Sunday, June 27, 2010

This is where you find the freshest Tofu

In my family we can never live without a tofu dish at least once a week. I used to buy tofu in the market and ask for the Arranque tokwa or Arranque tawhu (firm or soft tofu made in Arranque market) because by far its the best I know.

Recently I discovered this great tofu place where they make excellent quality tofu and just about any product and by product of soybean.

The Tofu Store is located in Jose Abad Santos Street, San Juan and I kid you not when I say that after discovering The Tofu Store , I never buy my tofu anywhere else. I've even recommended it to just about all my family and friends who cook tofu in their homes.

The Tofu Store makes tofu fresh everyday and you can taste it. They have hot Tawhue with syrup, Chinese, Japanese and Korean Tofu ( each variety differs in texture), Flavored Tofu Chips, and superb soy milk.

The only thing I didn't like about The Tofu Store is that they're closed on Sundays. And thats the only day I'm free to cook anything I like. What if I'm in the mood for some tofu?

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I love the market!

The market is a hobnob of people in love with food, just like me.

In fact you can learn a lot of recipes from places as unexpected as the marketplace.

For example, there was a morning when I noticed an elderly grandma buying 2 dozen duck eggs, when asked, she voluntarily suggested that I try cooking duck eggs instead of chicken eggs in my adobo egg recipe. She swears with conviction that it would taste better. Wow! It so happen that my son Brian's favorite dish is Adobo egg.

Another recipe I discovered in the market is the way to make authentic Gulaman drink the way we San Juanenos do them. If you've never known Jessie, I never did too. But Jessie's gulaman in San Juan is as famous as Bulalo is in Batangas or Lechon Manok in Cavite.

Fiesta Gulaman Drink

Ingredients:

5 pieces cooked gulaman
4 pcs Pandan leaves
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup White Sugar
1 1/2 liters cold water
2 Cups water ( for fiesta sugar syrup)
1/4 tsp Banana essence
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

Procedure:

To make fiesta sugar syrup, boil the following ingredients and strain:
1. pandan leaves
2. white sugar
3.brown sugar.
4. 2 Cups water
cool and add banana and vanilla essences.

Slice cooked gulaman thinly, mix with fiesta sugar syrup and 2 liters cold water. enjoy!