pancit palabok

my Mama's favorite. 

Ingredients

Palabok Noodles / Sauce

1/2 kilo miki noodles

1/2 kilo small crabs

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons of atchuete seeds or oil

2 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

4 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in water

1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)

1 1/2 cups of water

Palabok toppings

Tinapa flakes (smoked fish)Cooked shrimps, shelledSquid adobo, sliced into ringsPork chicharon, groundedSpring onions, choppedHard boiled eggs, shelled, slicedFried garlic, mincedFresh calamansi (lemon), sliced

Extract fat and meat from clean crabs, set aside.

Pound crab and extract juice on 1 1/2 cups of water

On a pan, sauté garlic and onions until golden brown then add crab fat, crab meat, 1 1/2 cups of crab wash, patis and MSG. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add corn starch and continue to simmer while constantly stirring until thick.

Put miki noodles in a strainer and dip in boiling water for 5 minutes or until cooked.

Lay drained noodles on a platter and pour the palabok sauce. Garnish with toppings and serve.

 

Pork Sinigang

this is indeed one of the best pork soups of all time. a dish we could be proud of internationally. when i cook this in Singapore a few years ago, my co-workers really loved it. they say it taste like tom-yum but kinda unique.

Ingredients

3/4 kilo Pork, cut into chunks

3 tomatoes, sliced

2 onions, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

100 grams Kangkong (river spinach)

100 grams String beans

2 pieces horse radishes, sliced

3 pieces gabi (taro), pealed

2 pieces sili pag sigang (green finger pepper)

200 grams sampalok (tamarind)

3 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

  1 liter of rice wash or water

 

Boil sampalok in water until the shell shows cracks. Let cool then peal off the shells and with a strainer, pour samplalok (including water) into a bowl. Gently massage the sampalok meat off the seeds, strain again. In a pot, sauté garlic and onion then add the tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add pork and fish sauce then add the rice wash. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes then add the gabi. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the pork is tender. Add the horse radish and simmer for 10 minutes then add the string beans, kangkong and sili (for spice-optional). Let boil for 2 minutes.Serve piping hot.

Sinigang Cooking Tip:

Instead of sampalok fruit (tamarind), you can substitute it with any commercial souring seasoning like Knorr sampalok seasoning or tamarind bouillon cubes for this pork sinigang recipe

Kare-kare

Ingredients

1 kilo of beef (round or sirloin cut) cut into cubes, beef tripe or oxtail (cut 2 inch long) or a combination of all three (beef, tripe and oxtail)

3 cups of peanut butter

1/4 cup grounded toasted rice

1/2 cup cooked bagoong alamang (anchovies)

2 pieces onions, diced

2 heads of garlic, minced

4 tablespoons atsuete oil

4 pieces eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick

1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces

1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut to 2" long

1 banana bud, cut similar to eggplant slices, blanch in boiling water

1/2 cup oil

8 cups of water

   Salt to taste

In a stock pot, boil beef, tripe and oxtails in water for an hour or until cooked. Strain and keep the stock.

In a big pan or wok, heat oil and atsuete oil.

Sauté garlic, onions until golden brown, then add the stock, toasted rice, beef, oxtail and peanut butter. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

Add the eggplant, string beans, pechay and banana bud. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes - Do not overcook the vegetables.

Serve with bagoong on the side and hot plain rice.

 

Laing

when we talk about native dishes and exotic food i only knew one person who could make such tasty dishes no other than my Pap. i can still remember when he took gabi leaves and fried them then cook it for dinner. 

Ingredients:


25 pieces gabi (taro) leaves, dried and shredded1/2 kilo pork, diced1/4 cup shrimp bagoong or 1 large head of dried fish or 100 gms dried fish5 cloves garlic, minced2 red onions, chopped2 tablespoons ginger, minced5 jalapeno pepper, sliced1 cup coconut cream (katang gata)2 cups coconut milk (gata)1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (MSG)2 tablespoons of oil1 teaspoon salt

In a casserole, sauté garlic, ginger and onions then add the pork.

mix in the gabi leaves.

Pour in the coconut milk (gata) and bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes.

Add jalapeno, bagoong, salt and MSG and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add the coconut cream and continue to simmer until oil comes out of the cream.

Serve hot with plain white rice.

rellenong bangus

this is why i loved bangus. this is just one of a kind dish that any people would surely love.

Ingredients

1 big bangus (milkfish)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

1 egg

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 tablespoons of cooking oil

ham, finely chopped

raisins

cooked peas

salt and pepper to taste

Scale and remove the intestines of the bangus.

With a very sharp knife, slowly remove the meat of the fish from the skin through the opening cavity below the head. Remove the spine by snapping off the bone at the base of the tail and head. Use a long spoon to scrape all the meat from the skin.

Marinate the head and skin in lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.

Boil in 1/2 cup of water the bangus meat with some salt for 5 minutes.

Sauté the garlic and onions until slightly brown then add the tomatoes and carrots until tender.

Add the chopped ham, cooked peas, raisins and the bangus meat to the mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add a beaten egg to the sauté and mix well.

Stuff the mixture inside the bangus skin and head. Sew the cavity if needed.

Fry in oil until golden brown.

slice slightly diagonal (1 1/2 inch thick) and serve.

Kinilaw

everytime there is a visitor who dines with us my Pap used to serve this dish and all of them says that my Pap makes the best kinilaw they have ever tasted. he shares to me the secret.

1/2 kilo tuna (cubed)
1/2 cup sukang tuba
2tbsp minced ginger
1 minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
chillies
1 bell pepper minced
coconut cream or evap milk
half of tabon2x (see note)

Wash the fillets and trim any remaining skin and bones. Cut into one-inch cubes. Place in a glass bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix well. in another bowl scrape the tabon2x using a spoon pour the vinegar mixed well and extract the juice.strain and mixed with the fish fillet.

Add the chili peppers, bell pepper, ginger and onion. Mix well and chill for another 20 minutes. Pour in the coconut cream, mix well and serve cold.

note: tabon tabon is only found in the markets of mindanao. this is how tabon tabon looks like

Tinolang Manok (Chicken Stew)

since i was a kid we use to grow up chickens in our yard and every now and then my Pap used to cook this dish. the taste of native chicken is still the best.

Ingredients

1 kilo whole native chicken, cut into pieces.

1 small young papaya or sayote, cut into small pieces.

2 tablespoons ginger, crushed and slliced into strips

1/2 cup dahon ng sili (chili leaves) or mallunggay leaves or both

1 liter of water

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 red onion, diced

4 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce) 

In a stock pot, heat oil and sauté garlic, onion and ginger.

Add water and the chicken.

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is almost done.

Season with patis or ginamos

Add papaya and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until papaya softens but not overcooked.

Add sili leaves then turn off the heat.

Serve steaming hot on a bowl with plain rice on the side.

 

leche flan

leche flan came from the philippines through the spaniards. it is cream d caramel as what westerners know about this dessert. until now it is still very popular.

ingredients

1 can (390g) evaporated milk

1 can (390g) condensed milk

10 egg yolks

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or lemon essence

For the caramel:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water

Leche Flan Cooking Instructions:

• In a saucepan, mix the sugar & water. Bring to a boil for a few minutes until the sugar caramelize.
• Pour the caramelized sugar into aluminum moulds - you can use any shape: oval, round or square. Spread the caramel on the bottom of the moulds.
• Mix well the evaporated milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and vanilla by hand or blender.
• Gently pour the mixture on top of the caramel on the aluminum moulds. Fill the moulds to about 1 to  1 1/4 inch thick.
• Cover moulds individually with aluminum foil.
• Steam for about 20 minutes (the traditional way to make Leche Flan is by open-air steaming on either an open cooking fire or stove top) OR
• Bake for about 45 minutes. Before baking the Leche Flan, place the moulds on a larger baking pan half filled with very hot water. Pre-heat oven to about 370 degrees before baking.
• Let cool then refrigerate.
• To serve: run a thin knife around the edges of the mould to loosen the Leche Flan. Place a platter on top of the mould and quickly turn upside down to position the golden brown caramel on top.

Cooking Tips:

• You can tell when the Leche Flan is cooked by inserting a knife -if it comes out clean, it is cooked.

palitaw

this rice dessert (kakanin) is one of a kind. its very simple to make yet it is one of the most famous and impossible to resist. its only in the philippines that can have a try with this.

Ingredients

1/2 kilo of glutinous rice
1 grated coconut
sugar
toasted sesame seeds
pandan leaves (optional)

soak the rice with water until it is covered. let it stand for an hour. ground it (go to the market, just tell the person in a grinding section of the market its for palitaw). shape them into balls and flatten. in a pot of boiling water put the pandan leaves. when its boiling drop the palitaw one at a time. it is cooked when it floats. (hence the name palitaw from the word palitawin, to float or to surface) coat it with shredded coconut and sugar with toasted sesame seeds.

special puto cheese

person of all ages loved this food. its a symbol of being a filipino.

1 cup all purpose-flour
2 tsp.baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
2 pcs egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar, divided
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 pandan leaf
2 pcs egg whites
2 tbsp. cheese, grated

In a medium mixing bowl, sift all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt three times. Set aside.
Beat yolks until lemon colored. Add 1/2 cup sugar gradually and continue beating.
Fold in flour mixture to egg yolks alternately with water and milk. Set aside.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup white sugar and continue beating until stiff. Fold in egg batter. Blend well and pour mixture in a 9-inch cake pan.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Cover with cheese cloth. Steam for 30 minutes with the pandan on the water. it is done when a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Binignit/Taberak

This native dessert is very popular in visayas and mindanao area specially during the lenten season when meat is forbidden to be consumed. this recipe is from my Grandma who sells binignit for more than 20 years. she is known to have the best binignit in town.




Ingredients
2 cups of cubed sweet potatoes (camote)
1 cup of cubed taro (gabi)
2 cups of cubed banana (saba)
1 1/2 cups of sago (3 different colors, 1/2 cup each)
1 landang
1 1/2 cup of glutinous rice grounded like dough
3/4 yams (ube)
2/3 cup nangka (cut into stripes)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups of pure coconut milk
1/2 cup of rice


in a pot boil the rice and landang. after 3 minutes add the taro, ube and potatoes. when its almost cook add the banana and rounded glutinous rice then follow the sago. let it cook until soup is sticky. add the langka and sugar then the coconut milk. simmer for a few minutes. serve while hot.


tips: the langka makes the binignit aromatic and very appetizing.
making the balled glutinous rice is simple. soak the rice in water for an hour then ground it. form into balls.

chicken macaroni salad

the secret to a tasty macaroni salad is mayonnaise. this macaroni salad was taught to me by my Mama and my aunt. this is very tasty.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked macaroni
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 rib celery, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits
2/3 cup condensed milk


Cook macaroni according to package directions. Combine mayonnaise, condense milk, onion, salt and pepper in bowl; mix well. Add warm macaroni, chicken, pineapple, cheese, raisins, celery and cucumber; mix gently. Chill, covered, for 2 hours or longer.

pearly buko pandan

this is also one of my favorite dessert, the smell of pandan is very aromatic and would make you crave for more. but you should choose the best buko meat.

Ingredients
3 cups shredded young coconut
2 cups squared pandan gulaman (see below)
1 1/2 cup tiny sagos (see below)
1 can condensed milk
1 pouch all purpose cream

blanched the young coconut milk to avoid fast spoilage and drain. mix all the ingredients and chill. serve.

pandan gulaman: mixed 1 tbsp of green gulaman powder and 5 cups of water and 3 tbsp of sugar. put desired pandan leaves and let it stand for 5 minutes. bring to heat and continue mixing until it starts to boil. remove from heat. let it cool and cut into cubes.

sago: boil 1/2 cup of dry sago and with pandan leaves. to know when sago is cooked is when the sago is clear.

crispy pata

crispy pata can be served in all kinds of occasion. they key to a soft meat and crispy of the outside is how you cook it.

Ingredients
2  pork pata
1  cup pineapple juice
1 cup beer
1tbsp rock salt
garlic
onions
pepper
2 tsp of baking powder
water
cooking oil for deep frying.


wound the pata with an inch wide and inches deep. then put the pata in a large casserole and add the pineapple juice and beer together with the spices and baking soda. let it boil until meat is tender. drain and let it dry for 12 hours in the ref. roll the pata in a corn starch and deep fry. take out from the oil and sprinkle some water.

bisayang adobo (humba)

this is my favorite pork dish and everytime i see it on the table i cant resist it. my pap had his version of humba but i am going to share mine for now. this is a bit spicy and my friends really love it.

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork meat (belly)
1/2 cup muscovado sugar
1/3 cup sukang pinakurat
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp minced garlic
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper
1/2 cup beer
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup water (if no pineapple juice)
laurel leaves
azucena
star anise or cinamon bark (optional)

mixed all the ingredients in casserole and simmer in low heat. let it boil until meat is tender. remove from heat if there is no sour smell...serve

filipino style spaghetti

Filipino style Spaghetti is one of the best food for me. i think every filipino family has its own version of spaghetti. i learned to cook this since i was in highschool and one of good friend teach me her secret recipes and i also share to her mine. in every spaghetti i cook they always ask for more. its just simple and you will love it.

Ingredients:
500 grams spaghetti pasta
200 grams grounded pork/beef
700 ml spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup condensed milk
1 tbsp minced onions
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp minced red bell pepper
4 hotdogs sliced
1/2 cup  shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese 
salt and pepper to taste


cook the pasta (follow the instructions in the label) and strain. in a saucepan saute the garlic and onions. put the grounded meat, hotdogs and bell pepper and mixed it for a few minutes until meat is almost cooked. pour the spaghetti sauce and condensed milk. mixed and let it boil for a minute or two. pour over pasta and topped with cheese.

ruby mango float

i always make mango float whenever mangoes are in season but i try to put some twist to it and my mama and my friends really love it. give it also a try.



ingredients
4 ripe mangoes diced
2 cups of red gulaman with strawberry flavor
1 cup all purpose cream
1 cup condense milk
2 cups crushed graham crackers

here is how:
mixed the condense milk and cream until homogeneous. pour some of the mixture in a rectangular container, then add the mangoes and gulaman, put the gulaman and top it with the graham crackers. do this alternately. chill and serve
to make the gulaman; mixed 1 tsp of red gulaman powder to 1 1/2 cup of water and 2 tbsp of sugar. stand aside for 5 minutes then put in low fire until it starts to boil. let it cool and firm. slice.

beef randang

while studying and staying in MSU for almost 7 years there one dish that is my all time favorite. its the beef randang some spell it rendang. i would sacrifice walking for almost an hour just to have a meal of it. 
just a few weeks ago i created my very own version of beef randang and of the 2 kilos of beef, all my classmates couldnt stop and ask for more. they thought they were eating in a malaysian, indonesian and maranao restaurant and i am very proud to share this recipe to you. 

but i warn you you must be very patient as it took almost 2 hours or more to cook this dish but i guarantee its worth the waiting.

ingredients


1 kilo of tender loin beef
3 cups of coconut milk
2 inch square of turmeric/galangal/ginger
1/2 cup shredded roasted coconut
chillies
2 white stalk of lemon grass thinly sliced
a bunch of sibujing (native leeks, with a very nice aromatic smell)
1 tsp of curry powder
1 chopped onion bulb
6 chopped cloves of garlic
1 star anise
1 lime
leaves of lime
small cinamon bark


here's how:
Put the Onions, Garlic, Chillies, Ginger, curry and Water in a food processor and make into a smooth paste.
Dice the meat and mix with half the paste. Set aside.
Put the other half of the paste into a heavy sauce pan and add the coconut milk, chopped lemon grass and lime leaves. Boil without the lid for about 30 min. until mixture is reduced to half. Add the meat mixture and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring regulary, for a further hour till the steak is tender. Serve with boiled rice.

maja in ube with buko

This is my winning recipe in dessert category at the Kumbira 2007 in Cagayan de Oro City. this is very filipino and just a little modification and creativeness.





Ingredients

• 1 cup of grounded dry glutinous rice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup buko stripes
• 1/2 cup cooked ube
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 cups coconut milk

here's how:
toast the grounded glutinous rice until off white in color. combined the rest of the ingredients and cook in low heat while mixing. gradually pour the toasted grounded glutinous rice little by little. continue mixing until the mixture is almost dough-like. pour in the pan and chill. cut into square servings.

about my cooking

I always love to cook since i was a child. I remember that everytime we dont have classes in school i always end up in the kitchen making something out of what is in the ref or what my grandma had bought from the market from the previous day. my Pap would be very furious when he arrived home hungry and the kitchen was such a mess because i am not yet done with my cooking. he hates it when someone is cooking in the house other than himself yet he is my number fan and my my worst critic.

he never had any formal studies about culinary and he told me he just learn to cook out of hobby and necessity. he seldom eat dishes which he doesnt cook and no matter what the occasion was, its a must that he should cook all the dishes. when he is in the kitchen i am there to assist him sometimes. but there were times that we argue specially when i learned some experiences in cooking in school and in the hotel. the only thing that diverse our field in cooking was that he loved to cook exotic foods like, ray, sharks, goats head, cow's testicles, monitor lizard, wild grass and etc. while i love to cook pastries and dessert which he isnt good at all. 

for me cooking is not just an art, not just a hobby but the product of your imagination. the recipe's might be the same, you might follow all the instructions but it would not taste the same and there would be no magic in your dish if you dont put your heart to what you are doing and love what you are cooking. i believe that once you cook, you should pour your emotions and love to it and a magic potion of dish is the outcome. 

we may fail many times and could not achieve the best taste on our first cook but remember that anyone can cook but only the fearless could be great. so give your best. and happy cooking.

-jj