Ginataang Hipon with Veggies

Still in the moment of evading pork, here's another recipe without one. Another healthy and delicious dish that will surely be craved by adults and children too.

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut milk
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup ginger, sliced
2 cups squash, cubed
1 cup string beans, cut into 1 inch long
1 kilo shrimp
salt and pepper to taste
Siling haba (optional)

Procedure:

1. Put the coconut milk into the wok and let it heat. Mix with garlic and ginger. Bring to a boil.

2.  Add squash and string beans and shrimps. Continue cooking until done and sauce is reduced. Season with salt and pepper. You may add siling haba for a spicy taste.

Tofu with Shiitake Mushrooms

In this hypertensive situation at home, we've gotta put more veggies on the table. Since we are more of a pork-people, I need to have a slow transition. I will start with tofu since it also serves as an extender for meat. Aside from that, tofu has low amount of calories, large amount of iron and a little fat. Tofu can also be high in calcium or magnesium depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing. Tofus are super healthy food. And, delicious, too.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp soya oil
1 330 gms firm tofu, sliced thinly
7-8 pcs dried shiitake mushrooms, cut off stems and cut in halves, soak in water
2 tbsp teriyaki marinade
1/2 cup mushroom water
1 tsp cornstarch, dissolve in 50ml water
salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Procedure:

1. In a pan, heat soya oil and fry tofu until lightly brown in color on both sides. Drain the excess oil and set aside.
2. In the same pan, saute ginger and garlic. Put in mushrooms and teriyaki marinade. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.
3. Add the mushroom water and simmer for about a minute. Pour in dissolved cornstarch and cook until slightly thickened.
4. Put the cooked tofu in a nice platter then top with mushroom mixture. You may add chili sauce if you want it spicy.

So easy to cook right? You gotta try this at home, so yummy!

Cooking Techniques 2

Another technique which is essential to know is BROILING. I usually confuse broiling with grilling. Mind you guys, these two are two different ways to prepare food.

Like grilling, broiling also use radiant heat to cook food. It is the best alternative to grilling. The only difference between the two is the location of the heat source. In grilling, the heat is coming from below up to the grill. Broiling, on the other hand, has heat source above the food.

Ovens could be used in broiling since they have heat sources on top as well as on the bottom. Other heat sources could be burners or electric coils. To fully utilize the heat, you have to preheat your oven, then adjust the rack to set the food closer to the heat source and you should keep the oven door open to prevent the  heat source from shutting down upon reaching a certain temperature.

Broiling is used in dishes that needs a golden brown or slightly toasted top such as brulees and some dishes with cheese.

Cooking Techniques 1

Hi! I will be sharing with you some cooking techniques that all of us must know. Oftentimes, we cook depending on how we see it from our mothers, cook shows or recipe books. Most of us, though, hardly know the basics of preparing food.

For a start, here is SEARING...

Searing is the process of caramelizing the sugars on the meat's surface in order to make an outer layer of flavor and texture. The seared layer of the meat will hinder juices from flowing out of the meat and onto the pan. Overall, searing provides a meat more flavor, better texture and juicier as well.

How to sear? Firstly, make sure that the pan is very hot. The use of oil may depend on how fatty a meat is. But, if you are to use an oil, do not utilize oils that have low smoking points or the oils that ma burn easily. Examples are olive oil or butter Canola. The peanut or sunflower oils are absolutely great for searing.

This is searing guys. Try to make some seared steak at your desired taste.

Sinigang na Managat

This is a very simple dish that does not require green leafy vegetables. When you cook this, you will learn that this dish offers fullness of flavor to your taste buds.

Any dish which use Managat fish (red snapper) is considered superb. The Managat was once regarded as pest because it feasts on the milkfish fingerlings in the fishpond. However, its exquisite flavour made it one of the first-class fish, thus, expensive of course.

In this recipe, I used batuan instead of sampalok or any sinigang mix. Batuan is the souring agent commonly used by Ilonggos in most of their soup dishes.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo Managat, sliced
3 pcs tomatoes, quartered
2 pcs onions, sliced
10 pcs batuan
3 stalks onion leaves, diced
3-5 pcs siling haba
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Put 3 cups of water to a pot. Put the tomatoes, onions and batuan then bring to a boil. Then, put the Managat fish and wait until it becomes tender. When the fish is cooked, put in the siling haba and onion leaves. Season with salt.

It is better if you eat this meal with a sweet n salty combination of spices.

To do this, sautee chopped garlic, onions and tomatoes in a litle amount of oil. Put 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, then, put a teaspoon of sugar.

The salty-sweet flavor will be best with the sour soup of Managat.

Weekly Menu Guide

It is another year for all of us peeps! We will be having new tasks, new experiences, new people to meet and of course, new food to taste. I actually look forward to more cooking and  more food to satisfy my palate.

One thing that I keep in mind this new year is to be more practical in cooking. And the best way to have a cost-effective meal is to prepare a weekly menu. I would like to share with you my menu for the week. You might be wondering why it started on a Thursday instead of Monday. Well, today is payday and I went to grocery only this afternoon. haha! I hope that you will find this helpful.

Mini Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

¼ kl shelled shrimps

½ cup bamboo shoots

¼ kl ground pork

4 green onions, minced

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp salt

Tsp sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

Shao mai or molo wrappers

2 sheets nori seaweed, cut into 60 thin strips

Cooking oil for deep-frying

Procedure:

Clean the shrimps in salt water, and chop finely.

Cut the bamboo shoots into ½ inch-length then slice into julienne pieces.

Combine the shrimp, bamboo shoots, ground pork, green onions and half of the beaten egg.

Combine the cornstarch, salt, sugar and pepper.

Put the cornstarch mixture into the shrimp mixture.

Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of the shao mai or molo wrapper and roll up. Use a mixture of the remaining beaten egg and cornstarch as adhesive.

Wrap nori around the middle of spring rolls. Deep-fry.

Pork Medallions with Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 kl pork tenderloin

¼ cup oyster sauce

¼ cup olive oil

Ground pepper

1 bulb of broccoli

Salt

2 white onions, medium to large size, sliced

2 tbsp cooking oil

Procedure:

Slice pork into ¼-inch thick pieces. Pound slightly to tenderize.

Marinate the meat in oyster sauce, olive oil and pepper.

Cut the broccoli florets off the stem. Peel the upper stem and slice into small pieces. Blanch the florets and stem pieces in hot water. Drain and sprinkle with little salt.

In a pan, sauté the onions slightly then set aside, leaving the cooking oil in the pan.

Quick fry the pork, turning only once. Add the broccoli and onions.

Leche Flan

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

6 eggs

2 370 grams evaporated milk

Procedure:

Place about one cup of the sugar in a llanera, a cooking container. Spread the bottom then heat on a stove until the sugar caramelizes. Make sure that the sugar coats the whole bottom. Remove from heat then set aside.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Use 6 yolks and 3 whites.

Place yolks and whites in a bowl. Mix with contents of evaporated milk.

Add the rest of the sugar. Mix well until the sugar has dissolved.

Place the mixture into the llanera. Cover the top with foil.

Place the llanera into the middle of a pot or frying pan.

Fill the pot or the pan with water that is about halfway of the llanera. Cook for about an hour or until the mixture has set.

Slide a knife at the edge of the container onto a platter to transfer the whole leche flan.

Crispy Pata

This is an all-time favorite. A must have for every special occasion. Be it birthdays, or fiestas, or any special day for you… Crispy Pata is a sure winner!

Ingredients:
2 pigs front legs without the trotters, preferably 600 grams each
8 cups water
2 medium-size white onions, peeled and wuartered
100 grams celery sticks, washed and discard roots
150 grams carrots
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
vegetable oil for deep frying

Procedure:

Put the pork legs into a large pot of water. Bring it to a boil. Maintain a gentle simmer for a few minutes and remove the scum that rises to the surface.

Add the onions, carrots, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves and salt into the pot. Cover partially and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the leg to drain and cool.

In a heated large pot, put oil then the pork and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the pork over and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate to cool. Reserve the oil in the pot.

Cut the leg skin with kitchen scissors. Pierce the skin from the top then cut 1 1/2 –inch squares at about 1/8-inch deep.

Reheat the oil in the pot to a higher temperature. Put in the leg, skin side down. Fry uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until the skin is crisp and brown. Turn the leg and fry the opposite side for 1 minute. Remove the leg from the pot and place in a strainer. Allow to cool.

When it is ready to serve, reheat the oil then place the leg, presentation side up. Fry both sides of the leg for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and place in a strainer.

It is recommended to accompany crispy pata with atchara or sinamak or vinegar with soy sauce and chopped onions.

Hot Chocolate Milk

At this time of typhoons and heavy rains, having a cup of HOT CHOCOLATE MILK is a remedy for cold
 tummies. Here is a very simple recipe of tasty hot chocolate milk.

Just a short trivia... the flavonol compound in dark chocolate, which is used here, has been proven to have a positive effect on the heart.

Yummy Hot Chocolate Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup hot steamed milk

30 gms dark chocolate (preferably those with 70-72% cocoa content), grated

Ground cinnamon

Brown sugar crystals or sugar substitute

Procedure:

Add grated dark chocolate to one cup of hot steamed milk then stir until chocolate melts.

Pour into serving cup and top with ground cinnamon for a sweeter taste. If you want to have a lesser sweet blend, you may add some sugar crystals or sugar substitute. Serve immediately.

SPICY SIZZLING SISIG

Spicy Sisig, one of my personal favorites. It is often served as a pulutan to a beer. But, others also prefer to have this with rice.

Yummy Sisig

Ingredients:

8 cups water
2 cups pineapple juice
1 tbsp iodized salt
1 tbsp whole black peppercorn
4 pcs chicken liver
1/2 pig's head (cheek, ear or snout)
1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup calamansi juice
5-6 siling labuyo, chopped
salt and pepper
1 egg

Procedure:

Combine water, pineapple juice, salt, peppercorn, chicken liver and pig's head in a stockpot. Bring it to a boil for approximately 30 minutes or until meat becomes tender.

Remove meats from the stockpot and cool to room temperature.

Slice the pork and liver and put them into bamboo skewers. Grill over a charcoal until pork and liver becomes brown and crisp.

Chop the pork and liver into small bits.

Mix the meat with onion, vinegar, calamansi juice, salt and pepper and siling labuyo.

Heat a skillet and put in the chopped mixture. You may add egg to enhance the flavor. Sisig is best served on the hot skillet.

Meal Planning

Before, I always find it hard to decide on what to cook for the day. I often had instant rush to the grocery and buy ingredients for lunch or for dinner... This kind of situation usually makes my head ache. To become hassle-free, i make time and effort to plan our weekly meals.

Through meal planning, you could have meal variants.Aside from that, it is financially-wise to plan your meals.

I will be posting weekly menus to help you. Just drop by once in a while, :)

Intro

Hi! I have always wanted to do this... sharing my cooking prowess with you, haha! Okay, okay... I really know how to cook.. I'm not the chef-of-a-hotel type.. but, i know the basics of cooking food, :)

I will be posting recipes of the ever delicious pinoy food. Watch out! :)