It's all about food

Fortune cookies for the new year

2012-01-28T20:38:00.001-08:00

Fortune cookies for the new year
Originally uploaded by Jepster

Fortune cookies for the new year

[Recipe] Chicken Arroz Caldo

2012-01-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

Chicken Arroz Caldo

It was raining hard a few days back and sometimes the weather would remind me of a particular food that I would like to eat. The wet and cool atmosphere made me think of 2 things. Hot Chocolate and a steaming bowl of Chicken Arroz Caldo. The next day I was in the grocery near my home hunting down what I would need to cook this dish back home. I was not able to find some of the ingredients (like the safflower or kasubha - so made do with turmeric for the distinctive pale yellow color of the dish), but I think I was able to make a decent enough dish. I am therefore pleased to share this recipe with all of you. :) (OK I admit that by the time I cooked this dish the weather was so hot but that did not prevent me from enjoying a piping hot bowl of Chicken Arroz Caldo in the confines of my air conditioned room with the thermostat set to very cold haha).

Ingredients:
1/2 Kilo Chicken Wings (or whichever parts you prefer cut into small pieces)
5 pcs Hard boiled eggs, shelled
1 Cup Uncooked Rice, washed and drained
2 liters chicken stock
1 small finger sized Turmeric, peeled and cut into fine strips (used primarily for coloring)
2-finger sized Ginger, peeled and cut into big sticks then lightly crushed (I prefer them big so that I can set it aside and not accidentally eat it)
4 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 medium sized white Onion, roughly diced
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 teaspoons Dried Safflower (or Kasubha)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toppings:
Minced Garlic, fried golden brown
1 Tablespoon spring onion (or alternately chives), chopped

Preferred Condiments:
Calamansi, squeezed over the bowl
Patis (Philippines Salty Fish Sauce - or alternately can use Thai Fish Sauce)

Optional: Try substituting 1/3 of the rice above with glutinous rice for thicker texture

Directions:
In a big pot, heat the vegetable oil in high heat and saute the garlic and onions with salt and pepper. Mix in the turmeric and then the chicken pieces. Brown the chicken slightly in the oil then pour in the chicken stock and the ginger and cover until it boils. Add the rice to the pot and let it boil without the cover for another 10 minutes. Lower the temperature and cover the pot and let simmer stirring occasionally for another 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked (should be soft). Add more water if necessary (if the porridge is becoming too thick - the amount of water the rice will absorb will depend of the variety of rice used). It is OK if the porridge is a bit bland since you can add the Patis on the dish later. Stir in the Safflower and the hard boiled eggs just before you turn off the heat. Top with crunchy fried garlic and spring onions. Enjoy while piping hot with your preferred condiments (I suggest Patis and Calamansi).

Fruits for the New Year

2012-01-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

Fruits

It is a family tradition of our to always have 12 fruits on the table when welcoming the New Year and this year is no exception. With my parents visiting we went out and explored what fruits are available here in Malaysia favoring those that are not too common back in the Philippines. So what did we have in our list of fruits for the new year?

Rambutan
Langka
Kiwi
Grapes
Mangosteen
Apples
Pear
Grapefruit
Navel Oranges
Durian
Lanzones
Dragon Fruit

Pomegranates

plus Pomegranates since I actually thought they were Persimmons (haven't seen one before) and I was curious what it tasted like. My parents have gone back home and now I still have all these fruits in my refrigerator. Durian-Kiwi shake anyone? :-/

Oh and I don't know if I would ever get rid of the smell of Durian in the refrigerator.

[Recipe] Pato Tim (Duck)

2012-01-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

Pato Tim

I had my parents come over and visit me over the Christmas and New Year holidays and that meant good home cooked meals (actually it is more of me cooking for them rather than my mother cooking for me). We were contemplating on what will be the main dish of our New Year feast and considering the availability of local ingredients, we decided on making Pato Tim which is very similar to the Pata Tim. It is a Filipino-Chinese dish with a savory-sweet sauce traditionally prepared during special occasions. I actually did not have much experience cooking duck but I do have a recipe for Pata Tim so I based it from there. I needed help in finding out how to prepare the duck though (thanks Google) to render out the duck fat from that fatty layer just underneath the skin. Hope you all enjoy the recipe and feel free to add suggestions in the comments section. Oh by the way, my parents loved it and my mother asked me to write down the recipe here :)

Ingredients:
1 to 1.5 Kilos Dressed Whole Duck (I cut out the head and the feet but it all depends on your individual preference of course)
1 small can pineapple tidbits in syrup (about 300 grams) do not drain
1 cup sliced straw mushrooms
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 cups roughly chopped Chinese Pechay
1 cup Asparagus tips
1/2 cup celery stalks chopped
3-5 pieces Star Anise (optional)
1-2 rolls of cinnamon bark (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, quartered
1/2 pinkie finger sized ginger cut into strips (not your standard cooking measurement and you may want to adjust that since I have a big finger haha)
3 pieces Bay Leaves
2 teaspoon ground black peppercorns
2 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
2 Tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon ground dried oregano
1 can 7-UP or Sprite (or alternately you can use brown sugar to sweeten to taste)
1/4 cup thick Soy Sauce or 1/2 cup Light Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Oyster Sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
Salt to taste

Directions:
Preparing the duck: After thawing the duck (if you bought your duck frozen like what I did), poke holes on the skin of the duck all over with a pointed knife so that the fat can render out during cooking. On a steamer, steam the duck for at least an hour to let the fat render out.

On a separate pot (a big Wok in my case - big enough to fit in the duck and you can still cover it properly), saute the garlic and onions in vegetable oil until garlic is golden brown, add the mushrooms into the mix then the ginger followed by the whole can of pineapple tidbits, syrup and all. Add the Bay leaves, cinnamon bark, Star Anise, ground peppercorns, oregano and pour in the rest of the liquid ingredients namely the oyster sauce, the soy sauce, the Worcestershire sauce, the white vinegar and the 7-Up or Sprite. Bring to a simmer while waiting for the duck.

After an hour has passed, place the steamed duck on the pot with the simmering sauce. Try to bathe the duck with the sauce inside out (using a pair of tongs to firmly hold the duck)then let simmer in the sauce first on one side then on the other so that the duck gets all the flavors all over. Cook for another hour or so. Then place the duck on a deep baking dish (I use a non-stick Tefal pan with removable handles for this) and broil in the oven until brown. Let the remaining sauce reduce in the pot and do all the necessary last minute adjustments on the taste (at this point you may want to remove the star anise, cinnamon bark, and bay leaves). Add the Pechay (stalk first then the leaves) and the chopped asparagus and on a small bowl dissolve the corn starch in water and combine with the reducing sauce to let it thicken. Pour the sauce into the browned duck on the baking dish and bake for another 10 or so minutes.

[Recipe] Peanut-Cashew Kare-Kare

2011-12-09T05:58:00.001-08:00

Peanut-Cashew Lare-kare

I first thought about this recipe when I was wandering around the grocery looking for ingredients for my weekend meal (usually I have no time to cook during weekdays and weekends are sort of special because I have time to play around the kitchen). I am still not very familiar with most of the local ingredients here so I was pleasantly surprised that they offered frozen precooked clean beef tripe. I have not cooked kare-kare from scratch before since I always relied on the mixes available back home. Of course, I couldn't resist giving it a twist of putting ground toasted cashew nuts but interestingly enough after doing a quick search on the internet, I wasn't the first one to think of adding cashew in this dish. The recipe below is the one I would have made if I had all the ingredients but unfortunately I haven't had luck finding banana heart just yet and ox tail. Perhaps if I go to the big markets and not just rely what's available in the grocery I would have better luck. I have those small cans of bario fiesta bagoong brought over from home and sad to say my stash is getting depleted fast. I should remember to buy a few of those whenever I get a chance.

Ingredients:

1 Kilo Beef Tripe (cleaned and cut into strips) and/or sliced Ox Tail
2 big onions, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Cup eggplant sliced about half inch thickness
1 Cup Pechay, roughly hand shredded
1 Cup Sitaw, cut into 3 inch segments
1 Cup banana heart, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Beef bullion
3/4 Cup unsweetened peanut butter
1 Cup Toasted Cashew Nuts, grounded using a mortar and pestle
Salt and pepper to taste
Bagoong Alamang (shrimp paste) as side dish

Directions:

In a pressure cooker, cook the beef tripe or oxtails with some salt and pepper until tender. The cooking time would vary depending on the type of meat and for my case I buy my tripe precooked so I would need about 20 to 30 minutes to make it tender. If cooking oxtail you may keep the stock but for tripe I usually discard the broth and use beef bullion instead for flavor.

In a big pot, saute garlic and onions until garlic is light brown and onions are caramelized. Pour in the beef stock (or stock made from beef bullion of about a litter). Add in the peanut butter and dissolve completely. Add the tenderized meat and then the ground cashew and let it boil while stirring from time to time for about 20 minutes.

Place the banana heart first followed by the sitaw and cook for about 7 minutes, drop in the eggplant and pechay then lower the heat and let simmer covered for another 5 minutes.

Serve piping hot with rice and bagoong on the side. It is meant to be a bit bland and you have to season it with the shrimp paste as you eat. Enjoy!

[Recipe] Shelled Mussels with Ginger and Spring Onions in Oyster Sauce

2011-12-04T01:05:00.001-08:00

Shelled Mussels with Ginger and Spring Onions in Oyster Sauce

I saw some precooked frozen shelled mussels in the grocery yesterday and I thought of cooking some mussels in oyster sauce. It turned out quite nice so I'm sharing the recipe here. I suppose this would work even with fresh mussels on the shell but the cooking time and taste might vary. Fresh mussels tend to release juices when opening up while cooking that has a distinct taste that is sadly lacking from what I have made.

Ingredients:
500 grams precooked shelled mussels
Ginger about 2 fingers size, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Spring Onion cut into 2 inch segments
1 small can of cut button mushrooms
5 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Thaw mussels and set aside. In a wok, heat vegetable oil and saute minced garlic until light brown. Add in the spring onion, ginger strips and mushrooms. Add the pepper and oyster sauce while continuously stirring. Add the mussels and stir until mussels are completely mixed in. Lower the flame and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

[Recipe] Ricecooker Shrimp Rice

2011-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Shrimp Rice

I am still experimenting on possible recipes that can be cooked using my ricecooker. This time it's actually a rice dish and cooks just about the same time a normal batch of steamed rice cooks.

Ingredients:
1 pack frozen precooked peeled shrimps (about 400 grams
1/2 Cup frozen peas, diced carrots and corn
1 medium onion (chopped)
5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 cups of rice
4 cups of chicken broth (or just enough to submerge all ingredients)
1 small bunch of Asparagus (about 10 spears) stalks are to be sliced leaving around 1 and 1/2 inches of the tip
1 Celery stalk (diced)
1 Tablespoon of chopped parsley
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon ground peppercorn
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tomatoes (diced)
2 teaspoon fish sauce
Salt to taste (fish sauce is already very salty)
Optional: A few strands of Pandan or Lemongrass leaves for that added aroma (cooked with the rest of the ingredients but removed right before serving)

Directions:
Measure rice and place in the ricecooker pot (may need to be washed depending on the type of rice bought - some are pre-washed already. Saute garlic and onion in Olive Oil until onions is starting to caramelize. Pour some of the broth in the pan and transfer the contents of the pan to the pot. Place all the remaining ingredients to the pot except for the asparagus tips which you will add only after the rice is cooked. Make sure that the ingredients are fully covered by broth. Cook the rice as you would normally do in a rice cooker, stirring the contents at least once when the broth is already in a running boil. Once the cooker shifted automatically to the keep warm setting, place the asparagus tips on the top and cover the lid. Allow it to steam for another 15 minutes. Check if the rice is cooked and let it remain on the keep warm setting for a while if the rice is still a bit hard on the inside. Serve hot and enjoy.

[Recipe] Rice Cooker Beef and Mutton Stew

2011-10-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

Beef and Mutton Stew

I have never cooked anything other than rice on a ricecooker before or a slowcooker for that matter. I have read articles about how you do not need a dedicated slowcooker to enjoy slowcooker recipes. All you need is a ricecooker. That is fine if you only cook rice occasionally but for an Asian that eats rice breakfast, lunch and dinner, when will you have that time to not be able to use your rice cooker for 6 or so hours.

Having also just moved in to my new house and the rest of my stuff isn't due to arrive for another week, my cooking options are pretty much limited. The first thing I bought after arriving here? You guessed it. A ricecooker! (well actually it was a laptop computer followed by the ricecooker). After cooking rice manually for a few meals I missed the convenience of getting that perfect batch of steamed rice every time.

This is my first attempt at cooking with a ricecooker. I did it overnight and just added a few additional ingredients when I woke up. It turned out better than I expected. The vegetables did not turn into mush and the meat was quite tender. One thing to note though is that mutton releases a lot of fat/tallow so you will need to remove that after.

Ingredients:
1/2 Kilo Beef Spare Ribs
1/2 Kilo Mutton (cut into cubes)
2 big Potatoes (cut into wedges)
1 Cup beef broth
1 small can Tomato Sauce (about 8 Oz)
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 medium Onion (chopped)
4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
5 ripe small tomatoes
2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup cane vinegar (or distilled white vinegar)
3 teaspoon Spanish Paprika
2 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon ground peppercorn
Asparagus spears (chopped stalks leaving the tips about 1 and 1/2 inch length)
3/4 cup of frozen mixed diced carrots, corn and peas (if you prefer to use fresh ingredients go right ahead)
Salt to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste for that extra kick
(optional: you may want to add red and green bell peppers and some sliced mushrooms to add flavor, texture and color to the dish. I didn't have these on hand at the time but I would have wanted to use those additional ingredients)

Directions:
In a non-stick frying pan, saute garlic and onion with olive oil until onion starts to caramelize, add in the meat to brown slightly. Add broth to the pan and transfer the entire contents to the rice cooker pot. Add in all of the remaining ingredients ingredients except for the asparagus. Add enough water if necessary just to cover all of the ingredients.

Set to "cook rice" and once boiling just leave on for another 30 minutes. The just switch it to keep warm mode and leave for 5-6 hours.

Remove the fat or tallow accumulating on the top of the pot with a ladle. This is mainly due to the mutton but if you are only cooking beef then it should not be too much. Set it to cook again for 20 minutes placing the remaining asparagus with tips to the pot. Serve piping hot.

Creamy Mushroom and Fish Dish

2011-09-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

I was in a hurry so I whipped up something to cook from stuff in the refrigerator and in my pantry. Made from chunks of cream dory fillet, a can of campbells seafood mushroom soup, a small can of sliced button mushrooms, frozen mixed corn, carrots and peas, diced potatoes, knorr fish bullion, fresh milk, salt, nutmeg and pepper. It turned out better than I was expecting it to be.

Orange-Lettuce-Tomato salad with Orange-Lime Vinaigrette topped withFeta Cheese and crushed Walnuts

2011-02-12T21:16:00.001-08:00

Orange-Lettuce-Tomato salad with Orange-Lime Vinaigrette topped with Feta Cheese and crushed Walnuts
Originally uploaded by Jepster

Orange-Lettuce-Tomato salad with Orange-Lime Vinaigrette topped with Feta Cheese and crushed Walnuts. With both thinly sliced salad tomatos and cherry tomatoes and cheddar cheese slices.

Bought the vinaigrette from a store but I suppose you can make your own. I just love cherry tomatoes :)

[Recipe] Low Sugar Heart Shaped French Toast

2011-02-12T20:47:00.001-08:00

Heart Shaped French Toast
Originally uploaded by Jepster

Something you can make for this coming Valentines day. The heart shapes was achieved using a heart shaped cutter (actually more like an fried egg shaper, the one that you place in a pan before you break the eggs - don't ask why I have that in my kitchen). This particular batch is made from a low sugar recipe.

Ingredients:

1 loaf Sugar-free wheat bread

4 medium sized eggs

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon powder

250 ml evaporated milk

1 tsp salt

5 packets of Splenda

butter

sugar-free pancake syrup

Directions:

Cut out heart shaped bread using the cutter. Set aside bread trimmings (no need to waste perfectly good bread - just soak the trimmings on the same mixture later and follow the same recipe). On a shallow bowl, whisk the 4 eggs, add milk, salt, cinnamon and the sweetener and mix well. On a non-stick skillet, heat up some butter on low heat. Dip the heart shaped bread on both sides before placing it in the skillet. Allow a few minutes for one side to get light brown before flipping to the other side. Drizzle with the syrup and enjoy while still hot :)

Happy Valentines everyone!

Armadillo Droppings

2011-01-05T08:16:00.001-08:00

Armadillo Droppings
Originally uploaded by Jepster

Somebody gave me these for the holidays. The name isn't exactly what you would call appetizing but it certainly grabs your attention. These are actually pecan nut pralines and they are quite good if too sweet for my taste. It took a lot of convincing before some of my colleagues would even taste it.

Friday Night Cookout

2010-06-06T02:19:00.000-07:00

There are times that employees of our company are required to be on standby inside the company provided housing compound over the weekend in case of any emergencies. Sometimes a group of my colleagues and I would have a pot luck dinner (at least for those of us who can cook) on a Friday night.

A few weeks back, we had this potluck dinner. A Malaysian colleague prepared Nasi Lemak, Sambal and fried chicken, another colleague prepared Pan Fried Dory Fillets in Blackbean and Young Corn Sauce, and 2 other joined forces in making some Thai Style Mango Sticky Rice dessert. I experimented a bit and prepared Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Roasted Eggplant and Sauteed Button Mushrooms topped with Crumbled Spicy Feta Cheese.

[Review] El Toro Restaurant

2010-02-18T06:51:00.001-08:00

El Toro Restaurant
Originally uploaded by Jepster

This restaurant is a recent discovery for me and my friends. This is somewhat unusual considering that the restaurant isn't even new and it is very near where we stay. We have always complained about the very limited restaurant choices here in Batangas City and discovering this really nice place right in our neighborhood is a pleasant surprise. It is very easy to miss the sign and the location is a bit secluded (we came in at night and when we were entering the small dark street leading to the restaurant I was having serious doubts whether there is a restaurant located there at all).

Very cool and airy ambiance (the dining area is open air). Wide variety of dishes (German, Thai, Filipino, Mexican). Friendly staff and owner (he surprised me first by delivering some of the dishes personally to our table and then by talking to me in tagalog why I was taking pictures of the food - "startled" would be a better word to use). Reasonably priced. Big portions.

Must try is the appetizer shown which are actually deep fried long chillis with seeds taken out wrapped in meat and "lumpia" wrapper served with salsa. I'm not usually a huge fan of spicy food but I really liked it.

Try the different sausages with a cold glass of beer.

Located in Batangas City along the diversion road from Balagtas (end portion of Star Tollway) to the Batangas Pier. Going to the pier, the road is to your right near Honda Batangas.

More photos:

[Recipe] Steamed Tilapia Fillets in Mornay Sauce (Cheesy Bechamel)

2009-10-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

I recently cooked this dish and it turned out better than I expected. 2 of my friends decided to prepare a 5 course meal for a small group and this was the main course. We made too much of the cheesy sauce but you could also use the excess with pasta.

Ingredients:

Half tub of clarified butter (or just plain salted butter)
Half cup of all purpose flour
Half cup sliced fresh mushrooms (button and portobello)
Half cup fish broth
1 cup heavy cream
a pinch of powdered nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt to taste but approximately 1/8 teaspoon should be ok
1 package grated cheddarella
1/4 package quickmelt cheese
1 small diced onion
Tilapia Fillets (thawed and washed - or you can use Sole)

Directions:

Steamed fish:
Steam fish in steamer with salt and pepper. Use drippings as base of fish broth (just add water to make the required volume).
Mornay Sauce:
In a deep skillet or sauce pan, melt butter. gradually add all purpose flour. Mix well and heat for a few minutes making sure that the flour gets thoroughly soaked with the butter (it will clump if there is dry flour left). Add fish broth gradually then the heavy cream. Let simmer. Add pepper and salt and nutmeg. Add grated cheese gradually. Mixture will start to thicken.
Sauted Mushroom garnish:
Saute chopped onions with salt and pepper in olive oil (low heat) until caramelized. Add mushrooms.
Putting it together:
Fillet fish topped with the mornay sauce on one half (half of the fish is showing) then place sauted mushroom garnish on the mornay sauce side.

[Recipe] Sugar-free Polvoron

2009-08-18T09:02:00.001-07:00

Polvoron
Originally uploaded by Jepster

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 cup melted butter
3/4 granulated Splenda (measures cup per cup like sugar)
1/4 teaspoon iodized salt

Directions:
Using a heavy guage sauce pan, brown sifted flour. Take care not to overdo this. Flour should just have a hint of brown. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the toasted flour, powdered milk, salt and Splenda. Mix in the melted butter and try pressing the mixture with a fork to remove lumps to ensure that the butter is mixed thoroughly. Using a polvoron press (see picture below) form tightly packed polvoron cakes and set aside on a tray. Refrigerate until it hardens. You can then wrap the polvoron in squares of wax paper to give away to your friends or enjoy as dessert after a meal.

[Recipe] Cheddar Cheese Puto

2008-04-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter softened
2/3 cup powdered glutinous rice
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
5 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated cheddar cheese for topping

Directions:
Cream the soft butter on a mixing bowl with the sugar. Add the egg. Gradually add the remaining dry ingredients alternating with the milk. And finally add the vanilla extract.

Place in wax paper lined muffin cups about 2/3 full. Garnish with grated cheddar at the top and steam for about 10 minutes or until when poked with a toothpic at the center, the toothpick comes out clean.

* I have tried making a sugarfree version with this recipe with moderate success. I simply replaced the 5 tablespoons of sugar with the equivalent half and half splenda and stevia blend. I have been experimenting cooking with stevia and I noticed that you do not taste the sweetness right away and somehow it just surfaces later. I do not know if this is always true but for my version of the sugarfree Puto, I used splenda for half the sweetening requirement.

[Recipe] Sweet Sour Pork

2007-11-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

More pork recipes! I used to enjoy this dish when I was still young but lately I have been avoiding high cholesterol foods. I can still imagine how this recipe taste though and I can assure you that it is quite tasty.

:) enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 Kilo pork (cut in about half an in inch cube pieces)
1 egg well beaten
1/2 cup flour
1 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup pork broth or bouillon
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup red and green pepper sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix beaten egg, flour, salt and pepper to make a smooth batter. Roll each pork piece in the flour mixture and fry in oil until golden brown. Set aside fried pork pieces once done.

In a saucepan, mix the broth, vinegar, brown sugar, pineapple juice and soy sauce. bring the mixture to a boil. Add pork cubes and simmer for about 10 minutes or wait until meat is tender. Add the cornstarch and cook for a few minutes more stirring constantly. Add pepper slices and pineapple tidbits and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve hot and enjoy.

[Recipe] Paksiw Pata

2007-10-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

Something very tasty but also very fattening!

Ingredients:

1 whole pork leg (preferably the front leg)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic
1/2 cup dried banana blossoms
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
Bay leaves
Powdered Oregano
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Soak the banana blossoms in water and remove the hard tips. Clean the pork leg thoroughly removing any remaining hair from the skin. Cut the leg in approximately 2 inch pieces and discarding the toe portion. Put the pork in a pot and add the vinegar and soy sauce with enough water to completely immerse the pork in liquid. Add the crushed garlic, the soaked banana blossoms, sugar, bay leaves, about 1 teaspoon oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce the heat and allow the pot to simmer until the pork becomes very tender (with the skin ready to fall off the bone).

[Recipe] Chocolate Cola Butter Cake

2006-11-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

My mother used to make this cake when we were young. I don't exactly remember when that was. Probably I was too young to remember. I grew up eating my mother's Orange cake and Drop Cookies but I can't remember this one. I haven't actually baked this cake yet but my mother tells me it's quite good. Oh yeah? Then I wonder why she stopped making this cake when we were older? Try it out yourself and tell me how it tastes like. This was originally labeled as "Coke Cake" in my mother's "recipe notebook" but I decided to name it in a more generic fashion.

Ingredients:
½ cup shortening + 1 tsp butter
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
6 tsp cocoa (or unsweetened melted chocolate)
1 can cola soda
1 ¾ cups flour
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Cream shortening and sugar.
Fold in eggs and melted chocolate.
Add coke and dry ingredients alternately ending with dry ingredient.
Beat well. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

[Recipe] Reduced sugar blueberry cheesecake

2006-04-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cheesecake
Originally uploaded by Jepster.

Ok this recipe can hardly be called traditional in our family since I can't recall my mother baking a cheesecake of any kind. In fact I have just tried the recipe last weekend and it was surprisingly delicious for such a simple recipe. I got the basic recipe from a friend and the sweetener substitutes were all mine. I'm so sorry I do not have any idea of the nutritional information per serving. Diabetics beware, although the recipe uses sugar substitute, the other ingredients still contain a lot of sugar. The one I made (pictured above) wasn't perfect because I made it in the middle of the night (what? You don't suddenly go into a baking spree in the middle of the night? You should try it sometime. It's lots of fun!) and I realized too late that I ran out of butter so I used corn oil instead so the crust wasn't firm. Also I didn't have whipped cream lying around so I just used ordinary cream in a carton box – chilled and I cut a small hole in a corner and I just squeezed the box to decorate the cake. Whatever works right?

Ingredients:

1 and ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons of butter or margarine, melted
2 packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
¾ cup granular Splenda (sucralose), measures cup for cup like sugar
2 Tablespoon white sugar
1 can blueberry filling (sorry forgot the brand I use)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
Whipped cream

Directions:

Heat oven to 350ºF (~177ºC) . Stir together graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon powder. I omitted the sugar in the crust since the graham crackers are already quite sweet.
Mix in butter thoroughly. Press mixture evenly in bottom of 9 inch round pan. Bake 12 minutes. Cool. Do not remove from the pan.

Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF (~149ºC). Beat cream cheese in large mixing
bowl. Gradually add Splenda and sugar, beating until fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in about 5 Tablespoonfuls of the blueberry filling. Pour over cooled crust (still in the pan).

Bake for about an hour, or until center is firm. Cool to room temperature. Decorate with Blueberry filling and whipped cream. Chill inside refrigerator overnight. Serve after meals. Enjoy.

[Recipe] Home Made Pizza Crust

2005-05-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple pizza crust recipe that we used to make when I was small. That was before ready-made pizza crusts became popular in groceries. We didn't have any dough kneader back then and we would do it the old fashion way. We would sprinkle the table or a kneading board with some flour and take turns on kneading the dough until it becomes elastic. My mother taught me how to knead it by hand but now I use an electric hand mixer with dough hooks. I just recently swapped my electric mixer with my father because his was more heavy duty (I forgot the brand but we had it for so long now that I can't even remember anymore and it still works great!) and I managed to snap one of the dough hooks with mine and couldn't get a replacement (I was making bread at the time). I think he is very happy with the swap since mine had a stand and a rotating bowl.

I have always liked baking bread. All the kneading and waiting for the dough to rise might be considered as time consuming by some but I feel that it is almost therapeutic for me - I think of it as relaxation time to relieve stress. We would make very thin crusts and ones with interesting shapes. We would make large batches, bake them and store them in the refrigerator (hmm although it might be better to store them in the freezer). It has been a long time since I made bread and I kind of miss it. Maybe I will make some this weekend.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour (flour is not packed when measuring)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Directions:

Sift the flour together with the salt.
Place yeast in lukewarm water and let stand for about 2 minutes.
On a flour board (or on a clean table top if you don't have a flour board), make a well on a mound of flour and pour yeast mixture at the center.
Mix with hands and form mixture into a ball.
Knead the dough well until consistency is elastic when pulled apart (stretches before it breaks).
You could try doing the pizza toss if it is elastic enough hehe.
Form into a ball again and brush with oil. place in a bowl and cover in with damp cloth. Set aside in a warm place.
Let dough rise for 1 1/2 hours or until the dough becomes double in size (this will depend on how active the yeast is).
After the dough has doubled in size, place it on the flour board and punch the dough in the center to let the excess gas out.
Roll into about a foot long and divide into 8 equal parts. Form each segment as a ball.
On a flour board, use a rolling pin to flatten out each piece to the thickness desired (we like to make really thin ones, the challenge was how to peel it off the flour board but if it was kneaded thoroughly it will be elastic enough not to break when peeled off).
Preheat oven to 425ºF
Place in greased pans and cook until bottom of the crust becomes very light brown (you need to bake it before doing the toppings so that the crust will be crispy).
Top with favorite sauce and topping. Enjoy. Eat moderately. hehe.

[Recipe] Brown Sugar Drop Cookies

2005-02-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

When we were young, my mom used to make these during Christmas to give to our friends and teachers as gifts. It's very easy to make and yet tastes quite good. The dough gets very thick at the end so it will be difficult if you do not have an electric mixer. Don't forget to space the cookie dough in the cookie sheet since the cookie will still spread to avoid "sticking" with the adjacent cookies.

Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups brown sugar (note that when measuring brown sugar it must be packed)
6 eggs
6 cups flour (flour is not packed when measuring)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons boiling water (you could make this at the end of the preparation)
(note that this recipe is a bit large since my mother liked to make large batches. Divide all ingredients by two if you want a smaller batch)
Directions:
Sift the flour with salt and baking soda. In a separate mixing bowl, add the sugar and the oil
add eggs (unbeaten) one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Add flour mixture a little amount at a time (about 4 tablespoons) mixing thoroughly each time. After each addition of the flour mixture, the mixture will be very sticky. When it becomes too thick, add the boiling water to make mixing easier then add the remaining flour mixture.

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF

On a greased cookie sheet (Thin cookie sheets are preferable than the normal baking pans), place teaspoon sized drops of the batter mixture spaced evenly. Make sure you have enough space in between and from the side of the pan (it will spread during cooking). It is best if you have a 2 level oven to use 3 cookie sheets so you could use 2 in the oven and preparing one sheet at any given time (for large batches). Cook until edges of cookie turns light brown. It may be necessary to reverse the tray position to ensure even cooking (depends on oven, our oven doesn't heat that evenly). Once cooked, remove the cookies from the sheet right away since once it gets too cold it will be harder to get them off. Use a metal spatula or turner to get the cookies (or a rubber spatula if using non-stick pans). It may be a little soft when freshly baked but would harden after cooling. Cool by stacking on a rack or plate. You can store them by placing them in self sealing plastic bags. Some variations on the recipe could be done by adding raisins, nuts or M&M's on top to add more color and flavor. Enjoy!

[Recipe] Orange Butter Cake

2005-01-25T04:54:00.000-08:00

This butter cake recipe is easy to make. My mother used to bake this cake when we were little but my father does most of the baking these days. Even my niece knows how to bake this cake. I'm not really a cake baking person but I have baked this on several occasions. I remember this one time when we were children, each of us attempted to bake a cake. My brother and I each made an orange cake and my sister baked a chocolate cake. My brother's cake was dense and flat. Mine wasn't any better (I remember eating it anyway and enjoyed it). My sister's cake however was like an erupting volcano complete with chocolate fudge oozing from the top. :)

Ingredients:
3 cups cake flour (decrease by 1/4 cup if using all purpose - self rising flour not suitable)
2 eggs (room temperature)
3 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup shortening (normally I use butter)
1 2/3 cup white sugar (white sugar is not packed when measuring)
1 cup orange juice (Orange Soda is also fine)
1/2 cup milk
Directions:
Cakes tend to fail when instructions are not fully followed. Note that folding is a mixing technique used when mixing cakes to introduce air gradually in the mixture. Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt (note that sifting may not be necessary for breads and cookies but is essential when making light cakes). Preheat oven to 375ºF. Cream sugar and shortening on a mixing bowl. Add one egg at a time (unbeaten) folding in the mixture before adding the next. On the sugar-shortening-egg mixture, add a little sifted flour mixture then add a bit of orange juice alternating between the two. When the orange juice is added in the mixture completely, start with milk alternating with the flour as before. Note that it is important to start with the flour mixture and end with the flour mixture at the end, using up the liquid ingredients in between. Don't ask me why. I don't know. It's one of those mysteries of baking I suppose. hehe.

Mix in a folding motion until all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly. You may want to clean the sides of the bowl from unmixed ingredients with a rubber spatula from time to time. Apply a very thin layer of shortening on a cake pan then dust lightly with flour until all are covered (do this even if using non-stick pans). The batter mixture will be enough for 2 8x8 inch pans. Tap the pans lightly on a flat surface to remove large bubbles from the mixture (it will cause unwanted swelling of the cake during baking - my sister baked a cake that looked like an erupting volcano once). Continue tapping until you observe no more big bubbles rising to the surface. Note that you should not overdo this, the small bubbles are essential for the cake to rise during baking. The cake will also not rise properly as a result of improper folding of the batter during mixing. Using orange soda actually helps.

Place in the center of the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not open oven until this time has elapsed! You could use a flashlight to monitor the baking from the outside. After 20 minutes, test the cake by placing a [clean!] wooden toothpick into the surface. The toothpick should come out clean if it the cake is done (no batter is sticking to the toothpick). The surface of the cake will have a golden orange appearance. Cool first before removing from the pan. Cut into 2" squares. It's good freshly baked but also good even if straight from the fridge as long as kept in an airtight container. In fact I prefer it cold, it tastes a little bland to me when freshly baked for some reason.

Enjoy!

[Recipe] Beer Basted Pork Pot Roast

2005-01-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

A traditional dish in our family for Christmas or New Year. It replaces the traditional ham usually present at these feasts. My mother cooks pot roast during these special occasions as far back as I can remember. Her recipe is a bit different from mine (she uses Rum instead of dark beer) but my brother tells me my pot roast is a lot better than hers (err... shh... better not tell her that hehe).

Ingredients:
1 Kilo Pork Rump rounded off (with skin on top side)
1 medium sized onion (peeled and quartered)
2 bottles of dark beer
1 can of Sprite or 7-Up
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
3 teaspoon Salt
1 Bay Leaf
Cornstarch
Directions:
Place the rump in a large pot, fat side up (it is advisable to use a low rack so that the meat is not in direct contact with the bottom of the pot - such as the ones used for pressure cookers). Pour in the 2 bottles of dark beer and the can of softdrink. Add enough water so that the meat is fully submerged. Add the onions, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, Black Pepper, Salt, and Bayleaf to the pot. Cover the pot and place on high heat until it starts to boil. Lower the temperature and let it simmer for at least an hour. At the end of the hour, skewer the meat with a long tined fork (or a barbeque stick). If the fork easily goes through then the meat is cooked inside. If there is a strong resistance to the fork, let it simmer for about 15 more minutes or so.

It is important not to overcook the meat. The meat becomes flaky and it will be harder to slice later (did that once and the meat was so tender it was coming apart as it was being sliced). To ensure that the meat is cooked through, make a cut at the bottom of the raw meat wide and deep enough so that the center cooks faster. This will also ensure that the marinade reaches further resulting to a more flavourful pot roast. You may opt to cut the rump in two if it is really that big but it won't look as impressive at the dinner table.

Once the meat is cooked, set it aside and strain the liquid from the pot and boil this liquid further. Add the brown sugar and reduce by boiling to about a third of its original volume. Dissolve about a tablespoon of cornstarch in a half cup of cold water. Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce. Add more salt/pepper/sugar depending on your preference.

While waiting for the liquid to reduce (in the previous section) to its desired volume, remove the skin from the meat leaving a thin layer of fat at the top. Glaze the fat with brown sugar and place the meat on a rack and place it in an oven or electric broiler (~180ºC). Cook until the top is golden brown (at this point the sugar will caramelize on the fat layer). Before serving slice about half of the roast on the serving plate and place the beer sauce beside it. Eat and enjoy.

Ok I know it's not exactly "basted" as the title suggests but the name just sound so nice. I named it that way in tribute to the "Beer basted boar ribs" recipe in WoW. So sue me... :)