How did Lasang Pinoy evolve into this ‘beyond Yemagate special edition’? Check it out here. History is here and there. I guess some of the parties involved already knew where I stand in this matter so I’d rather not talk more about it. The bottom line is that I joined LP4.5 (even brainstormed a bit) to support people with such deep love for culture. Four LP events and I have already learned a great deal. A lot more to go, a lot more to learn.

What to say about borrowing someone else’s photo? Like Stef said, ‘the best way is always to ask first and get that person’s permission, which more often than not will be granted.’ Sassy even checked whether she has another photo of the same dish for me to borrow!
Why Pinoy Cook’s photo? Ok, now I have to disclose this. Before I started foodblogging I’ve been struggling to remember dishes that I used to prepare years ago (mahirap masanay ng may tagaluto) and as I am always open to new ones I began searching for recipes on the internet. Mr. A (he’s shy he prefers not to be mentioned) was the one who actually found her site. It must be his way of telling me what to cook (and how it should be done hahahaha). Also, every time I google I always end up reading a recipe from Sassy, the Pinoy Cook.

Why pork steak? Though I am always trying to make any vegetable dish as attractive and delectable as possible to the 2 guys (1 big, 1 small) in my life, here is a dish that has always been a hit. (Is it a case of hereditary preference for meat or just the male hormones?) We just had our medical check-up and good thing we are healthy as bulls so it’s about time to go devour sinfully delicious taba ng baboy.

So do check out her recipe and below is how I did mine. The way I cooked my pork steak is almost similar to the way Sassy did except that I used lemon juice and no Worcestershire sauce.

Ingredients:
500 g. of pork (w/ fatty parts, :)sliced very thinly)
1 onion or more (cut into rings)
1/2 c. of dark soy sauce
1/2 lemon (or a whole, depends on one’s preference)
2 tbsp. of cooking oil
salt & pepper

Mix the pork w/ salt, pepper, soy sauce, & half of the onions. Marinate for half an hour. Pour everything in a casserole with enough water to cover the ingredients. Cook over medium heat. After about 10-15 minutes, pour in half of the lemon juice. Continue cooking until the meat is tender & the water is almost dry. Pour in the remaining lemon juice & add the onion rings. Bring to boil & that’s about it.

Taking something from one man and making it worse is plagiarism. – George Moore (English Philosopher one of the fathers of the analytic philosophy. 1873-1958) LasangPinoy4.5

Iska

I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.