"Buko-less" Buko pandan/lychee salad

I craved for something sweet and the first thing that came into my mind is buko salad. Since I was on a very tight budget, fruit cocktail is out of the picture. So I opted to make Buko Pandan salad. We have a coconut tree but it was raining because of Glenda so getting coconut was not an option because the trunk would be very slippery it would be dangerous to get the coconuts. But since I was stingy nowadays I decided to improvise on the Buko! I went to a Save More nearby to buy my ingredients. Cream, condensed milk, gelatin, etc! When I got home, it seemed that the Bagger only put a pack of the Pandan flavored gelatin in my bag instead of 2. Arrgh! Luckily I also bought Lychee flavored gelatins so the Buko Pandan became Buko Lychee!

I used unflavored white gelatin for the mock young coconut meat. I dissolved it in half of the recommended water to make the finished gelatin very firm. I put a cup of coconut milk just before the mixture boils. The coconut milk will give the flavor to the gelatin. And is what I used instead of the real coconut meat!

Ingredients:
2 packs unflavored white gelatin, I used the brand Mr. Gulaman
2 packs Pandan or Lychee flavored gelatin
2 Nestle all-purpose cream in tetra pack, chilled
1 can condensed milk
1 cup coconut milk

Cook the gelatin according to instructions but change the amount of water in dissolving the gelatin. For the unflavored gelatin, use only half of the recommended amount of water. For the Lychee gelatin, used the recommended amount of water. Mix the coconut milk in the unflavored gelatin just before it boils then remove from heat and let it cool to set. You can add a small amount of sugar in the gelatin but remember that the cream will also be sweet, you don't want your salad to taste too sweet.

When the gelatin are set, cut the Lychee gelatin into cubes. For the coconut gelatin, use a large bore grater. Grate the gelatin and mix with the Lychee flavored.

The coconut gelatin when grated will look and taste like grated coconut meat!

Mix the all-purpose cream and condensed milk and pour on the gelatin. Mix and put more sugar if you think its not sweet enough. Chill overnight before serving.

Bangus en Tocho!

The rainy days are here and a lot of dishes are best eaten on these days. Arrozcaldo, soups, etc. One of the dishes best eaten on rainy days is Tocho. I am not sure why since it is not a soup. I don't know if it's just me but I enjoy eating it more on rainy days with garlic fried rice!

Bangus en Tocho, the recipe I have learned from my mother in law, is an old Filipino dish that has fermented bean curd (tajure) and black beans (although I didn't put black beans in this one). I never saw other fishes prepared this way but I tried galunggong before and it was good also. My mother in law also prepared beef or horse ribs this way but she called the dish "Talunan". So if you also want to try it on meat, you may do so.

Fermented bean curd can be bought in some markets but if you don't see it in one near you, you can make your own. It is very easy to prepare. Just buy a couple of small blocks of firm tofu and just marinade it in soy sauce and black bean for a week or so, turning constantly so that the whole block will ferment evenly. There are also fermented bean curds available in stores that sell Chinese products but they are prepared differently so they might taste different from the one I use so I do not recommend them.

It is important to fry the bangus pieces so that they will not be ruined when simmered. I removed the bones of the bangus since my family do not like to eat bangus with bones.

This dish tastes better when eaten 1-2 days after cooking so prepare it in advance.

Ingredients:

2 large bangus or 3 medium bangus, cut into serving sizes

2 blocks tajure, mashed

2 Tbsp ginger, minced

1 bulb garlic, sliced

1/4 cup vinegar

patis, to taste

groun black pepper

1 tsp sugar

oil for frying

Fry the bangus until the outer crust is formed. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in pan. Saute the garlic and ginger. Put the mashed tajure, pour the vinegar but do not mix. Let it boil first to cook the vinegar then add 2 cups of water and sugar. Let it boil.

Put the bangus pieces and simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust the taste by adding patis. Add ground black pepper. Remove form heat after a minute. Serve immediately or you can store it in the refrigerator and reheat after 1-2 days.

Home-made fermented bean curd

Not fully fermented yet

Garlic and ginger sliced thinly

Bangus en Tocho

Stir-fried Chicken and Tofu

The costs of meat nowadays are astronomical! To plan meals weekly is just a burden when there is the need to stick to a very tight budget. To think of ways on how to cook a dish with cheap ingredients is an acquired skill for a mother like me. The most important thing is to make the dish nutritious in spite of changing some of the ingredients. And for that reason, tofu has become a staple ingredient in almost all my dish. The downside, it can be hazardous to those who have problems in their uric acid levels.

The next recipe is inspired by Kung Pao Chicken. The spiciness distinct with Szechuan cuisine with the hint of tartness from black vinegar. Black vinegar is available in supermarkets. If you don't like spicy foods, you can skip the Szechuan pepper.

Ingredients:
1/2 kl chicken, sliced into bite size
10 block tofu (small) or 2 big blocks
100 g oyster mushrooms
100 g green beans
1 bamboo shoot, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced into squares
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp Szechuan pepper (if unavailable substitute dried pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp black vinegar
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch, dispersed in small amount of water
salt and pepper

Black vinegar

Tofu blocks

Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes and deep fry. Set aside.

Fried tofu

Slice the bamboo shoots into thin slices then cook in water with 1 tsp salt until tender. Drain and set aside.

Bamboo shoot

Outer layers of the bamboo shoot

The soft core of the bamboo shoot

Green beans

Oyster mushrooms

Fry the chicken pieces in hot oil. Make sure that all sides of the chicken pieces turn brown but do not cook them thoroughly. Remember, the chicken pieces will be cooked in the sauce.

Saute onion and garlic in the pan with 1 Tbsp of cooking oil. Put the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Add 4 cups of water. Let it boil.

Thicken the sauce with cornstarch. Stirring constantly to avoid clumps. Add all the ingredients, chicken, tofu, bamboo shoot, mushrooms, green beans and bell pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes. Since almost all ingredients are pre-cooked, there is no need to cook it longer. Green veggies retains most nutrients when not over-cooked!

Serve hot with steamed rice!

Meal wrapped in Bamboo leaves!

Chinese food has been one of the most regarded cuisines in the world. Like most cuisines, the dish may vary depending on the province in came from. My mother's family was from Fukien so most of the Chinese dishes I have eaten while growing up came from there. One of the food I constantly crave for is Ma Chang, a dimsum with sticky rice and meat wrapped in bamboo leaves.

It can be wrapped with banana leaves if you cannot find bamboo leaves but it will not smell the same. The dried bamboo leaves impart a distinct flavor to the sticky rice. It can be bought from grocery stores in Chunatown.

I used pork in this recipe but you can also use chicken. Another indispensable ingredient is the black mushroom. So don't ever skip that if you already skipped the bamboo leaves. This recipe is enough to make at least 10 pieces of medium size Ma Chang.

Ingredients:

1 kl pork with fat, cut into bite size

5 pcs black mushrooms (big), soaked in hot water, overnight

1 kl sticky rice or glutinous rice, soaked in water for 2 hours

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup dark soy sauce

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

black pepper

Saute the onion and garlic in oil. Put the pork and brown all sides. Pour the soy sauce and add water to cover the meat. Put the sliced black mushrooms next. Cook until tender.

Remove the pork into a separate container. Set aside. Use the sauce to cook the sticky rice.

Pour the uncooked sticky rice in the pot of sauce. And cook until the liquid is gone.

Soak the dried leaves for a couple of hours to make them flexible again.

Get 2-3 leaves and make a funnel. Put enough rice and a couple of pieces of meat and mushrooms. Fold the leaves to close it. Use white strings to secure the triangle.

Steam the Ma Chang for 45 minutes.

Serve hot and eat with catsup! (I know it's weird but it does taste good with it!)

You can store the Ma Chang in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Just steam it again to reheat.

Fish and Corn soup!

A lot of people are very familiar with "Crab and Corn soup". Perhaps because of the catchy tune that accompanied the TV commercial of the Knorr instant soup mix with the same name, the one with "Just add one egg"! Although the instant soup mix is very easy to prepare, it does not have a lot of meat in it. Just full of artificial flavors packed in it. Even the crab is not real. FYI: Crabsticks are not made from crabs but from fish.

Having said that, I have made crab and corn soup, countless times, not from the the instant soup mix. And then I thought, why not make it with fish instead of crabsticks? I cooked a somewhat similar dish before called Fish and Corn but it was not a soup. By adding more water, it can turn into soup. And since my husband loves misua, I also added a few in it.

Ingredients:

1 pack frozen Cream Dory fillets, more or less a kilo

1 can of corn kernels

1 egg, beaten

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bouillon, fish

misua, the quantity may depend on you

cornstarch

salt and white pepper

Cut the fish fillets into bite size and dredge in cornstarch. Deep fry until the breading is cooked. The fish fillets may not look like they were cooked thoroughly but don't worry they will cook in the soup.

Saute the onion and garlic in the pot. Put about 2 liters of water and let it boil. Put the bouillon in the pot. Next, put the egg and stir to disperse it in the soup. Put the misua in the soup. Mix 2-3 Tbsp of cornstarch and enough water to disperse it. Carefully pour the cornstarch mixture in the soup while stirring constantly. Put the fried fish fillets and the corn in the pot. Add sufficient water to the soup. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot!

Laksa: Pinoy style!

My father was an enthusiastic cook! He loved to try out different recipes whenever he learned of a new one. One dish he often cooked was Laksa because it is a very easy dish to make and he used to cook it without meat (he was a vegan). It is a soup common in Southeast Asian countries. You may become confused because this recipe is different from the Laksa from Singapore, Malaysia, etc. (If you will search in the net for it).This recipe does not have the curry flavor in it because we do not have it here traditionally. This dish can be found in Laguna, Quezon and Bicol, I think. It is very nutritious, because of fiber and other nutrients, but also high in fat content. But nonetheless, it is very satisfying for those who love coconut milk.

Ingredients:

1 Puso ng Saging (Banana blossom, whole heart)

250g bean thread (sotanghon)

3 cups coconut milk

250g small shrimps

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

patis

ground black pepper

Cut the banana heart into strips. In a container, put the sliced banana heart and put 1/4 cup of rock salt. Mix and let stand for 30 mins. Rinse the banana heart with water, twice. This is to remove the sap from the heart. Squeeze hard remove excess water.

Saute onion and garlic in a pot with 1 Tbsp of cooking oil. Put the sliced banana heart and the coconut milk.

Add the shrimps and let it boil until the shrimps are cooked. Remember, shrimps cook easily.

In a separate pan, cook the bean threads. I did this because I don't like my soup to disappear when cooking the noodles. The downside of cooking dried noodles is they absorb most of the liquid.

Put the noodles in the pot and let it boil. Put patis and black pepper to taste. Remove from heat the moment it boils. Serve hot!

Hamonado

We, Filipinos, have sweet tooth. The fact that we have so many desserts proves that we love sweet treats. Even some of our main dishes have a hint of sweetness. Take for example the "Hamonado".

Hamonado can be made with any kind of meat. Chicken, pork, beef, turkey, etc. It is very simple to make and the taste can be compared to HAM, where it was named after. I love the rich flavor combined with the sweetness of the sauce. Today, I made Chicken Hamonado. 

Ingredients:

1 kl. Chicken, chopped into serving sizes

250mL Pineapple juice

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 onion

2 cloves garlic, more if you want

patis

ground black pepper

Marinade the chicken with patis, about 1/4 c. Let it stand for half an hour. Meanwhile, chop the onion and garlic.

In a shallow pan, heat 1 Tbsp. of cooking oil. Saute the onion and garlic. Put the marinated chicken and pour the juice next. Let it boil until the chicken is cooked and the juice has been reduced. Put more patis, sugar and black pepper to adjust the taste. Serve!

Note: If you are going to use pork or other meat, make sure that the meat is tender before serving.