Fruit Salad

Weekend and it’s time to clean-up some cans in our cupboard. I’ve found cans of fruit cocktail and cream that were supposed to be our New Year’s dessert, but since one of my cousins volunteered to bring fruit salad, I just kept my ingredients for future use. And that future then is now =D.

This very easy salad is always present during Christmas and New Year to almost all Filipino tables. But for my husband’s cravings, he won’t wait for next occasion to have this salad.

i love it with strips of fresh buko, but for this recipe, I just made used of the available ingredients I have in our cupboard and fridge.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

•  2 cans of 500 grams Fruit Cocktail
• 1 cup Cheese – diced
• ½ cup cherries – sliced
• 1 big apple – cube
• 1 cup Kaong
• 2 small cans Nestle Cream
• 1 large can of Condensed Milk

 

Procedure:

1. Drain off the syrup from the fruit cocktail and put in a bowl.
2. Mix in all other ingredients in the bowl.
3. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

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Chicken Satay

Chicken satay is the Thai version of fast food, found in every street market and Thai restaurant. It can be served as a starter, buffet, snack or as a wonderful main course.  This isn't the most authentic recipe, since each country has its own variation of the dish and it can be found almost everywhere, but it's really good and perfect for when you want something quick and light for a weeknight.

Last Thursday was our barbeque night, so I decided to prepare something different, aside of course from the usual grilled pork belly. I prepared my version of chicken satay. It is quite new to the taste buds of my husband and cousins, and it is very good as starter as well since grilling pork will surely take time.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Thai curry paste
• ½ KG boneless chicken breast – thin sliced

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, curry paste and garlic. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate. Let the chicken marinate at least 1 hour, overnight is best.
2. Weave the chicken onto BBQ sticks
3. Grill for 5-7 minutes per side or until the meat is cook.
4. Serve with dipping sauce of your choice......Enjoy =D

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Pork Menudo

“Menudo” is a common canteen, “turo-turo” or roadside eatery or small restaurant dish. It is actually exceptionally popular to most Filipinos. It is also a regular dish in most Filipino family occasions and important gatherings. It is simple enough to quickly prepare but tasty enough to satisfy even choosy guests.

Menudo is a rich dish with sauce thickened and flavored by finely chopped onions, garlic and bell peppers. The meat is marinated in soy sauce and calamansi or lemon before it is cooked. In that way, meat is flavored long before you start infusing flavor as you heat it. The main thing about menudo is that the ingredients are cut to be roughly the same size.

This is also a great dish because it gets better over time and can easily be frozen. It's best served with steamed rice and I personally love it side dished with “Atsara”.

In this recipe, since I don’t have pork liver I used Reno (canned pork liver).

Ingredients:

• 1 KG Pork Belly, cubed
• 2 pcs Medium sized Sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 pc Green bell peppers, diced
• 2 pcs Carrots, dice
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 1 white onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 can Reno
• ½ cup Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• oil
• water
• salt and pepper to taste

 

Procedure:

1.     Marinate pork in soy sauce and lemon juice. (this can be done over night or 20 minutes before cooking). Set aside.

2.     Sauté garlic and onions in oil until lightly brown.

3.     Mix-in the marinated pork cubes. Add salt and pepper.

4.     Add in ½ cup water.

5.     Cover tightly and simmer until the pork is half-cooked.

6.     Add the tomato sauce, Reno, sweet potatoes and carrots. Cook until the potatoes are done.

7.     Have a taste to judge if you need some adjustments in seasoning. If the mixture is drying out, add water.

8.     Add the bell peppers to the menudo stew a few minutes before serving.

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Adobo Chicken Liver, Gizzard and Quail Eggs

I would say that Adobo is one of the first dishes Filipinos learn to cook as it is simple and requires just a handful of ingredients. Indeed, Adobo is the Filipino national dish. The sauce is to die for. If we are talking about comfort food, Adobo is definitely the first one that pops into my head. In good-tasting adobo, none of the spice flavors dominate but rather the taste is a delicate balance of all the ingredients.

Aside from different variation in cooking Adobo, it is also not only limited to pork and chicken, other meats, seafoods, and vegetables (such as squid (pusit), goat meat, veal, beef, shrimp (hipon), river spinach (kang-kong) can also be cooked this way.

In this particular recipe I used Chicken Liver, Gizzard and Quail Eggs. This one could make a very good Pulutan (finger food). You will be licking your fingers the entire time you’re eating. =D

Ingredients:

• ½ KG Chicken Liver
• ½ KG Chicken Gizzard
• 1 can Cooked Quail Eggs (peeled)
• ¼ cup Vinegar
• ¼ cup Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoon Oyster sauce
• 2 Tablespoon Sugar
• 3 pcs Chilies (chopped)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 medium Onion chopped
• 1 head Garlic chopped
• Water
• Oil

Procedure:

1. Clean the Chicken Liver and Gizzard.
2. In a wok, boil the chicken gizzard with water. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Drain off the excess water after simmering the gizzard. Set aside.
4. In a new wok, sauté Garlic and Onion in oil until golden brown.
5. Add in the Gizzard and Liver. Mix well with the sautéed garlic and onion.
6. Pour in vinegar, soy sauce, pinch of salt, pepper, sugar, and chilies. Add a little water if necessary.
7. Let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the liver and gizzard are cooked. Gradually stir to avoid it from getting burnt.
8. Mix in the quail eggs.
9. Have a taste to judge if you need some adjustments in seasoning.
10. Topped with sautéed garlic and serve with rice.

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Crispy Oyster Mushroom

One of my favorite healthy snacks is Crispy Oyster Mushrooms. I usually have stock of oyster mushroom cans in my cupboard in case my husband and I crave for this dish. We commonly have this snack for mid night. It is also excellent as “finger-food” pair with iced-cold beer =D. Some of my friends thought that it was “Chicharong Bulaklak”.

 

Ingredients:

• Oyster Mushroom
• Flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Oil

Procedure:

1.     Wash the oyster mushroom. Drain the excess water.

2.     Add flour (seasoning with salt & pepper),

3.     Heat up the oil on wok

4.     Deep fry until golden brown.

5.     Let excess oil drip over a strainer or on paper towel.

6.     Serve with Thai chili sauce (optional)

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Pancake (Basic Recipe)

Aside from the traditional Filipino breakfast, my idea of the perfect weekend breakfast is a stack of pancakes with melted butter and maple syrup dripping down its sides. Unfortunately, I woke-up late so no more breakfast! But to satisfy my cravings I still made time to prepare pancakes for my mid-afternoon snack.

When I learned to bake few months ago I always make my pancakes from a scratch. I do not bother with those chemical laden instant pancake mixes that you just add water to. Instead I like to make my own batter, as it uses just a few ingredients that most of us have in our pantries. All you need are flour, sugar, and eggs.

Ingredients:

·         2 ½ cups self-rising flour

·         2 eggs

·         2 tablespoons melted butter

·         ½ cup sugar

·         1 and 1/2 cups milk

·         butter

·         Maple syrup / honey

Procedure:

1.     Combine flour, sugar, beaten egg, milk and melted butter in a bowl.

2.     Stir quickly until the batter comes down freely from the sides of the bowl. It should be lumpy (do not overmix!).

3.     Heat the pan in low fire (small or medium flat round pan)

4.     Grease the pan with butter.

5.     Pour in the batter, just enough to fill the pan.

6.     You can say that the pancake is ready to be flipped over when the top surface begins to form small craters.

7.     Continue to cook the pancake until both sides have turned golden brown and it is cooked all the way through.

8.     Serve and topped with maple syrup and butter.

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Sinigang na Baka (Beef in Sour Broth)

Sinigang na baka is one of my favourites. It is a sour but tasty dish. The flavour actually enhances your appetite. This is considered comfort food especially during rainy or cold days – just like the weather now here in UAE. 

A very simple and quick Filipino dish whether the key souring agent for a sinigang is unripe sampaloc (tamarind), kamias (belimbi), green mangoes, guavas, santol, etc. The sharpness of “sour” in the hot broth screams “comfort food” for me. As for the main ingredients in the sinigang, my husband love prawns, while I love pork, beef or clams as well.  And the veggies? The more the merrier and the fresher the better!

In this version, I used beef with marrows =D, I added chopped gabi (taro root), sitaw (yard-long beans), and siling pangsigang (finger chillies) only. Others also usually put labanos (radish), okra, kangkong and other vegetables. But since my husband did the grocery he only bought vegetables that he only eats. And since we don’t have fresh sour base vegetable, I only used Tamarind Powder.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo beef
• Tamarind (sampaloc) Powder
• 1 big onion, diced
• 3 big tomatoes, chopped
• 6 pieces gabi, peeled & cubed
• 1 bundle sitaw (stringbeans) (cut into 2″ long)
• Finger Chillies
• salt and patis (fish sauce) to taste
• water

Procedure:

1. If you're using a pressure cooker, add the water, the stewing beef, onions and tomato. Pressure cook for about 45 minutes. If you're using a regular pot, put the above ingredients in a pot to simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is very tender.  Remove any scum from the beef.
2. Add onions, tomatoes and tamarind powder.
3. Add gabi then simmer for a few minutes.
4. Add string beans (sitaw).
5. Season with salt and patis to taste then serve.

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Lumpiang Shanghai

Lumpia are eggrolls that are deep-fried like a wrapped stick of meat. Lumpia is a spring roll filled with ground or finely mince of pork, beef or vegetables then served it with sweet and sour sauce or ketchup. Filipinos usually call this recipe Lumpiang Shanghai and is commonly found whenever Filipinos have parties or gathering.

You could use pork or beef or both! It's a yummy recipe and great to serve as finger food. My Mom and I usually like to use both beef and pork but you can substitute one for the other. VERY EASY! The ingredients are very simple, but it’s the simplicity and the balance of ingredients that are delicately taken care of makes this recipe outshine

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Ground beef (or pork)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• Celery (finely chopped)
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 Beef Stock cube (powderized)
• 1 package spring roll wrappers
• 1 1/2 quarts oil for frying

Procedure:

1.    Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except for the wrappers and oil.

2.    You can do a sampling at this point by taking a bit of the mixture and forming it into a small patty and frying it in oil. Just to test if it needs adjustment in seasoning.

3.    Lay your wrapper in a plate. Take about a tablespoon of the filling and lay on top near the bottom end of the wrapper. Form into a log shape as big as your finger.

4.    Fold the bottom end over slightly tugging the filling down so it would be wrapped tightly.

5.    Fold the sides toward the middle.

6.    Start rolling up. Brush the top end of your wrapper with a little bit of water or egg whites to seal the lumpia.

7.    When all wrapped up, heat oil in a pan and deep fry your lumpia for about 10 to 15 minutes in a low heat fire or until golden brown.

8.    Pull out and let excess oil drip over a strainer or paper towel.

9.    Serve the Lumpiang Shanghai (Filipino Spring Rolls) with your favourite sweet and sour sauce or ketchup.

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Spicy Chicken Wings

It is weekend and full-packed menu is in the house again. I’ve bought a kilo of chicken wings for tonight’s dinner. I planned to cook my version of Spicy Chicken Wings. It is easy to cook yet the flavour is so rich and tempting. Spicy Chicken Wings are appetizing as a main dish or as a finger food. Yes, as “Pulutan”. These would go great with a cold beer and can be eaten hot or cold. Not to prolong, here’s Spicy Chicken Wings recipe.

Once you taste it you’ll surely be an instant fan too!

Ingredients:

• Chicken Wings
• Iodized Salt
• Ground Pepper
• Chilli Powder
• Oil
• Sweet and Spicy Sauce

Procedure:

1.   Rub salt, ground pepper and chilli powder to the chicken wings. It would be better to let it marinate at least half an hour.

2.   Heat oil in a frying pan.

3.   Deep fry chicken wings in medium low heat fire. Cook ‘til golden brown.

4.   Brush fried chicken wings with sweet and spicy sauce.

5.   Serve with rice or as “pulutan”

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Ginisang Munggo (Sautéed Munggo Beans)

Ginisang Munggo (Sautéed Munggo beans) is a favorite and classic Filipino cuisine that can be served as a separate dish or usually serves with Fried Fish, Tinapa or any other fried meat. It is also known to the Filipinos’ as a poor man’s dish, but conversely it is rich and nutritious.

This is an easy recipe, but the way Filipinos prepares their Ginisang Munggo varies in the garnishing or other ingredients such as pork cracklings, bits of pork flesh, vegetables, smoked fish, shrimp, etc. I personally love my Ginisang Munggo with pork cracklings while my husband loves it with slices of bitter melon (ampalaya).

Having a hot bowl of Ginisang Munggo, steamed white rice and smoked fish (tinapa) on a rainy day (just like this morning here in the midst of the desert – love it!) brings back memories of the weather way back in the Philippines when the winds are blowing– a season for an extreme comfort food!

Well, for my tonight’s Ginisang Munggo I just did it the very basic way, I mean literally basic. =D I just side-dished it with fried King Fish and served with plain white rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Munggo beans
• 6 Cups water
• 3 Tbs. Cooking oil
• 1 Garlic – minced
• 1 Onion – sliced thinly
• 2 Medium tomatoes – diced
• Salt to taste
• Beef or Pork Stock Cubes/powder

Procedure:

1.    Rinse munggo beans thoroughly, place in a casserole dish, and boil in 6 cups of water on medium low heat for about 45 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

2.    Remove the beans and set aside.

3.    In another casserole add oil and sauté garlic, onion and tomatoes.

4.    Add the mungo beans.

5.    Put in salt and beef/pork cubes. Stir then cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes on medium low heat.

6.    Stir it every 5 minutes to avoid scorching. Taste it and add salt and pepper if needed.

7.    Serve with rice and fried fish.

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