I’m featuring the Paella today because my sister’s friend was kind enough to cook this for my mom’s birthday lunch.

Flickr Image: avlxyz

(I have the photo, Tom, the previous editor of Noodles and Rice, had the recipe.)

I miss Paella! It’s a shame that Spanish is just as unpopular as Filipino cooking is, here in Christchurch.

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Signature Saturdays: PAELLA

To my fellow overseas Pinoys, here’s a treat to keep the homesickness at bay. For the others, a breakfast/lunch/dinner suggestion, if you may.

While the marinade does its job,

why don’t you fry up some leftover rice and sunny-side up egg to complete your ToSiLog (Tocino-Sinangag-Itlog) ensemble!

Happy cooking!

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Meat-lovin’ Mondays: DIY Tocino

Ingredients:

1 large fish
1 large onion
2 large green and red sweet pepper, cut into strips
5 tbsps soy sauce
5 tbsps vinegar
4 tbsps brown sugar
2 tbsps cornstarch
vetsin to taste
pinch of black pepper, pounded

Directions:

1. Clean and fry fish and set aside. Fry garlic, onions, and sweet pepper.
2. Make a medium thick gravy from the mixture of water, vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Add the fried garlic, onions and sweet pepper, and boil for 3 minutes. Season with vetsin.
3. Place the fish on a platter, pour the gravy over it and garnish with onions and parsley. Serve hot.

Good for 6 to 8 persons.

Happy cooking!

Source: Philippine Fiesta Recipes
by Leonarda R Belmonte and Perla B Del Mundo

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Seafood Sundays: Fish Escabeche Macao

Thanks for participating in my mini-survey. Please do tell where in the world you are, thru the Comments field below. It’s gonna be a thrill to know if there’s anybody else out there, suffering (haha!), like us here.

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Feedback Fridays: Anybody else out there?

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large onion, chopped
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 kg chicken, cut into serving pieces
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 lemon, squeezed
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 large red or green sweet bell pepper (or capsicum), chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions:

1. Saute garlic in oil until golden brown. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the tomatoes and mash. Stir well.
2. Add the chicken and mix well with the prior ingredients. Add soy sauce and lemon juice. Stir.
3. Add the tomato sauce and 1 cup water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Continue adding water until the chicken becomes tender.
4. Add the chopped pepper and potatoes. Let it boil then simmer for 10 more minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
5. Taste to check if it is salty enough. Otherwise, add in a spoonful or so of fish sauce. Mix well. Serve hot.

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Chicken Tuesdays: Chicken Afritada

Unfortunately, living away from home forces you to DIY — from chores to errands to baby-sitting to food! Thanks to Manang, I discovered how to make my own. I didn’t actually make Taho from scratch. It’s more like a discovery of its whereabouts.

As for the sweet sugar-y syrup, my mom surprisingly knows how to make arnibal. She caramelised brown sugar in a pot then poured 1 cup of water until the sugar is dissolved.

As for the chunky, chewy sago, all you need to do is boil the tapioca pearls for 5 minutes or until they float to the surface and become crystal-like in appearance. Drain in cold running water.

and presto!

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Taho, a streetfood fave

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsps fresh coriander roots or stems
2 lemongrass stalks, tender midsection only, finely minced
2 tbsps oyster sauce
2 tbsps light soy sauce
2 tsps sugar
1 1/2 tsps Asian sesame oil
750 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4cm pieces
36 pandan leaves, each about 12 inches long by 2 inches wide
peanut oil or corn oil for deep-frying
Sriracha sauce (Named for the seaside Thai town in which it originated, this bottled, hot or mild, sweet-tart all-purpose sauce is made from red chiles and resembles a light-coloured ketchup)

Directions:

1. In a mortar, pound the peppercorns to a coarse powder. Add the garlic, coriander roots or stems, and lemongrass and pound together to form a coarse paste. Scrape into a bowl and add the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix together and add the chicken. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. To make the chicken bundles, lay a pandan leaf on a work surface. Make a mound of chicken about 4cm high (using 1 or 2 pieces of chicken) about 4 inches from the stem end of the leaf. The idea is to tie the leaf into a knot that encloses the chicken. Bring up the ends, then pull the long end over and around to cover the front of the chicken pieces. Tuck the end under and up to meet at the top with the stem end. Tug a bit to enclose the chicken securely in the tiny bundle.

3. Pour the peanut oil or corn oil to a depth of 2 inches in a deep, heavy frying pan and heat to 180 degrees Celsius on a deep-frying thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken bundles and fry until the meat is firm and cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the bundles to paper towels to drain.

4. Arrange the chicken bundles on a platter. Serve immediately with Sriracha sauce for dipping. To eat, unwrap the leaves and discard them.

* Makes about 3 dozen pieces; serves 6-8

Happy cooking!

Source: Savouring Southeast Asia
by Joyce Jue

(photo to follow)

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Signature Saturdays: Chicken Pandan

After watching the last full show with my mom, we both left the cinema having the same sentiments. It was moving and heart-rending. My impression of India went beyond the overcrowded trains, the way I’ve always viewed it on the Amazing Race. Growing up in a third-world country, the film made me realise how India is far from different to the Philippines’ pitiful state. Actually, throughout most of the scenes in the movie, my mom would nudge and whisper to me “Parang sa ‘Pinas din” (Translation: “Similar to the Philippines”).

Hence, in celebration of the movie’s award-winning success, I treated myself today to some Indian fair: Butter Chicken with rice and Naan bread. Yum!

How about you? Did you like it too? The movie and/or the butter chicken?

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Feedback Fridays: Like it or not?

This makes for a good gift idea! Don’t you think? Or a DIY marvel! Customise the herbs you want in your pot. But if I were you, I would suggest putting name tags. I can easily confuse one herb for the other.

Image credit: www.harryanddavid.com

Post from: Blisstree

From garden to kitchen

Here’s a tasty, homemade twist to the canned kind. My picky 1-year old liked it and so will you!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup glutinous rice
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 can whole kernel corn or 2 cobs of fresh corn, scraped
2 cans coconut milk

Directions:

1. Combine glutinous rice, water and sugar in a deep sauce pan and keep to a boil.
2. After 5 minutes of boiling, add the coconut milk and corn stir well. If rice is tender and soup becomes thick, put off stove. Add a little water if it becomes too thick. Serve hot.

Ahh.. nothing beats a taste of home. Definitely brought back memories of my childhood days, aww.. =) My sincerest thanks go out to my Mom for this lip-smacking recipe! Keep those delicious food ideas coming!

Happy cooking!

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Ginataang Mais (Coconut Cream Style Corn)