Manila Ocean Park

A visit to the Manila Ocean Park made me think of how these wonderful specimens would taste! :) Just looking at the size of the Spider Crab made me think of Chili Crabs! I stood there for quite a while admiring the size of the crab and thinking if it can be bought in the markets and if i had a pan that was big enough. These crabs are apparently limited to the seas around Japan and can grow to as long as 3 meters with the claws.
If the spider crab caught my attention for a while, the Giant Grouper made me stare in awe. It must be around 5 feet in length and 2 feet across. As I've read about, it can even grow up to 9 feet! Wow! Now, that's a lot of fish! Think of this being served whole just like lechon! There are several at the Manila Ocean Park and they probably weigh around 300 kilos each! From a foodie standpoint, that's good for month in our household and many grouper recipes. I enjoyed that trip because of the many interesting species and of course the imagining of the many possibilities of those two wonderful specimens!

Fried Fiesta Platter

Have you ever ordered a huge platter of appetizers? The one above can serve as an hors d'oeuvre platter or as a main course for someone very hungry. For us, it fed four people. And after dinner, four happily fed people. :) It's a combination of fried dory fillets, calamari, french fries, salad greens with chicken nuggets with poppy seed vinaigrette topped with fried crunchy parsley. The batter is just lightly seasoned flour in cold water. Fry in very hot oil till golden brown and delicious!

Steamed Dory in Sesame & Soy Sauce

I can't seem to get enough of this fish. I usually have it fried into crispy crunchy fish fingers but this time was different but with the same delicious results.

The sauce and procedure is the same as the Steamed Soy Lapu-Lapu. This just cooks much quicker and is easier to eat. ;)

Grilled Chicken Breasts

I created a meal with each of us having a grilled chicken breast with different flavors. The marinades i used were a (1)soy sauce, ginger, garlic & sesame marinade, (2)a lemon, honey and soy sauce marinade and (3)a soy sauce, lemongrass, tarragon, garlic marinade. Served with boiled carrots and blanched asparagus with a little garlic butter. This was purely experimental and though all were tasty, number 1 was a bit too salty and I'm not really sure which i like better between 2 & 3. This was also done quite in a hurry so I think it has a lot of room for improvement.

Baked Macaroni

This is similar to my Baked Spiral Pasta w/ Pepperoni & Salami except for the cheese topping which was taken from the recipe of Connie from Pinoycook. The new cheese topping makes all the difference. I followed the recipe but my portions were larger as this really had a thick cheese topping! Yum!
I just keep topping everything with pepperoni!

Chicken Rice

This is based on a dish i saw while watching Tablescapes: Life On A Plate on the Asian Food Channel. I wasn't able to list down the ingredients and the recipe isn't at the website but i think i got the idea since i liked the outcome. :)

To do this, render some fat from the chicken skin on a non stick pan on low fire. After a few minutes a good amount of chicken fat should be present. Saute the garlic, shallots and ginger followed by the ham, Chinese sausage and chicken. Season w/ salt and pepper. When the chicken is cooked, add the mushrooms and leeks. Add about 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsps of oyster sauce and a tsp of sesame oil. (Adjust according to taste).
For the rice i added about a cup of rice, which i think is too much. Maybe half a cup will do. Cover with broth. I used a combination of chicken and ham bones for the broth. Just fill the pot as if you were cooking rice. Cover and cook till the rice is done. Always check if the rice is done and if there is enough broth. In the episode, this was finished by placing the pot in an oven and letting it cook from there. I didn't do this part but will try it someday. My rice turned out delicious, lots of flavors and goes well on its own (a bit mushy though). Next time I'll adjust the rice and broth and will probably use the oven. :)

Oriental Sashimi

I love sashimi! I enjoy eating this raw dish anytime and really never get tired of it. I've even tried beef sashimi, and it was good! This version which my cousin calls Oriental Sashimi is different from the usual since it uses birds eye chilies instead of wasabi. It also has sesame oil added to the soy sauce and spring onions. Wasabi of course offers a unique kind of sensation that can't be replaced by chilies, however i think it is a tasty alternative. I'd enjoy having sashimi this way anytime but having it the original way is always welcome too.

Bulalo Steak (Beef Shank)

Tender beef shanks, delicious marrow and yummy gravy together with toasted garlic….. I have to say, this is one of the dishes that I cooked that I really savored eating! I’ve had this several times when eating out, and this is usually served on a sizzling plate but I misplaced mine. I’ve been itching to do this for so long and I’m glad that I finally got to do it with amazing results. I started by choosing a big piece of shank, I only bought one because this was still at the experiment stage and didn’t want to waste it just in case things didn’t turn out well.
To make sure this was tender, I simmered this for 2 hours together with some peppercorns, salt, an onion, garlic and spring onions. Once tender, I lightly fried it in butter. I just wanted to brown it a bit on each side. To make the gravy, I mixed butter and flour in the same pan and added the broth from where the shank was cooked. Carefully add the broth to get the right consistency for the gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the gravy over the shank and top with toasted garlic and chopped spring onions. Enjoy!
That marrow is calling you! :)

Pancit Canton & Fried Parmesan Dory

Noodles, a definite favorite in our household. Pancit Canton is basically one of the many stir fried noodle dishes that are very popular during gatherings. I’ve cooked this several times and many times I rarely stuck to the same recipe. I think there is just so many ways of cooking this with several ingredients you can add, so I guess I’ll try as much of the other variations as I can. For this variation, I just used ingredients that came to mind when I was in the grocery while thinking of the many types of Pancit I have eaten.

½ kilo chicken thighs (cut into ¼ inch)
200 grams chicken livers (coarsely chopped)
1 large carrot (julienned)
1 medium cabbage (coarsely chopped)
1 small can sliced button mushrooms
15 pieces shrimps (deshelled)
5 garlic cloves (minced)
1 large onion (minced)
Cilantro (chopped)
Oyster Sauce (3/4 cup)
Soy Sauce (1/2 cup)
Chicken broth (4 to 5 cups)
Sesame oil (1-2 tablespoons)
Egg noodles (Pancit)

Sauté the garlic and onions then followed by the chicken, livers, mushrooms and carrots. Add some salt and pepper. Let this cook until the chicken is done, then add the shrimps. Stir fry all of this then add the oyster sauce and soy sauce. After about 5 minutes, add about 200-300 grams of noodles. Add enough stock or water to make sure it does not dry up. The noodles will absorb a lot of the liquids so just add enough to make sure the dish does not turn out dry. Mix this thoroughly to make sure the noodles on top get to absorb the flavor as well. Once cooked, add some sesame oil and chopped cilantro.

The accompanying dish is a deep fried Creamy Dory fillet. Seasoned with salt and pepper and dipped in egg and coated with Japanese bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese. Light and crunchy, it’s a good match with the noodles!

Spicy Pork w/ Coconut Milk

This is a dish I picked up from a stall I sometime get my lunch from. I don’t think this is exactly how they cook it but the concept is the same. From the results, mine is just a bit saltier and the sauce is thick, but both taste pretty good. I also used thinner cuts as opposed to theirs and I used pork while theirs was beef. In any case, I think this dish can be created and taste the same with either pork or beef.
Since I used thinner cuts the cooking time is much less as compared to using thick cuts. I was done cooking in about 30 minutes. I just sautéed some minced garlic and onions followed by the pork sukiyaki cuts (1/2 kilo). Add some chili of your choice depending on how hot you want this dish. I used 2 finger chilis without the seeds. This was followed by ¼ cup of soy sauce, though I think I’ll use less next time. Let it cook for about 15 minutes then add the coconut milk, give it a stir and leave it for another 10 minutes for the flavors to develop.

Pork Steak

This is a Bistek recipe (assimilated from Beef Steak), except that i used pork sukiyaki cuts. Calling it Pokstek doesn't sound so appealing, so 'll leave it at Pork Steak. Just like Bistek, this is marinated and cooked in soy sauce and calamansi. I also add some freshly cracked black pepper and a teaspoon of sugar. With the Olympics ongoing, i just added an Olympic twist to this dish.

I find using sukiyaki cuts in this dish better than the usual sirloin cuts. I just used 250 grams of the pork sukiyaki cuts to make this, the other 250 grams coming up next.

Lumpiang Bangus (Milk Fish Spring Rolls)

There's this stall in Tiendesitas that sells frozen packs of Milk Fish Spring Rolls, and at 40 pieces for P100, i think that's worth it. Of course, if it didn't taste good, i wouldn't even mention it here. I've been there several times but can't seem to recall the name of the stall. I'll update this once i go there again. If you've ever tried deboning a milk fish, you'd know that this isn't easy to make. At 2.50 a piece, I'd rather buy this.

I eat this with sweet chili sauce. Yum!

Chicken Tinola

This was supposed to be my first entry for Lasang Pinoy Sundays when it featured soup. This was actually my second soup dish that i cooked, the first one was an experiment that didn't turn out well. So, to be sure, i went with something familiar and delicious. You can hardly go wrong with this since all it requires is sauteing some garlic, ginger and onions then adding the chicken and enough water to cover the chicken. Cover the pan and peel and cut some green papayas lengthwise or slice them 2 inches in length (Seeds discarded). You can have this longer, it's just that i prefer it that way. Wash a generous bunch of chili leaves, and remove them from the stalks. About half an hour later, add the green papayas and let them cook till soft. Season this with salt and pepper or fish sauce if you like. Before serving, add the chili leaves, give it a stir and leave it for about 5 minutes. In our home, we use fish sauce with or without chili peppers or soy sauce as a dipping sauces. Good meal. Good soup.

Pork Chops in Ketchup & Soy Sauce

Pork chops....so many ways of having it done. I'm planning on taking on the many versions. Most of the people i know, eat this the traditional way of it being seasoned with salt and pepper then fried. Dipped in vinegar and garlic or with gravy..it's good eats. I usually have my pork chops coated in bread crumbs, with or without herbs then deep fried. My wife introduced this version to me. I just suddenly had this version in my lunch box one day and I've enjoyed it ever since. It's also simple to make as i later found out. All this requires is a marinade of ketchup, calamansi, soy sauce and some water. Cook this in the marinade till tender and that's it. This was taken by my office window just before lunch.

Yummy Picadillo

This one dish that is quick and easy to do. There are many variations using more than just carrots and potatoes and i think they also taste good. I prefer the simple version though, just ground meat or in this case ground chicken, potatoes and carrots. The eggs i added because i think it goes well with it. Ground pork is usually used for this, but i prefer the flavor of ground chicken. All this needs is minced garlic, a chopped onion, ground meat (chicken, pork or beef), carrots and potatoes, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Saute the garlic, followed by the onions then the ground chicken, season with S&P and let it cook till no longer pink. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 pack of tomato sauce. Add some sugar if you like it a bit sweet. Boil some eggs and serve it with the Picadillo. Goes well with rice or bread or just as is!

Stir Fried Chicken

I have always been apprehensive about stir frying chicken without any dark sauce or tomato sauce. My few attempts in the past always ended up lacking any flavor or having a flavor i didn't like. With my previous blunders in mind, i used a fusion of ingredients to make sure i do not fall short in the flavor category. The way i usually cook, is i rarely taste what i cook till near the end, way past the point of no return, i just smell it as i cook. I know it's a bad practice which could lead to disaster, but so far any disasters have been minimal and still edible. ;)

With this i used garlic (lots), ginger (about a thumb), lemongrass 4 inner cores, 1 red bell pepper, 1 finger chili, chopped onion leeks (1/2 inch), chopped celery (1/2 inch + leaves), coarsely chopped coriander and basil, 1 tbsp sea salt, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, cracked black pepper and 1 tsp of sugar. I marinated the chicken fillets (1/2 kilo) in salt, pepper, Chinese cooking wine, 2 egg whites and a tablespoon or cornstarch and left it for 1/2 hour before cooking.

I made this by sauteing the garlic and ginger till fragrant, then added the bell peppers and lemongrass followed by the chicken. At this point i added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Let this cook till the chicken is no longer pink. Add salt, pepper, sugar and fish sauce. Moving on, i added the celery (leaves and stalks), coriander and basil. The finger chili was added in the end just to add a little bite. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes till the flavors really blend together. If this gets dry just add a little more water, i don't like my stir fries to be dry. The verdict? It tastes like a Thai, Chinese and Filipino dish. The dish called on the memory of my taste buds. The chicken was tender and carried lots of flavor, a total turn around from my previous attempts. One thing i wanted to do was to add mushrooms, but i was disappointed with quality i had so i skipped it. There will definitely be next time for this.

Calling this Stir Fried Chicken because it was "stir fried" is probably too overused. I am terrible in making up names, so i guess the best i can do is Peter's-Pan Stir Fried Chicken. :)

Chili Wraps

We had a party last night for a friend that was getting married. Congratulations Mady! I volunteered to make Chicken Salpicao while the Chili Wraps was a dish prepared by my other friend Michelle, I just assisted in the frying and buying the ingredients. To make this, i bought about 300 grams of long green peppers/finger chilies or locally known as siling haba. That was about 30 pieces. I also bought cheese, ham and small spring roll wrappers. Remove the seeds by making a slit lengthwise on one side of the pepper. Wash this in water and let it drip for a while. Once dry, place slices of ham and cheese inside, then wrap in spring roll wrappers. Fry till golden brown.

When handling spicy peppers, never make the mistake of touching your face and always wash your hands well after. For those not fond of spicy food, this will probably still be too hot. For those that love spicy food, it might be too mild. For me, it's spicy, but not too hot. It just lingers enough, waiting to be quenched by a sip of cold beer or a spoonful of rice.

Must Be Mom's

I’m going to classify newly found food as Foodie Finds from now on. Okay, so I didn’t exactly find this since this was brought by my cousin. (Thanks Cris). But then, again, I didn’t know she brought something last Sunday till I found it in the fridge. So I guess I still “found” it. ;) My wife got hungry around 9pm so I went down to get her some soup that I made . I then noticed this half empty box of small ensaymadas. I took one piece and even if it was cold, it really tasted well, so I had another piece. I also got 2 pieces, heated them in the microwave and brought it up together with the soup. My wife enjoyed them as well. It’s a fluffy light ensaymada topped with what seemed like melted yema and cheese.
Apart from the Parmesan Ensaymada of Tender Trap, this is one that i really like and would consider a good gift for friends and a favorite snack.

CAV - Wine Shop - Cafe

We had dinner at Silk at Serendra a few weeks ago and my friends suggested we go to CAV along Bonifacio High Street. CAV happens to be a wine bar. I am not a wine drinker, though I enjoy a couple every now and then, but most of the time I stick to cold beers, vodka or gin cocktails. That being said, apart from knowing that red goes with meat and white goes with fish or chicken, I knew very little.
When you enter CAV, you’ll immediately be faced with a row of wines that are ready to be sampled. They’ll give a card which is good per person or for your entire group. All you need to do is insert that card in a slot in the section of your preferred wine and choose whether you want a taste, which is about 20ml, half glass or a full glass. You select your choice as you would with a vendo machine. The prices here vary from P35 for a taste to a couple hundred. Just by tasting, you could easily rack up P1000 in you card!

I'm not sure if this is the same as the CAV wine bar in San Francisco, but it is a very interesting concept of serving wine. If you’re interested in sampling wines and don’t know where to start, this would be a nice place to go to.

Chicken with Pork & Beans

This is a quick meal to do and we've been having this way back before i learned to cook. I remember my used to use chicken feet for this dish, and it was delicious. Nowadays, we've switched to using chicken wings instead. I cooked this Sunday, and the photo above was all that was left for my lunch at the office.

To do this, just saute about a teaspoon of minced garlic in oil, add one chopped onion, then one chopped carrot, 1 chopped tomato, then the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and a tablespoon of soy sauce and continue to mix till it changes color. Add enough water to cover the chicken and let it cook till the meat is tender enough that it almost falls of the bone. Add 1 large can of Pork & Beans and 1 beaten egg. The addition of carrots, tomato and eggs is something i just thought of but originally we didn't use it. As i said, the photo above was all that was left... i guess they liked it. ;)