I do a bit of marketing during the weekdays but I like the early mornings during weekends.  Technically it’s not early morning as the wet market isn’t open until it’s 9am.  But what the heck.  I like it that I don’t waste time finding a spot to park my ride, and I love walking the streets of Newmarket greeting morning people at outdoor cafes who are up early sipping coffee or tea after a long walk, cycle or run.  Of course, I also like to be one of the first customers to buy fresh fish, meat and produce at the ‘smelly alley’ in the midst of upmarket Newmarket.

Saturday is seafood day. Palengke day. This was last Saturday’s lunch. Should have posted earlier but was so busy setting up my new work computer (just new to me but NOT brand new).

Ingredients:
1 kilo Venus clams, washed and cleaned
Approx. 3/4 cup water used to wash rice before cooking (2nd washing, or just use plain water)
Approx. 3/4 cup chicken stock (or just use plain water)
2 thin slices of ginger, peeled and crushed
A handful of choy sum, cut into 2 parts and bottom thick part of stalks trimmed
Freshly ground pepper
Few stalks of spring onion, diagonally cut thinly
A dash of salt (optional)
Fried, crispy garlic bits (optional)

Boil water and stock in a pot.  Add washed choy sum and ginger and boil until leafy vegetables are cooked al dente.  Scoop out choy sum and set aside.

Add clams to the pot, twist and grind pepper on the broth, then cover with a lid.  Bring to boil then simmer for about 2 minutes.  Remember not to overcook so that the clam meat remains tender and succulent and not chewy.  Add a dash of salt if you feel necessary.

Transfer to a serving bowl.  Garnish with spring onion and crispy garlic bits, and serve with cooked choy sum.

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.