I cooked mussels with lemon few weeks ago – reminiscent of quilo babi, enjoyed it very much, but still didn’t get over my sinful cravings for baked tahong. Then I accidentally googled this recipe on baked tahong without an oven and it reminded me of how my cousin did it 2 Christmases ago back in Manila. And so I came up with this tasty buttered tahong mixed with Parmesan Cheese and Italian herbs very much similar to Edwin‘s cooking suggestions.
We had been served simple yet tasty yellow rice in a private Chinese restaurant few weeks ago and since then I couldn’t stop experimenting how it was done. It has onion spring chops and small bits of egg shreds that looked like it has been stirred with it. It’s not salty at all. Not oily which is typical of northern Chinese fried-rice that made me think it was steamed and once cooked, mixed right away with egg and spring onion. And twice I did it exactly like that. Good but sticky unlike the one we had – firm, loose grains of perfectly cooked non-sticky rice… until I finally got it right!
I served the rice with fried tuna fish and fried aubergine slices. The latter, of course, is so easy and simple. Great as a side dish to anything fried. And oh I remember Brunei’s Pizza Hut has it at the salad bar! Haha icky? Maybe but I love ‘em!
We had a wonderful weekend getaway staying at this resort hotel we designed years ago – a much-needed rest from the pressures of work I didn’t even plug my internet cable to check my emails. (Advance Happy Valentines Day to you, too!) Just a teeny bit of work… design consultation yeah yeah yeah but that’s it. The rest is simply wonderful especially when everything is free. Haha! The hotel suite, the spa, the pool and oh the food! I just got shy I couldn’t bring myself to take photos but I can still remember the escargots!
So much for that. Here’s my sinigang na manok (chicken in sour soup) using lemon (again!) as souring agent. I admit I never thought chicken could be used for sinigang until I’ve read about it in the net. Karen and Connie, many thanks. Never did I see sinampalukang manok as sinigang, poor me. Anyhoo, it’s actually my first time to cook it this way – chicken, aubergine, taro sans the tamarind. Oh well, sinigang simply rocks!
Yeah baby! I’m back (hope for good). My net issues seem to be gone for good and also managed to bloghop for a while and bookmarked few recipes that I would love to try. Here’s one from Stef (check out the original recipe) but instead of the good ole baking oven, I used the microwave.
Dreaming about baked tahong for months I bought a packet of frozen mussels but decided on trying something new. I remember reading about fried mussels or clams drizzled with lemon and so I ended up with this simple but fabulous appetizer. Ingredients: Frozen mussels 1 onion, diced 4 tbsp of crushed garlic 1 small lemon salt and pepper olive oil Squeeze lemon juice on the mussels. Take out the seeds. Sprinkle salt and pepper and stir in the diced onions. Mix thoroughly and marinate for at least an hour. Heat olive oil in a pan. Stir-fry garlic until fragrant. Add … Continue reading Mussels and Lemon
My New Year blogging was greeted with erratic internet issues since international links were disrupted by the Taiwan earthquake a week earlier. (Guess how long did it take to post this entry and upload all the photos?) Oh well… not to mention few projects that may or may not mean big bucks that kept us real busy. Anyways, here’s one before I go back to work. We were given a bottle of Beijing wine last Christmas and had few cups left that I experimented on beef stew.
But before we get to the recipe check out A‘s Paris Baguette birthday cake next to the bottle of Beijing red wine. Oh yeah babaw lng ng kaligayahan namin but we think we are in love with this Korean-owned bakery what with its cakes and pastries filled with crazy creamy goodness, lots of real butter and sugar and heavenly goodness of what-nots. Even the sandwiches are great!
The past workweek was tremendously busy and furious. The kitchen constantly served catering events and group reservations, and at nearly the same labour hours and with more workload at hand, each and everyone in the brigade was pushed and stretched beyond their physical demands. However, this does not occur as often as usual. It’s Christmas again and with all the get-togethers, reunions and parties spotted in the city, it is by far normal to be frenetic, frantic and to what they call here “stupidly crazy” in the hospitality and food service businesses.
It’s indeed that time of the year again when get-togethers amongst close friends; family, compatriots and even ex-lovers tend to happen. The air just changes instantly and for whatever reason, the troubled society and the warring nations somewhat pause to a standstill, becoming warmer and comforting to strangers and a bit generous to street urchins and beggars. This must be the magic of Christmas, the magic brought forth by coming of the ‘One.’ In a couple weeks, this magical mystery tour in what my ‘brother’ coined as a hostile environment will end. Everyone does not want this moment to disappear, I suppose. It’s such a joyful occasion. Who doesn’t want infinite bliss?
Living in a busy and desolate concrete jungle makes me somewhat emotional and sentimental sometimes. It’s only this season that my emotions flare and by far mine is already torched. This is one of the quietest seasons I have celebrated (what celebration?) and for whatever reason; any social gathering or connection to anyone is precious and dear. Almost everyone I have met or bumped into has had plans to be away from the city, away from societal misdemeanours. It’s such time, again, just brilliantly fantastic! And I’m here stuck battling an apartheid of mixed emotional tundra.
In one of those solemn and quiet moments after work, I did feel some real Christmas spirit in the air. On the 14rth of December, Maripi and I planned and hosted a dinner for friends to celebrate this once a year forthcoming. Knowing that almost everyone would be away for the holidays or maybe would be on somebody else’s lap and arms, this gathering would have been the last one for the year, a last hurrah of sorts. Just as what Christmas may have exemplified over and over here and around the globe, it was a joyful hosting of food, wine and good and meaningful conversation.
Maripi had prepared the aperitivo and insalata while I took care of the entree. The aperitivo Maripi concocted was a canape of crackers, dulong and capers. It matched the Sherry and white wines brought by guests. The dulong, which was bottled and preserved in a brine of olive oil and seasonings, made a spiritual and traditional homecoming of a Filipino fish, making the start even more nostalgic. Unfortunately, I had to skip the insalata. It was topped with surimi, making my palate up and arms, and my tummy flipping in despair if I had taken it.
I have never in my life cooked for a group and this became some sort of a challenge. I’ve cooked for two a year before that just to test what I have learned in CulinarySchool, but never for five and I only had two hours to finish everything. I knocked my system out and began the challenge. I prepared the following: Stuffed Chicken Legs in Sherry Reduction, Boneless Chicken Breast in Mushroom Sauce, Roasted Zucchini, and Rice with Tomatoes and Beans. From the way the dinner went, the Stuffed Chicken Legs took a perfect score of ten. The group loved it! And I of course was in LALA land. This goes to prove that being patient in prep work does wonders to food. It took me about an hour to de-bone and stuff 4 Chicken Quarter Legs and another half hour to cook the sauce. I have learned a lesson in this undertaking that I will carry with me for a lifetime. Based on this dish, I have concluded that being patient on something or to someone could be rewarding, I reckon this conclusion goes well too in winning a woman’s heart. I have some more miles to go.
Since we lived far away from relatives, most of our Noche Buena feasts were spent at home with few family friends dropping by after dinner and Christmas day itself was almost always a private gathering. As a child I remember there were only few houses in our neighborhood and the closest would bring over a bowlful of fruit salad and my mom in return would give a tray of bihon guisado (fried noodles). Everyone loves food and at Christmastime giving something homemade means so much more. But much like my online friend and blog contributor Erwin, I have fond memories of lechong manok at pritong manok (grilled and fried chicken).
Lechong manok became very popular during my late teens and just in time when our family reunions during the Christmas holidays became a tradition. This annual get-together event has now evolved into a potluck party and kicks off just before the season ends. Though my dad prefers bringing the ever-easy hamonado (fatty pork cooked with pineapple chunks and spices, photo shown below) and my titas usually request for my sister to bring fresh mussels for grilling or baking (not to mention my craving for original chunky buko pie that only dad knows where to get), time and availability is a hindrance and the smell of grilled chicken along the highway always offer the obvious solution sans the creativity of a beautiful tin or basket.
But as a child, fried chicken was the epitome of all holy and great and festive in my young mind that I wasn’t the least interested in the other sumptuous dishes however fabulous and tedious the preparation may be. I could devour more than half a chicken – huge enough for the thin kid I was – brown and juicy with delectable crisp skin. I’d be in a corner eating with much gusto, without rice or any side dish but a bottle of ice-cold Coke and the adults won’t hear a thing. Antonio (Cean prefers that name now) is very much like the 5-year old that I was. He’d check out everything served on the table and choose only one that he likes and I can guarantee it would be fried chicken with plain rice over anything else. I just have to make sure there is a bottle of ketchup next to him. By the time the party’s over, his godparents/grandparents already knew what to put together for him – a take-home package of his favorite food that would be thoroughly enjoyed and devoured before the day is out.
Chicken Feed! The air in Manila changes as September arrives. For many office workers in Makati, if one is lucky enough to land a stable job, mean the arrival of 13th and 14th month paychecks, providing a major sigh of … Continue reading LP16-1: A Fil-Canadian Lechon Manok
Here’s a very simple but delectable vegetable dish that offers the bright colors of autumn – orange, yellow and red (if you add red hot chili pepper) plus green. I just love its unique taste and texture and the healthy combination of vegies – with or without chili. Ginataang kalabasa at sitaw (squash and long beans cooked in coconut milk). I used pumpkin or winter squash.
There is something special about this food photo that would forever remind me of Bursky (awww Dhey you know why). Do check out his blog. He said I owe him a review but for what?! I don’t certainly do blog reviews or even LP reviews hehehehehe. But hey this guy shamelessly called me “a wonderful lady” in his LP entry which he posted the very next day after I put a shotgun in front of his face; the least I can do is link to his blog and invite you all to read his very interesting post for LP16. It has no food photos but I am sure like me you would be amused by this young lad’s fascinating take on Pinoy food culture.
I have no idea how to call this but beef rice – reminiscent of how I prepare Hainanese chicken rice. A recipe was given to me by a dear friend (Joey yeah that’s you!) but the rebel cook I am I didn’t do it exactly the way it should be done. Reasons… I don’t have the canned ingredients and I don’t wanna bake. Anyhoo, if you are reading this, Joey, you know what I changed.
I find the local northern Chinese curry similar to ours though I don’t think they add coconut milk. Nevertheless, I enjoy their version. Coconuts must be shipped in from the tropical southern part and they’re being sold for about 5-10RMB. That is pretty expensive by Beijing standards!
So here is my chicken curry cooked in a seductive blend of coconut milk (Thai and canned), yellow curry, spicy red bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes and Chinese wine. Chi fan!
Couldn’t finish 2 liters of Sprite so I ended up cooking halabos na hipon marinated in Sprite soda. Voila! Sweet and succulent shrimps!
I asked A what he wanted for lunch and he requested something simple like fried pork (yeah here comes the carnivore again) served alongside a vegetable soup. He bought a 2L bottle of Sprite and suggested I cook the pork with it. Hmmm sounds really great and easy. Makes sense as Sprite has a taste similar to that of 7-Up. I am so sure one has heard of 7-Up pork chops or halabos na hipon cooked with this popular lemon-lime flavored carbonated soda. I served it with a simple petchay (a type of Chinese cabbage) soup – basically clear onion soup lightly seasoned with salt and pepper; sprinkled with chopped spring onion.
