PANCIT CANTON

My only brother loves pancit canton so much, he always dream of it, actually he likes all variations of pancit (noodle dish) but this particular noodle is what he likes best. He comes to visit me often and everytime I prepare for him this noodle dish. I like it also as it is complete with good noodles, lots of meats and vegetables, it's a very nourishing comfort food.


Ingredients:

          500 grams Good Life Pancit Canton noodles, blanched
          1/3 cup     corn oil
          2 Tbsp.     garlic, chopped
          1/2 cup     onions, sliced
          1 cup        chicken meat
          1/2 cup     fresh shrimps
          6 cups      chciken broth or water plus 2teasp. Knorr chicken powder
          2 Tbsp.    potato powder dissolved in 1/4 cup broth or water
          2 Tbsp.    soy sauce, Coconut Brand
          2 Tbsp.    Thai patis
          2 Tbsp.    oyster sauce
          1/2 tsp.    freshly ground black peppercorns
          1 tsp.       pure black sesame oil
          1 cup       carrots, julienne
          1 cup       snowpeas
          4 cups     cabbage, thick shreds
          1/3 cup    dried mushrooms soaked in hot water
          1/4 cup    green onions, chopped to garnish

Procedure:

           Heat oil in pan and saute garlic until almost golden. Remove fried garlic and reserve for topping later. In the same oil in pan saute the onions until limp, add the chicken meat, stirfry until almost dry, add the shrimps then season with oyster sauce, stir well until mixed. Remove this mixture from the wok and set aside.
          In the same wok, pour the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the soysauce, patis, black pepper, all the vegetables and all the noodles. Bring the broth into boil again and when it thickens, add the chicken and shrimp mixture then the sesame oil. It is finished when all the vegetables are done but not overcooked. Remove to a platter. Garnish with fried garlic and green onions. Serve.


Note: Blanch the canton noodles in enough boiling water, when the water boils again, remove the noodles and drain.
         You can boil the chicken bones and use the broth.









            

LECHE FLAN

This custard sweet is popular among Filipinos who always look forward to a sweet ending for every meal or as a snack or as an ingredient to a more favorite halo-halo ( a Filipino concoction of assorted sweets serve with shaved ice and milk).  If we cannot make this on ordinary days, we make sure we have it during occassions like Christmas, the season of feasting.  So this time I made leche flan as I like it.


Recipe:

          10 large eggyolks
          1 tin big Milkmaid sweetened condensed milk
          1 tin tall Alpine evaporated
          1 teaspoon SuperCook pure vanilla extract
          1/2 cup white sugar for the caramel
  
Procedure:

          Mix eggyolks, condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla extract and strain.  Set aside.
          Caramelize all the white sugar. Be very careful, watch that the caramel won't burn. I do it
          without adding water and it is easier if you do it carefully.
          Line leche flan mold with caramelized sugar. I used only one mold so I get a thick flan with
          lots of caramel. Cool.
          Pour the egg mixture. Cover with cling wrap, steam for 40 minutes to one hour. Always
          check near the end of cooking time for firmness. Don't let it overcook, it will rise and
          bubble.
          Cool it then refrigerate before serving.

            

SIOPAO

Source of Recipe: Playing with My Food, http://pwmf.blogspot.com/

Siopao Dough:     

    

     Starter Dough:

                       175grams cake flour

                       1/2tsp  yeast

                       1/2tsp  sugar

                       160grams water

      Dissolve sugar and yeast in water, then add the cake flour. Mix everything together and prove until

      double or overnight.

       Main Dough:                                                             

                       200grams starter dough

                       50 grams sugar

                       2tsp double acting baking powder

                       3tsp water

                       100grams all purpose flour

                       20 grams shortening

     Mix sugar with starter dough until sugar dissolves. Add baking powder, water and shortening.

     Mix until smooth. Finally add flour and knead for a few minutes. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

     Divide the dough into 8 portions then wrap filling. Rest for 30 minutes then steam for 8 to 10

     minutes.

     Note:  Mix the leftover starter dough (135 grams) with 1/2tsp. sugar, 120grams cake flour,

                and 80 grams water then prove overnight. This is more starter dough to start a recipe again.

                For the filling I used sauteed Purefoods corned beef, 135gram can is enough to fill the

                8 portions of siopao dough. In 1 T. olive oil, saute 1T minced garlic, 2 sliced small onion,

                and 1/4t ground pepper.  Add the corned beef and cook the mixture until almost dry.Cool

                then divide the filling into 8 portions and use to fill the 8 siopao doughs.

                

BONELESS BANGUS OR MILKFISH

Department of Agriculture:  http//www.da.gov.ph/tips/milkfish.html

                                                    

                      Bangus or milkfish is my favorite fish.

                      It is abundant in the Philippines.

                      Actually, this is our national fish. There

                      are many ways by which this fish can be prepared.

                       Every family has their own style of preparing

                       bangus like plain fried, broiled plain or with stuffing of

                       tomatoes and onions, stewed in vinegar, in sour broth

                       with vegetables and or smoked.  

                     

                      The latest trend about this ever popular fish is to debone

                       it first before cooking it so we don't get those spines

                       into our mouths. Since this is my most favorite local fish I

                       tried my best to learn how to debone it.

                      I watched and learned from fish vendors in Orani, Bataan

                      who are experts in deboning bangus and here's how

                       I debone my bangus.

Procedure:

1.  Wash the fish

2. Split the fish butterfly style

3. Remove the internal organs, gills, blood and slime then wash the

    fish thoroughly

4. Remove the backbone and dorsal fins by means of a sharp knife

5. With the use of forceps, remove the spines at the belly cavity.

    This can be done easily because the spines are superficially

     embedded.

6. Debone

  Make a halfway slit along the flesh of the dorsal and ventral muscles

  with a knife. Remove spines one after the other by inserting the forceps

  between the segments of the dorsal and ventral muscles.

Continue removing the spines in similar manner on the dorsal and ventral

 areas until all spines are removed.

                                                      

From the dorsal portion, there are approximately 44 branching spines

embedded between the muscle segments. Starting from the nape along the lateral line 22 spines are embedded and along the ventral muscles are 24 spines.

Here's some extra tip: In order to remove the spines at the tail area

make sufficient vertical slits along the tail area flesh ad work the knife

to expose the spines like in the photo.

See how those spines are easily visible for me to remove them.

Do the same along the other side of the fillet.        

                                                       Freshly caught fish is harder to debone. It must at least rest to firm the

flesh or put them in ice.

After removing all the spines I use my hand to flatten slightly the flesh and it will look as if nothing happened. It will look okay.

Rub enough salt on the deboned bangus to give it flavor and to  prepare it for cooking.

This is now the finished boneless bangus and it is now ready to be marinated or cooked in whatever way I want. I prefer to make it into Lamayong Boneless Bangus. For every salted half-kilo size bangus I add 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 head minced garlic and 1 teaspoon powdered black peppercorns. I marinate the fish in a tightly covered plastic container and store in the refrigerator for at least overnight. The boneless bangus can be fried and serve with chopped tomatoes with chopped onions and mashed salted egg. Delicious!

                                                       

BIKO

                                                             

I made this Biko when I was in Ireland with my niece because it is one of her favorite Filipino snacks. She also wanted to share it with some of her friends who like her were also missing this sweet rice delicacy.

Ingredients:                                                          :

     1/2 kilo malagkit rice or glutinuous rice                       
      500ml  thick coconut milk
            2T liquid glucose
      300grams white sugar

Procedure:

     Steam the glutinuous rice as you would cook ordinary rice but lessen the water.
     Combine sugar, glucose and coconut milk in a sauce pan,  put on low fire, stir until sugar is dissolved.
     Strain the mixture and put back on low fire, add the steamed glutinuous rice, stir until very
     sticky and  leaving the sides of the pan.  Pour into lightly greased rectangle pyrex dish.                        
      Flatten  with  back of the spoon with some coconut oil.



Topping:

      1 cup coconut cream
      1 cup muscovado sugar

     Boil sugar and coconut cream together while stirring until sugar is dissolved. Continue
     cooking until very thick.  Pour over the rice mixture and spread evenly on top. Bake in a

     hot oven until the top is bubbly. Remove from the oven and cool before slicing.
                             
   
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Chicken Tinola Soup

Ingredients:

     1 kilo chicken legs and thighs, cut up

     2 pieces sayote, cleaned and sliced

     2 cups malunggay leaves, washed and drained

     2 Tablespoons fish sauce

      6 cups water 

      6 cloves garlic, pounded

      2 Tablespoons ginger, sliced thinly

      1 onion, sliced

      1 teaspoon salt

   1/2 teaspoon ground black peppercorns

      3 Tablespoons cooking oil

 

 

 

Procedure:

         Saute the garlic, ginger and onions in hot oil. Add the chicken pieces and saute some more.      Cover for 2 minutes. Add the broth or water, cover, bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cut up sayote, cover and cook  for 10 minutes. Add the malunggay leaves then season with salt, fish sauce and ground black peppercorns. Cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve hot.

  
Note:  Native chicken is best for this dish, but cooking time takes longer.

Kikiam or Five-Spice Pork Rolls

  

  

Kikiam is one of my favorite Chinese foods so I researched and researched until I found a recipe I like.
This recipe I experimented on was based  from http://kuali.com/  It is really very nice and can compare with those you can buy from the shops. The dipping sauce was based from http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/

FIVE-SPICE PORK ROLLS

1 kilo pork, chopped coarsely             Seasonings:
1 can water chestnuts, chopped           1t ground black pepper
2 onions, chopped                                2t  five-spice powder or ngo hiong

!/2 cup green onions, chopped             4Tsugar

2 eggs                                                  2T toyo
2 T garlic, minced                                 1t  salt
4 beancurd sheets or tawpe                    2T cornflour
                                                            1t sesame oil
Combine meat, water chestnuts, onion, garlic, eggs and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator to allow ingredients to marinate for at least an hour or overnite.
Cut the beancurd sheet into smaller portions approximately 6 in. x 8 in.
Put 2T or more meat mixture on to each wrapper then form into a long roll. Roll up tightly and seal the ends
with cooked cornstarch.
Steam the rolls for 8 minutes. Remove and cool. Deep fry in hot oil until golden and crispy or you can keep them in the freezer.
After frying, cut into slices and serve with a dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup hot chili sauce                                           
   2 tablespoons ground toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup tomato catsup
1/4 cup sugar

Just mix all the sauce ingredients and serve.

My Food Garden

I have a small garden at the back of my house. Most of the plants I have there are useful for my everyday cooking. Some of them are as you can see in photos: pandan, bird's eye chili pepper, tarragon, calamansi (our local lemon) and sweet basil.

Available also in my tiny garden are banana plants, camias tree, malunggay, oregano, alugbati and some fruitbearing trees that have'nt fruited as yet.

For my everyday meals I find them handy as I don't have to buy

them anymore whenever they are called for in the recipes I

prepare. Pandan is useful in steamed rice as it gives the rice a

pleasant aroma. The chili pepper is good in my many coconut

based recipes like vegetables in coconut milk, chicken with

lemongrass, barbecues and in almost everything. Calamansi is

useful in marinades and lemonades. Sweet basil is good for pasta,

pesto and pizza while tarragon is used to flavor vinegars and as an

ingredient for roast turkey stuffing. There are many uses for

all these when they are thriving. Some of them just die and I have to

find a replacement or buy the plant itself from a seedling bank.