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Seafood and Veggies Tempura

A Japanese dish consisting of battered and deep fried seafood and vegetables which is a family favourite aside from the famed sushi rolls.

Biko with a Twist

A Filipino sweet rice delicacy with an added twist -- leche flan on top instead of the usual caramel

Sweet and Sour Pork

A nice blend of sour and sweet to a marinated pork cubes will surely make you crave for more... a delish you can not say no!

Szechuan Beef Stir Fry

A no non-sense beef dish with 7 flavours present -- sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic and salty

Turbo Roast Chicken in Soy, Lemon and Herbs

A recent favourite of my foodblog followers...the mixture of various herbs, lemon and soy makes this dish a great treat for no fuss cooks and eaters

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Pinoy Pork Menudo

Normally I use beef in Menudo but this time I decided to use pork for a change.  I remember when we I was still in High School, Menudo is one of the best seller of the small canteen across the then Sun Theatre in Hagonoy.  It was operated by my classmate's cousin.  Both students from the boys' school and the girls' school would always go there for lunch or hang-out just before they go home in the afternoon after eating saba con yelo.

Well anyway, I've found out that this dish is a traditional Mexican soup made from beef tripe or twalya in Tagalog.  This dish has also served as a means for  social interaction where the members of the family or neighbors participate in preparing and cooking Menudo.  Since the Philippines has been under the rule of the Spanish conquistadores for such a long time thru the Spanish Viceroy in Mexico plus the fact that the Philippines participated then with the Galleon Trade which basically a trade between the two countries.  This could be the reason why the dish reached the Philippines. 

In my growing up years, there was not a time when I did not see Menudo in a dining table in any Filipino celebration.  The Filipinos thru the years though has modified this dish to suit their palate and their pockets so to speak.

Ingredients
1/2 k pork cubes
1/4 k beef liver
1 juice of lemon
1/4 c vinegar
1/3 c soy sauce
2 pcs bay leaves
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 capcicum, diced
1/2 c chickpeas
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed
1 tsp paprika
1 reno liver spread
4  tomatoes, chopped (very small)
1/2 c raisins
3 hotdogs, sliced diagonally
1/2 c tomato sauce
1 beef cube
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Marinate pork with soy sauce, vinegar and lemon juice for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, fry the potatoes and carrots just until a bit brown.  Set aside.
Sear the pork.  Set aside.
Sautee onions, garlic and tomatoes.  Wait until the tomatoes get really cooked.
Put in the pork.  Stir.
Add in the veggies. Stir.
Pour in a cup of water.  Boil.
Add everything onto the wok.  Simmer.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Yummy Churros

I remember eating churros in Miriam College Grade School on one school fair.  The churros were put in paper cups and drizzled with  chocolate dip.  They're quite yummy but a bit pricey though. 

Churros are long pastry dough that are deep fried.  Two countries claim for this pastry's origin -  Spain and Portugal.  One story said that originally the Portuguese got this dough recipe from China but did not actually learned the Chinese's art of pulling the dough so instead they started using a star - shaped nozzle.  For the rest of the story you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churro.
One interesting note too, during that time, it was considered a big crime if a Chinese shares knowledge with foreigners.

Anyway, I tried making churros this time after watching Nigella Lawson's interview at Sunday Night at 7.  I remember that I saw her making churros once before in her show.  I tried to remember how she made them and hopefully I did justice.  According to my taste testers -- hubby and kids, I reall did well and the churros were quite yummy.

I just found it a bit difficult though piping out the pastry dough so next time I would probably try the Chinese way of pulling the dough our make a pretzel shape churros.

Ingredients
Churros
1/2 c self raising flour
1/2 c plain flour
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c boiling water

sugar - cinnamon mixture (1/3 c caster sugar + 2 tbsp cinnamon powder) -- set aside

sunflower oil - for frying

chocolate dip sauce

Procedure
Sift the two flours together in a flour. 
Add the salt.
Make a well and pour in the water and oil.
Mix with a fork until the dough is free from lumps.
Set aside for at least 5-10 minutes.
Place the dough in a piping bag w/ a star nozzle.
Pipe out the dough and cut with scissors according the lenght you like and deep fry in a pot half-filled with boiling oil.
Roll the churros ontot he cinnamon sugar mixture.
Dip in a hot chocolate dip sauce.


A comment or two will be appreciated...

Easy to Make Chocolate Dip

Ingredients
300 g chocolate chips
1 c heavy cream

Procedure
Melt the chocolates together with the cream in a double boiler.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

My Baked Macaroni Experiment

Baked macaroni is just so lovely!  It's my husband's first taste of it and he certainly loved it so I might have to bake this again sometime. 

A little bit of trivia --- I didn't know that there's a legend that Marco Polo found this macaroni in China and brought it to Europe!  but then again, it's just a legend...if you want to read more about it and some macaroni info, you can go to this http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/food/entries/display.php/id/50/


Ingredients
500 g elbow macaroni (cooked according to package instruction)
1 c grated cheese
1 tin tomato sauce
1 tin whole tomatoes w/ sauce
1/2 k lean minced beef
6 pcs hotdogs, sliced diagonally
100 g bacon pieces
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp sugar
1 large onions, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 red capcicum, chopped
1 carron, cut into little cubes
1 1/2 c beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Sautee onions, garlic and capcicum.
Add in the minced beef.  Just before it gets cooked add in the hotdogs and bacon.
Add in carrots.
Put in the seasonings and herbs.  Stir well.
Pour in the tomato sauces and the beef broth.
Simmer until thick.

Pour into the pasta (large baking dish) and mix well.
Top w/ bechamel sauce and grated cheese.
Cover the dish w/ foil.
Bake in a 200C preheated oven for 1 hour or until the top turns a little brown.  (Remove foil just 10 minutes before the baking time is over)

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Easy Bechamel Sauce

I thought making bechamel sauce would be a big job but it was not as difficult as I thought it would be.  Most recipes don't usually ask you to add salt and pepper but I'd rather add these things so that the sauce would have more flavour in it.

Bechamel is actually white sauce and it is said to be the mother of all sauces in French Cuisine and is used in Italian recipes.  It was named after "marquis de Bechamel"  who was a financier and held the title of chief steward to Louix XIV(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9chamel_sauce). 

Ingredients
4 c fresh milk
1/3 c plain flour
40 g butter
1/2 c grated cheese (cheddar or parmesan)
a pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Mix milk and plain flour in a bowl.
Melt butter in a non stick pot.
Put the fire on low.
Pour the milk-flour mixture onto the pot.
Continue mixing.
Add salt and pepper.
Remove from fire when it is thick.
Mix in nutmeg and cheese.
Pour on top of your pasta.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Monday, August 27, 2012

Fried Squid w/ Onions and Tomatoes and Herbs

One of my favorites that I would always love to eat.  We always do this in Sagrada when we were still there.  This time I just made a little twist to it and add more herbs to make it more yummy.  The result is such amazing taste.  Try it for yourself.

Ingredients
4 large squid (insides cleaned)
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Mix all the ingredients except squid in a bowl.
Divide into 4.
Insert the mixture into the squids.
Seal with a toothpick.
Deep fry until cooked. ( Make sure that you don't overcooked since squids tend to get a bit chewy when too much cooked)

A comment or two will be appreciated...

The Ever Fudgy Chocolate Carrot Cake w/ Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

 
One excuse to eat chocolate cakes is to add carrots!  My daughters love carrots so everytime I cook something for them, I would always make sure as much as it can possibly done, to add carrots to it.  Carrots.  I am happy that they can get lots of nutrients from eating the carrots.

I was reading an article last night about carrots and I've realized that eating them has so many benefits.  If you are interested in reading this just go to http://carrotmuseum.co.uk/nutrition2.html

Anyways, you can bake this yummy cake anytime you want and get adventurous with your toppings.  You can even get your little ones to help you with it.  Just that I did not ask my girls to help me out or we won't be able to finish decorating because the girls will feast on it.

Ingredients
1 c plain flour
1/2 c cocoa powder (cadbury)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c canola or vegetable oil
1 1/2 c grated carrots
1 c chocolate chips

Procedure
Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl (except sugar).  Mix well and set aside.
Beat eggs until pale.
Add in Sugar and vanilla.
Pour in the oil.
Continue mixing while adding the dry ingredients in batches.  Mix well.
Pour half of the batter into a lightly greased springform pan.
Scatter the chocolate chips on top of the batter.
Cover them with the remaining half of the batter.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.
Cool in a rack.
Spread the honey-cream cheese frosting and decorate w/ chocolate chips and/or sprinklers.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Honey - Creamcheese Frosting

Ingredients
1/2 c creamcheese
2 tbsp honey
1/4 c icing sugar

Procedure
Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and a little bit stiff.
Pour or spread on top of your cake or muffin.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Eggless Fudgy Cake with Almonds and Dates

 For this yummy cake, I used the recipe for the other Fudgy Chocolate cake I baked which you can also find in my Foodblog.  Just click this Fudgy Chocolate Cake.  Then follow the recipe below for the Part 2 to finish the prep process.

Ingredients

Toasted Almond Flakes (just enough to cover the top.
1 c chocolate chips
1/2 chopped dates

Procedure
After the fudgy chocolate batter is prepared.  Fold in the chopped dates and choco chips.
Pour the batter onto a springform pan.  Make sure that you lined it with baking paper but if you're using the non stick pan (like I do) just lightly grease the pan.
Top with toasted almonds.
Bake in a 180C preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cake springs back or just use the toothpick method.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Ginataang Hipon w/ a Twist (Prawns cooked in coconut milk)

This is really a different kind of dish that I am sure you will be happy with when you try it.  Bicolanos are known for dishes cooked with coconut milk/cream and lots of chillis.  This ginataang hipon is somewhat similar to the ones they cook except that I try to balance the hotness with the sweetness of the pinapple and zuchinni.  Instead of using the usual small red chilli peppers or labuyo, I used the chilli flakes that you can buy in shops (mckormick) so I can more or less gauge the hotness of the dish. 

Ingredients
12 big king prawns
1 medium onions, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 c coconut milk
1 small tin pinapple pieces in heavy syrup
2 zuchinnis, cubed
olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Fry the zucchini in olive oil until a bit brown.  Set aside
Sautee onions and garlic.  Put in the chilli flakes.
Add in prawns.  Stir.
Put in zuchinni cubes and pineapple pieces and stir. 
Pour in the pineapple juice and coconut cream.
Add salt and pepper.
Simmer until thick and creamy.


A comment or two will be appreciated...

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

My Yummy Garlic Buttered Prawns


I guess this one is one of my hubby's favourite dish because he ate a lot of rice with it and it took a bit of time for him to finish eating.  I would have to agree with him because even I, loved this dish so much that I could not stop eating.

Try it and enjoy.

Ingredients
14 king prawns
1 c lemonade
1/2 c butter (125 g)
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 medium onions, minced
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Marinate the prawns in lemonade with a dash of salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the butter in a non - stick pan.
Sautee onions and garlic.
Add in the prawns.  Stir.
Pour the lemonade marinade and add more salt and pepper.
Add in the parsley.
Simmer until the sauce evaporates.
Remove from fire when the sauce is thick and well absorbed by the prawns.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Mocha Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting

This is a basic cake recipe I have been using eversince I can remember.  I got this from my Maya Kitchen Cake and Pastries Cookbook.  If you know this recipe by heart, you can go a looong way.  Just use your creativity and experiment with adding different flavours to it. 

In this particular cake recipe, I would just add coffee since I want a mocha cake to match my Dulce de Leche frosting.  The result was really good!  I think we finished the cake in 24 hours.  That's how yummy it is.


Basic Cake Recipe
1 c + 2 tbsp cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 piece eggyolk
6 tablespoons water
4 pieces eggwhites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tsp coffee powder or granulated ***

Creamy Icing
1 350 ml heavy cream
4 tbsp caster sugar
chocolate chips (for twirl topping)
Sift the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl.
Add in the cocoa and coffee
Make a well at the center; blend oil, eggyolk, and water.
Mix until smooth. Set a side.
Beat eggwhites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff but not dry.
Fold in eggyolk mixture into beaten eggwhites.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes in a 175C preheated oven.

Cool a bit and turn upside down into a cooling rack.
Let it cool and turn upside down again into a cake board or plate.
Divide the cake into two (like a sandwich).
Pour in the custard cream on top of the bottom slice. 
Place the half of the cake on top of the custard cream.
(You can make a custard cream by clicking this.)
Pour in the Dulce de Leche frosting
Pipe out in twirls the creamy icing.
Top each twirl with chocolate chips.
Refrigerate before serving.

***Creamy Icing
Mix the cream and add caster sugar 1 tbsp at a time. 
Continue mixing until smooth and stiff.
Put the icing in a piping bag with a star tip.
Squeeze out icing on the edge of the cake in a twirling motion.
Top with chocolate chips.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Dulce de Leche

I have always wonder what dulce de leche is or why is it called such name.  I've found out that the term means "caramelised milk" and has its origin in Spain which means, it is one of the dishes that Filipinos learned during the time of the Spanish conquistadores.  As the name suggests, the process is to caramelise milk --- condensed milk to be particular, until it becomes really sticky and thick and a bit brown in colour.  The consistency should be really thick if you want to use it as a spread to your bread or a little less thicker to make it pourable when you want to use it as frosting to your cake.

There are 3 ways to caramelise condensed milk.

Microwave
Pour the condensed milk in a microwave heated proof glass.
Caramelise the condensed milk in medium high heat level until it becomes thick.
Make sure that you always check and stir the milk (every 3 minutes).
**It's a little difficult to caramelise milk in this method.  I've found it more exhausting than doing it over the stove.  You would not get the brownish colour in this way.  You have to be very careful in this method since microwaves of different brands don't really have the same level of heat produced.  I also hate finding the milk overflowing in the microwave.  Needless to say, I don't recommend this one.

Stove Top - Pot Method
If you have done the sugar caramelisation before, this process is similar to that.  Only this time, there is no water and sugar involved but just condensed milk.
Pour the milk in a non stick heavy pot.
Use low fire in carameling milk.  Stir continuously using a wooden spoon until the milk becomes thick and brownish in colour.
***You really have to stir this non - stop from prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom and to prevent from making curdles.

Stove Top - Boiling Method
Make two small holes across each other on the top of the tin milk.  Remove any milk that's coming out on the tin top.
Put the tin in the middle of  a heavy pot.  Pour in water in the pot just until 1 inch of the tin is above it.
Boil for 4 - 6 hours on medium fire.
***Make sure that you remove the paper label of the tin milk before you do this method.  Add a bit of water when some of it have evaporated.  If you hate the rattling sound of the tin in the pot like I do, put a small tea towel or face towel under the tin.
Scoop out the milk that's coming out.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Eggless Fudgy Chocolate Cake

This is one cake recipe for those who have egg allergy.  The one doing the job for the eggs here is the vinegar.  When I baked this for my family in Australia, they were so surprised when my hubby told them that there's no egg in the cake but there's vinegar in it.  They said there's no vinegar taste in the cake...as in none at all!  The cake is quite fudgy because I added a cup of chocolate chips and this made the cake even more lovely.

Ingredients
1 1/2 plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c cocoa powder (cadbury)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
1 c chocolate chips

Procedure
Mix all the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips in a bowl and make a well in the center.
Mix all the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl and then pour onto the well in the dry ingredients.
Mix well with whisk.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
Grease an 8 inch baking pan. 
Bake for 25 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Friday, July 27, 2012

My Family Homemade Pizza

Ordering pizza is a great and easy way to have a quick meal without all the fuss of prep and baking.  On the other hand, making you own homemade pizza with your family is fun!   Here is a very easy pizza prep that you and your family can do together.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
2 c plain flour
1 sachet of dry yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 c warm water

My homemade pizza sauce
1 c tomato sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp caster sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
1 c mozzarella cheese (grated)
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
ham, chopped
pepperoni
pinapple pieces

Procedure

Dough
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Make a well at the center and add in the olive oil and warm water.
Mix well using your hands.
Knead until everything is incorporated.
Throw the dough onto the benchtop or wherever you are doing your kneading.  Do this every 3 minutes. Knead for 10 minutes.
Form into a ball and put in a lightly greased bowl.  Let rise for 30 - 40 minutes.  Cover with clingwrap.
When risen, punch the dough about 2x and knead for a couple of minutes. 
Roll out the dough and form a circle (9 inches) and the thickness that you want.
Lightly grease and flour a 9 inch diameter baking pan and place your pizza dough in it.
Top with your favourite toppings.

Pizza Sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Spread onto the pizza dough.
Add your fave toppings.

Bake in a 200C preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the dough is a bit brown on the edges and the cheese has melted.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Pinoy Crispy Chicken Adobo Flakes


Adobo is considered to be the national dish of the Philippines.  I believe that all Filipinos have their own versions of this wonderful and very versatile dish.  This time, I tried cooking Crispy Chicken Adobo Flakes.  This recipe is one of my Adobo Series that I could say that I am really proud of not only because my husband loved it but also because it is really yummy to the max!  It could be eaten as is or you can add sliced tomatoes...eat it with rice or garlic rice or even put it in your bread.

I remember that a dear friend and a former colleague of mine used to bring to school her famous adobo flakes each time there would be a celebration.  Everyone would really have fun eating her delicious adobo flakes and in a flash it's all gone.  I think it was their secret family recipe...may be that's the reason why I was not able to get its recipe hehehe.

Well anyway, I suddenly found myself craving for adobo flakes so I did cook one nice adobo flakes dish that I would certainly cook again and again.

Ingredients
1 k chicken breast w/o the skin
1 c water
1/2 c white vinegar
1/2 c kikkoman soy sauce
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 medium size onions, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 pcs bay leaf

Procedure
Mix everything in a measuring glass. 
Place the chicken pieces in a bowl.
Pour the mixture onto the chicken.
Set aside for 30 minutes.
Boil everything together in a medium fire until the chicken pieces absorbed the flavour.
Simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from fire.
Remove the chicken from the pot. 
Let it cool a bit.
Shred the pieces of chicken using forks or using your fingers.
Put the shredded chicken in a big plate and drizzle with half of the juice of the adobo.
Let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the shredded chicken until they are crispy and brown.
Place the fried adobo flakes in a plate and drizzle again with the remaining half of the adobo juice.  Top with garlic granules (mcormick) and sliced tomatoes.
Serve with rice or bread. 
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Braided Coconut Bread

This bread has somewhat similar taste with the pan de coco that we are used to.  This time I just mix together dessicated coconut, butter and caster sugar.

Dough
Choose among the different basic dough recipes in my foodblog. Click view.
You can also opt to use the dough recipe I used for the cinnamon

Filling
1/2 c dessicated coconut
1/4 c butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c caster sugar

Procedure
Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl.
Set aside.
Divide the dough into 6 to 8 pcs depending on how big you want your bread to be.
Roll out each dough into a 8 - 10 inch rectangle or oblong. 
Place a tbsp of filling and spread it in the surface of the dough.
Fold the dough towards the other end making a smaller rectangle or oblong.
Press together so the filling will get stuck in between the folded dough.
Now imagine that you are doing a braid of your hair.  Leave half an inch of the dough still together and then cut from this toward the other end.  Make 2 or 3 cuts.
Braid the dough like you are braiding your hair.
Pinch the edge on the other end (the edge that got separated because of the cuts) to seal it.
Place in a baking sheet or pan lined with baking paper.
Make sure that there's one inch of space in between each dough.
Cover with clingwrap and let rise for at least 30 minutes in a warm and dry place.
Brush with beaten egg.
Bake for 15 minutes in a 180C preheated oven or until shiny and golden brown.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Yummy Custard Bun

 I had first had a taste of custard bread in Bread Top, a Chinese bakeshope which has quite a number of branch here in Australia.  They offer freshly baked pastries, bread and cakes at reasonable prices.  Unfortunately, although I have been here for a number of years, I only go to a branch in Brisbane CBD at Myers Building. I wonder where are the other 11 branches here in QLD.

I wanted to try if I could at least copy the same bread and filling and turned out ok and now, I bake them every 3 days experimenting with different fillings.

Ingredients

Dough
Choose among the different basic dough recipes in my foodblog.  Click view.
You can also opt to use the dough recipe I used for the cinnamon rolls.


Filling
Custard
Ingredients:
1 C milk
4 egg yolks
1 C thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp cornflour
1/3 C confectioners sugar

Procedure:
In a saucepan, mix milk, cream, and vanilla. Stir until hot enough but not boiling. Remove from fire and set aside.
Beat egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a bowl until mixed evenly. Pour hot milk mixture to the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
Place the mixture back into the saucepan and cook in avery low heat for 15 minutes or until custard form. Set aside and let it cool.

Note:
One thing difficult about making custard is that you need to make sure that you have the right amount of heat to cook it and that you have to whisk it non-stop until you reach your desired consistency. There is always the danger of curdling the mixture so it is very very important to follow the procedure by heart.

Assembly
Divide the dough into balls (golf ball size).  Roll out each dough ball.  Roll away from the centre.  Make sure that the centre is thicker than the edge as you would gather the edge together to seal the bun.  Don't worry if the shape is not a perfect circle.
Place a tbsp of custard in the centre.
Gather the edges by pinching them together making sure that the edge does not touch the filling because if it does, it would be difficult to seal the bun.  Seal the edge together by pinching.
Place each bun (with the sealed side at the bottom) in a baking sheet or shallow baking pan lined with baking paper. 
Make sure that each bun has at least an inch of space between them.
Cover the buns and let rise for an hour in a warm and dry place.
Beat an egg and brush each bun with this.
Put the remaining custard in a piping bag and pipe out in a circular motion the top of each bun.



Baking
Bake the buns for 15 minutes ina 180C preheated oven or until the top is shiny and golden brown.
Bake
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Strawberry & Rosewater Gateau

This recipe is from one of the cookbook series that my husband subscribed for me.  We went to IGA to buy some supplies and I saw fresh strawberries and I remember that I had a recipe asking for them so I ended up buying them too. 

Ingredients
175 g butter, softened
175 g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
175 g self-raising flour
3 tbsp Rosewater
150 ml cream
225 g strawberries
icing sugar to dust


Procedure
Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy.
Gradually beat in eggs.
Fold in the flour iwht a metal spoon.
Add in 2 tbsp rosewater
Divide the cake batter between two 8 inch baking pan (which were lightly greased)
Bake for 20 minutes in a 190C preheated oven.
Whip cream until it holds its shape.  Fold in the remaining tablespoon of rosewater.
Slice strawberries in half.
Spoon the cream onto one sponge and arrange some strawberries around the edge.  Top with the second sponge and press down lightly.  Decorate with more strawberries and a few mint leaves or leaves of the strawberries. 
Dust with icing sugar.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Easy Pan de Coco

Pan de Coco has always been a favourite of many Filipinos.  It brings back a lot of memories to most people.  It's like going back to childhood when you were walking to your school and stop at a small store to buy your baon which would usually be a pan de coco or a simple monay.  Either one would make your tummy filled up just until it's time for you to go home again to eat lunch.

Ingredients
Choose any of the recipe for dough.
beaten egg for glazing
Filling
dessicated coconut
coco jam (Lily's)

Procedure
Divide the dough into balls ( to the size that you prefer).  Roll each ball making sure that the center is thicker than the edges.
Sprinkle the center with dessicated coconut.
Top the coconut with 1 tsp of coco jam.
Sprinkle the coco jam with dessicated coconut.
Gather the edges of the dough and seal together by pinching.
Place them in a lightly greased pan with the sealed side at the bottom.
Make some holes using fork.
Let them rest for 1 hour.
Glaze with beaten egg.
Bake for 15 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.  The length of baking time would depend on the size of your pan de coco.  Remove  from oven when they become shiny golden brown on top.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Monday, July 2, 2012

Pinoy Polvoron

Who would not love eating polvoron?  When I was still in the Primary School, I would always buy them in a store near the school.  They were always wrapped in colorful plastics.  Flavours could be pinipig and peanuts.  Today, you can even buy them commercially at Goldilocks with flavours like oreos and cashews.  Polvoron is of Spanish origin (wikipedia).  Polvo (pulbo) is a Spanish term for powder.  The original Spanish polvoron is a flaky, soft, rich, shortbread-type cookie made with flour, lard or vegetable shortening, powdered sugar and cinnamon.  The mixture is molded into oval or round shapes with a polvorera (a special mold which allows the formed sweets to be discharged easily without crumbling). Once molded, polvoron is wrapped in cellophane or Japanese paper. Like I said, the ones that we have in the Philippines has so many variations-- thanks to the creative Filipinos!

Ingredients
1 1/2 c powder milk
1 c plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c butter, melted
1/2 c peanuts or any nuts that you like or you can add crashed oreos (just remove the cream first)

Procedure
Toast the flour in a wok until it becomes light in color.  Keep on stiring so as not to have a burnt flour.
Remove the flour from fire.
While waiting for the flour to cool a bit, sift powder, salt and salt in a big bowl.
Melt the butter in the microwave.
Mix the all the dry ingredients together (including the flour and nuts or oreos).
Put in the butter.
Use your hands in mixing them well.
Use a polvoron molder in molding the polvoron.  If you do not have one, just use your muffin pan or cookie cutter (just make sure that the polvoron is well compact and solid).
Wrap with individual plastics or japanese paper.  You can also just keep them in an airtight container even without wrapping them.
Refrigerate before eating.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Easy and Simple Corned Beef Spaghetti

When my husband asked me what's for tea tonight, I told him ---Spaghetti honey!  Then he replied, "the sweet pinoy spaghetti?"  I said, "nope, just a bit of this and that kind of spaghetti" hehehhehe.  Although, he eats pinoy style spaghetti, I know he finds it sweet to his liking so this time I tried a different approach.  I had tins that I can use for the sauce...although no hotdogs.  He certainly fell in love with this simple and easy recipe that I made and even said I should do it again.

Ingredients
1/2 tin hamper or hormel tin corned beef
1/2 tin hamper or hormel tin ham (cubed)
1 medium onion (minced)
1 tsp garlic (minced)
1 carrot (minced)
1 tin mushroom (sliced)
1/2 c cream
1/2 c tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 c water
2 tsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 K spaghetti noodles (cooked according to packet instructions)

Procedure
Sautee onions and garlic. 
Stir in the carrots and mushrooms.
Add in the corned beef and ham.
Pour in water.
Add in the tomato sauce and paste.
Add the Italian seasoning.
Put in the salt and pepper.
Simmer.
Switch off the stove.
Pour in the cream and stir.
Serve with the noodles.
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Friday, June 29, 2012

Salmon Benedict by Denise M.

Salmon Benedict is a variation of the Eggs Benedict dish which originated in the US.  According to www.foodreference.com, there are two stories of the origin of this dish.  One is when honeymooners, Mr. and Mrs. Benedict, requested a new dish for breakfast at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York of which they are loyal patrons.  After discussing what they want to the maitre d' hotel, they came up with this dish.  The other story is about a certain Samuel Benedict requesting a dish that would cure his hangover.  Maitre d' hotel Oscar came up  with this dish.  From then on, it became famous and variations were made by people to enjoy this dish.

A former student of mine shared a photo in her wall at FB and I asked her if she could share with me the recipe of Salmon Benedict.  Here is her email:

from top to bottom:
1. chopped chives, for garnish
2. hollandaise sauce... i use a mix and i just add milk and butter to it then heat it up... knorr or mccormick, that's my secret! I know it sounds like cheating, but the easier to make it & the lesser ingredients needed, the more I would enjoy making it! If that's not available in Australia there's a good hollandaise sauce recipe from cooks.com http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1655,128183-251198,00.html
3. poached eggs... i learned how to poach eggs through youtube! you'll need water (obviously, haha) and rice wine vinegar to do it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtZ14xEbgzg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
4. pre packaged smoked salmon... or you can also use deli ham or spinach as a vegetarian option... ive seen restaurants use steak too!
5. toasted bread... i usually use an english muffin for this recipe but we ran out that day that's why i used a loaf bread.

to assemble it...
1. make the hollandaise sauce, set aside
2. toast the bread then place the salmon on the bread
3. poach the egg then place it on top of the salmon
4. put the hollandaise sauce and garnish!

i hope i made it sound simple for you... i like making it coz its so easy! let me know how it turns out for u! goodluck! :)

www.cooks.com
Remove from heat and beat with a whisk until light. Stir in cayenne pepper, paprika and freshly chopped parsley, if desired.


A comment or two will be appreciated...

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Different Basic Dough Recipes

1.  Basic Bread Dough Recipe

Ingredients
450g (3 cups) plain bread flour (see note)
1 tbs (12g/2 sachets) dried yeast
2 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
250ml (1 cup) warm milk
2 tbs melted butter

Procedure
Combine flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in salt. Make a well in the centre. Add milk and butter.
Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until well combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Brush a large bowl with olive oil to grease. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 45 minutes-1 hour or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
Punch down the centre of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes or until the dough is elastic and has returned to its original size.

2.  Basic Bread Dough (Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients
1kg strong bread flour
625ml tepid water
30g fresh yeast or 3 x 7g sachets dried yeast
 2 tablespoons sugar
1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
extra flour for dusting
Procedure
Stage 1: making a well
Pile the flour on to a clean surface and make a large well in the centre. Pour half your water into the well, then add your yeast, sugar and salt and stir with a fork.

Stage 2: getting it together
Slowly, but confidently, bring in the flour from the inside of the well. (You don't want to break the walls of the well, or the water will go everywhere.) Continue to bring the flour in to the centre until you get a stodgy, porridgey consistency – then add the remaining water. Continue to mix until it's stodgy again, then you can be more aggressive, bringing in all the flour, making the mix less sticky. Flour your hands and pat and push the dough together with all the remaining flour. (Certain flours need a little more or less water, so feel free to adjust.)

Stage 3: kneading!
This is where you get stuck in. With a bit of elbow grease, simply push, fold, slap and roll the dough around, over and over, for 4 or 5 minutes until you have a silky and elastic dough.

Stage 4: first prove
Flour the top of your dough. Put it in a bowl, cover with cling film, and allow it to prove for about half an hour until doubled in size – ideally in a warm, moist, draught-free place. This will improve the flavour and texture of your dough and it's always exciting to know that the old yeast has kicked into action.

Stage 5: second prove, flavouring and shaping
Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the air out for 30 seconds by bashing it and squashing it. You can now shape it or flavour it as required – folded, filled, tray-baked, whatever – and leave it to prove for a second time for 30 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size once more. This is the most important part, as the second prove will give it the air that finally ends up being cooked into your bread, giving you the really light, soft texture that we all love in fresh bread. So remember – don't fiddle with it, just let it do its thing.

Stage 6: cooking your bread
Very gently place your bread dough on to a flour-dusted baking tray and into a preheated oven. Don't slam the door or you'll lose the air that you need. Bake according to the time and temperature given with your chosen recipe. You can tell if it's cooked by tapping its bottom – if it sounds hollow it's done, if it doesn't then pop it back in for a little longer. Once cooked, place on a rack and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes – fandabidozi. Feel free to freeze any leftover bread.


3.  Basic Bread Dough (breadworld.com)
Ingredients
1-1 / 2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope yeast
2 teaspoons herb seasoning
3 / 4 teaspoon salt
2 / 3 cup very warm water (120° to 130°F)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Procedure
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, herb seasoning, and salt. Gradually add very warm water and oil to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
Roll dough to 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Place on greased baking sheet. Layer filling ingredients lengthwise over center third of dough. With sharp knife, make cuts from filling to dough edges at 1-inch intervals along sides of filling. Alternating sides, fold strips at an angle across the filling. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

4.  Simple Dough Recipe (efoodi.com)
3 cups flour
3 cups lukewarm water
3 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast (active dry)

Procedure
Heat the water until it is slightly warm to the touch, but not any more than that (it will kill the yeast).
Mix the water, sugar, and salt, and stir to dissolve.
Mix in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. For the first two cups, add the flour very slowly (preferably with a sifter) and stir vigorously to ensure that it spreads throughout the liquid. For the last cup of flour, you can be more careless, since there's no risk of generating little localized pockets of flour.
Roll the dough out on a non-stick floured surface, and separate (or cut) into three roughly equal portions. Knead each vigorously for 5 minutes.
Place in an oven at 150 _Fahrenheit_ and let rise for 30-45 minutes; when it's done, you can quickly bake it as bread, or incorporate it into any other recipes you like.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Controversial Pan de Regla

When I posted in Facebook that I was baking Pan de Regla, I received comments immediately!  Some were curious and intrigued and the others started remembering what this bread is.  It's amazing to read their reactions to the name of this bread.  They began searching for pics and one of my friends and a former collegue even posted them on her FB wall.  They also shared the bread's different names --- kalihim, kabukiran, pan de pula, ligaya, floorwax etc.

When my husband asked what is the meaning of the name, I had to explain it hehehe...he said "of all the names, why that? yuuuck!" But what's in a name anyway?  As long as it tastes good, that's the important thing...and my husband proved it true...because he was the one who ate most of the bread.

Ingredients
no. 3 basic dough recipe
1 egg beaten for glace
Filling
7 pcs stale bread (edges removed)
1 1/2 c fresh milk
2 - 3 eggs
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
food color

Procedure
While the dough is set aside, start preparing the filling.
Pour in the milk in a bowl. 
Add in the rest of the ingredients (except bread and food color) and mix.
Add in the bread (just shred using your hands) and make sure that they absorbed the liquid.
If you have a food processor, puree the filling there. 
If you're using a blender, you need to use a colander with bigger holes to remove the tough bread.
You can also use your electric mixer and then use colander afterwards.
Transfer into a non stick pot and add the food color (half a teaspoon will do or you can add more if you want).
Put the stove on a low fire and keep stiring the filling mixture until it becomes thick.
Let it cool for a bit.
Transfer the filling in a cling wrap (length size of a ruler or a foot). 
Roll the filling and seal the cling wrap.
Refrigerate for until it sets.

Assembly
Roll out the dough (about 2 inches longer than the rolled filling).

Place the rolled filling in the middle of the flattened dough.
Fold the shorter sides of the dough.
Fold the longer sides of the dough towards the top covering the filling.
Seal with beaten egg.


Use a fork in making holes in the dough.


Brush with the beaten egg on both sides.
Place in a pan with the folded sides on the bottom.
Bake for 35 minutes in 180C or until the top looks like this.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Adobong Pusit

Living far from the coast here in Australia means finding fresh seafood in the market would be difficult.  Being in the entrance of the outback makes it worst too.  How I wish I could buy fresh ones...just like the prawns, crabs, alamang, fish, squids etc. which you can find at the Hagonoy Market.  In our barrio, Sagrada, we would often just buy from those who would come to the house and sell u
s freshly caught seafoods and at a very fair price...you can haggle the price if you want too.  There is one seafood that I never failed to eat whenever it is on our table eversince I can remember --- Adobong Pusit.  My father would always be the one to cook this dish for us as he was the best cook in the family.  I remember him being so careful about not removing the blank ink which he said is the thing that really makes the pusit tastes better...adding a sweet taste to the dish.  Here in Australia though, aside from the difficulty of finding them, the squids that you can find at the shops would not have the black ink anymore.  I remember one time when we were in Emerald, Queensland for 4 months, I was able to get some with black ink still in them.  I was so happy and decided to cook half for adobo and the other for grilled pusit with tomatoes and onions.  My husband was so surprised that I did not remove the ink from the squids.  He never had squid dish with ink in the past so I told him to wait til he taste my squid dish.  I was so excited to see his reaction when he ate the adobo and hey!  He loved them!  He said they tasted different...a bit sweet and fresh.

Ohhh now, since I do not have fresh ones, the Saba Squid in tin will do then.  Good thing I was able to get them when we were at the Filipino store in Toowoomba.  We do not eat squid straight from the tin so I cook them the way I cook the fresh ones.  Although the taste is yummy, still nothing can beat the freshness of newly caught squids.

Ingredients
1 tin Saba squid in soy soy sauce or chillis or 1/2 K fresh squids
2 tbsp soy sauce (kikkoman)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/3 c vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
(add a bit of water if you're using fresh squids or you can add sprite or 7-up instead of water)

Procedure
Heat oil in a pan. 
Sautee onions, garlic and tomatoes until they caramelised.
Add in the squid and stir until it absorbed the taste of the onions etc.
Add in the rest of ingredients.  Do not stir after you put in the vinegar.
Simmer.
Serve with rice.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Cream Cheese Covered Brownies

Brownies are our family's fave anytime, anywhere and that's why it's nice to experiment each time you bake them.  This time I tried to dillute the sweetness of the brownies with the cream cheese mixture and it did work!  The marriage between the two made this goodies yummier.

Cream Cheese Mixture
3/4 c cream cheese, softened (easier if you use the one in jar)
45 g butter, softened
1/3 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp vanilla

Brownies
You can use the ready mixed brownie
or use the following:
1 c plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
250 g chocolates
75 g butter
1/2 c cocoa
3 eggs
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla

Procedure
Cream Cheese
Cream butter and sugar.
Add in the cream cheese.  Mix until fluffy.
Add in eggs one at a time while mixing.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
Set aside.

Brownie
In a double boiler, melt together chocolates, cocoa, and butter.
Cool a bit.
In a bowl, mix together all the other ingredients.
Pour in the choco mixture onto the flour mixture.
Mix until well blended.

Place baking paper in a baking pan.
Pour the brownie batter into the pan.
Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter.  Make sure the chocolate batter is well covered.
Bake for 30 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

.A comment or two will be appreciated...

Friday, June 22, 2012

Choco-Banana-Walnut Loaf

What do I do with the over riped bananas? That's always a problem in our house.  My husband would always buy bananas but forget eating them...$4+ a kilo goodness!  Wish I were in the Philippines!  We definitely have better bananas and at a cheap price too...hehe!
Ohh how I miss the binutuan, senyorita and lakatan.

Anyway, this recipe calls for cocoa.  Since I have two girls who are a bit picky with bread and cake, I decided to add cocoa to make them happy.  The result was really yummy...moist loaf with rich chocolate and banana flavour.

Ingredients
1 c plain flour
1/2 c self raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
125 g butter, softened
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c walnuts, chopped

Procedure
Cream butter and sugar.
Add in eggs one at a time.
Add in vanilla.
Add in cocoa, salt, and baking soda.
Put in the mashed bananas.
Add in the flour, half a cup at a time.
Fold in walnuts.
Bake for 40 minutes in a 180C preheated oven.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Humba

One dish that my father would love to cook if he's still around is humbang pata ng baboy or carabeef that we buy in Malolos Market at the early hours of the morning so as not to lose the chance of buying the last piece.  My father would always tell me to buy the unahan or the front hock not the hind ones since the first has most of the meat than the latter.  I was always amazed on how he would gently and patiently tenderise the meat without using the pressure cooker.  He was indeed a good cook.  I hope he is proud that I turned out to have the same passion in cooking.  How I miss him...

Humba or Umba may have originated in the Visayas is a braised pork with sugar.  The best pork cut touse in this kind of dish would be those with fats like hocks and belly as they add more flavour to the the humba. 

Anyway, enjoy this wonderful dish that will certainly take your palate to another world when the meat and fat melt in your mouth with the burst of the delicious flavour.

Ingredients
1 pork hock (pata ng baboy)
6  pcs bay leaf
6 cloves, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 c pineapple juice
2 tbsp peppercorns
2 tbsp kikkoman soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
5 pcs or more, banana blossoms
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Boil the pork hock for 2 hours in water with 1 tbsp peppercorns, 3 pcs bay leaf , salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from fire when the meat is almost detached from the bones.
Heat oil in a non stick pan.
Sear the meat.  Remove from pan.
Sautee onions and garlic in the same pan.
Add in the remaining bay leaf and peppercorns.
Put back the meat.  Stir and let the meat absorb the flavour from the bay leaf, peppercorn, onions and garlic.  Put on low fire.
Pour in the pineapple juice.
Put in sugar and soy sauce.  Boil for at least 2 minutes.
Add in the vinegar.  Do not stir. 
Add in the banana blossoms and simmer until the juice has evaporated a bit.
Remove from fire.
Pour in the
A comment or two will be appreciated...

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Tuna Pesto Penne Rigatto w/ Black Olives

I've found out that my former student, Jana (thank you for the photo). cooked tuna pasta with her home made pesto so I asked her if she could give me her recipe.  However just like me, she would sometimes cook using taste method...in short no particular rule in measurements of ingredients.  Anyway, that's what make us different and more at home with our cooking. 

Here is a good recipe in making this dish.  Trial and error until I was able to make a good one.

Ingredients
1/2 penne rigato
1 tin tuna in water
2 c fresh basil leaves
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese
1/2 c extra virgin oil
1/3 c  walnuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and  pepper to taste

Procedure
Cook the penne according to package instruction
Grind basil in your blender using pulse mode.  Add the garlic and continue to pulse. 
Add olive oil slowly.
Add the cheese.  Continue grinding.
Put in salt and pepper and grind again.
In a small bowl, put in the tuna (tuna in water tin). Add in the pesto (will depend on how much you want). 
Serve with noodles
Top with olives.

A comment or two will be appreciated...

Monday, June 18, 2012

Ginataang Pakpak at Atay ng Manok (Chicken Wings and Liver Braised in Coconut Cream)

I have always loved coconut cream in my dish.  The aromatic flavour coming from it just makes me hungry.  They say the best meat that would really absorb this wonderful flavour would be chicken.  I have proven it true in this dish.  You can really taste the coconut cream in the chicken meat.  The herbs that I have added as an experiment worked wonderful with them too.

Ingredients
1/2 K chicken wings (tips removed)
1/2 K chicken liver
2 c coconut cream (kakang gata)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 chicken broth cube
1 ginisa mix
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder or use the fresh ones
1 tsp powdered ginger or fresh ginger
2 c fresh spinach (or malunggay leaves)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 c water
salt and pepper to taste.

Procedure
Marinate the chicken wings with fish sauce for 15 minutes.
Sear the chicken wings.  Remove from pan.
Sautee onions and garlic.
Add in cube and ginisa mix.  Stir.
Add in the basil, paprika and ginger.
Put in the chicken wings.  Stir.
Put in the chicken.
Add in the liver.  Do not stir.
Pour in the water. 
Add in salt, pepper, and chili powder.
Boil until meat and liver are tender.
Pour in the coconut cream.  Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.

A comment or two will be appreciated...