very popular, is by grilling it over live charcoal where the resulting dish will taste like pork barbeque with a unique hint of cured meat.

There are many recipes on how to prepare homemade “tocino” but I find Lalaine’s technique as very simple and sure to be loved by kids. Her use of pineapple juice infuses a slightly tart taste which somehow counters the sweetness and the flavor balancing effect works very fine with my taste buds.

To prepare, we need about 2 kilograms (4.4 lbs) thinly sliced pork. The shoulder cut called “kasim” is my preferred meat although round (or leg chop) or “pigue” will also work well. I don’t bother having some fatback in the meat. It will make for a much flavorful dish. However, you are at liberty to take them out and cook separately as “rebosado” and just use the lean meat for “tocino”. :)

The other ingredients needed are 750 ml pineapple juice, 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp white sugar (brown sugar is also fine), 2 1/2 tbsp iodized salt, 1 head garlic, finely minced, 1/2 tsp MSG (optional) and a drop of red food coloring.

The first step is to boil the pineapple juice until it is reduced and has slightly thickened. Set aside and let it cool down.

In wide mixing bowl, combine the meat with garlic, sugar, salt and MSG (if using). Mix thoroughly until the marinade is well distributed to the meat.

Add in thickened pineapple juice and mix once again until evenly coated. Add a drop of food coloring and mix until gorgeously red in color. Keep in the fridge and let to cure for at least 3 days.

During the curing/marinating period, stir once in a while to ensure even infusion of flavors. After about 3 days, it’s ready to go. :-)

To cook, fry the “tocino” the way you like it which in the case of Lalaine is by direct frying in hot oil. Fry in batches. Never mind if the edges will exhibit some burnt sugar. That’s how it’s going to be and it will still be tasty. :)

Continue frying the rest of the meat or as much as you need. Two (2) kilos might be too much for your health. Drain in paper towel to remove excess oil.

Serve with plain rice and sliced tomato. It’s a truly satisfying breakfast (or main meal) the kids will surely love, except probably the tomato. :) Enjoy! c“,)

Ensaladang Labanos (White Radish and Tomato Salad) – The Patriotic Version

2011-09-26T02:19:00.000+08:00

With the above image, I guess I really don’t need to explain at length why I have added the rather peculiar extra wordings in the title of what should have been a plain food post. This very humble Filipino dish especially made to resemble or at least reflect the colors and as attempted here, figure, of the National Flag of the Philippines (if it will really resembles at all :-)) and the color yellow famously associated with the martyrdom of Ninoy Aquino is actually my entry to the nationalistic August-September Culinary Challenge of the rapidly expanding Kulinarya Cooking Club (KCC). [Oh, I love that!]

The hosts of this power pack months’ challenge compose of Oggi of I Can Do That!, Day of Chef by Day, Ray of Wok with Ray and yours truly, Boyet of Reel and Grill. Collectively, we have chosen the theme – colors yellow, red white and blue taken all together in honor and consideration of the Philippines’ celebration of the significant Ninoy Aquino Day on 21st August 2011 and National Heroes Day last 29th August 2011. Although a little late, it has good intensions so therefore it is permissible. :)

While complying with the colors yellow, red and white is quite easy with the abundance of food ingredients which come naturally in such hues, the requirement for a shade of blue provided the difficulties, restrictions and depth to the challenge. While it intends to squeeze the possibilities, it added excitement and necessitated the dispatch of deeper imagination, creativity and ingenuity on the part of the participating KCC members.

For my humble entry, I decided to dwell on the aspect of patriotism by trying [hard :)] to prepare an authentic Filipino dish, with some tweaking of course, which will somehow project the true image of the Philippine flag which incidentally also have the color yellow reminiscent of Ninoy Aquino. Your impression of the photos located far above and immediately below this will be the testament if I was able to realize my plan. :-)

As mentioned in my first post of the dish, “ensaladang labanos” is an easy salad dish made from thinly sliced white radish, chopped tomatoes, cucumber and onions and seasoned with sea salt or fish sauce or “patis” or like in the case of my first version, with “alamang” or salted shrimp krill. Usually eaten as a side dish in a main meal, the crunchy salad dish goes very well with fried or grilled fish, meat and other seafood.

While radish which is referred to as “labanos” in the Philippine language comes in different varieties, most Filipinos are familiar with the long and very whitish variety usually added in “sinigang” (pork stew in tamarind) for its unique balancing taste. For me, the natural taste of “labanos” is not really very pleasing but since it is loaded with vitamins and minerals such as ascorbic acid, potassium, vitamin B6, riboflavin and calcium to name a few, I developed my appetite to the watery vegetable.

Like before, I am using the variety known as “mooli” here in Sri Lanka. It is the large white radish variety (although what I purchased appear to be just baby ones) popularly called “daikon” or Japanese radish or Chinese radish or sometimes Oriental radish. This is a better tasting radish with lesser astringency, at least according to my taste buds. :)

The ingredients needed are 3 pieces small radish, about 5 large plum tomatoes, 2 medium onions, 1 small carambola or “balimbing” (freshly picked from a tree in our backyard), 2 tbsp fish sauce or “patis”, 2 tsp salt, pinch of ground pepper and a small cucumber. Obviously, we already have the white, the red and the yellow colors from the major ingredients shown below.

Since the object is to prepare the “ensaladang labanos” in the fashion of the flag designed by Emilio Aguinaldo and manually sewn by Marcela Marino de Agoncillo with the help of her daughter Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, we shall need a source of the shade of blue, the top horizontal color of the flag.

As history will tell us that the shade of blue in the flag have been the point of disagreements in the past, it is also our biggest obstacle in making the dish. So we are constrained to ask some help from the magical red cabbage to provide us with natural food coloring enough to be classified as blue. In addition to the ingredients above therefore, we shall need a small red cabbage.

Likewise, to complement the shredded cabbage are about a cup of water and a pinch of baking soda.

To prepare the dish, the first step is to make the blue food coloring. In a small sauce pan add the shredded red cabbage and water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage turns mushy and the boiling water becomes purplish in color.

Strain the cabbage using colander and collect the solution. Add a small amount of baking soda and magically turn the purple solution into a shade of blue. Use baking soda sparingly so as not to affect the taste of the dish.

The next step is to peel and then thinly slice the “daikon” radish diagonally. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt to the sliced radish, mix thoroughly then squeeze in between your palms in batches to remove some of its bitter juice. Quickly rinse them under running water then drain again thoroughly, with light squeezing as well.

Soak it in the blue solution and keep for about an hour to acquire the blue color. Set aside.

While soaking the radish, prepare the other ingredients. Chop the tomatoes into thin wedges then halve and slice the onions. Using a rectangular serving plate, arrange the tomatoes and onions as shown below.

Peel and chop some cucumber and place on top of the onion. Take several slices of the carambola or “balimbing” and arrange on top of the cucumber as shown below. You seems to know where we are heading, right?

Finally, take the radish out from the blue solution and arrange on the vacant space of the plate as shown. I guess this looks familiar to you now. :-)

It’s gorgeous right. Let it fly proudly. Let it fly freely. :-))

In a small bowl, mix about 2 tbsp fish sauce, a pinch of ground pepper, the remaining salt and about 3 tbsp of the blue solution until you attain this seasoning:

Slowly drizzle on top of the vegetables. We are now ready to have a taste of our history.

Since our patriotic “labanos” is just a side dish, we need this bird that has been continuously rotating in the oven while we are busy drawing the flag. :)

There it is! My “ensaladang labanos” – the patriotic version made especially for Kulinarya Cooking Club. Oh, I can’t be prouder. Enjoy! c“,)

Bread and Butter Pudding

2011-09-22T17:03:00.000+08:00

We are experiencing sweet tooth for the last several days. To satisfy the craving, I initially planned of making a “maja blanca” or Filipino white pudding but for some reasons, I can’t set the rhythm of starting the preparation. The other day, I purchased full ingredients for a single mixing of “leche flan” or caramel custard but still, even with the thought of the appetizing dish, I can’t shift myself into a cooking mode. :) I felt too lazy to even make the caramel syrup, so as expected I remained unable to prepare the luscious crème caramel until now. But after some contemplation and serious reevaluation though, I finally realized that the problem is that I am afflicted by a virus called “DITS”.

Yes, you heard it right, I have been suffering a minor case of “Do-It-Tomorrow-Syndrome” ……… wait …… based on the way I’m posting in Reel and Grill over the past few months, make that a chronic case of “DITS”. :-) Since I diagnosed it by myself ……… of course, I have to treat it by myself …… with force if necessary. :-)

This bread and butter pudding is probably my antiserum …… my salvation of sort. Firstly because it is so good that it could well please our sweet dish wanting. Secondly, it is so easy to do that I’ll need minimal effort to undertake it. And, lastly, we have a fridge full of several days-old sliced bread and lots of fresh milk. All together, it makes the perfect condition forceful enough to finally eradicate the unwanted syndrome. :-)

As a backgrounder, bread and butter pudding is a bread-based dessert made by arranging layers of sliced or cubed bread (traditionally left-over or stale ones), added with butter and scattered with raisins and dried fruits in an oven dish into which mixture of egg, milk (or cream), sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon powder, vanilla and other spices, is poured. It is then baked in an oven until the mixture has set and crust is slightly browned on top. Some people may serve it with custard or cream, but often the pudding under the crust is moist enough to be eaten without sauce.

Like most puddings, bread and butter pudding is a childhood reminiscent comfort food. Most often it is associated with the growing up times and school dinners. Since it is a dessert, many types of fruit jams, marmalade or other sweet preserves is good to be spread on top just before eating. Other modern variations include scattering fresh or dried grapes between the layers of bread, melting apples into the egg-milk mixture and using other types of breads such as croissants, brioche and probably even Filipino bread rolls such as “pandesal”, “monay” and the likes.

A close relative and very similar dish is bread pudding. It is a popular dessert loved in many countries like England, France, Belgium, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina and United States. Commonly, it is served with a sweet sauce of some sort, such as whiskey sauce, rum sauce, or caramel sauce, or simply just sprinkled with sugar and eaten cold in squares or slices. It could also be eaten with regional varieties of dressings such as custard sauce in Malaysia, vanilla cream dressing in Hong Kong and maple syrup in Canada. To prepare our version of bread and butter pudding, we need the following few ingredients: ¾ cup fresh milk, 6 tbsp white sugar, 2 large eggs, ½ tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp cinnamon powder, 6 slices of bread, diced, 1½ tbsp butter, 2 tbsp seedless raisins and 4 chocolate chip cookies.

First, preheat oven to about 200 ˚C or 400 ˚F or gas mark no. 6. Then, in a medium bowl, combine fresh milk and sugar. Stir in eggs and beat until evenly mix and sugar is fully dissolved.

Add in vanilla extract and cinnamon powder and continue stirring until properly combined.

In a baking dish or small pan cake, arrange the diced bread in layers. Melt the butter (in a microwave) and pour evenly on top. Distribute raisins on top and in between the layers of bread. Crumble the cookies and sprinkle on top as well.

Slowly pour the milk-egg mixture evenly on the pan. Let the bread layers fully suck up the mixture by pressing it gently with fork then releasing creating a suction effect. Continue until all the bread pieces are nicely moisten by the mixture.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes on until the crust is slightly browned, mixture has set and the top springs back when press lightly.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool a bit. Meanwhile, savor the air filled with pudding fragrant. :)

Slice uniformly or tear as you wish and then serve warm as dessert after a meal or even snack in between meals. With a pat of jam or marmalade, spoon of dressing, drizzle of syrup or none at all, it will be easily be consumed for sure. Enjoy! c“,)

Calle Bistro on 11.11.11, Quality Fun for Everyone

2011-09-07T18:40:00.000+08:00

If you love food (and I mean lots and lots of good food :)), pop and rock music, games and adventure and everything in between, read on ……… you’re in for a night filled with sumptuous cuisines, quality fun and excitement ……… all while fully enjoying those things you love. Does this sound thrilling to you? That’s because it really is. It’s seriously exhilarating! Calle Bistro is coming ……… our ticket to experiencing that electrifying moment …… to share with our friends and love ones ……… in an event where food, people, music, games, prizes and adventure will collide ……… into a supernova of FUN. So, book the date …… the collision is happening on 11.11.11. Remember, for boredom and monotonous night out, this is an ELI or extinction level impact. :-)

Calle Bistro is a revolutionized food sale project that would bring together local and foreign cuisines in the metro, particularly in an Open Area in Tomas Morato located within the heart of Quezon City, Metro Manila (Philippines). The food event (and more) will cater to young professionals and food enthusiasts to unwind, socialize and explore the rich oriental and western flavors dominating the Philippine food scene. Promising food retail brands and enterprises will be there to provide a one of a kind food socialization experience where people from different walks of life can get a slice of the world right on their plates.

This is promised to be a night of food adventure and grand time made more special by live bands that will be there to serenade the visitors as they indulge in Calle Bistro …… to fill the air with our favorite music …… while guests are savoring the delicious food dishes featured in the food fair. There will be complimentary drinks to quench our thirst, food-related games to fire-up the night and raffle draws of sponsor items and giveaways for lucky guests …… all to make it a true night of fun, delight and excitement for everyone.

The food lineup includes but not limited to the following: Pinoy Delicacies, Foreign Cuisine, Exotic Dishes, Street Food, Grilled Products, Snacks and Beverages, Coffee and Tea Products, Ready-to-eat Meals and Health and Organic Food.

For this food event, there is more than meets the eye …… more than your taste buds could detect. :-)

Firstly, the people behind this momentous project are the UP Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants (UP JPIA), a multi-awarded organization that takes pride in being the sole Hall of Fame awardee and three-time recipient of the most coveted “Gawad Chancellor Award for the Most Outstanding Organization” in the University of the Philippines. If that isn’t enough for you, they are also branded as the “Most Outstanding Local Chapter” by the National Federation of JPIA for three times.

Some of their socially-relevant projects that have put them over the top in recent years include Project Activate, a health-consciousness campaign, representing them in the regional finals of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations in the country; TikTakbo, an annual fun run with over 800 runners annually and the Accountancy Students Seminar and Extra-curricular Training (ASSET), a three-day seminar for the top 50 senior and graduating accounting students all over the Philippines.

Secondly, it has heart. Proceeds of the project will benefit the UP JPIA Long-term Educational Assistance Program (LEAP) scholarship fund and will provide financial support for its other socio-civic activities. Bravo! I myself have been the lucky recipients of several scholarship grants during my college years and it really makes me feel good to hear and much more be a part of such a noble undertaking …… to help people with exceptional minds pursue their studies. This is cool, right?

Calle Bistro has all the ingredients of a worthy project. So let us all join hand and hand ……… and together cook this a la Reel and Grill …… no, make that …… a la UP JPIA. :) For further details, see updates at Calle Bistro Facebook page.

Have quality fun and help people grow ……… see you at Calle Bistro! 11.11.11 …… that’s a date Yo! c”,)

Update: The organizer's announced some changes as follows:

New date will be on November 12, 2011
New event location is at Eastwood Citywalk 2

See you there!!! :-)

Paksiw na Lapu-Lapu at Talakitok (Grouper & Trevally Stewed in Vinegar)

2011-09-05T19:46:00.000+08:00

We are in the mood for another “paksiw na isda” or fish stewed in vinegar and ginger dish. But what we have in the freezer are just some small “lapu-lapu” or groupers and a medium “talakitok” or trevally. While these fish are considered special or prized and not commonly prepared into ordinary “paksiw”, we decided to give it a go for a change. Admittedly, with the high status of the two fishes in the Philippine market, we also thought that there will be some sort of pride in cooking “paksiw na lapu-lapu at talakitok”. :-)

Besides, due to financial and economic constraints, this might be difficult to do back home in the Philippines where the fish, particularly the grouper, are highly priced, scarce and are thus better reserved for extraordinary dishes, such as the fancy “steamed na lapu-lapu” or if you like sourly and soupy Filipino dish, the “sinigang na lapu-lapu”.

Being an avid angler and sportsman, I know the dish would be much better if the fish are personally caught by me using my rod and line. For some reasons, the fish are sweeter and tastier when acquire that way. Okay, okay …… I’m just dreaming and wishing that I could revisit the “playground” or my favorite fishing hole over the weekend. It has been quite a while since I last checked the coastline and wetted my line and the reel badly needs actual spinning for its operational reconditioning. :-)

However, it is just wishful thinking right now. It is still monsoon season here and the rain is heavily pouring at night and during early morning. The wind is blowing extremely strong and big waves are pummeling the rocky coastline and it not so fun to stay there at the moment. Not even with the passionate angler that I am. :-)

So for the moment let us concentrate on cooking this seemingly delightful “paksiw” dish. With fish that are naturally tasty, I am again one step sure, without really doing anything at all, that I have a delicious dish in the making.

To prepare the dish, we need about 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) combined weight of really fresh groupers and trevally. The fish were thoroughly cleaned, scaled and gutted

Drain the fish and cut it up to serving sizes. Season it with about a teaspoon of salt.

The other basic ingredients which you probably already have in your kitchen are: 1 pc thumb-sized ginger, peeled and sliced, 1 large onion, chopped, 4 gloves garlic, crushed and chopped, 1 tsp whole peppercorn, 1 tsp iodized salt or to taste, 2-3 pcs cubanelle chilies (or finger chilies), about ¾ cup white vinegar, adjust it depending on the acidity of your vinegar, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and about 1-2 cups water.

In a stainless casserole or pot, spread the chopped ginger and onion on the bottom. Add in garlic and whole peppercorn. Properly arrange the cut-up fish on top. Add in salt and pour in vinegar, 1 cup water and finally vegetable oil.

Over medium heat, cook the fish uncover. When the liquid has started boiling lower the heat and let it simmer while still uncover for several minutes more, for the acid of the vinegar to escape. Place the chilies on top and continue simmering with the lid on.

Continue cooking until the fish and chilies are fully cooked through. During the process, add in additional hot water as necessary to avoid the liquid from drying, ½ cup at a time. Adjust the seasoning level according to your preference.

After a couple of minutes more simmering, turn the heat off and dish is ready.

Transfer the dish to a shallow bowl and serve immediately with a heaping serving of steamed rice. Crumbled the chilies in a fish sauce + “calamansi” or lemon dip and be ready with a simply wonderful Filipino meal. :-)

As expected, grouper and trevally are excellent as “paksiw”. The dish is definitely much better than the recently featured “paksiw na galunggong”. This is really awesome and something we will surely repeat very soon …… while we are still in Sri Lanka and can still purchase “lapu-lapu” at a very reasonable price. Enjoy! c“,)

Chicharon Balat ng Manok or Tsitsarong Manok (Crackling Chicken Skin)

2011-08-22T00:53:00.008+08:00

Filipinos love “chicharon” (“chicharron” in Spain) or deep fried pork skin so much. Sometimes called crackling in English, the versatile dish is eaten in so many ways: as a snack, morsel, viand, bites or tapas, appetizer, or simply an all-around food which easily beats small hunger while watching movies, TV shows, sports events and games, concerts or while on trips. The common people’s fascination with the dish even paved way into creating equally interesting but quite unique variations some of which I have already featured here such as the “chicharon bituka” or crackling intestines and “chicharon bulaklak” or deep fried pork mesentery.

To further explore the realm of “chicharon”, I decided to move on from just using pork cuts to chicken where there are currently two popular versions in the Philippine cuisine: the “chicharon balat ng manok” or “tsitsarong manok” (deep fried chicken skin) and “chicharong butse” (deep fried chicken crop). If the latter sort of causes your hair to rise as it will surely does to my wife, let’s forget it for a while and concentrate on the crackling chicken skin. :-) Some would probably still say yakkks! …… but not so fast, let’s keep it easy with chicken skin, okay? :)

While advocates of low fat diet and probably your mother and mine will loudly say chicken skin contains too much fat, recent studies reveal that it is actually fine to eat from time to time. It was reported that in-depth nutritional studies shows that the skin part of say a 12-once chicken breast only adds up about 2.5 grams saturated fat and 50 calories to the meat. It seems it is not really too much after all, more so if we will consider the flavors and taste benefits that it will bring into an otherwise most-boring lean meat called chicken breast.

The truth is, a bit of chicken skin now and then won’t really hurt your health and can even supply some healthful fat …… for about 55 percent of the fat in chicken skin is actually monounsaturated. If you don’t have an idea, that’s the heart-healthy kind of fat dieticians alike would want us to have. In addition, majority of the fat in chicken is found under the skin and not in the skin itself. Furthermore, by boiling the chicken skin, which is one of the steps in the preparation, the bulk of the worrisome fat would be released and would end up in the boiled water leaving very little measurable fat contents in the skin, not enough to even worry about.

As a matter of preference though, consuming chicken without its skin is totally cool and is respected. In fact, it is looked forward by those who love “chicharon balat ng manok” like me as the avoidance results to easy availability and inexpensive supply of chicken skin in the market. Since lots of chicken cuts are now sold skin-off, there is a huge accumulation of chicken skin that provide a steady supply for the enterprising and adventurous Filipinos who know how and want to cook the otherwise discardable skin into mouth watering “chicharon”.

Supermarkets of Sri Lanka are among those that sell more skin-off chicken than cuts with skin-on. We believe they just throw away or feed the skin to pets as they do not have “chicharon” around here. But what’s even more exciting is that we soon found out that the butcher and crews are actually more than willing to give us, and I mean for free, some of the chicken skin that they collect when we inquired about what they do with them. :-)

For the dish, the 400 grams of fine chicken skin, thoroughly cleaned and washed, is our ticket to finally prepare the poultry version of “chicharon” which procedure we shall be sharing here so that you too can prepare it within the comfort of your kitchen, just in case you are not appalled by it. :-)

The few other ingredients needed are as follows: 2 tbsp fish sauce or “patis”, 1 small onion, peeled and quartered, 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small sizes, ½ tsp whole peppercorn, ¼ tsp MSG (optional), 1½ cups water, 1½ cups vegetable oil for deep frying (or the oil collected from boiling the chicken skin if you like) and some homemade “chicharon” seasoning made up of iodized salt + paprika or chili powder + MSG which I featured in my “chicharon bituka” post.

Like most “chicharon” recipes, the chicken skin must be boiled first until just tender before it is deep fried.

In a medium casserole, arrange the skin. Add in whole peppercorn and MSG (if using). Then add in onion and carrot followed by pouring in fish sauce and water.

Simmer on medium flame until it boils. Adjust the heat to low and continue cooking with occasional stirring until the skin is tender and oil has rendered, about 25-30 minutes.

Let it cool for a while. Using slotted spoon, collect the skin and transfer in a wide tray. Keep it in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Expect the resulting broth to be very oily. You can either throw it away along with the other ingredients or like what I usually do, skim off the oil on the surface and reserve for deep frying. Alternately, you can continue simmering the broth on low heat until water has totally evaporated and all that’s left is oil.

When ready to deep fry, take out the skin from the fridge and separate the pieces from one another.

Heat enough oil in a small but deep wok or frying pan. When oil is really hot, carefully deep fry the chicken skin in batches until crisp and light brown in color. Continue frying with the rest of the chicken skin.

We don’t like it greasy so drain the excess oil using paper towels. Sprinkle it lightly with the “chicharon” seasoning if you still like. Sometimes the magical umami content of fish sauce is enough to flavor this “chicharon”.

Transfer in a medium platter and serve with the traditional vinegar + chili + garlic + salt dipping sauce on the side. Truly yum yum!

If you are starving, you can serve it with some fried rice and you’ll surely have a very satisfying meal …… courtesy of the lowly chicken skin. :-)

This is one tasty “chicharon” ……… superb as a meal starter or even a side dish in a main meal.

In the Philippines, this is a common “pulutan” or bites perfect for beer or any other favorite drinks with our friends or “barkada”. Enjoy! c“,)

Chili Chicken, Deliciously Hot

2011-08-16T01:07:00.008+08:00

I once read a fellow food blogger’s account about an amazing chili chicken dish being served in one of the restaurants of the world renowned resort island Boracay of the beautiful southern Philippines. The story appeared to have come from a truly satisfied and in fact a repeat customer therefore I assumed the descriptions supplied were quite accurate, balanced and truthful. Since I am fond of innovative, adventurous and exotic, not to mention really spicy foods, the idea of personally re-creating an extremely hot but still palatable and tasty (falling within the not-so-high heat tolerance of common Filipinos) “chili chicken” lingers in my mind.

While the idea is strong it remains incomplete and waiting for some forms of stimuli or crucial information that would finally compel me to trying the unusual but exciting chicken dish. The right moment came just mid of last month while our group was doing our regular shopping for a week’s food supply. There in the fresh meat section of our favorite supermarket (we actually have very few choices), some crews were enthusiastically offering patrons with a free taste of their new marinated meat selection called “miris kukula” or chili chicken which they fried right there inside the supermarket.

Sri Lanka is one country who really loves chilies in their cuisine and we have always known (and tested) Sri Lankan food as very spicy (a.k.a. heavily spiked with chilies) on top of its being usually rich and seriously curried. It turned out, the fried chicken pieces, which they are marketing as both a viand and a bites (“pulutan”), were quite tasty but living up to its name …… it’s really hot.

At that point, I thought all I have to do is gather a little information from the crews who are actually preparing the special marinade and my long planned chili chicken could have a major breakthrough. Quite luckily, the crews, who have always been kind and friendly to us (perhaps because we are light-hearted and always smiling …… okay make that, because we are regularly buying 3-5 carts full of food and grocery items providing them with regular sales), are most willing to share us their secret ingredients. :-)

Probably thinking we will not be in any way a competition or business threat against their company being just expats staying in their country on a temporary basis, they divulged the exact ingredients they use in the marinade preparation. Their version generally utilizes lots of garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and Sri Lankan chili paste which they combine altogether and blend into a homogenous paste-like marinade.

It is then added to slices of chicken breast fillets and let the meat marinate for at least overnight. Additional chopped red chilies are garnished on top but probably just for color and to make the presentation even more hotly appealing. The meat pieces are then fried until golden brown, somewhat crisp outside but still juicy inside.

To make my version of the chili chicken, I of course use my favorite chicken cut which happens to be thigh. By all means you can use chicken breast; it will be a lot easier and probably healthier. I like the texture and taste of thighs however. About 1½ kilograms of the meat will suffice.

First, debone the thighs then slice them into strips. Washed them several times then drained properly. I kept the skin on but you can discard them if you like. I guess it wouldn’t make a big difference anyway.

To make the marinade, the following are the ingredients: 3 heads garlic, peeled, ½ cup soy sauce or to taste depending on the type, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 150 grams (about ¾ cup) chili paste (Sri Lankan type if you have) and 1 red chili pepper. The supermarket uses MSG but I don’t think it’s really necessary.

Into the blender, place the garlic and chili paste. Add in soy sauce, sesame oil and MSG if you are using. Cover tightly and pulse it several times until the ingredients are broken down and blended evenly into a homogenous paste. Taste and adjust the amount of soy sauce. Just be careful as it is expectedly hot.

Pulse it a couple of times more until a smooth, rich and gravy-like consistency is attained.

In a wide container, place the chicken pieces. Pour the marinade on top and mix properly until the meat is evenly coated and covered with the marinade. Sprinkle some finely chopped chilies on the top.

Place it inside the fridge and marinate for at least 1 day. Stir once in a while to ensure even infusion of flavors.

To cook, heat about 1 cup of vegetable oil in a small deep aluminum or non-stick pan. Take the marinated meat from the fridge and stir once again.

When the oil is already hot, cook the marinated chicken in batches. Fry each side until golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside.

Continue frying in batches until everything is done. Properly drain the cooked chili chicken in paper towels to remove excess oil before transferring in serving plates.

Serve as a meal with lots of steamed rice, some tomato slices and any dipping sauce of your choice on the side. If you prefer, you can also serve it as bites or appetizer or “pulutan” over a bottle of your favorite drinks with some friends. :-)

For breakfast, you can serve the dish alongside some fried eggs and adobo garlic fried rice or dried fish fried rice or “bagoong fried rice” for a uniquely Filipino early morning treat. It will sure propel your energy to keep you going throughout the day. Enjoy! c“,)

Sinigang na Lapu-lapu (Grouper Stewed in Tamarind) - Kulinarya Challenge for July

2011-07-31T22:05:00.010+08:00

It’s rainy season in the Philippines. Although this would mean bad news to many Filipinos and tourists alike, due to the flooding, thunderstorm and typhoon (name of cyclone in the pacific) that it brings, it is also a season for some good things. The sky will be cloudy, shielding everyone from the burning heat of the sun and the surrounding temperature will be cool and comfortable with a fine soft breeze. The rains will drench the drying lands and farms and will trigger the start of the rice (the Philippines’ staple food) planting season. An abundance of healthy and freshly harvested native vegetables, freshwater fish and other exotic catches will soon be seen lined-up at the local market. It is such an awesome scene for me.

Most importantly wild mushrooms like our family’s favorite “mamarang” will start sprouting in the farms, forest, woods and sometimes even on gardens, backyards and lawns in the rural areas and countryside. And this too will soon end up in the market or better yet directly in front of our gate courtesy of our friendly farmer neighbors who have particular knowledge of our huge …… okay make that very enormous and incessant ……… appetite for the truly delicious but extremely rare vegetables. :-)

In line with the cool weather that is now prevailing in the country (with occasional “uncool” typhoons of course) the even cooler group called Kulinarya ruled its theme dish for the wet month of July to be soupy, soothing and goodie ……… and what Filipino dish could better represent those than the mighty “sinigang”. Aside from “adobo”, “sinigang” is probably (just probably) the most featured Filipino dish by any Kulinarya member or any Filipino food blogger for that matter. I for one have already four (4) different posts of the sourly dish and yet I am not even a fan.

Among my “sinigang na tuna”, “sinigang na baboy”, “sinigang na baka” and not so long ago “sinigang sa buko”, I am deeply biased with the latter. Not only because it was fun, excitingly unique and adventurous but because it had a sweetish hint that really delighted my taste buds. If only I made the dish last year, I would re-do it for this month’s Kulinarya challenge. :-)

Since “sinigang” is a very common dish in the Philippines and probably millions of Filipinos already know how to prepare one, I decided to pay extra attention on the choice of the main ingredient. I thought that in order to make a stimulating “sinigang” worthy of the Kulinarya attention (oh that’s beautiful), I resolved to using a red “lapu-lapu”. :-)

No, this is not cheating …… lol. If you are given a choice between “talakitok” (trevally), “galunggong” (mackerel scad), “tulingan” (frigate tuna) and “lapu-lapu” (grouper) at basically the same unit price (here in southern Sri Lanka), what would you take? See …… I guess we are now in agreement. :-)

If you are still in doubt of the “lapu-lapu” that I am referring, here is the stunning ……… gorgeous ……… delicious ……… and most importantly ……… affordable ……… okay, make that cheap ……… as in budget-friendly ……… “sinigang” candidate! :)

For the dish, I thoroughly cleaned, scaled, gutted, washed, drained and cut-up to serving sizes the more than 1 kilogram very fresh “lapu-lapu”. I seasoned the fish slices with about a teaspoon salt.

The other ingredients needed are as follows: about 6 cups of rice washing or plain water, 2 medium onion, quartered, 4 pcs plum tomatoes, to be quartered, 1 medium daikon raddish, pelled and sliced diagonally, ¼ large cabbage or better yet 2 bunches bok choy (“pechay”) if you have, a handful long beans, cut to 2 inches length, 2 pcs cubanelle chilies, 3 pcs whole green finger chilies, 1 small piece ginger, peeled and cut to matchstick, 1 tsp salt or to taste and of course, 1 sachet “sinigang-mix” seasoning in tamarind, the Filipinos gateway to a tasty everyday “sinigang”. :)

The use of rice washing or “hugas bigas”, preferably the second wash, is the traditional way of cooking the dish that many consider is the secret to a fine tasting “sinigang”. If you have no problem with it, by all means live the tradition. :)

Fill a casserole with about 5 cups rice washing (or water). On high heat let it boil. Add in onions and tomatoes and simmer on medium heat until the tomatoes are a little mushy.

Add in radish and long beans and continue simmering. After a minute or two, add in “lapu-lapu” pieces and continue cooking. Once the liquid again boils, season it with salt. Continue simmering until the fish is just cooked through.

Add in chilies followed by the cabbage. Put the lid back on and cook for a minute more. Uncover and add in “sinigang-mix” seasoning. Let it boil once more and continue cooking until everything is fully cooked through.

Transfer in a wide serving bowl and serve piping hot alongside lots of steamed rice. Some fish sauce + calamansi + chili dipping sauce will surely add an extra kick. It’s very delicious of course, it’s “lapu-lapu” in the first place. Who will go wrong with it? :-)

There it is, my foolproof “sinigang na lapu-lapu”. This is especially done for the Kulinarya Challenge for the month of July. Hope you’ll enjoy this post along with the many “sinigang” variants the other members are sharing with everyone. Check them all please! Ciao! c“,)

Ginataang Palaka o Gatang Palaka A La Lalaine (Froglegs Cooked in Coconut Milk)

2011-07-23T13:17:00.011+08:00

Frog tastes like chicken. You heard that before, right? Of course when I state that phrase (or sentence), it is more of a personal account rather than a generally accepted fact or knowledge. Many would of course offer disagreements in various forms. We are bound to respect that. But for me and the many people that I knew or talked to and who have tasted and enjoyed the rather exotic meat, this will remain the case. The tender white flesh with fine texture of the uncommon meat called frog and sometimes marketed as “froglegs” have taste and flavors very similar to that of the chicken.

This is the main reason why most Filipino techniques of cooking chicken like, “prito” (fried), “tinola” (stewed with ginger and papaya), simple “adobo” (braised/stewed in vinegar and soy sauce) or “adobo sa dilaw” (braised in vinegar and turmeric) and “ginataan” (cooked in coconut milk), to name a few, all works well with frog meat. In fact, I have already featured here a “tinola” version of frogs called “tinolang palaka”. As a follow-up to that post, I would like to feature another chicken-like cooking preparation that is called “ginataang palaka” (froglegs cooked in coconut milk). Since this is a variant of the popular “ginataang manok” earlier shared by our friend Lalaine, there is no better person to do the dish other than Lalaine herself. Clap … clap … clap!

As mentioned before, the tasty and nutritious edible frogs, even though not generally considered or accepted as major food item worldwide, are consumed in thousands of tons annually in several countries like France in Europe and China, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and of course my beloved Philippines in Asia. Although not really popular as table fare throughout the Philippines, it is widely caught during its season and especially served as viand in Central Luzon areas and “pulutan” or bites or appetizer over a bottle of favorite beer, wine or hard liquor elsewhere in other provinces.

Simply fried and “adobo-style” are probably the most preferred method of cooking frog when it is intended (as it usually is) to be served with alcoholic beverages among “barkada” or male friends. It is even tastier when using personally caught frogs by the group, usually the night before. But with the Internet taking much of our night time, this is now difficult to do except probably in the far-flung provinces. :-))

My happy childhood memories of the unusual meat are actually not limited to just eating but also catching them ……… usually from the wet rice fields just before rice planting or from farms, grassland, marsh land and even river banks during rainy season. I experienced catching them by rod and line pretty much like fishing, by spooking with strong lights at night time and slightly hitting with a long stick to immobilize or on several occasions by out maneuvering and grasping them with bare hands. The last one is quite tricky and I have not been very successful though. :-)

If catching frogs is already difficult, dressing, gutting and cleaning the sleek and slimy animal is an additional burden. Lucky for us that fish-monger at the market is now willing to do the dirty job and just provide buyers with already dressed frogs which just require minimal washing at home. :)

Even luckier are people living in Europe like Lalaine who could easily buy boxed and frozen froglegs that are all-cleaned and ready for cooking directly, from the comfort of cozy supermarkets. :-)

For this dish, we need about 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of froglegs or dressed frogs. When in the Philippines, the tastier and tenderer but smaller native variety is highly recommended. Their meat is yellowish in color. But since Lalaine and friends are in London, this larger bullfrog with its whiter meat is her best option.

The other ingredients needed are: 1 head garlic, crushed and chopped, 1 large onion, peeled and chopped, 1 tsp peppercorn, freshly cracked or ground, 1 tsp salt or to taste, 3 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar or to taste, 6 pcs finger chilies, 2 chopped and 4 kept whole, 2 small chayote, peeled and cut to serving sizes and 1 can or about 500 ml or 2 cups coconut milk.

As unselfishly thought to us by Lalaine in her “ginataang manok”, the secret process to this recipe is the use of some coconut milk to extract oil for sautéing and at the same time creating the fragrant coconut milk curdles or “latik” to be incorporated in the dish. This is really awesome!

In a large wok or large pan or heavy bottomed casserole, heat ½ cup of the coconut milk on low flame. Continue cooking with regular stirring until the coconut milk starts to curdle, renders its own oil (“naglalangis o naglalatik”) and becomes fragrant or aromatic.

When the coconut oil and “latik” are evident, add in garlic and continue frying until slightly browned. Add in onion and continue sautéing until translucent.

At this point, add the froglegs and continue cooking with occasional stirring until the frog renders its own liquid. Continue simmering until the meat is partially cooked through. Add in freshly ground pepper and continue cooking.

Add in chayote and chopped chilies. When the vegetables are cooked through, season it with salt and some more ground pepper if you like. Lower the heat and add the remaining coconut milk and continue simmering with the lid off.

Pour in vinegar followed by adding in sugar. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add in whole chilies and continue cooking until they are cooked through and sauce is reduced and has thickened to a gravy-like consistency.

Transfer the dish in serving plates, garnish with whole chilies and serve with lots of steamed rice. Like most “ginataan” recipes, the dish is creamy, delicious and yes …… so steamed rice-demanding. :-)

Lalaine and her soon to be “inaanak” Joan are in constant diet but they decided to take a day off for the dish. With viand as delightful as “ginataang palaka” a la Lalaine, heaps and heaps of rice is something really unavoidable …… okay, make that necessary. Enjoy! c“,)

Daing na Flying Fish o Bolador (Fried Vinegar & Garlic-Marinated Flying Fish)

2011-07-15T10:56:00.006+08:00

This is good. If you like “daing na bangus” (fried vinegar & garlic-cured milkfish), this is a fine alternative. If you have not yet eaten a flying fish your entire life but keenly considering tasting one, I believe this is the proper dish to sample the sleek fish ……… to somehow ensure a memorable dining experience and establish a deep connection with the fish ……… and probably ……… just probably …… it will transform you into a permanent flying fish eater or consumer, like me and my friends here in our project. :-)

Flying fish or “bolador” (which literally means kite) as referred to in the Philippines or “piyamassa” as called here in Sri Lanka is a shiny, elongated, silver-blue marine fish that lives in all of the tropical and warm subtropical oceans. Their most remarkable feature is their strangely large pectoral fins that resemble dragonfly wings which during gliding it spreads and tilts slightly upward to provide lift and folds clear to reenter the sea surface smoothly at the end of a glide.

The astonishing fins, with the aid of its strong lopsided tail fin, enable the fish to leap out of the water and take short gliding flights through air just above the water's surface for the purpose of hiding and escaping pursuing predators which include some of my favorite (in my dreams) game fishes such as tuna, swordfish, sailfish and marlin. For anglers like me, the sight of leaping flying fish is not only scenic but also indicative that our target fish is roaming around. :-)

While we in the Tarlac Anglers, only use the glossy flying fish as bait to catch bigger and more exciting pelagic fishes via trolling, it is now among my target species. :) If landing it with hook, line and rod proved difficult, I may either try gillnetting as it is commonly harvested in Japan or dipnetting as it is usually catch in Indonesia. Either way, some adult ones (not juvenile please) should end up in my skillet, sizzling away in hot oil. :)

Flying fish or “exocoetidae” as known scientifically, may not be a major fish in both the Philippine and Sri Lankan markets however, it is extremely popular, well eaten and commercially fished in many Asian and Pacific Islands countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Solomon Islands, etc. and in the Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago and most especially in Barbados where it is most significant and in fact regarded a national icon and an important part of its main national dish. This is enough reason for me to consider flying fish as a viable gourmet food within the context of Philippine cuisine.

As a start up, I decided to make the several pieces of medium-sized flying fish we purchased from a local catch into the popular Filipino breakfast viand called “daing” that is made from butterflied fish marinated in vinegar and garlic. I of course refer to the wet type as in “daing na bangus” and not the salted dried fish kind which, interestingly, was also referred to as “daing” (and I also like :)).

The flying fish is quite cheap so you can buy several kilos if you like. However, let me prepare the dish using just about a kilo of the unique fish, about 7 pieces and among the biggest from the small pile of “bolador” that’s available in the store.

The first step is to prepare the flying fish. Scale the fish (yes, some sections of “bolador” especially the tail area have scales) and remove all the fins.

Split it along the backbone (from tail through the head) and spread into butterfly fillets keeping the belly section intact. Remove gills and internal organs and wash thoroughly to remove traces of blood and other impurities.

Transfer in a wide container and thoroughly drain removing as much water as possible. Pat-dry the fish with paper towels and set aside.

The next step is to prepare the marinade. The ingredients needed are as follows: 1½ cup natural vinegar, 1 head garlic, crushed and chopped, 1 tsp freshly ground or cracked black pepper, 1 tsp iodized salt and 1 tbsp white sugar. A dash of MSG is commonly use in most commercial preparation so you can include it if you like. Additionally, about a cup of vegetable oil is required during frying.

In a wide container preferable not aluminum, pour the vinegar. Add in all other ingredients and mix properly effectively crushing the garlic further with the back of a spoon to infuse its flavor into the marinade.

Add the fish one by one (two sides spread) basically soaking it into the marinade and then properly arranging in the container so that the fish is covered with the marinade for even infusion of flavors. Marinate for at least 1 day up to 3 days inside the fridge. Turn the fish over from time to time.

To cook, heat about 1 cup of vegetable oil in a wide non-stick skillet. Take out the marinated fish meat from the fridge and soak with the marinade once more.

When the oil is already hot, cook the “daing” in batches. Fry each side until light brown and just cooked through or according to your preferred doneness.

Continue frying in batches until everything is done. Properly drain the cooked “daing” in paper towels to remove excess oil then transfer in a large serving plate. Breakfast should be ready.

Serve with lots of steamed rice, some scrambled eggs with tomato and most importantly, for that true Filipino touch …… spiced vinegar dipping sauce with chopped garlic, chilies and freshly cracked black pepper on the side.

Other choices includes serving this alongside adobo garlic fried rice or dried fish fried rice, a sunny side up fried egg and some “calamansi” + soy sauce + chili dipping sauce.

Excuse me but the smell of “daing” is strongly pulling me towards the dining table …… and like “tapang baboy ramo”, this is one breakfast I can’t resist. Seriously! Enjoy! c“,)

Pata Hamonado (Pork Knuckle Cooked in Pineapple Juice, Sugar and Soy Sauce)

2011-07-08T15:47:00.009+08:00

Here I go again playing with “pata”. As I have mentioned many times in this blog, I really like the versatile “pata”. The popular Philippine cut of pork that consists of the whole hand or arm in the front and the lower part of the leg below the round (“pigi”) in the rear of the swine. Collectively, it includes the ham hock or knuckle as well as the trotter. While I also like trotter, especially in “crispy pata” where it is very tasty and crunchy, for some reasons it is not sold (and probably discarded as waste) here in Sri Lanka so the cut that I will use for this special dish is basically the meaty knuckle or ham hock section only.

But it’s a good thing because the intended dish is “pork hamonado” (also called “pork pina hamonado” or just “pina hamonado”) where the trotter, composed mainly of rind, bones and tendons, will not particularly work well, unlike the hock or knuckle which is so damn good for the dish. Pardon the use of word please. :-)

“Hamonado” is a Filipino dish prepared by slow cooking a thick slab of pork (can be belly/“liempo” or shoulder/”kasim” or like in this case, hock/“pata”) in pineapple juice, sugar and soy sauce. The ending dish is a somewhat cured and sweetened meat that is so rich, flavorful and succulent. It is of course oily with fat and rind covering the lean meat but that’s actually the best part of it ……… seriously, it’s so wonderful ……… could be a little unhealthy but really awesome ……… at least for me ……… and to many people I know. :-)

I have one problem though doing this dish here in southern Sri Lanka. I have no or very little access to good quality canned pineapple juice (like Del Monte or Dole brands from the Philippines). So, like when I prepared the “estopado” (braised in pineapple juice), I will also use fresh pineapple instead.

Similar with “pata tim” (cooked in soy sauce), the meat in “hamonado” is basically simmered (as whole) over a long period of time until the meat is so tender that it could almost fall off the bones and fat layer is gelatinous. Whew…this is making me starve so we better go on.

For a rather large group of 5 hungry males, we purchased 1 large piece of ham hock, about 1.25 kilograms or 2.75 lbs. As usual, the meat is properly washed; skin is vigorously scrapped of blemishes and impurities and rinsed several times until looking neat and smelling clean. :-)

Although commonly reserved for special occasions, cooking “hamonado” is not really difficult. It may look intimidating at the onset but the process is actually simple …… much simpler than most thought.

To complement the meat above, we need the following basic ingredients: 1 small pineapple, properly washed, peeled and sliced crosswise, 1 liter pineapple syrup extracted from boiling the peel, 1/3 cup soy sauce, divided, 1/4 cup brown sugar or to taste, 2 medium “calamansi” or 1 lime or ½ lemon, juice extracted, 5 gloves garlic, crushed, 1 tsp whole peppercorn, 2 small bay leaves and 2 tbsp cooking oil. Additionally, several cups of pork or chicken broth are also needed.

The first step is to evenly marinate the whole pork hock with a mixture of the “calamansi” juice and 1/6 cup or ½ of the 1/3 cup soy sauce for at least an hour. Flip the meat over several times for uniform infusion of marinade.

Since I have no pineapple juice and afraid that one small pineapple will not suffice to supply the needed amount of pineapple flavor, I go overboard and decided to boil the peel and eye cuttings to further extract some pineapple syrup, about ½ liter.

If you noticed in the list of ingredients, I included the word, “properly washed” (I actually brushed it) to the pineapple. This ultimate ……… make that desperate …… step is the reason. I need the pineapple peel to be really clean and thus safe for boiling and squeezing. :-)

In a large wok or pan, heat the oil on high flame and sear the marinated “pata” on all sides until lightly browned. Worry not if some surface cannot be seared. It’s still fine. But be careful not to overdo it like the one side in mine. :)

Using a heavy bottomed casserole, arrange the “pata” at the middle along with the pineapple, reserving 2 slices for garnish later. Add in garlic, peppercorn, bay leaves and brown sugar. Pour the remaining marinade, pineapple syrup, balance soy sauce and about 2 cups broth. Cook on high heat until boiling.

Adjust the heat to the lowest setting possible with the liquid barely boiling. Be ready to simmer for several hours or until the meat is very tender. Turn the meat over from time to time for even cooking. Add additional broth or hot water as necessary, 1 cup at a time. Taste and adjust the seasonings if still needed. I did not.

Towards the end, I cut the bulky meat into two large pieces so that it could be properly submerged in the thickening sauce.

When the meat is very tender and sauce is reduced to a thick consistency, place the reserved slices of pineapple on top of the meat and cook for several minutes more or until the pineapple is cooked through but not mushy.

Transfer the glazed pork on a large platter, pour the rich sauce and garnish with the pineapple slices. For the dish “yummy” is an understatement! :-)

Served with hot steamed rice and eat like a master ……… conquering your guilt. This is utterly luscious and every bite is worth setting your diet fear aside. You will tend to promise sweating it out tomorrow, I’m sure ……… even if you really can’t or have no intension of. :))

Yes, this dish ruined my diet …… in a very delicious way. All I can say is enjoy ……… but don’t tell me you were not warned! This is addicting! c“,)

Alimango Con Sotanghon (Mud Crab with Glass Noodles)

2011-07-02T23:59:00.010+08:00

It has been a while since I last chanced upon mud crabs or “alimango” in the Philippine language, from the roadside kiosks we are regularly visiting along the coastal towns of southern Sri Lanka to obtain our group’s weekly supply of fish and other seafood. It seems the nearby vast mangrove forest that has always been lush and green (how I wish this could happen in the Philippines) was quite generous that day that it provided the local fisherman with a truly fine catch; a mixed bag composed of the tasty decapods crustaceans along with some pretty large prawns, pan-sized mangrove snapper, delectable eels and other exciting brackish water fishes.

Being a passionate outdoorsman and a perennial angler, the sight of the catch was simply awesome to me. It represents an abundance of nature and existence of a very healthy mangrove environment. From the looks of the catch, I could assume that it was harvested from a sustainable level of stock in a well flourishing ecosystem where marine water and freshwater collide. While I am also excited about the other fishes, the mud crabs instantaneously transported me into the realm of dish concoction moments. :-)

Mud crab or mangrove crab and sometimes called black crab is an economically important crab species found in the estuaries and mangroves of Asia, Australia and Africa. In the key cities of the Philippines, most Southeast Asian countries, and Northern states of Australia, it is generally priced above other seafood within the general public. Lucky for us Filipinos living here in southern Sri Lanka for it is reasonably priced around here although not widely available.

Commonly, the shell colour of mud crabs varies from a deep, mottled green to very dark brown to almost black. They are generally cooked with their hard shells on, usually steamed, stewed, fried and in soups. However, when they moult their shells, they can be served as soft shell crab seafood delicacy. Many Asian people, including myself, consider them to be among the tastiest of all crab species. The Philippines and other South Asian countries have a huge appetite and thus a very high demand of the said crab species.

Despite the strong demand in the market, high flesh content, rapid growth rate even in captivity and the natural ability of females to give birth to about 1 million offspring, aquaculture of this wonderful mud dwelling creature has not been very easy due to limited and often low and unpredictable larvae survival. It is a seemingly natural condition that could be attributed to disease, inadequate nutrition and the excessive death rate during the moulting season.

You see, mud crabs are notorious for its cannibalistic nature or behaviour during the moulting stage when crabs with still hard shells will usually attack and devour those with already soft shells (moulting crabs). This fact could well qualify to give supplementary meaning to the popular phrase “crab mentality” which could now includes “eating”, literally that’s it, to “pulling” or “stepping on” others ……… just to survive.

Steamed ……… fried ……… cooked with coconut milk ……… curried ……… etc. ……… there seems to be a lot of ways to prepare the mud crabs (and some prawns) we purchased from the seaside for our dinner. Crabs and prawns are both naturally delicious and therefore preparing it into a sumptuous meal is considered foolproof. To suffice to a rather huge group with big hunger, I decided to sauté it with spices and cook with glass noodles in the same way I prepared my earlier post called “Alimasag con Sotanghon”. In lieu of blue swimming crabs though, I will be using the even tastier mud crabs with bonus prawns.

For this preparation I used several pieces of large prawns (optional), trimmed of antennae and chelate (leg pairs) and cleaned, and about 5 pieces mud crabs, shell, chelae (claws) and legs thoroughly scraped of dirt and washed under running water. The crabs were then cut in half and claws were cracked. Be careful in cutting so as not to waste the yellow to orange-coloured crab fat or eggs or “aligi” found inside the body. The dish needs that seriously. :-)

Other major ingredient is about 250 grams “sotanghon” or glass noodles. Soak the noodles in warm water for about 5 minutes to soften. Take out from water and set aside.

We also need about 4 – 5 cups crab or shrimp broth but you can substitute it with chicken broth. We are just so lucky to have a handful of shrimp heads (from the tempura dish we had the other day) which I used to make a really tasty broth I kept barely boiling.

The other ingredients are: 3 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and cut to match sticks, ½ head garlic, peeled and minced, 1 small leek, diagonally chopped, 3 tbsp oyster sauce, 3 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp ground pepper, 2 tsp white sugar and 3 stalks flat leaf parsley (or 1 small stalk celery), minced. Additionally, some sea salt might be needed to adjust/finish of the taste.

Cooking involves a simple procedure. In a heavy pan or wok heat the oil on medium setting. Add the ginger and stir fry, then add in garlic followed by the leek and continue stir frying.

Increase the heat to high and add the crab pieces and prawns, if using. Continue sautéing until the crab and prawns turn to gorgeous bright orange color.

In the meantime, strain the shrimp broth. Pour the broth to the pan, let it boil and continue simmering on medium heat. Add in ground pepper, followed by oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Continue simmering with occasional stirring. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add some salt if still necessary. I added about ½ teaspoon to mine.

Add the softened glass noodles and stir to combine properly. Continue cooking with light stirring until the noodles is fully cooked through and broth is reduced. Sprinkle minced parsley on top and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Transfer in large platter and serve with steamed rice or eat on its own. A few drops of “calamansi” or lemon extract won’t hurt but for us, it is already amazing as is.

The dish was served as our dinner and yes, the big hunger was easily satisfied …… delightfully, that is! Enjoy! c“,)

Pancit Puti (Thin Rice Noodles Cooked in Savory Broth)

2011-06-21T22:23:00.012+08:00

If you are working or have worked in the Makati City (Philippines) area, there is a good chance that you have eaten the unique “pancit puti” popularized by one of the restaurants there specializing in fried (“guisado”) noodles and offering phone deliveries to offices, residences and business establishments. Their distinct “pancit puti” proved delicious and eventually became a hit to residents and employees in and around the city’s commercial district and nearby villages.

During my short stint in our company’s Philippine Branch office in Legaspi Village, Makati, I had, on many occasions, eaten the said “pancit puti” dish along with other “pancit” offerings such as “bihon”, “palabok” and “malabon”, particularly during birthday treats of co-employees. Even on the day my turn came to treat everyone, I also settled for “pancit puti” along with some other Filipino snack delicacies.

Of course, it is a common knowledge that the popular Filipino fried noodles called “pancit” (also spelled “pansit”), be it made with the generic “bihon” (thin rice noodles) or the other kinds such as “miki” (fresh egg noodles), “canton” (dried egg noodles) and “sotanghon” (mung beans noodles or glass noodles) or any combination thereof (either “miki-bihon” or “sotanghon-miki”), is cooked or sautéed with the salty, earthy and brownish flavouring condiment called soy sauce or soya sauce. This is one of the reasons why almost all “pancit” are light brown to yellow-orange in colour even when a naturally white coloured noodles such as “bihon” and the clear or transparent (when cooked) “sotanghon” is used.

Like in “adobong puti”, the difference lies on the non-usage of the deeply coloured and umami-rich soy sauce in the dish resulting to a rather pale or somewhat whitish (“puti” in Filipino language) noodle dish. Hence the name “pancit puti” is adopted which literally means white noodles in the English language.

Actually, this alternative noodle dish is a welcome addition to the long line of Filipino “pancit” recipes. For a nation so fun with noodles, “pancit puti” will continuously find its niche. It may not become as popular as the usual “pancit” but it will go on satisfying many people, especially those adventurous and looking for new dimension in taste and unique preparations.

Like the ordinary “pancit bihon”, “pancit puti” also uses the noodles called “bihon” (sometimes spelled “bijon”), a very thin noodles made from rice. It is cooked in savoury pork and/or chicken broth and flavoured with fish sauce or “patis” (soy sauce replacement) and “calamansi” extract (or lemon) then topped with flaked chicken or steamed pork bits, chopped green onions and fried garlic chips. Other delightful toppings include crumbled pork cracklings or “chiharon”, cooked and peeled shrimps and slices of hard-boiled eggs.

For this preparation, we shall need a pack of “bihon” noodles, about 500 grams (1.1 lbs.). I would advice that you use a good quality “bihon”, something that you have repeatedly tested and sure that will work well with you. In the Philippine markets and groceries, there are lots of choices. Here in Sri Lanka, we have limited options. :-(

In a large container, soak the noodles in water for about ten minutes or until it is slightly soft for easy cooking. Drain and set aside.

For me, the most important aspect of the “pancit puti” preparation is the use of a really tasty and savoury broth. Since there is no soy sauce which would otherwise provide the delectable “umami” taste, it is necessary that a well prepared and good tasting broth is made available. To attain this, I am banking on some pork bones with marrow, about 400 grams and a whole chicken breast, about 500 grams to be slowly boiled together to bring out its deep flavor.

To complement the bones and meat ingredients, some spices and vegetables are needed such as 1 small carrot, cut up, 1 medium onion, quartered, 1 small stalk of celery, roughly chopped, ½ tsp black pepper and 1 tsp salt. Use of MSG is entirely up to you. :)

In a casserole, place the pork bones and chicken. Add about 8 cups of water and the rest of the ingredients and let it boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat to low and continue the slow simmering until a very tasty broth is achieved and the chicken breast is tender.

Take out the chicken from the casserole but continue with the slow simmering of the broth. Add some more hot water if necessary, to ensure that about 6 cups of rich broth remains at the time of usage. Flake the cooked chicken meat into small bits. Set aside.

In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients compose of ½ head garlic, finely minced, 3 tbsp vegetable oil, another ½ head garlic, minced, 1 large onion, thinly chopped, ¼ cup "patis" or fish sauce, ½ tsp salt or to taste, ½ tsp ground white pepper, 2 tbsp sesame oil, ½ cup finely chopped spring onion and 3 “calamansi” (or 1 lemon).

In a large wok or thick pan, heat the oil and fry the ½ cup finely minced garlic until crisp and golden. Carefully take out the garlic chips from the oil and set aside.

In the same pan with oil, fry the remaining garlic, followed by the onion. When the onion is translucent, add in fish sauce and let the pungent smell sizzles away. Add in flaked chicken meat and continue sautéing. After about 3 minutes, add in carrots and continue cooking.

Take about 6 cups of the still simmering broth and pour to the pan. Discard the bones and other spices. Let the broth boil and simmer for about 2 minutes. Taste the broth and season it with white pepper and salt as necessary. It should be a little salty to accommodate the tasteless noodles later.

Add the fully drained “bihon” and continue cooking with occasional stirring. By the time the broth is gone, the noodles should be nicely cooked through. Finally, stir in sesame oil. Turn the heat off, it’s done. :-)

Transfer in a wide serving platter. Top with crispy garlic bits, several drops of “calamansi” extract and a handful of spring onions. Serve with some more slices of “calamansi” (or lemon) and extra garlic chips on the side. Yum yum!

We ate this “pancit puti” with some buttered toast as a late afternoon snack and it effectively ended up as our dinner. We were so full that no one was able to eat our actual dinner anymore. Try it. You’ll love it. Enjoy! c“,)

Leche Flan or Creme Caramel or Caramel Custard - Kulinarya Challenge for June

2011-06-18T16:29:00.014+08:00

One of the most highly-sought family dishes that I have not yet shared here is the Filipino egg custard called “leche flan”. On the scale of 1-10 the “leche flan” that our family, the Villanueva’s of Padre Garcia, Batangas, usually prepare is 11. I will repeat that in word just in case you did not get it clear - eleven. I know it’s logically wrong, but it’s hyperbolically true. I kid you not! For me and all of my friends and guests who tasted it, our egg custard is way better than those you can order or eat in any of the 5-star hotels or popular restaurants (at least from all of those that I and my friends have tried), be it in Manila or in any other key cities in the country.

Okay, I may be quite biased here but it is really that good. Wait, make that …… really that exceptional (objectively supplied)! :) Since it’s not very convincing to praise your own trait or sell your own merit, I guess, you’ve got to actually taste it to believe what I’m saying. :-)

The recipe is not really a strictly guarded secret. Nope! Many people knew it. I once talked to someone who uses the exact ingredients but nonetheless produces a much inferior dish. Maybe the recipe or at least a similar or very close recipe is already even published in the internet as we speak. But the meticulous cooking method, involving the careful preparation of the caramel syrup and the slow and controlled steaming process, which knowledge the family developed over a long period of time, makes the difference I believe.

I consider it as an acquired special skill learnt through practice and eventually shared or passed on from generation to generation ……… from parents to children, from mothers to daughters and daughters-in-law, from older sisters to younger sisters and sisters-in-law and in my case, from wife to husband …… although I’ve seen my mother (who diligently and painstakingly taught my better half) and aunties prepared it a countless times during significant family occasions. :-)

But it isn’t the recipe that I will be sharing here now ……… not just yet. Sorry! :-) For this post, I would like to feature my own concoction of the popular dessert dish. Hear me out first. You see the family recipe calls for several cans of condensed and evaporated milk which happened to be too pricy around here. So I developed my own recipe which uses fresh whole milk which is rather abundant and of course very reasonably priced (a.k.a cheap), about 1/8 of the canned milk price compared per unit volume. Besides, fresh milk is what they use in the Portuguese crème caramel recipe which is very similar to the Filipino “leche flan”.

This post is my entry to this month’s Kulinarya challenge under the theme “WHITE” (or off white). Though the final dish will neither be obviously looking white nor off-white, the ecru portion of the custard is more than 90%. Besides it is made from ingredients which more than 90% are white such as granulated sugar, fresh milk, salt and eggs with its albumen or egg white (pure white when cooked). Come on fellow Kulinaryans, this will do right? :-)

As a backgrounder, crème caramel flan or caramel custard is a custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top. In the Philippines, the flan is known as “leche flan”, the Filipino term for the originally Spanish “flan de leche” which literally means “milk flan”. However, the Philippine version usually made with condensed and evaporated milk and more eggs (sometimes pure egg yolks) is much heavier than the Spanish flan.

“Leche flan” is usually steamed over an open flame or stove top, although on rare occasions it can also be seen being cooked in the oven like this preparation. “Leche flan” is a top Filipino favorite and a staple in Philippine celebratory feasts like town “fiesta” or festivals, wedding or baptismal affairs, anniversaries and birthdays celebrations and during important holidays like Christmas and New Year.

Preparing “leche flan” is not really difficult although it involves 3 major stages – a) preparing the caramel syrup (this is quite tricky), b) mixing the egg-milk batter (this is uncomplicated provided you know how to strain) and c) steaming or baking the custard (this actually requires practice, patience and attention to details). Rather than explaining each stage, I’ll just try to show it as vividly as possible through images captured as we actually do it here starting with fresh milk, sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla ingredients.

For a single mixing of about six (6) oval aluminum baking or steaming moulds called “lyanera” in the Philippines or three (3) round baking pan (8 inches dia.), the exact ingredients are as follows: for the caramel syrup - 1 cup granulated white sugar and 1½ cup water, divided; for the custard - 2 cups granulated white sugar, 12 farm fresh eggs, 6 cups fresh whole milk, 1 tbsp vanilla extract and ½ tsp salt. Optional add-ons for extra flavor can compose of a small piece of lemon peel and a small piece of cinnamon bark, but I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll stick to the basic ingredients the family use.

To cook the caramel syrup, combine 1 cup white sugar and ½ cup water in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium-high flame with occasional swirling of the pan until the sugar is dissolved. Don’t attempt to stir it with any implement. Let the sugar freely liquefy with the water then caramelize, basically untouched.

Continue cooking until bubbly. Be ready with the 1 cup water. Adjust the heat to high and continue swirling from time to time as the sugar continues to caramelize and bubbles rise up. Wait for the color to change from light golden to dark bronze tint (reminder: this happens very fast) and the smell of caramel starts to fill the air.

At this point, carefully pour the water to the syrup. Watch out for splatter. The caramelized sugar will frantically bubble up. It’s okay, it will calm down soon after. Set the heat to medium and continue cooking with occasional swirling until the syrup attained a thick homogenous consistency in gorgeous amber color. :-)

Unlike when using other techniques, you don’t have to hurry pouring the caramel syrup into your moulds, it will retain its thick fluid consistency even after it has cooled down. Provided to get it right, you can even keep it in the fridge for many days or weeks always ready to be used.

To prepare the custard batter, combine white sugar, salt and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk properly until sugar is fully dissolved and has blended with the eggs and sugar. Remember to beat it properly but not so vigorous that will make it frothy. You don’t want that, believe me.

In a large sauce pan over medium flame, heat the milk until just as it starts to bubble. Remove from heat immediately. We need the milk warm but not at boiling point when it will start to curdle. If you are using lemon peel or cinnamon bark include them during the milk heating process.

In a steady and slow stream, pour the warm milk to the egg-sugar mixture (discarding the lemon peel and cinnamon bark, if using) while continuously stirring. Go on whisking until the milk has fully blended without causing the egg to cook and curdle. Stir in vanilla extract.

We want really smooth custard, so strain the batter through a very fine sieve. While I normally use a cheese cloth to do this (as practiced by most of our family members), I am now simply using the fine flour sieve for that quick/instant straining without the fuss. :-)

Coat the bottom of the oval aluminum moulds (“lyanera”) or ramekins or any baking/steaming containers you have. Set aside. You can keep excess caramel syrup in a bottle inside the fridge, but I don’t think you’ll have extra with this preparation.

Divide the batter into the caramel lined aluminum moulds or ramekins. Fill it up to about ¾ of the moulds height. Individually cover it with aluminum foil. Place the moulds or “lyanera” in a large baking dish and fill it up with hot water to about 1 to 1½ inches high.

Place it inside the oven which you should have pre-heated already. Okay, I forgot to mention this earlier. Sorry! Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath or until the custard is fully cooked through and already firm. Our oven has some opening/leak issues so I ended up baking it for around 2 hours with even better result. :-)

Take it out from the oven, remove the foil covering and be ready to be amazed.

Let the flan cool down then keep them inside the fridge for several hours before serving for the texture to nicely firm up.
Transfer in a serving plate upside down with the luscious caramel on top. Show to your love ones and let them drool a little …… just a little salivation before serving. It will ensure fast digestion without really chewing. :)

Alternately, you can use the reliable steamer to cook your “leche flan” in various shapes and sizes. Here is what I did with the remaining custard as only half of it (3 “lyanera”) was cooked in the oven.

This is one dish we really can’t get enough of. I prepared 3 moulds last time and it keeps us hanging. I doubled the volume today and we still want more. No matter how I plan, it seems the flan will instantly be gone.

Please check out the entries of other Kulinarya members with their delightful white Filipino dishes. I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy them as much as I do. If you’ll see theirs as really white, just think mine as flaming white. Enjoy! c“,)

Paksiw na Galunggong (Mackerel Scad Stewed in Vinegar)

2011-06-08T18:43:00.000+08:00

Continuous or repeated indulging in a particular kind of food over a rather long period of time oftentimes causes us to experience a condition called taste fatigue. A temporary taste-driven situation when we tend to lose our desire to ingest a specific type of food. This occurs when our taste buds and its receptors received too much stimulation and in the process get overwhelmed by the same or similar flavor to the point it can no longer accurately sense or detect its true and natural taste. In the Philippines, we call this “suya” or “umay”. Sort of getting fed-up or tired of or bored of a kind of food that sometimes even its smell becomes annoying.

This happens to everyone. Especially after a long, or as the usual case, prolonged holiday, weekends or family occasions where cooking and eating (and drinking) are so important (they always are) that they comprised about 50% (sometimes more) of all the activities. :-)

Even the tastiest stew or braise dishes such as “adobo”, “mechado”, “menudo”, “asado”, “estopado” and “caldereta”, or the somewhat oily but heavenly fried dishes such “crispy pata”, “lechon sa hurno”, “litsong kawali”, etc. will no longer appeal to us once we get afflicted by such a syndrome of “suya” or “umay”. But there is a trick on how to go about it. First, give your taste buds a rest (not very easy though). Then, select different but simple foods and return to a normal eating pattern. This will eventually allow your taste buds and receptors to restore their normal sensitivity and once again get pleasure and satisfaction from eating your favorite foods.

In such a case, my father who is from Batangas would always ask my mom to cook a “sinaing na isda” either, “tambakol” or yellow fin tuna or “tulingan” or frigate tuna (oh I miss this) or even the easy fried or grilled “tuyo” or dried fish with “kamatis” or fresh tomato, or even simpler, serve him with “ginisang bagoong” or sautéed fish paste as side dish in a meal. Our friends in Cebu and Leyte always resort to “tola or tinowa” and “kinilaw na isda”. I have lots of friends in Pampanga and Tarlac who always ask their spouses or mothers to cook them either a “sinigang” or a “paksiw na isda”.

If you will notice there is an obvious commonality to the above neutralizing dishes ……… the presence of the souring agent like bilimbi or “kamias”, vinegar, tamarind and tomatoes. Yes, like most Filipinos, I always find sourly-salty food as an effective “umay” buster.

Since our group, with its many chicken dishes in the regular weekly menu, is highly susceptible to this “suya” syndrome, we intermittently cook “paksiw na isda” in between meat dishes. Besides being simple, easy to prepare, relatively inexpensive and actually delicious, the dish efficiently provides us with the needed taste buds repair, overhauling and reconditioning after sustaining heavy bombardment from the chicken flavor. :-)

As “paksiw”, a simple cooking technique that involves stewing meat or seafood in vinegar is considered an icon of the highly varied Philippine cuisine and so is the relatively lowly yet staple food commodity called “galunggong”, an abundant and widely eaten saltwater fish popular in the Philippines. As such, the cheap but chief dish called “paksiw na galunggong”, though really modest, is among the most popular fish stewed in vinegar dishes you can find inside most Filipino homes, particularly in the Luzon Island which includes the Manila Capital.

To cook the dish, we need about 1.2 kilograms (2.6 lbs) of really fresh mackerel scad or “galunggong”. The fish were thoroughly cleaned, scaled, gutted, drained and then halves.

Although I am using a mackerel scad variety here, please understand that there are many other varieties which also fall within the big group of economical fish called “galunggong” or colloquially, “GG” in the Philippines. Among the common kinds are roughear scad, Indian scad, shortfin scad, Japanese scad and the top favorite, the redtail scad. Generally, the fish which is considered both a gamefish and bait have elongated bodies that look somewhat circular when viewed head on.

The other ingredients are just basic things most Filipino families always have in their kitchen: 2 pcs thumb-sized ginger, peeled and sliced, 1 large (or 2 medium) onion, chopped, 5 gloves garlic, crushed and chopped, 1 tsp whole peppercorn, 2 tsp iodized salt or to taste, 2-3 pcs cubanelle chilies (or finger chilies), 2 medium eggplants (or 1 medium bitter gourd), cut up, 1 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water and 2 tbsp vegetable oil.

In a stainless casserole or pot, spread the chopped ginger and onion on the bottom. Add in garlic, whole peppercorn and eggplants. Properly arrange the fish on top of them.

Add in salt on top of the fish and slowly pour the vinegar, water and finally the vegetable oil. Over medium heat, cooked the fish uncover. When the liquid has started boiling lower the heat and let it boil (still uncover) for some more time for the acid of the vinegar to escape. Place the chilies on top.

Put the lid back on and continue cooking on low heat until the fish and chilies are fully cooked through. Add hot water as necessary, to avoid it from drying, ½ cup at a time. Adjust the salt level according to your preference.

Transfer the dish to a shallow bowl and serve immediately with lots of steamed rice. Crumbled the chilies in a fish sauce + “calamansi” or lemon dip and you’re in for a good tasting buds-rejuvenating meal. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, it really doesn’t matter. :-)

Beat that “suya” or “umay” easily ……… cook “paksiw na galunggong”. It’s tasty and definitely budget-friendly. Enjoy! c“,)

Chicken Lumpiang Shanghai (Chicken Spring Roll)

2011-06-03T14:00:00.017+08:00

Have you heard of the prideful name “Global Filipinos”? Okay that’s quite tough. How about the enterprising brand “Overseas Filipino Investors” or “OFI”? It still doesn’t ring a bell? Or you probably have a hint but not quite sure. Well, the two labels are the same as the most used (and abused) “Overseas Filipino Workers” or “OFW” (I am referring to the word of course). The shortened version is simply known as “Overseas Filipinos”. I bet you now know this. You hear and read about it so often that it could have already involuntarily left a permanent mark in one of the faculties of your mind. It’s in the news, magazines, internet and even books.

The popularity (or infamy) is not surprising though. After all, it represent a rather large but very silent group of Filipino people scattered all over the world with only one thing in mind – to WORK ……… and I mean really WORK HARD at that. Just how big this group is amazing ……… about 10 million ……… more than 10 percent of the entire Filipino population distributed to nearly all major continents of the world. That’s 20 million skilled hands contributing to the world’s economy from the tiny islands collectively called the Philippines.

Culinary speaking, that’s a lot of people missing their native foods back home. I’m one yeah! More so for those who are in countries where there are some levels of prohibition (due to religious affiliation or the likes) to the foods we grew up with like in the case of pork in the Middle East where about 4 million pork-loving “Overseas Filipinos” are working. Or in the far North American or European countries which geographically could not sustain the cultivation or raising of vegetable and foods commonly grown in the tropical Philippines and thereby leaving close to 5 million “Global Filipinos” (such an endearing title) craving for “tawilis”, or “saluyot” or “talangka” or “gatas ng kalabaw” or “talbos ng kamote” or “bulaklak ng katuray”. :-)

Relative to this, I wish to share a variant recipe of the well-loved Filipino meat spring roll called “lumpiang shanghai”. Specifically a type you can easily cook while living in the Middle East where pork, the main ingredient, is not available and chicken fills up most of the areas of the meat section of groceries. Thus, this is chicken meat spring roll ……… your tasty alternative for the crunchy, mouth-watering and pleasurable “lumpiang shanghai”. Did I mention I had a beautiful childhood memory and long standing infatuation with this dish? :)

Minced or ground chicken is the replacement “star” of this preparation. The leaner ground chicken breast is probably the one usually available in groceries and meat shops but that’s a nay for me. I believe for spring roll, minced meat should be juicy and contains up to 20 percent fat (80-20 lean to fat ratio) for it to be truly tasty and not boringly dry.

Therefore, while using chicken breast would be a lot easier and will probably give the most yields, I always use meat from skin-on boneless chicken legs (and thighs) in spite of the difficulties deboning them. For me, these are the most amazing cuts of chicken I can always depend on even when minced meat is what the recipe calls for.

So for this version of “lumpiang shanghai”, cup up boneless chicken legs with a net weight of about 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) is all we need.

I consider personally grinding meat, whenever you have the liberty of time, an added factor in pretty much ensuring a clean and high quality minced meat like this ground chicken:

The other ingredients needed are: 1 large onion, minced, 1 large carrot, minced, 1 stalk celery, finely chopped, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 large eggs, 1 tsp iodized salt and 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. Additionally, we need about 50 pieces “lumpia” or spring roll wrappers and 1 – 2 cups vegetable oil.

The procedure is straight forward. In a deep mixing bowl, thoroughly combine minced chicken, onion, carrot, celery, salt and ground pepper.

Add in soy sauce, sesame oil and eggs. Carefully stir them in with the meat mixture until everything is held together and a homogenous filling is attained. Taste and adjust salt and/or ground pepper as necessary.

Take about 1 and ½ tbsp of the fillings and wrap to about half an inch diameter spring roll. Continue rolling and wrapping until you consumed all the mixture. This is good for about 50 pieces spring rolls.

Since we are all so eager to have a bite, I stopped half way with about 25 spring rolls fully wrapped and started frying. :-)

In a wide non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and fry the spring rolls in batches. Cook both sides in moderate heat until golden brown. As I said before, having the correct oil temperature is really important. Have it too hot and the wrapper will burn, cook over insufficient heat and oil will enter the roll.

Thoroughly drain excess oil from the fried “chicken lumpiang shanghai” using layers of table napkins. Why mine looks like bond paper, because it is. :-)

Transfer in a serving platter. Serve them hot and crisp alongside your choice of dipping sauce such as tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce or the better yet the unique Philippine “banana ketchup”. Spiced vinegar also works well if it is your thing. Yes, it’s delightfully good even on its own. :-)

Since I stopped halfway of wrapping, I have excess filling. You can keep this in the freezer for next time batch of spring rolls or as an alternative; this could be used in making chicken burger. Just form them into patties and grill or fry away. It’s so yummy too!

This exciting spring roll version can be served as a snack, an appetizer or as a main meal with steamed rice. It also makes a delicious breakfast alongside fried rice or fried noodles.

You can still enjoy “lumpiang shanghai” even when you don’t have access with pork, do it with fish meat like in the fish spring roll I posted before or better yet use the reliable chicken which for sure you always have in your kitchen be it home in the Philippines or abroad in the Middle East! c“,)

Chicken and Pork Empanada

2011-05-20T09:09:00.014+08:00

Folded pastry around meat and veggie stuffing is probably the most accurate definition of my true Filipino comfort food. It is among the simple gastronomic treat that immediately reconnects me with home ……… family, relatives, childhood friends and everything in between. It is an ordinary snack which every bite for me is capable of educing flashes of happy thoughts, retrieving golden memories and subsequent feeling of divine-like contentment. It could somehow serve as a mother’s tender touch or spouse’s caress that provides warmth, consolation, sense of security and peaceful refuge even when you are actually so far away from home. I am referring to the tasty stuffed bread called “empanada”. :-)

Popular in many countries of Latin America, southern part of Europe and South East Asia particularly the Philippines, empanada refers to the stuffed bread or pastry, either baked or fried, made by folding a rich buttery dough or bread patty around the stuffing. The fillings usually composed of varieties of meats, seafood, vegetables or even sweetened fruits. It can be served as a small meal, a starter before a meal, finger foods in parties, dessert after a meal in case of sweet fruits fillings, morsel while watching TV or movies or sporting events and snack at any time of the day.

There are many international variations. In Argentina, their empanadas are often served at parties and festivals. The fillings are mainly chicken or beef spiced with cumin and paprika. In Brazil, they have fried turnovers filled with seasoned ground meat, shredded chicken, cheese, seasoned ground shrimp, hearts of palm and various other fillings. In Jamaica, they have their Jamaican patty that contains various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell, often tinted golden yellow with an egg yolk mixture or turmeric. Puerto Rico’s “empanadilla” is a small empanada that uses flour or cassava flour dough and lard. In Spain, empanadas are often made from thin, flexible, but resilient wheat pastry. The variable filling includes tuna, sardines and chorizo in a tomato puree, garlic and onion sauce.

However, the type I will be preparing here is of course the Filipino empanada. It usually contains ground pork or beef or chicken meat or chopped shrimps, diced potato, green peas, chopped onion and raisins in sweetish-buttery dough made from wheat flour or all-purpose flour. The dough can either be doughy or flaky and plain or covered in bread crumbs. The empanada can either be baked or deep fried with the former being my preferred method as it does not involve a degree of oil accumulation to the finish product. The golden brown tasty crust without the hint of fat (from frying) complemented with the sweetish meaty fillings is such a delightful delicacy to me. :-)

Outside of the generic or common empanada preparation popular in Manila and other key cities in the Philippines, there are regional types which are uniquely delicious like the deep fried crisp-crusted Vigan empanada of the Ilocos Region where shredded green papaya, bean sprouts, egg and sometimes chopped local sausage called “longanisa” are used as stuffing covered in a thin orange pastry made from rice flour with annatto (“achuete”). I hope I would be able to feature this soon as I have long been planning of doing my humble version of this snack dish slowly getting widely popular as it penetrates the mainstream food market.

But first, let’s prepare this common chicken and pork empanada. It’s been a while since I last made this stuffed bread. Cooking the filling is not really difficult but kneading and rolling the pastry and assembling the empanada is sometimes too demanding for a tired body that just retreated from a 10-long hours of office works. Okay, okay, sometimes there is some level of laziness involve here. :)

For the pastry, the ingredients are: 2 cups wheat or all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ cup butter or margarine, softened, ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, 1 pc egg yolk, 6-8 tbsp cold water.

In a wide bowl sift the flour. Add in baking powder, sugar and salt and combine together. Cream the softened butter or margarine with the dry ingredients. Add about four tablespoon of water. Continue mixing until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Lightly knead the dough until it just about comes together. Add small amount of water as necessary. Knead until the dough is smooth then form it into a ball.

Rest the dough ball. Wrap it with plastic or cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

The meat ingredient is a combination of minced chicken and ground pork, about 300 grams each. My chicken came from skin-on chicken legs (and thighs) and the pork came from pork leg with some fatback which I both personally minced using meat grinder. Please choose meat with 80-20 lean to fat ratio ……… unless it’s medically prohibited.

The other ingredients needed are 1 cup finely diced hotdog or any sausage, 2 tbsp butter or margarine, 4 gloves garlic, minced, 1 large medium onion, chopped, 1 pc potato, finely diced, 1 pc sweet potato, finely diced, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tbsp sugar, 1 small pack frozen peas, 1 small pack raisins, chopped, 1 tsp ground pepper and 1 tsp salt or to taste. Additionally, we need about ½ cup chicken broth and if you like, 6 hardboiled quail eggs, halves.

In a wide non-stick pan, heat butter or margarine and fry garlic followed by onions. Add in minced pork and continue cooking until it renders its liquid. Continue sautéing with occasional stirring until the liquid is reduced and the meat sizzles in oil and own fat. Add in Worcestershire sauce, sugar, ground pepper and salt and continue cooking.

Add in ¼ cup chicken broth, minced chicken followed by hotdogs and continue cooking. Add in sweet potato, potato, green peas and raisins.

Add in remaining broth and simmer further until everything is cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cook further until liquid has dried up.

Transfer in a large bowl and set aside. If you are starving get some steamed rice mix in some of the filling and eat away. Yummy! :-)

Preheat oven to 400 ˚F or 200 ˚C. Don’t be like me that always forgets this step.

Take the rested dough out from the fridge. Form into a log and divide into 10 equal cylindrical pieces. Don’t worry if you can’t cut swiftly and straight and some ends up resembling truncated prisms or elliptic disk, though highly technical and very engineering, it’s not actually important here. :)

Using rolling pin, flatten each piece to a thin round sheet of about 3 mm or 1/8 inch thick and 150 mm or inches diameter in a floured surface. Use extra flour to easily work in the dough.

Put about 1½ heaping tablespoons of fillings on one side of the pastry sheet. Add halve hardboiled quail egg on top, if using. With a small brush wet the pastry edges with water then fold the other half to cover the filling forming a half circle. Carefully work in the edges to stick side by side for a nice seamless seal. Don’t worry if it’s not too perfect though. Finish off the edges by pressing it with the tines of fork for that pretty looking empanada.

Do the same for the rest of the 10 pieces rolled out dough. The stuffing is good for about 20 empanadas so you will still have half of it at the end. Keep it in the fridge or freezer for future use which I’m sure will be very soon.

In a baking sheet thinly coated with oil and dusted with flour, arrange the folded empanadas. Don’t bother asking why I have eleven and not ten. :-) Apply a thin coating of egg wash on the top of empanada for that golden brown color after baking. I scrimped a little and just use the excess egg white from the pastry mix instead of 1 egg + 1 tsp milk for egg wash. Don’t be like me, you’ll see why later.

Stick it in the oven and bake for around 25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and top is shiny golden brown. Since I scrimped on the egg wash, mine came out pale and flat in color :( ……… but sure tasty nonetheless. :)

Transfer in a serving platter and serve while still hot alongside a refreshing drink. I prepared this for more than 2 hours and yet the 10 empanadas are gone in 10 minutes. Plainly saying tasty or yummy is an underestimation. :-)

Try and you’ll surely love it even if empanada is not your comfort food. By the way, I secretly kept the extra one for my snack the following day at the office. You bet it’s still delightful! c“,)