Papaya is a fruit high in fiber which lowers cholesterol levels. Papaya contains antioxidants which prevents the cholesterol from oxidizing. When cholesterol in the body gets oxidized, it can lead to heart-attacks. The anti-oxidants in papaya also help in controlling premature ageing, which helps to give a young look.

Here are some more health benefits of Papaya: Papaya contains a high amount of potassium and the flesh of papaya is very high in Vitamin A. Seeds and leaves are useful in treating intestinal worms found in the body. Papaya juice helps in alleviating infections of the colon by clearing away the infection, pus and mucus. Regular consumption will help in improving the problem. According to study, regularly consuming papaya helps to relieve morning sickness and nausea. Papaya has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-cancerous properties. The anti-inflammatory properties in papaya will help reduce pain for those suffering from arthritis, edema and osteoporosis. The high concentration of Vitamin C and Vitamin A contained in papaya is very beneficial to strengthen the immune system. Is also very good for the hair and helps in controlling dandruff. Papaya shampoos are good for the hair and are available in many health stores. Raw papaya also helps in reducing menstrual irregularities for women. Papaya helps to ease the condition by promoting natural flow of menstruation.

Papaya cleans the stomach and studies have shown that papaya alone eaten for 3 to 4 days has a highly beneficial tonic effect upon the stomach and intestines. All the parts of the papaya fruit are useful and beneficial. Right from the seeds to the papaya leaves and the flesh of the fruit, all of it has some value. Both the inside and the outside of the fruit can be utilized .Thus no part of the fruit is useless or goes as a waste

Thus, if love to eat to papaya, it is great because along with savouring the taste you are also ingesting all the benefits associated with eating the fruit, which will result in good health for you!

So this was the start at home. Hubby tried the inihaw na horse mackerel and for the kids pork cutlet, in which shows down here

Later then Grilling found the way over the ocean also into the European gardens and balcony. Also in Europe one can often state today that the grill property is put for lack of patience or expertise on a cold grill or on a just now ignited grill.

Grilling directly over the hot briquettes and the fat drips on the fire. Thus unnecessarily much smoke develops, either from the burned fat or from the ignition assistance and one gets not the best taste from the grill property. But it goes also differently and better

Grilling in the free one is fast, beautiful and the taste is different, since it brings the natural smoke taste back to the food.

HISTORY OF GRILLING
Since at least one million years food is roasted over the fire. After the development of tools approximately two million years ago was controlling the fire the second large break-through for mankind.

In former times the meat was refined on hot stones and since forty thousand years is also cooking usual. Because only the heat made possible the remarkable expansion of the food note. Now meat and many plants could be detoxicated and conserved. Thus a fast increase of the population was possible.

This was my daughter’s dinner Tagliatelle a la Bolognese.

Ito ang aming ulam sa pananghalian ngayon, nilahukan ko ng SARDINAS, na mayamn sa Omega-3!
Madaliang paghanda ng makakain ngayong araw ng Linggo, HOLIDAY yata sa buong mundo, araw ng mga MANGGAGAWA!

Tinatamad akong magluto ng medyo matrabahong lutuin at ayaw kong tumayo sa kusina ng matagal kaya heto muna ang pinagtiyagaan naming mag-ina. Iginisa ko sa sibuyas naputi ang Sardinas na walang kaliskis at walang tinik bago binuhusan ng nabating limang pirasong itlog. VOALA!

Maramihan kami kung mamili ng itlog, tray per tray gaya ng nasa larawan. Pero hindi ibig sabihin ay puro itlog nalang ang aming ulam sa tuwing ako ay sinusumpong ng sakit na “TAMARITIS”…hehehe…madalas ay ginagamit ko sa pag bake, kaya ganyan karami.

Breakfast cereal (often simply called cereal)
is a packaged food product intended to be consumed as part of a breakfast. It is usually eaten cold as a ready-to-eat meal and mixed with a liquid, such as milk or water, though occasionally nuts and fruit are also added. The exception to the rule are cereals such as oatmeal, which is most commonly served hot as porridge.

Breakfast cereals are marketed to all ages.
For adults, companies such as Kellogg’s, Quaker Oats, Post, Nestlé, and General Mills promote their products for the health benefits gained from eating oat-based and high-fiber cereals. Manufacturers often fortify breakfast cereals with various vitamins. Cereals with relatively high sugar content are also produced
YOU NEED…….

* 1 apple, peeled and diced smaller
* 1 cup of yoghurt
* 1 cup of cereals

HOW TO…….

***Mix all together in a bowl and enjoy your breakfast!

You can choose your meat with the same vegetables and sauces – beef, chicken, duck or pork. since the beef and pork are higher in fat, my hubby and our lovely daughter ordered crispy duck with cabbage salad.
As shown down here.

Of course with steamed rice. Many of the dishes at Chinese restaurants are fried or deep fried. If you let your server and restaurant know what you are trying to accomplish they will often try to accommodate your wishes if it is possible.
Hubby and I we got soup (chinese savory soup) as entree and our daughter spring roll!

With the recent educational push for healthy diets to live long healthy lives, restaurants are preparing to meet the needs of their customers. Hua-Dali Restaurant is one of my family’s favorit place among chinese Resto here in Vienna. Not only the price are too affordable but also the service is good.

However, empanadas in the northern Ilocos region are very different. These empanadas are made of a savory filling of green papaya, mung beans and, upon request, chopped Ilocano sausage (Chorizo) and/or an egg yolk. Rather than the soft, sweet dough favored in the Tagalog region, the dough used to enclose the filling is thin and crisp, mostly because Ilocano empanada uses rice flour, coloured orange with achuete (annatto), and is deep-fried rather than baked……

YOU NEED…….

* 1 kg flour
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 cup of water
* 250 g Margarine
* 1 pack of baking powder
* 1 tsp. salt
* 5 cups of vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

PART 1

PART 2

MY EMPANADA FILLING!

My own version of making EMPANADA FILLING!
An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry. Every country or regeon has it’s varieties and own style and of different filling. The name comes from the Spanish and Portuguese verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanada is made by folding a dough or bread patty around the stuffing.

YOU NEED…….

* 400 g ground beef or pork meat
* 1 large white onio, finely chopped
* 1 pc. of carrot, medium-suzed and chopped
* 20 g green peas
* 2 tbsps. raisins
* 5 pcs. of potatoes, medium-sized, cut into small cubes
* salt and peper to taste
* 1 cube of Knorr or Maggi broth (optional) just to add more flavour
* some vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

Pleas Check the VIDEO out!

I learned this from my hubby. We are both fun of homecooking which turned out a passion for me. I love the way he use to blanch vegetables. The color stays green and crisp not “BUGBOG” in tagalog or “NALAMOG”. But the tatse still there, the texture, color and flavor preserves!

Blanching is an easy technique that many cooks use to keep vegetables crisp and tender. By boiling vegetables briefly, chilling them in ice water, then reheating them slowly, blanching preserves texture, color and flavor.

YOU NEED…….

* 500g Green beans, I used the thin ones
* 4 pcs. Tomatoes
* 1 Onion
* Anchovy Sauce (Bagoong Balayan) or Salt instead
* powdered Pepper

NOTE: My pretty friend Ophy Navai said she loves it with chopped GARLIC, I came to an idea you can replace TOMATOES with chopped GARLIC instead…which I’m gonna try in the following days…I let you know FOLKS

HOW TO…….

* Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil over high heat.
While the water heats, fill a medium bowl about three-quarters full with ice, then add enough cold water to come just to the top of the ice.

* When the water is boiling and the ice bath is ready, trim the vegetables to the size you need. It’s best to trim and wash them just prior to cooking so they won’t oxidize or dehydrate. Then add the vegetables to the boiling water in batches small enough to ensure that the water doesn’t lose its boil.

* Boil the vegetavegetables only until they’re barely cooked through but still tender. To test, remove one piece with a slotted spoon, dip it into the ice bath to cool, and eat it. As soon as the vegetables are done, remove them as fast as you can and submerge them in the ice bath. Remove them from the ice bath as soon as they are no longer warm.

*To reheat the vegetables, you can use any cooking method you wish, like sautéeing, grilling, or boiling; just make sure to barely heat them up and not to cook them again. By this time I did not reheat it, I added slice tomatoes and red onions and anchovy sauce (Bagoong Balayan). And that’s it, serve with rice and as side dish for fried chicken legs. GUTEN APPETIT

ZUCCHINI (COURGETTE)-PINAKBET

If you are looking for pure vegetables recipe, you can try my pinakbet without meat and my zucchini with tofu.
For the last several posts, I have bombarded you with tasty but quite oily meat dishes. In consideration of the health aspects which everyone owes to take pretty seriously, let me share with you today a healthy mixed vegetable dish simply sautéed zucchini with tofu (courgette with tofu) and my pinakbet without meat. Like the “inabraw” my pinakbet uses various types of vegetables and chiefly flavored with fish paste or “bagoong”, a unique but popular Filipino condiment made from fermented small fish usually eaten with locally grown vegetables. Most of the time I used anchovy sauce instead.

Along with fruits, we hear a lot of praises to vegetables as being the healthier food. Eating a good amount of it is sometimes tantamount to psychologically eliminate the feeling of guilt that has developed after indulging heavily on meaty and oftentimes oily dishes. Some vegetable in culinary sense is actually a fruit in the botanical context. Some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables while others consider them as falling under a separate food category.

YOU NEED…….

* 4 pcs. Zucchini, washed and sliced
* 1/2 a cake Tofu, cut into cubes
* handful Koriander (Cilantro) chopped
* 1/2 head Garlic, peeled and sliced
* 1 tsp. Vinegar
* Salt and Pepper
* some Vegetable Oil

HOW TO…….

EGGPLANT “INIHAW”

I was craving for “Inihaw na talong since last month. I remember those days during rainy season in the Philippines my late nanay, she used to grilled eggplant during that time. Then she add sliced tomatoes, onions (lasona or sibuyas tagalog), sometimes she added chopped ginger too and seasoned with calamansi and anchovy sauce or Bagoong Balayan.

But this photo above I just added chopped red onions, tomatoes and seasoned with bagoong balayan. You can also try sauted shrimps paste or bagoong guisado if you prefer.

WINGED BEANS LUNCH

Today my hubby and I was craving for VEGETABLES. Thinking on what vegetables to cook…we got a bunch of “SIGARILYAS” (WINGED BEANS) last Saturday from Vietnamese shop. Then we still have this left over fried horse mackerel from last night dinner. So what I did I added also a bunch of string beans (Sitaw) in it, with onion, tomatoe, eggplant and seasoned with anchovy sauce (Bagoong balayan).

That was our viand for the lunch today. It is said to be that Winged beans have the highest calcium content among all legumes and as such, are very beneficial for the human skeletal system. The calcium present in these beans helps in the production and maintenance of the bones and provides strength to overcome diseases and weaknesses. Winged beans are also a good source of natural minerals, vitamins (especially A and C), iron and enzymes. As a legume, wing bean scores high on protein content. In other words, it proves to be a good source of protein for humans as well as animals. So have a try FOLKS

BREADED EGGPLANT

The eggplant, aubergine, or brinjal (Solanum melongena), is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades) and genus Solanum. It bears a fruit of the same name, commonly used as a vegetable in cooking. As a nightshade, it is closely related to the tomato and potato and is native to India and Sri Lanka.
It is a delicate perennial often cultivated as an annual. It grows 40 to 150 cm (16 to 57 in) tall, with large coarsely lobed leaves that are 10 to 20 cm (4-8 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2-4 in) broad. (Semi-)wild types can grow much larger, to 225 cm (7 ft) with large leaves over 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) broad. The stem is often spiny. The flowers are white to purple, with a five-lobed corolla and yellow stamens. The fruit is fleshy, less than 3 cm in diameter on wild plants, but much larger in cultivated forms.
The fruit is botanically classified as a berry, and contains numerous small, soft seeds, which are edible, but are bitter because they contain (an insignificant amount of) nicotinoid alkaloids, unsurprising as it is a close relative of tobacco.
A breaded “Talong” just like viennese schnitzel with garlic-mayonnaise sauce!

YOU NEED…….

* 1 big Eggplant, sliced
* 1 beaten Egg
* 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
* 60 g Sesame seeds
* 2 tbsps. cheese of your preference ( I used Parmesan cheese)
* 2 tbsps. Flour
* Salt and Pepper
* some Vegetable oil

FOR GARLIC-MAYONNAISE SAUCE:

* 2 cloves Garlic, minced
* 1 Lemon for juice
* Mayonnaise
* Salt

HOW TO…….

My STUFFED GREEN BELL PEPPERS (PART 1 and 2)

Here’s a delicious stuffed pepper recipe that’s easy to make. Each green bell pepper contains ground beef, onion, tomatoes, rice and bread, and is cooked in tomato soup.

YOU NEED AND HOW TO…….

Part 1

PART 2

MOZZARELA WITH PUMPKIN SEED OIL! (from my daughter Didi)

Pumpkin seed oil Kernöl or Kürbiskernöl in German, adjacent regions of Hungary, and a European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product. Today the oil is an important export commodity of Austrian and Slovenian parts of Styria. It is made by pressing roasted, hulled pumpkin seeds, from a local variety of pumpkin, the “Styrian oil pumpkin”. It has been produced and used in Styria’s southern parts at least since the 18th century. The earliest confirmed record of oil pumpkin seeds in Styria (from the estate of a farmer in Gleinstätten) dates to February 18, 1697.
The viscous oil is light green to dark red in colour depending on the thickness of the observed sample. The oil appears green in thin layer and red in thick layer. Such optical phenomenon is called dichromatism. Pumpkin oil is one of the substances with strongest dichromatism. Used together with yoghurt, the colour turns to bright green and is sometimes referred to as “green-gold”.

Culinary uses

Pumpkin seed oil has an intense nutty taste and is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Browned oil has a bitter taste. Pumpkin seed oil serves as a salad dressing when combined with honey or olive oil. The typical Styrian dressing consists of pumpkin seed oil and cider vinegar. But the oil is also used for desserts, giving ordinary vanilla icecream an exquisite nutty taste. Using it as a cooking oil, however, destroys its essential fatty acid.

This was prepared by my daughter. She loves it this way with more pumpkin seeds oil. For my part she added onion, vinegar and pepper.

YOU NEED…….

* 2 pcs. Mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes smal ones
* 1 tsp. Salt
* 4 pcs. Tomatoes, cut into cubes
* 3 tbsps. Pumpkin seed oil of any brand

optional……. (this my version)

* 1 Onoin, thinly sliced
* 1 tbsp. Vinegar
* 1/2 tsp. Pepper

HOW TO…….

SQUASH, ZUCCHINI AND CHICKEN SAUTE

One of my VEGE-CHICKEN dish, I really LOVE vegetables than meat!
I thought the kids woul not love it, but in this case I was wrong. The idea of adding fried horse mackerel helps a lot that they ate the vegetables too.

YOU NEED…….

* 500 g chicken fillet, cut into strip
* 400 g squash, cut into cubes
* 2 pcs.large zucchini, cut into cubes
* 2 pcs. tomatoes, roughly chopped
* 1 largr onion, finely sliced
* half a head garlic, finely chopped
* salt and pepper
* a handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
* 2 to 3 tbsps. olive oil
* 1 tbsp. dried oregano

HOW TO…….

***Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, chicken, tomatoes, squash and dried oregano. Cook, stirring, and cover for 10 minutes, then add zucchini and basil leaves, cover for 5 minutes until the vegetables turn soft. This will give the cooked dish a thickish sauce instead of something soupy. I serve it with fried horse mackerel and rice.

POTATOE-ZUCCHINI LOAF

Vegetables are notorious for making cooked food spoil faster but I figured that if kept down to the basics and if the vegetables are cooked as a soup, perhaps, the dish can stay fresh in the fridge for a day or two. I decided to make something new, it has a similarity with burgers. Potatoe-Zucchini Loaf, so what is this all about?
Try this…….it’s vegetable folks!

YOU NEED…….

* 500 g potatoes, boiled peeled and grated
* 300 g zucchini, grated
* 300 g cottage cheese
* 1 whole head garlic minced
* 2 eggs
* salt
* 3 to 4 tbsps. herb
* some flour
* bread crumbs
* 4 cups cooking oil for deep frying

FOR SAUCE:
* sour cream
* mayonnaise

HOW TO…….

***Mix all together the ingredients, then form into loaf or burger using flour. Then heat some oil in a skilet or pan, deep fry the loaf or burger. For sauce just mix sour cream and mayonnaise together and serve.

TOFU IN CHILLI-OYSTER SAUCE

TAGALOG!
Tofu or Tokwa: Ang tokwa (Ingles: tofu, soy bean cake) ay isang hilaw o piniritong pagkaing Pilipino na gawa sa mula sa binurong balatong (mga buto ng halamang ginagamit sa paggawa ng sawsawang toyo. Nagbunga ang pagkaing Pilipinong ito mula sa impluwensiya ng mga Tsino.

IN ENGLISH!
Tofu or bean curd (the literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu that has been processed in some way. Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes, and is often seasoned or marinated to suit the dish.

The production of tofu from soy milk is similar to the production of cheese from milk, although some tofu is made by processing non-soy products, such as almonds or black beans. The byproduct of the process is soy pulp (also called okara in Japanese).
Tofu originated in ancient China, but little else is known about the origins of tofu and its method of production. Tofu and its production technique were subsequently introduced into Korea, then Japan during the Nara period (late eighth century). It also spread into other parts of East Asia as well. This spread likely coincided with the spread of Buddhism as it is an important source of proteins in the religion’s vegetarian diet.

Tofu is low in calories, contains a relatively large amount of iron and contains little fat. Depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, the tofu may also be high in calcium and/or magnesium. Tofu also contains soy isoflavones, which can mimic natural human estrogens and may have a variety of harmful or beneficial effects when eaten in sufficient quantities.

YOU NEED…….

* half a cake Tofu or 4 cubes
* 4 pcs. chillis, hot or not hot
* 2 tbsps. oyster sauce
* half a head garlic, peeled and chopped
* 1 tbsp. chilli sauce
* 4 cups cooking oil, for deep frying tofu

HOW TO…….

Please watch the Video!

SAUTEED CHAYOTE (sayote guisado)

The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, and vegetable pear, is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit. The vine is grown on the ground or more commonly on trellises.Although most people are familiar only with the fruit, the root, stem, seeds, and leaves are all edible.

The fruit does not need to be peeled and can be eaten raw in salads. Cooked or raw, it has a very mild flavor by itself, and is commonly served with seasonings salt, butter and pepper or in a dish with other vegetables and/or flavorings. It can also be boiled, stuffed, mashed, baked, fried, or pickled. Both fruit and seed are rich in amino acids and vitamin C. Light green and pear-shaped with a thick skin and a hard core, chayote, or sayote as it is called in the Philippines, grows on vines.

YOU NEED…….

* 3 to 4 pcs. chayote or sayote squash pared, seeded, and sliced
* 3 to 4 tbsps. vegetable oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, minced1 1/2 tbsps. patis (fish sauce)
* pepper

HOW TO…….

1.) In a pan or casserole, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, tomatoe and pork until it turns slightly brown and tomatoe wilted.

2.) Add shrimps and chayote slices. Season with patis, salt and pepper. Stir-fry for few minutes until well blended. Bring to boil. Cover, lower the heat and let it simmer until chayote is tender.
Remove from heat. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot.

LAING (Taro leaves in coconut cream)

Taro or gabi is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is considered a staple in oceanic cultures. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. In its raw form the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate, although the toxin is destroyed by cooking or can be removed by steeping taro roots in cold water overnight. Taro is closely related to Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants commonly grown as ornamentals, and like them it is sometimes loosely called elephant ear.

The name “taro” is from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages; the plant is also called kalo, gabi in the Philippines. In the Philippines, taro is called gabi. A popular rendition of the taro is Laing which originates from the Bicol region in Southern Luzon. The dish’s main ingredients are taro stem and leaf cooked in coconut milk, salted with fermented shrimp or fish bagoong. It is also heavily spiced with red hot chilis called sili’ng labuyo.

Another dish where taro finds common use in the Filipino kitchen is the Philippine national stew, called sinigang. This sour stew may be made with pork and beef, shrimp, or fish. Peeled and diced taro is a basic ingredient of pork sinigang.

Finally, the third most common use of taro in the Filipino diet is in ginataan, literally meaning “cooked with coconut milk.” This form of dessert, where coconut milk and taro are combined along with indigenous ingredients such as sago and jackfruit, is shared throughout most Southeast Asian cuisines.

YOU NEED…….

* 2 packs of dried taro leaves, about 200 g
* about 100 g Taro stalks (I added also)
* 1 liter coconut cream or milk
* 100 g pork belly
* 6 pcs. siling Labuyo or bird’s eye chillis, it depends upon your taste!
* 2 tbsps. anchovy sauce (bagoong balayan)
* 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
* 2 thumb-sized ginger cut into sticks or minced
* half a head garlic minced
* 1 big onion sliced

HOW TO…….

1.) In a casserole, boil coconut cream for about 10 to 15 minutes with the the siling labuyo.

2.) Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil, saute onion, garlic, ginger and pork belly until pork belly turns to golden brown season with anchovies or anchovy sauce (bagoong). Then pour this mixture into coconut cream, and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add dried Taro leaves, cover and cook until taro leaves is done.

TURNIP CABBAGE-BLOOD STEW (Dinuguang Kohlrabi)

I can still remember the first time I ate “Dinuguang tangkay ng kangkong”. Which was cooked by my mother’s friend he is originated from Bicol Region. Mix with a little bit of pork and more water spinach stalks (tangkay ng kangkong). Not bad was good, then I tried also with “sayote” at home. That’s how I got an idea why not turnip cabbage (kohlrabi). So, wanna have a try?
Here is my recipe:

YOU NEED…….

* 250 g Pork Belly
* 1 Onion
* 4 cloves Garlic
* a thumb-sized Ginger
* 3 pcs. Chilli
* 3 to 4 pcs. Turnip Cabbage (Kohlrabi)
* 4 cups of fresh Pork Blood
* 1/4 cup of Vinegar
* 4 pcs. Bay leaf
* some Vegetable oil
* Salt & Pepper

HOW TO…….

—Heat a casserole, add vegetable oil and saute onion, garlic, ginger and meat.

—Add bay leaves, chilli and kohlrabi cover until everything done.

—Meanwhile mix blood with vinegar and salt, stir for about 5 minutes, set aside.

—Then add the pork blood stir until done. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot with rice. Enjoy…

“GINISANG TALONG” (Budget recipe)

One of my favorite vegetable, eggplant sauteed in shrimp paste and with ground meat!
I served this for dinner with fried rice. Just a quick dinner for everybody when my family gets home at night. The 2 kids after a long day school and my hubby after a 10 hours duty from work. Everybody wants to have something warm for stomach as soon as they get back home. Since we had left over rice , I decided just a “ginisang talong” with shrimp paste and ground pork meat for fried rice. It’s so simple as that but the kids said “its very yummm…….” Onother budget recipe of mine!

YOU NEED…….

* 3 pcs. eggplant, peeled and sliced lengthwise and about 1-inch pcs.
* 100 g pork ground meat
* 1 lemon for lemon juice
* 1 onion, sliced
* 1 tomato, sliced thinly
* 2 – 3 tbsps. shrimp paste (baguong alamang)
* 2 tbsps. vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup mineral water (optional)

HOW TO…….

—Heat some vegetable oil in a pan. Saute onion, tomatoe and pork ground meat.

—Add shrimp paste and eggplant. Stir add 1/4 cup of mineral water and cover for about 5 minutes until eggplant is done.

—Add lemon juice stir again and serve it with fried rice or normal rice.

AMPALAYA AT ALAMANG

TAGALOG VERSION!

“AMPALAYA AT ALAMANG= Isang lutuin na kayang-kaya ng bulsa. Aking inaalay sa kapitbahay na kanyang itinanong sa akin nang kami’y magkita sa pamilihan ng bayan. Siya ay isang masugid na taga subaybay ng aking mga “LUTUING BAHAY” sa youtube. At minsan ako ay nagluto ng kare-kare ang pechay na aking isinahog ay galing sa kanya, sarili niyang tanim sa bakuran. Ayaw ipabanggit ang kanyang pangalan…….para sa aking mabuting kapit bahay…ito na ang kasagutan sayong tanong!
Inaasahan kong makatulong sa iyo ito kahit papaano.”

YOU NEED…….

MGA SANGKAP:
* 3 piraso na maliliit na ampalaya
* 2 itlog
* 1 tasang pinatuyong alamang
* asin at pamienta
* 3 kutsarang mantikang halaman
* 1 sibuyas
* 2 kamatis
* 3 butil na bawang

HOW TO…….

SAUTEED EGGPLANT IN SCRAMBLED EGG

Onother way to get rid of left-over food!
This was the left over from my “Ginisang Talong” or Sauteed Eggplant. To be housewifely again, this was the kids lunch yesterday. Nobody complains about it, I think they liked it. Otherwise there would be some left over again.

YOU NEED…….

* a bowl of left-over sauteed eggplant
* 2 tbsps. vegetable oil
* 5 pcs. eggs, beaten
* powder garlic or fresh ones
* 1 tsp. salt
* 2 tbsps. vegetables oil

HOW TO…….

—Heat a pan, while heating beat the eggs wit salt and powder garlic. Smashed the eggplant with spoon.

—Heat the left-over sauted eggplant in a pan with vegetable oil, turning carefully until done to the desired degree.

—Add beaten eggs, cook over lower heat until eggs is done. Serve with rice,

MY PUMPKIN-PINAKBET

Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae which also includes gourds.

Inspite of their name, winter squash (and pumpkins) are a warm weather crop, but called winter because they can be stored well into and through the winter. There are four species of winter squash with pumpkin varieties in all them. The difference between winter squash and pumpkins is more culinary than botanical; winter squash have a finer texture and milder flavor, pumpkins have a somewhat coarse, stronger flavor and are generally orange in color. A squash/pumpkin vine can set several fruit before ripening all at the same time.

YOU NEED…….

* 1/4 head of Pumpkin
* about 250 g pork meat
* 12 pcs. Okra
* 8 pcs. small eggplants
* 1 bunch string bean (sitaw)
* 2 pcs. small bitter melon (ampalaya)
* 1 onion, sliced
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 pcs. tomatoes, sliced
* alamang guisado for seasoning (sauted small shrimps) Bottled
* some vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

VEGGIES WITH SOUR CREAM

Oh my gulay! Sour cream instead of coconut cream? Who would’ve thought it would go well with those veggies?

Onother experimental of mine…….I thought I cooked too much and we’d have enough leftovers for dinner. I was wrong!
The kids love it.

YOU NEED…….

Makes 4 servings
* 250 g Pork belly, cut into cubes
* 1/4 head of Squash, cut into cubes
* 15 pcs. small Okra, cut into thirds
* 8-10 pcs. Eggplants, small ones and sliced
* 4 cloves Garlic, crushed and peeled
* 1 Onion, sliced thinly
* 1 pc. Tomatoes, diced
* Fish sauce or patis
* 1 cup of Sour Cream
* 3 tbsps. vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

—Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or any large shallow cooking pan. Saute onion, garlic and tomatoes until fragrant. Add the pork cubes and cook until the edges are lightly browned. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes start to soften. Season with patis.

—Pour in about 1/2 cup of water (broth, if you have some) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pork is tender.

—When the pork is almost done, add the vegetables. The squash should go in first because, among the three, it takes longest to cook. Stir after adding the squash, cover and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the okra and eggplants, stir again, cover and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. You can also add right away the sour cream or…….

—When the vegetables are done, pour in the sour cream. Stir. Taste the sauce and add more patis if necessary. As soon as the liquid starts to bubble, turn off the heat. It’s ready.

—Serving suggestion: Serve the pork and vegetables with hot rice. They go so well together.

BEANS SPROUTS AND TOFU

Mung bean sprouts are germinated by leaving them watered with 4 hours of daytime light and spending the rest of the day in the dark. Mung bean sprouts can be grown under artificial light for 4 hours over the period of a week.
A very simple recipe after a week of meat!

Here is another version of mine more richer in Tofu and togue. Same procedure of course!

YOU NEED…….

* 2 tbsps cooking oil
* 2 pcs tokwa (hard bean curd), cubed ½ x ½ inch thick
* 2 tbsps garlic, crushed
* 1 pc onion, sliced
* 2 pcs tomatoes, sliced
* 9 cups togue (mung bean sprout) washed and drained
* 2 tbsps Oyster Sauce
* ¼ tsp ground black pepper
* ¼ tsp salt
* 2 tsps patis (fish sauce)

HOW TO…….

—In a wok, heat oil and fry tokwa until golden on all sides. Dice into ½ x ½ inch cubes and set aside.

—In the same wok, sauté onion, garlic and tomatoes.

—As the tomatoes start to wilt, add the togue, Oyster Sauce, black pepper, salt and patis.

—Continue cooking over medium heat until bean sprouts are done.

—Add fried tofu and stir to blend. Don’t overcook th sprouts. Serve with rice.

SAUTEED CABBAGE (BUDGET RECIPE)

Yes, cabbage (REPOLYO) when purchased in season, is both cheap and healthy. It is a great source of both vitamin C and fiber. My family they don’t love much this vegetable. But since school time again, I had to watch our family budget. So for budget recipe, I decided once a week I have to throw something like this on the table. No problem it was all finished!

YOU NEED…….

100 g Ground meat (Pork or Beef)
1/4 head Cabbage
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 red Onion
3 cloves Garlic
1 Tomatoe
2 1/2 tsps. vegetable broth powder or broth cube to taste
3 tbsps. Butter
some Water

HOW TO…….

Wash the head of cabbage and remove the loose outermost leaves as these may have a bitter flavor.

—Heat a big pan or skillet. Melt some butter and saute onion, garlic, tomatoe and ground meat. Stir until ground meat is brown.

—Add cabbage season with vegetable broth powder or broth cube. Then pour some water and cover for about 5 minutes.

—Add red bell pepper stir until red bell pepper is done. Serve hot.

MY VERSION OF TOFU BURGERS

This is onother request by my daughter who’s craving for tofu burgers since the start of school this year!
Kid friendly BURGER Recipe: This quick, easy, veggie burger recipe is a sure way to get your kids or anyone else to eat tofu. Tofu burgers hold together well, and are great for grilling too.
For a light meal, skip the bun, and serve tofu burger patties with steamed veggies or a salad. Here I serve it with fresh mix salad and garlic-yoghurt sauce or dessing, which my family love it very much specially the 2 kids.

A Tips from me;Use leftover burger mix to make sloppy joes, or scambled tofu. Cold burger patties make great sandwiches. Improvise freely with the seasonings and the grains. But if you want onions, use them on the outside, not the inside – they make the mixture too wet.

YOU NEED…….

* 6 pcs. extra firm tofu
* 75 g ground meat (pork or beef) OPTIONAL/ I added because of my kids preference!!!
* 1/4 c whole wheat flour or corn flour
* 1 tsp thyme, dried
* 1 tsp coriander or cilantro, dried or powder
* 1/2 tsp garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp ginger powder
* 2 tbsps soy sauce
* 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp pepper
* 1 egg
* some canola or any vegetable oil for frying

FOR GARLIC-YOGHURT SAUCE OR DRESSING:
* 2 cups of yoghurt
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tsp. garlic powder
* some white pepper powder
* some salt

HOW TO…….

—Cut tofu into 1 inch chunks, or chopped it.

—Throw in everything else and mix well by hand, in a big bowl.

—Form into eight 3 – 4 inch patties.

—Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium with canola oil, or your favorite vegetable oil.

—Fry in small amount of oil, on medium heat, 5-7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Serve with Ketchup and garlic- yoghurt sauce or dressing, and forside dish fresh mix salad.

BUTTERED VEGETABLES!

Buttered herb-meaning butter with herbs, I used for sauteing the vegetables in this dish.
This is my side dish for Buttered Pork with Potatoe wedges!

YOU NEED…….

* 50 g Butter Herb
* Salt and Pepper
* 2 tbsps. of Rama Cuilinese
* 2 pcs. medium-sized Zucchini, quartered and sliced
* 250 g Green beans
* 2 pcs. Green bell pepper
* 1 big Carrot

HOW TO…….

SAUTEED GREEN BEANS!

Green beans, French beans or runner beans are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap beans. Green bean varieties have been bred especially for the fleshiness, flavor, or sweetness of their pods. Haricots verts, French for “green beans,” may refer to a longer, thinner type of green beans than the typical, American green beans.

SAUTEING—is a method of cooking food that uses a small amount of fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. Ingredients are usually cut into pieces or thinly sliced to facilitate fast cooking.

YOU NEED…….

* 500 g Green Beans
* 250 g Pork Bellysome Canola oil
* 3 pcs. Tomatoes
* 5 cloves Garlic
* 1 Onion
* Salt and Mammita powder or broth cube

HOW TO…….

*1.) Heat a pan, pour some canola oil saute pork belly, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Season with mammita powder or broth cube. Then add geen beans and cover for 10 minutes.

*2.) Add some water to have some sauce ajst seasoning with salt. serve hot with rice.

CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower and broccoli are the same species and have very similar structures, though cauliflower replaces the green flower buds with white inflorescence meristem.
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head (the white curd) is eaten while the stalk and surrounding thick, green leaves are used in vegetable broth or discarded. Cauliflower is nutritious, and may be eaten cooked, raw or pickled.

Its name is from Latin caulis (cabbage) and flower, an acknowledgment of its unusual place among a family of food plants which normally produces only leafy greens for eating. Brassica oleracea also includes cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli and collard greens, though they are of different cultivar groups.

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. As a member of the brassica family, cauliflower shares with broccoli and cabbage several phytochemicals which are beneficial to human health, including sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed. In addition, the compound indole-3-carbinol, which appears to work as an anti-estrogen, appears to slow or prevent the growth of tumors of the breast and prostate.

Cauliflower also contains other glucosinolates besides sulfurophane, substances which may improve the liver’s ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances. A high intake of cauliflower has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Cooking Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded. The florets should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they are cooked evenly. After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy (depending on size). Stirring while cooking can break the florets into smaller, uneven pieces. Cauliflower is often served with a cheese sauce, as in the dish cauliflower cheese.
Low carb dieters can use cauliflower as a reasonable substitute for potatoes for while they can produce a similar texture, or mouth feel, they lack the starch of potatoes.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 head Cauliflower
* some bread crumbs
* some water
* some butter
* some salt

HOW TO…….

AMPALAYA OMELET (Bitter Melon Omelet)

My version of ampalaya omelet!
Bitter melons are seldom mixed with other vegetables due to the strong bitter taste, although this can be moderated to some extent by salting and then washing the cut melon before use. Bitter melon is often used in Chinese cooking for its bitter flavor, typically in stir-fries (often with pork and douchi), soups, and also as tea.

It is prepared in various dishes in the Philippines, where it is known as Ampalaya. Ampalaya may also be stir-fried with ground beef and oyster sauce, or with eggs and diced tomato.
A very popular dish from the Ilocos region of the Philippines, pinakbet, consists mainly of bitter melons, eggplant, okra, string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, and other various regional vegetables stewed with a little bagoong-based stock.
The young shoots and leaves may also be eaten as greens; in the Philippines, where bitter melon leaves are commonly consumed, they are called dahon (leaves) ng ampalaya.
The seeds can also be eaten, and have a sweet taste but are known to cause nausea.

YOU NEED…….

* 2 pcs. small Ampalaya (Bitter Melon)
* 1 Onion sliced
* pound Garlic
* sliced Tomatoe
* 3 pcs. beaten eggs
* 3 tbsps. olive oil
* salt and pepper

HOW TO…….

* Slice onion, pound garlic, slice tomato and beat eggs, set aside.

* Slice ampalaya (bitter melon) into halves, then slice crosswise. If ampalaya is very bitter, you may want to reduce the bitterness by rubbing salt on the ampalaya slices in cold water, let it stand for awhile, then squeeze the juice out of the slices.

* Heat oil on a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add garlic and onion. Once the garlic is brown and the onion transparent, add beaten eggs. Let it spread on the pan. Immediately add the tomato and ampalaya slices to the egg. Fold.

FILO MIX VEGETABLES!

For the so called-Balanced Diet, I cooked this to get some vegetables!
With Sesban flower (Bulaklak ng katuray) and Vine spinach (Alugbati).

YOU NEED…….

FOR BULAKLAK NG KATURAY:
* Bulaklak ng Katuray (Sesban flower)
* some Water
* some Tomatoes
* some Ginger
* some Onion
* Anchovy Sauce
* 1 tsp. Vinegar

FOR STIR-FRY MIX VEGETABLES:
* some Eggplant small ones
* some Okra
* 1 bunch String bean (sitaw)
* 1 Onion
* 2 Tomatoes
* a thumb-size Ginger, sliced
* some Vine Spinach (Alugbati)
* Mamita powder Seasoning or Knorr or Maggi broth cube
* about 250 g Shrimps, peeled and cleaned
* 1 tbsp. Anchovy Sauce
* some vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

**FOR SESBAN FLOWER (Bulaklak ng Katuray):
*1.) Boil the cleaned sesban flower (bulaklak ng katuray) for about 5 minutes and strain. Set aside about 1/2 cup of Water.

*2.) Just mix all together the ingredienst and enjoy!

**FOR FILO MIX VEGETABLES:
*1.) Heat a pan or skillet, pour some vegetable oil. Saute; onion, ginger, tomatoes and shrimps. Season with 1 tbsps. anchovy sauce and mammita powder or knorr or maggi broth cube, vetsin would goes also.

*2.) Add string bean (sitaw), eggplant and okra. Stir to blend, pour the 1/2 cup water from boiled katuray (sesban flower) and cover to cook vegetables.

*3.) Add vine spinach (alugbati) adjust seasoning if necessary, continue cooking until vine spinach is also done.

DOLLY’S BULANGLANG

This is my own creation and purely experiment, BULANGLANG WITH BABY BACK RIBS and SQUASH FLOWERS!
YOU NEED…….

* some Okra, Eggplant, and Miracle vegetables (Bunga ng Malunggay)
* some Squash flowers
* 300 g Wide Green Beans
* 300 g Baby back ribs, boiled
* 3 pcs. Taro
* 1 red or white Onion
* 1 to 2 pcs. Tomatoes
* a thumb-sized Ginger
* for seasoning Anchovy Sauce
* some vegetable oil
* 1 Maggi cube to add more flavour

HOW TO…….

* Heat a big casserole, put some vegetable oil and saute onion, ginger, tomatoes, taro, anchovy sauce and bay back ribs. Add some water cover and simmer over medium heat until baby back ribs is done.

* Then add miracle vegetable, eggplant, okra, wide green beans, and the last ne is squah flowers, just turned one time cover until all vegetables are done, adjust seasoning if necessary. And serve hot.

MIRACLE VEGETABLE (bunga ng malunggay)

“MALUNGGAY” is “MORINGA OLEIFERA LAMK” a tree with edible leaves and fruits. Very intriguing isn’t it? Now, tell me Folks…….!

Malunggay, known scientifically as Moringa oleifera Lamk,
is one of the world’s most useful plants. It is used as food, effective flocculant or water treatment, antibiotic, source of oil, and coagulant for turbid waters.

It is also called mother’s best friend, and miracle vegetable by many who know malunggay’s beneficial uses. It is cultivated in all countries of the tropics. It is easy to plant and is available year-round. Malunggay’s image was even used as the official logo of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, an agency of the Department of Science and Technology.

One hundred grams or 1 cup of cooked malunggay leaves contain 3.1 g. protein, 0.6 g. fiber, 96 mg calcium, 29 mg phosphorus, 1.7 mg iron, 2,820 mg ß-carotene, 0.07 mg thiamin, 0.14 mg riboflavin, 1.1 mg niacin, and 53 mg ascorbic acid or vitamin C. The antioxidant activity of malunggay is about 71%, with µ-tocopherol (vitamin E) equivalent of 45.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 kg bunga ng malunggay
* 200 g pork meat (belly)
* 2 pcs. tomatoes
* 1 onion
* a thumb-sized ginger
* some vegetable oil
* fish sauce for seasoning (“patis”)

HOW TO…….

PINAKBET (without meat)

Ironically, I love the “ILOCANO” classic dish called “PINAKBET” not for the “bagoong” flavored sauce, but because of the wonderful mixtures of vegetables. When I learned to cook, I would make pinakbet of different vegetables including “sigarilyas” (wing bean).

YOU NEED…….

* 1/8 squash
* some wing bean (sigarilyas)
* some small eggplant or large
* 6 pcs. chillis, not hot
* 1/2 or 1 onion, sliced thinly
* some okra (about 5 to 8 pcs.)
* 4 cloves grlic, minced
* some bitter melon/gourd
* 1 tbsp. ginger
* 200 g shrimps
* 1 bunch string bean (sitaw)
* 3 tbsps. canola oil
* 2 pcs. tomatoes or 1tbsp. tomatoe paste
* Anchovy sauce (bagoong isda)

HOW TO…….

VINE SPINACH

Vine spinach, also known “ALUGBATI or ARUGBATI”, is a food item commonly found in tropical Africa and southeast Asia. It has a slight thicker, more succulent leaf than regular spinach and a more intense flavor. It is high in vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium.

Vine spinach is widely found at markets in Asia and Africa, in Europe now a days it is not difficult to find it. Because farmers are producing it also. The best place to look for this leafy green is in Asian food stores or farmers’ markets. Seasonal availability is from March to September, during winter season they don’t sell it.

Vine spinach should be dried thoroughly and loosely packed into a plastic bag or container, where it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
The leaves can be washed added directly to salads and soups, and sprinkled on seafood such as fish, clams, mussels, crab and even to mongo can be added.

Cleaning:
As with all leafy greens, vine spinach should be washed thoroughly with water or a vegetable rinse to remove all soil, sand and fertilizer residue.

Vine spinach is most commonly found in Asian, Indian and African cooking, where it is used as both a vegetable and a spice. And in Europe now a days, it is increasing in popularity due to its availability at Asian food stores and restaurants.

History:
Vine spinach is thought to originate in India or Indonesia, where it spread throughout Asia and into northern Africa. This plant loves heat and humidity, so was not introduced into American and European cooking until very recently. In Africa, the thick, moist and sticky roots of this plant are often pounded into a paste and used as a skin salve.

GINGER (LUYA)

Ah, the many uses of ginger! Garlic might be my favorite spice but I have to admit that ginger is a more versatile spice. Use it for sauteing to flavor a dish, grind it to paste to make a marinade, simmer sliced fresh ginger with water and you have ginger brew.

Ginger is a tuber which is consumed whole as a delicacy, medicine or used as spice for cooking or tea. It is the underground stem of the ginger plant, Zingiber officinale. Besides its genus, the plant family to which it belongs–Zingiberaceae–was also named after ginger. Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom and galangal.

The ginger plant has a long history of cultivation, having originated in Asia and is grown in India, Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. It is sometimes called “root ginger” to distinguish it from other things that share the name “ginger”.

CULINARY USES…….

Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added as a sweetener; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes and Chinese cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or mutton and vegetarian recipes. Ginger acts as a useful food preservative, and has been proven to kill the harmful bacteria, salmonella. Powdered dry ginger root (ginger powder) is typically used to spice gingerbread and other recipes. Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1 part ground, although the flavors of fresh and dried ginger are not exactly interchangeable.

Ginger is also made into candy, is used as a flavoring for cookies, crackers and cake, and is the main flavor in ginger ale—a sweet, carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage, as well as the similar, but spicier ginger beer which is popular in the Caribbean.

Fresh ginger should be peeled before being eaten[citation needed]. For storage, the ginger should be wrapped tightly in a towel and placed in a plastic bag, and can be kept for about three weeks in a refrigerator and up to three months in a freezer.

PUMPKIN CREAM SOUP

PUMPKIN CREAM SOUP A wonderful creamy creation of mine which has a mild aromatic flavor. Your family and your guests will love this creamy soup with a few drops of pumpkin seeds oil

YOU NEED…….

* 1/4 head of Pumpkin or 1 kg, peeled
* 250 ml heavy cream or 1 cup
* 1 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg Powder
* 2 tsps. Salt
* 1 Liter Chicken soup stock
* 1 tbsp. Pumpkin seeds oil
* 1/2 Chicken broth cube

HOW TO…….

—In a casserole, cook pumpkin, with chicken soup stock and salt to taste until tender.

—Then transfer into a blender to make it puree. Pour in casserole, add salt, nutmeg powder, heavy cream and 1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds oil, over lower heat bring to a boil while stirring continuously until done.

—Serve while hot with a few drops of pumpkin seeds oil on top. Enjoy!

SESBAN FLOWER (ensaladang bulaklak ng katuray)

Whenever I fried pork meat, kailangan palaging may partner na ensaladang gulay!
My family are used to this the way I prepare it. Kaya pag napunta sa ibang bahay at ganito ang ulam, then walang ensaladang gulay……………….lumalabas ang KATAGANG……….”MOMMY KNOWS BEST!”
Yes folks…….that’s my FAMILY!

Sesbania grandiflora (also known as “bulaklak ng katuray”) or hummingbird tree/scarlet wisteria is a small tree in the genus Sesbania. The flowers of S. grandiflora are eaten as a vegetable in Southeast Asia, like Laos, Thailand, Java in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the…….
Ilocos Region of the Philippines.

YOU NEED…….

* 500 g sesban flower (bulaklak ng katuray)
* 8 pcs. shallot (sibuyas tagalog or lasona)
* 4 pcs. tomatoes
* 4 tbsps.anchovy sauce (bagoong isda)
* 1 tbsp. olive oil
* 1 tbsp. vinegar

HOW TO…….

WATER SPINACH (kangkong adobo)

I don’t know why kangkong (water spinach) is so good with adobo; it just is. I’ve tried it with some pork because otherwise my 2 kids will not eat.
It is most commonly grown in East and Southeast Asia.

Ipomoea aquatica or KANGKONG is a semi-aquatic tropical plant grown as a leaf vegetable. Its precise natural distribution is unknown due to extensive cultivation, with the species found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

YOU NEED…….

* 2 bunches water spinach (kangkong)
* 5 cloves garlic
* 100 g pork meat (belly)
* 1/2 red or white onion sliced
* 3 tbsps. Toyomansi
* 3 tbsps. vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

“ALUPIHANG DAGAT” or literally translated as “sea centipedes,” have a similar taste and texture to prawns or other similar shellfish. I got these at NASCHMARKT, where the fish vendor is from Turkey, fresh and it cost not much a kilo. Sometimes I missed this food stuff which my mom’s one of her fave before.

Sa Pilipinas mabibili mong sariwa sa wet market at kung napapanahon ay mababa ang presyo. Kamag-anak ng hipon at sugpo.Masarap ihilabos na parang pagluto sa hipon. Sabi nila dito sa Europa ay nangagaling ito sa france at Italy. Hindi cya mabibili sa lahat na lugar kundi sasadyain lamang.

YOU NEED…….

* 1kg ALUPIHANG DAGAT
* some Salt
* some Ketchup
* Garlic Powder
* some Vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

* wash the alupihan and put in a casserole cover and cook until pink or rosa. But cook over medium heat or fire.

* then season with garlic powder and salt. Add vegetable oil and ketchup when dried already. That’s it. ENJOY!

SALMON IN COCONUT CREAM (paksiw sa gata)

One of my favorite something “pinaksiw sa gata”!
Onother way of cooking salmon aside from sour soup. I remember my mom, she used tulingan for this king of cooking, during that time (I was a little girl).

YOU NEED…….

* about 500 g salmon head
* white vinegar
* 1 onion
* 2 sili
* a thumb-sized ginger
* ground pepper
* salt
* 1 spring onion for garnishing

HOW TO…….

1.) In a casserole let the coconut cream boil for about 10 to 15 minutes.

2.) Then add ginger, onion, chilli, salmon, some salt to taste, white vinegar and some ground pepper. Cover and let it cook until fish is done. Garnish with spring onion rings and serve with rice.

HORSE MACKEREL (pinangat art)

I was craving for “pinangat” since last week. Since I have only Horse mackerel at home…..why not…with dried “KAMYAS”
Again with this recipe, remembering my late parents. Tatay and nanay love this very much. We used to have it almost 3 times a week, na hindi kami nagsasawa mapahapunan o tanghalian man. My nanay cooked this everytime na may tindang sariwang galungong (GG) ang mga tindera sa Pantaleon street form Navotas.
Noon kasi halos lahat ng nagtitinda ng isda sa Pantaleon street sa Mandaluyong noong mga panahon na iyoan ay nagaangkat ng sariwang isda na mabebenta nila from Navotas. Which is not far from Mandaluyong!

YOU NEED…….

* 6 to 8 pcs. Horse mackerel
* 1 bunch spring onion
* a thumb-sized ginger sliced
* 4 pcs. chillis, I used finger chilli (siling haba)
* 2 tbsps. sesame oil
* salt and pepper
* a handful dried “kamyas”
* some water

HOW TO…….

Please watch the Video!

STEAMED SEA BREAM (meerbrasse)

Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. Steaming is considered a healthy cooking technique and capable of cooking almost all kinds of food. Overcooking or burning food is easily avoided when steaming it. Health conscious individuals may prefer steaming to other methods which require cooking oil, resulting in lower fat content. Steaming also results in a more nutritious food than boiling because fewer nutrients are leeched away into the water, which is usually discarded.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 large sized Sea bream
* 2 cloves garlic
* a thumb-sized ginger, cut into sticks
* 2 pcs. spring onion
* half of small onion, chopped
* 2 tbsps. oyster sauce
* 1 tbsp. sesame seed oil
* salt and pepper
* aluminum foil for wrapping or banana leaves!

HOW TO…….

Please watch the Video!

***Oven 180°C for 25 minutes cooking time!

COD FISH IN RAISINS SAUCE

Cod is the common name for the genus of fish Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety of other fishes. Cod is a popular food fish with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense white flesh that flakes easily. It is also well known for being largely consumed in Portugal and the Basque Country, where it is considered a treasure of the nation’s cuisine.

YOU NEED…….

* 3 pcs. Cod fish fillet
* 2 to 4 red onions
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 2 tsps. tomatoe paste
* 1 cup raisins
* some water

HOW TO…….

BONITO ESCABECHE

Escabeche, or pickled, is the Filipino counterpart for Chinese sweet and sour dishes. Traditionally, Chinese style sweet and sour sauce is red. Escabeche, of Spanish origin or from Persian sikbag; “acid food”, refers to both a dish of poached or fried fish, and not only fish escabeche of chicken, rabbit or pork is common in Spain, that is marinated in an acidic mixture before serving, and to the marinade itself.

The dish is common in Portuguese cuisine, Panamanian cuisine, Peruvian cuisine, Puerto Rican cuisine, Mexican cuisine, and popular in both Spanish cuisine and Provençal cuisine. The dish appears as far as Asia in the Philippines with adjustments to local food staples. It is usually served cold after marinating in a refrigerator overnight (or longer). The acid in the marinade is usually vinegar but can also include citrus juice.

Escabeche is a popular presentation of canned or potted preserved fish, such as tuna, bonito or sardines. The dish is also known as “escovitch” in Jamaica, “escabecio”, “scapece” or “savoro” in Italy, “savoro” in Greece and “scabetche” in North Africa. The dish is not to be confused with an unrelated soup made from chicken, onion, and spices and served in Belize, sometimes referred to as Belizean escabeche.

Bonito may refer to:

Bonito, the name given to various species of fish of the genus sarda
Bonito flakes, flakes of the fish used in Japanese cuisine.

IN GERMAN:
Bonito steht für:

Echter Bonito, eine Art aus der Familie Makrelen und Thunfische (Scombridae)
Unechter Bonito, eine Art aus der Familie Makrelen und Thunfische (Scombridae)

YOU NEED…….

* 1 big Bonito (Tuna) fried
* 1 onion, cut lengthwise
* half a head garlic, cut lengthwise
* a tumb-sized ginger cut into sticks
* 1 carrot, cut into sticks
* 2 stalks celery, cut diagonally

FOR SAUCE SIMPLY MIX THE FOLLOWING:
* 3/4 cup Lemon juice
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup water
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca powder

HOW TO…….

1.) Fry the Bonito until a little bit crispy and golden brown.

2.) In a small saucepan, make the sauce. Mix together the kalamansi or lemon juice, sugar, salt and starch. Cook and stirring, until thick and clear.

3.) Heat a casserole or pan, pour in the olive oil and sautee onion, garlic, ginger, carrot and celery. Continue cooking by adding the sauce, stirring for about 45 seconds or until vegetables is done. Ladle the sauce and vegetables over the fried fish and serve at once.

WHITE CLAMS & MALUNGGAY

What I know CLAMS has a different art. I don’t know exactly how many of them but I know only some of them:
Like for example our very own MANILA CLAM- Also known as the “Japanese Littleneck.” The shells (valves) are more oblong than that of the Native Littleneck. Abundant just below the surface in sheltered bays and tidal flats. Varies from gray to brown, with streaking pattern radiating from the hinge common.
The BUTTER CLAM- A large thick shelled clam. Gray to white. Shells can be stained dark by iron sulfate. Prominent growth rings.
SAND CLAM- Description: A thin shelled white clam found buried 8 to 16 inches in the sands of sheltered bays and tidal flats.
The health benifits of clams according to the study of Environmental Defense Fund’s Seafood Selector…
Fish and seafood, although generally healthy to eat, are also potentially high in toxic contaminants.
Clams are surprisingly high in iron. So high, in fact, that t-bone steaks and beef liver don’t compare. A three-ounce serving of cooked clams, or about nine small clams, has about 24 milligrams of iron. Clams contain about 140 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per 100 grams about 3 1/2 ounces. Clams contain fair amounts of cholesterol. Clams have more protein than oysters and scallops, but roughly the same protein and fat content as chicken. Fish and seafood, although generally healthy to eat, are also potentially high in toxic contaminants.

YOU NEED…….

* about 500 g White Clams
* a bunch og Malunggay Leaves (can be dried Malunggay leaves)
* a thumb-sized Ginger, peeled and sliced
* 1 pc. Onion, peeled and sliced
* 1 pc. Tomatoe, slice
* some vegetable Oil
* Salt to taste
* some Water

HOW TO…….

SHRIMP with PARSLEY BUTTER and LEMON

This is just a very easy shrimp recipe with parsley and butter which I used to cooked for my son whenever I’m running out of time. My son loves shrimps not only if it is cook with soup. Preferably sauteed or cooked dry. And most of all the so called “HALABOS NA HIPON”, cooked with 7Up or Sprite with a little bit ketchup. And believe me or not my son can finish 1 kg only for himself!

YOU NEED…….

* 4 tablespoons butter
* 800 g shrimp, deveined
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
* salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO…….

—Melt butter in a casserole or pan; add shrimp.

—Simmer slowly until shrimp is tender and pink.

—Sprinkle lemon juice and parsley over shrimp and season with salt and pepper; toss lightly. And that’s it!

BANGUS TINOLA (Milkfish Stew)

TINOLA could not only for chicken or pork meat but also fish. I tried this for so many times. But it’s only for the two of us (my hubby and I). The two kids are not fun of eating BANGUS or Milk fish. They don’t like it. Anyway, I cooked this viand, and we ate it for 2 times. Meaning lunch and dinner.
I can’t complain with my dried malunggay leaves, I LOVE IT!

Tinola in Tagalog or la uya in Ilocano is a soup-based dish served as a main entrée in the Philippines. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with chicken, wedges of green papaya, and chili pepper leaves, in broth flavored with ginger, onions and fish sauce. A common variant substitutes pork for chicken, chayote instead of papaya, or moringa leaves known as marungay or malunggay, instead of pepper leaves. It is best served with fresh chicken

YOU NEED…….

* 1 whole Bangus or Milk fish, cleaned
* 2 pcs. Sayote or Chayote
* 1 1/2 thumb-sized Ginger, peeled and sliced
* 1 Onion
* 2 pcs. tomatoes
* some Malunggay leaves or Sili leaves
* some vegetable oil
* Patis or Fish sauce
* some Pepper corns, about 10 pcs.
* 2 cups of water

HOW TO…….

—Heat some vegetable oil in a casserole, saute onion, garlic, tomatoes and sayote. Season with pepper corns and patis (fish sauce) and pour some water for soup, cover and let it boil.

—Add bangus (milkfish) and malunggay leaves. Continue cooking until done over medium heat. serve while hot with rice. ENJOY!

FISH FILLET with HOISEN SAUCE

I bought Tilapia fillet last Saturday, about 5 kg. Same as usual I have to divide it in cooking portion and freeze it. That day my hubby cooked some breaded tilapia with potatoe salad. Today I decided to cook again, with hoisen sauce and sesame seeds and oil. According to chinese classic an old recipe. I toasted some sesame seeds without oil in a pan, and added towards at the end of cooking time and also drizzle alittle sesame seed oil over the fish just before serving. Here is my recipe for it you can try it.

YOU NEED…….

* 4 pcs. Tilapia fillet cut each into four parts
* 1 cup flour
* 2 to 3 tbsps. Hoisen sauce
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 1/2 cp vegetable oil for frying
* 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds and drizzle of sesame seed oil

HOW TO…….

—Dredge each piece of fish fillet in flour, shaking off the excess. While heating an oil in a frying pan.

—Deep fry in batches until a crisp crust forms. Drain on absorbent paper towels and set aside.

—In a pan add the hoisin sauce and stir to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Return the fish fillets to the pan and toss to coat each piece with the hoisin sauce.

—As soon as the fish fillets are evenly coated with the hoisin sauce, turn off the heat. Before serving add toasted sesame seeds and drizzle of sesame seed oil.

SMOKED MACKEREL FILLET OMELET!

YOU NEED…….

* 1 smoke mackerel fillet
* 4 eggs
* salt and pepper
* 2 pcs. tomatoes
* 1 onion
* 3 tbsps. vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

FISH IN SAUCE “DUGLERE” ART

DUGLERE = With tomatoes, generally applied to a white fish sauce with crushed tomatoes flowing through it.
It is the classic French dish created by Chef Adolfe Duglere (1805-1884), chef of the fashionable Café Anglais restaurant in Paris.
This is how the sauce got its name, his family name Duglere.

YOU NEED…….

* 2 pcs. sea bream (or any fish fillet will also go)
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 3 tbsps. heavy cream
* salt and fresh ground pepper
* 185 ml white wine
* 250 g tomatoes, finely chopped and without seed
* 60 g butter
* some chopped cilantro or parsely

HOW TO…….

FISH SOUP WITH GREEN TOMATOES

Home-grown tomatoes are usually the best, but if you have to buy them, look for firm ones and pay attention to the fragrance. White specks mean they have been forced to ripen with gas. If you have an abundance of good fresh tomatoes, freeze them whole. Just wash, dry, and put them in freezer bags.

They’ll retain their flavor, and once thawed the peel will slip off easily. Use them in any recipes calling for fresh tomatoes except salads.
Here I used the green tomatoes for the soup.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 fleshy fish (I used sea bream)
* 4 pcs. green tomatoes
* 4 stalks scallions
* 1 tbsp. honey
* about 3-4 cups water
* 1 tbsp. vegetable broth powder
* 1 onion
* a thumb-sized ginger, sliced
* 1 pc “siling haba”, I used the red one
* some pepper corns, I used cored ones
* some vegetable oil

HOW TO…….

TOFU-MUSHROOMS AND SMOKED MACKEREL SPRING ROLLS

I did this once before…….it’s been a long time…yesterday my daughter Didi asked me if I could do it again for the lunch. I said yes! So she had it for lunch with rice.

Where did the idea come from? A moment of boredom followed by inspiration that hit like lightning. I’m trying to introduce less meat and more vegetables into our diet and I figured that since smoked fish is already flavorful then, perhaps, I could use only half the amount than usual and substitute other protein-rich ingredients like tofu and mushrooms. So, there. That was the starting point and yesterday’s fried spring rolls were the result.
The trick with these spring rolls is to use ingredients that will not overwhelm the smoked fish whose flavors should stand out. Since mushrooms and tofu are famous for their ability to absorb the flavors of whatever food they are mixed with, they were the perfect additions. I should mention though that for the discerning palate, the texture and subtle flavor of the mushrooms was still evident. Very nice.

YOU NEED…….

* flaked meat from smoked mackerel (tinapang mackerel)
* 1 white onion, finely chopped
* 4 cloves of garlic, grated
* 6 to 8 button mushrooms, finely chopped
* 2 cubes firm tofu, finely chopped
* 1 egg, beaten
* salt and pepper
* spring roll wrappers
* about 2 c. of vegetable oil for frying

HOW TO…….

—In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the cooking oil and spring rolls. Use the mixture as filling for the spring rolls. Fry the spring rolls in hot oil until golden. Serve the spring rolls with sweet chili sauce and have a great meal.
I serve it with Mayonnaise with ketchup.

DILIS, SINANGAG! (fried dried anchovies)

Here it is Kabayan, your favorite fried dried dilis! We call it lansang/nails in Philippines. This is great for snacks, appetizer, sumsuman (eat it with alcohol) or with rice. Dip it in vinegar or eat it right away, you will like it. Once you tasted it, you can’ t stop eating more. It looks gross for those who haven’t tried dried fish but for most of us Filipinos, especially the bisayan, we love it! I like frying it with a bit of cooking oil and sugar. Fry it for only a few minutes, just enough to make it golden brown.
When was the last time you eat “sinangag na dilis”?
This is our lunch today with “nilagang baka”.

YOU NEED…….

* 1 pack dried dilis
* some oil

HOW TO…….

VERSION 1

YOU NEED…….

* 4 large potatoes, cooked and sliced
* 1 cup of grated ementaler cheese (or cheese of your choice)
* 3 tbsps. butter
* 1 small onion, roughly chopped
* 4 beaten eggs
* about 50 g bacon (of your choice)
* a bunch of chives, chopped
* salt and pepper

HOW TO…….

VERSION 2

YOU NEED…….

* 6 pcs. Beaten Eggs
* Scallions, chopped
* Bacon, sliced
* 2 pcs. medium-sized Boiled Potatoes, peeled ans sliced
* some Vegetable oil
* Salt and fresh ground Pepper

HOW TO…….