aloi means yummy

Hot? Don't even get me started ...

2015-02-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

Bird's eye chillies are hot. Not jalapeno hot. Not even close.

I remember that my cousins and I dared one of my US-bred cousins to try one of these little chillies ... and he scoffed, yes scoffed, at me. We warned him, of course, that it was very hot. Stupid cousin, he never listens.

He bites about half off the chili and starts chewing ...smiles and says something to the effect that it wasn't hot.

But wait ...

Off with his head!

His eyes started to bulge and his eyes teared up and he is floundered around for anything, anything to stop that heat.

We rushed to get him some milk, then he downed a spoon of sugar at our urging. Only then did the heat abate. He probably would've eaten anything we gave him just because he was suffering so. I guess he believes us now, eh?

***

Bird's eye chillies are extremely common in the Philippines (and across Southeast Asia) and make their way into so many dishes, from a humble dipping sauce to any number of complicated dishes. We've got several of these plants just thriving in the garden. And they grow practically anywhere.

Sure these chillies aren't the hottest, but they sure do rank high on the Scoville Scale which measures the heat of anything spicy. It also makes these lists.

There's a moral here somewhere. I say, believe what the locals tell you ... they may not be pulling your leg, no matter how atrocious or ridiculous something sounds.

Just reminiscing about cake

2015-02-12T16:44:00.002-08:00

From De Luca's.

Chocoholics rejoice .. Royce!

2013-09-07T16:13:00.003-07:00

One treat that I'll be anticipating when we make our way into Asia once again. Royce chocolate.

Nama chocolate bitter.

Another variant -- green tea in white chocolate.

In Retrospect

2013-08-30T19:45:00.001-07:00

What was 2011 like for you? According to my blog, I was relatively silent. Then I realized that 2011 was my first visit back to the Philippines since coming to Canada. So naturally, my blog entries were about food that I had missed:

Fresh is best - check out our trip to Batangas, with lots and lot of fresh seafood!
Ode to the dalandan - do you even know what a dalandan is? :)
Highway Robbery at Mio Kusina - an overpriced eating experience. It wasn't all bad, it was just overpriced and I got quite a bit of flack for the negative review!

Three blog entries in the entire of the year, my little blog competing with a total of 156 million blogs. Its any wonder I got any readers, much less comments!

Fresh shrimp pig-out!

Pho to cool down ...

2013-08-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

In this heat, it may run counter to east something many associate with cold weather. But I find a hot bowl of pho always refreshes me, and yes, actually cools me down.

{Book Review} Hungry by Darlene Barnes + a book giveaway!

2013-08-21T18:07:00.002-07:00

I apologize for the silence on this blog! I am cross-posting from my reading blog because I just read this fun foodie book! Plus there's a giveaway of 1 copy to someone in US/Can!

Hungry for honest food, hungry for some honest care.

About Hungry: What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me about Life, Love & the Power of Good Food: “Few sane cooks would take on the trials of cooking five days a week for a fraternity house. Unique, funny, touching.” —Booklist

Newly arrived in Seattle, Darlene Barnes stumbles on a job ad for a cook at the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity on the University of Washington, Seattle, campus, a prospect most serious food professionals would automatically reject. But Barnes envisions something other than kegs and corn dogs; she sees an opportunity to bring fresh, real food to an audience accustomed to “Asian Surprise” and other unidentifiable casseroles dropped by a catering service. And she sees a chance to reinvent herself, by turning a maligned job into meaningful work of her own creation: “I was the new girl and didn’t know or care about the rules.”

In HUNGRY, naively expecting a universally appreciative audience, Barnes finds an exasperatingly challenging environment: the kitchen is nasty, the basement is scary, and the customers are not always cooperative. Undaunted, she gives as good as she gets with these foul-mouthed and irreverent—but also funny and sensitive—guys. Her passion for real food and her sharp tongue make her kitchen a magnet for the brothers, new recruits, and sorority girls tired of frozen dinners.

Laugh-out-loud funny and poignant, HUNGRY offers a female perspective on the real lives of young men, tells a tale of a woman’s determined struggle to find purpose, and explores the many ways that food feeds us.

My two cents: I'm a bit of a foodie so when I saw this up for review, I pounced. Enjoying good food, preparing it simply yet with great ingredients matters so much for our own family. I could relate on so many levels with Darlene and her "boys."

Food is definitely more than just feeding a human body. Anywhere in the world, so much happens around food -- just think of the family celebrations, the social events, and even the simple acts of nourishment and comfort that we associate with food. Chicken soup when you've got a cold? A turkey during Thanksgiving? For me, a whole roasted pig reminds me of family reunions.

Which is why I really enjoyed this book! (Note that there's roast pig featured here too!) Over six years working as the chef in the frat house, Darlene established herself not only as the one who serves up great food, but unwittingly also some good old fashioned care and compassion. She became more than a cook, she mattered dearly in the lives of these young men and vice versa -- during the routine day-today, through life moments, in times of fun and craziness, and even in grief.

Everything is honest and real, just like Darlene's cooking! Not having professional training but a food lover all her life, Darlene finds that she has free rein at the frat house, at least in terms of her cooking, with complete freedom to set up her systems, to challenge the stereotypes of frat food, and of people's expectations in general. While Darlene has to contend with the trappings of being surrounded by young frat men in this subculture of secret traditions, she is also a force to contend with -- a tough woman who insists only on home cooking, using fresh ingredients, and preparing things from scratch. Later on, she went on to source her produce and meat from local producers, preferring organic and free range. She is a bit of a whiner, mind you. But she stuck to her guns and her insistence on serving good food with a dose of humour (ok, maybe snark is a better term).

I think this book highlights so many important food and eating issues facing people every day. It is heartening to see how Darlene was able to start the transformation of the food culture in a frat house -- from prepared, prepackaged and processed foods to rediscovering home cooking, as well as be instrumental in shaping young men's minds and attitudes towards food and cooking.

Verdict: Such a feel-good book! A touching, funny, and enjoyable memoir of Darlene's journey from frat house cook to someone memorable and important in the lives of young men. Peppered with Darlene's own recipes, I sighed, smiled, and had my heartstrings pulled by Darlene and her hungry frat boys. Highly recommended!

About Darlene Barnes

Darlene Barnes has been food and word passionate all her life, cooking professionally for the last eleven years. Born in the New Orleans area, she spent most of her pre-college years in London, eventually moving to Canada with her husband and graduating from Queen’s University with a BA in English. Since 2006, she has cooked for the men of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, offering fresh food, tough love and largely unsolicited advice to her college age customers. She has blogged about her experiences at www.hungryboys.net and now at www.darlenebarnes.com; she lives with her husband in Seattle, where her two grown sons also reside.

Giveaway Time!

Hungry for more? Thanks to the publisher, I have 1 copy of Hungry to give away! (US/Can only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the rest of the tour here.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher: Hyperion (August 6, 2013)

Pages: 272

Salat paints a sad picture of hunger and poverty

2013-05-11T13:44:00.001-07:00

This is difficult to watch but this is reality. GMA wins the 2013 Peabody Award for "Salat" (Bone Dry), a documentary about hunger, malnourishment and poverty in the Philippines.

It's time for some coconut juice!

2013-02-23T12:54:00.001-08:00

Buko juice ... fresh from the buko (young coconut) ... sweet and thirst quenching.

The best drink on a lazy sweltering afternoon in the Philippines.

Sometimes the simplest things are just the best, aren't they?

What's on the menu? Cricket, of course!

2013-02-18T17:34:00.003-08:00

Alongside that deep-fried stuffed frog was yet another dish we wanted to try: adobong camaro (uh-DOH-bong CUH-muh-roh). I will put you out of translation hell and the stress of zooming in and simply say it is stir-fried cricket, mole cricket, to be really specific. Yes, those noisy little insects that come out in the evening in the rice fields which make they way to the dinner table owing those adventurous Kapampangan tastebuds!

I went off to the back tables and so chanced upon piles and piles (yes, I means piles like bucketfuls) of crickets were being "prepared" which apparently means removing the wings, feet and head (which probably explains why the dish is a little expensive).

This camaro was prepared adobo-style -- with soy sauce and vinegar. What does it taste like? I venture to say it's a little shrimp-like but meatier somehow, with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. This was nice and spicy, so I had a few sips of Y's beer ... perfect match!

Again, this is a dish we tried at Everybody's Cafe in San Fernando, Pampanga, a two-hour drive out of Manila.

Want the recipe? Here are some links:

No, it doesn't taste like chicken

2013-02-17T13:45:00.001-08:00

Whoever said that frog tastes like chicken either has never eaten frog, has a limited palate experience (if there is ever a term like this), or is just at a loss for a comparison! This frog is so much more tastier, tender and moist than any chicken I've ever put into my mouth. It is stuffed with a spicy and rather tangy mixture of pork and spices and deep fried. Best eaten with a splash of spicy vinegar.

Betute tugak (or stuffed frog for English-speakers out there) is a traditional Kapampangan dish. Pampanga is a well-known Philippine foodie destination because of its uniqueness. It was my first time to eat this and I would highly recommend going out there if you're up for a foodie adventure!

According to this blog here's a bit more about the dish:

Farmers in Pampanga used to depend on rain water to irrigate their farms. Children would then catch the frogs, which came out during the rainy season, while their parents cultivated the land or planted rice. Outwitting the frogs has been a traditional "family bonding" ritual.

Betute is a play of words on butete, which means "tadpole" in the local dialect. Betute is the entire frog stuffed with minced pork - so it looks like a very fat frog. It is then deep-fried in oil.

Curious as to how it's prepared? You can check out this little photo story by Edwin Tuazon Garcia of how betute tugak is prepared. {And yes, unfortunately a few frogs were indeed hurt (and eaten) in the process of making this!}

We drove out from Manila and it took about 2 hours to get to San Fernando, Pampanga. Well worth the drive! There were more unusual dishes but I think talking about betute tugak is more than enough for this post.

Everybody's Cafe on Trip Advisor

Ahoy there! Sailor sardines in the kitchen!

2012-11-04T09:36:00.002-08:00

The beginnings of our assembly line ... fried sardines, and the softened onions in the background ...

We've had a streak of luck with fresh sardines - and I sort of felt bad that no one seemed to be taking notice of them! So the next time, we decided to take the matter into our hands and snatched up more than our usual one-meal pack. Of course, a recipe was needed and we decided upon a traditional Venetian recipe called Sarde in saor or sweet and sour sardines.

This dish was a dish of necessity -- sailors would be out at sea for months on end and this was a perfect dish to preserve a readily available ingredient -- fish! I love fresh fish and the fatty sardine is definitely a great fish to use in this dish.

This wasn't too difficult to make, just be sure to be organized and have all ingredients on hand so you're not floundering around last minute. You do need to be patient because after assembling, you need to let the sardines marinate. Patience yields tasty sardines!

And some condiments to bring it all together -- salt, a bottle of pine nuts ... and dried chili flakes!

Layering is the trick!

Sweet-and-Sour Sardines (Sarde in Saor)
From Yellow Saffron
(approx. 6 servings)

Here's the video we followed:

And here's her recipe, with our notes/modifications in brackets.

You need:

1 1/3 lbs (600 g) of sardines, cleaned and butterflied
less than 1 cup (200 ml) of white wine vinegar
1 tbsp of sugar
1 1/3 lbs (600 g) of white onions
2 bay leaves
¼ cup (40 g) of raisins (Soak, don't forget to soak!)
¼ cup (40 g) of pine nuts
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt, pink peppercorns and flour, as needed (we used black peppercorns)
For frying -- peanut oil, as needed (we used coconut oil)
(Optional: dried chili flakes -- we like it with a bit of kick!)

Firstly peel the onions, cut in half and place in a bowl of cold water; let them sit for at least half an hour. {If you don't want any crying, this really helps!)
And now move on to the sardines: as you can see, they can be purchased already cleaned, opened up with the two halves still attached.

If your sardines are not cleaned, first cut off the head, use your hands of course... remove the head and the entrails, as you can see; then run your thumb along the backbone and loosen the flesh from the bone... remove any remaining guts, and do the same on the other side, still with your thumb, since the flesh sticks to the bone more stubbornly than anchovies. Pull out the backbone, after that the sardine is deboned and butterflied. Continue in this way until all the sardines are cleaned.

{Our sardines were not cleaned or gutted; this is a reason why the fish was so cheap to begin with. But with a little elbow grease, it doesn't take much to get sardines ready.}
Now we'll flour and fry the sardines: take the sardines, pat them dry... roll in flour and fry in vegetable oil. Once fried, add salt; then let them drain and cool on kitchen paper. After half an hour, remove the onions from the water, pat them dry and cut into thin slices. That's it.
Heat the olive oil in a pan until hot but not smoking; add the onions... and sauté on a very low flame for at least 20-30 minutes, until soft; they should turn transparent, not brown. Here we are, the onions have softened, so raise the heat... pour in the vinegar... add the sugar... and salt... and cook until the vinegar has completely evaporated. The onions are ready, turn off the heat.
Collect the ingredients for assembling: the raisins, that have been soaked and softened... the pine nuts... the pink peppercorns, and the bay leaves. Now take a small oven dish, and line the bottom with the sardines -- we'll arrange everything in layers -- a few onions... raisins and pine nuts... then start again with the sardines.

{We didn't see that the raisins should be soaked. So we didn't and I don't think it really made a difference. The raisins were steeped in the juices when assembled anyway, but may have been less chewy if we had soaked in the first place.}
Add some raisins... pine nuts... and move on to the last layer. Here we are, for the top layer, add the remaining onions... along with the cooking sauce... that greatly improves the flavour... and finish by adding not only the raisins and the pine nuts, but also the pink peppercorns and the bay leaves.
Once finished, one key ingredient is still missing: patience. You need to let the sardines rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours, or up to 4-5 days, covered with cling film.

{Cling film works but if you have a container with a lid, it makes it easier. Plus you're less prone to poking and tasting while the marinating is happening! :) }

Here are a few more variations of the same recipe:

Sticky cinnamony goodness!

2012-10-20T11:06:00.001-07:00

Know how those store-bought sticky buns are just drenched in sugar? I guess that is their charm. We decided to keep this still a sticky bun, but just a little less sticky :)

I guess they're not quite golden brown ...

.. but they tasted just great!

And you can see that if you're craving some more cinnamony sweetness, you can always scrape the bottom of the pan!

This is a before shot ... you can tell there isn't much sugar

Pizza partaaay!

2012-10-12T19:38:00.003-07:00

Délice de Bourgogne

2012-10-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Meet Délice, one of our favourite cheeses. Délice de Bourgogne a triple cream cheese that hails from the Burgundy region of France. It makes a common appearance on our table because, because, because ... It's absolutely deliciously melt in your mouth, creamy (well, triple creamy!), and has a lovely pungent and bitter-ish rind.

We enjoy this on toast with a drizzle of honey' with some grapes on the side; or the penultimate, with a glass of muscato or white wine.

Got this large chunk from DeLuca's, who did the flying in from France.

Summer raspberry memories

2012-10-06T18:25:00.004-07:00

Sort of craving these. All I see nowadays is lemons and pumpkins. And more pumpkins.

Missing those Vietnamese spring rolls!

2012-09-23T09:14:00.002-07:00

We used to go to Pho Hoa a lot back in the Philippines. I would always, always order fresh spring rolls.

Eating out here is crazy expensive especially when all the ingredients are available. So we decided to try our hand at making our own (and come on, it's fun!) Simple, delicious and healthy! Be sure to bring your origami skills!

Get your bean noodles ready!

Start with the freshest of ingredients ... shrimp, carrots, greens, sprouts, mint and basil (that radish salad in the corner is a side salad!)

Dip that rice wrapper in some warm water and .... let the wrapping begin!

I'm getting hungry just assembling this! Now make sure nothing pointy can pierce that very very delicate rice paper ...

Center ingredients to one side, then fold over the two sides ...

Now just roll until you run out of rice paper ...

... and voila!

Not perfect, perfectly good to eat! :) Practice makes perfect. I'll make another!

Need the recipe? Here goes. Remember we took liberties to makes our lives easier and we didn't exactly follow things to a T!

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls
From Ken Hom's Foolproof Asian Cookery, p. 46-47

Ingredients:

350 g raw prawns, shelled and de-veined
50 g bean-thread (transparent) noodles
225 g soft salad leaves
Large bunches of fresh coriander
1 packet of 20 cm round rice paper wrappers
225 g fresh bean sprouts, rinsed
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
5 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, crushed

How:

First, make the peanut dipping sauce. Combine all the ingredients except the peanuts in a blender and process thoroughly. Pour into a small bowl and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes before using (the sauce can be prepared several hours in advance, if necessary).
Blanch the prawns in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, drain well, and then cut them in half length-ways. Set aside.
Soak the noodles in a large bowl of hot water for 15 minutes, until soft, then drain. Cut them into 7.5 cm lengths, using scissors or a knife. Wash the salad leaves well and spin them dry in a salad spinner. Do the same with the basil, mint and coriander.
When you are ready to make the spring rolls, fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one of the rice paper rounds in the water and let it soften, then remove and drain on a tea-towel. Put a large salad leaf on the softened rice paper wrapper. Add a spoonful of the noodles to the salad leaf, then add 3 basil leaves. Then carefully roll the rice paper halfway up.
Now place 3 pieces of prawn, 3 coriander sprigs and 2 tablespoons of bean sprouts on the wrapper. Fold the 2 ends in, then keep rolling until the entire rice paper is rolled up. Repeat with all the remaining ingredients. Cover the spring rolls with a damp tea-towel until you are ready to serve them (do not refrigerate; they are meant to be served at room temperature). Just before serving, stir the crushed peanuts into the sauce. Cut each spring roll in half on the diagonal and serve with the sauce.

Happy origami ... and chowing!

Before & After Ciabbata

2012-09-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Into the oven ...

And out ... into our tummies!

See how my garden grows (1)

2012-09-15T20:23:00.002-07:00

This really cheers me up! Now the others that follow were our herbs that we were trying to grow starting in April.

Purple basil and coriander ...

Guess what ...?

We had tons of this as seedlings ... all the better to make pesto!

Don't knock my durian ...

2012-09-12T17:02:00.002-07:00

Not that you'd want to, because those spikes can be deadly!

Can you believe my shock when I a pile of durian -- blast frozen -- sitting with boxes of tamarind and right next to the mushrooms in Superstore? This durian travelled all the way from home (ok, Thailand, but that's nearby) to come find me in Canada.

Durian has been touted as the fruit that smells like hell and tastes like heaven. I find that most people either love it with an inexplicable, even manic ardor, or just abhor it with equal fervour. There is no middle ground with the "king of fruit" which hails from Southeast Asia.

As you probably tell, I am of the former camp: ardent durian eater and now evangelist (ha!) Read on to see me open this up ...

Usually the sweetish, pungent aroma of ripe durian will permeate a household in no time (did you know that durian is actually banned on airplanes?). But this little baby was blast frozen. We left the durian out overnight so that it could defrost. I was impressed -- the next morning the durian was smelling as it should and looking fine, fresh as it had come from a tree!

That lovely smell just getting us salivating. But opening a durian up takes a little patience. The hubby - herein known as Y - wielded our big big knife and prised it open through the beginnings of a crack, a sure sign of ripeness.

Y then continued to prise open the sections and each section yielded one of these rich creamy pulpy pieces. In my opinion, it tastes lovely -- sweet and custardy and a even little oniony. If you're adventurous, I suggest you try it. If you're semi-adventurous, you may want to try durian ice cream or a durian cake as it is much milder and sweeter.

For the curious ones, this good-size durian cost us C$1.98/lb and this came out to be about 6 lbs so approx C$12.

Practically foolproof apple cake

2012-09-09T09:19:00.003-07:00

I first tasted this in the office -- one of my colleagues has an apple tree in her backyard and she probably has an arsenal of great apple recipes. This is among them. I love this cake.

It reminds me of bread pudding -- moist and dense, but made with apples. A confused bread pudding and apple pie? Of course I asked for the recipe (see it after the jump!). I've baked it twice now and both times it turned out great.
We've enjoyed this as a snack with tea/coffee, for breakfast (with fruit and yoghurt), and it would definitely work as a dessert (served with some ice-cream ala apple ala mode).

I used crabapples. The apples were free -- my colleague brought in two bags full -- and I bought home the spoils and turned them into this marvellous cake. Whether you're a beginning baker or an advanced one, make this cake and enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Cake (Modified slightly from MyRecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I sifted before measuring)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped and peeled apple (about 2 large)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine this cinnamon mixture with the apples in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.

Harvest time ... acorn squash!

2012-09-08T18:07:00.001-07:00

Do you know what our gardening philosophy is? Toss the seeds in the garden, they'll probably grow. And grow these did. I am actually not sure if they are acorn squash but I asked a friend with a rather vague description and checked it out on Wikipedia, so acorn squash they are!

Artsy shot of newly washed squash (try saying that five times really quick!)

These plants just overtook the backyard (who cares about those ferns? :) ) and we have a few more of these growing.

The first harvest of three. Exciting!

And sliced and cored, ready to go into the oven. Delicious and free!

Hit me up! Fig me up!

2012-09-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

I think the first time I ate a fig, it was like those one of those shrivelled up dates. I guess I liked them. But fresh figs are the best. They don't look like much, but once you open them up, that sweet pink flesh is enough to keep me grinning for a while.

Triple citrus juice

2012-09-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

When at home, we take the extra time to make our own juice with whatever fruits are available. Citrus is in abundance year-round and you can always control how sweet you want it! Here's what typically makes up a small pitcher of juice for three - two oranges (for the sweetness), one grapefruit (for tartness - I generally dislike overly sweet juice) and a lemon (for extra tartness). Oh, if you have some key limes, they have a very lovely flavour!

So what types of juice do you make?

Shrimp ... and lots of it in butter!

2012-09-03T09:46:00.002-07:00

I know I've been horrible with posting lately. I hope you all have enjoyed the summer -- we certainly have. We've been busy with the gardening, lots of cooking and baking (and eating, of course).

One great thing about summer is that shrimp doesn't seem to be a problem to get. Granted they are a little more expensive fresh, but they taste so much better. Fresh shrimp here usually comes headless but if you have them head intact, go ahead and use them with the heads on (more flavour!)

I don't have the recipe for this yummy shrimp feast as it was literally thrown together with what we had available.This is a basic sautee in butter and olive oil, so based on the photo, it has lots of garlic (we always use quite a lot - a whole head or more!), onions, leeks (those larger green strips), and coriander leaves (wansoy) added last minute. If I remember too, this was spicy because of some red curry paste we had on hand. And don't forget some freshly ground pepper!

A scoop (or two) of mango heaven

2012-07-02T17:48:00.004-07:00

Mango ice cream (Selecta preferred). Ricotta cheese.

A scoop or two of Philippine mango ice cream makes this hot summer in the prairies so much more bearable.