Cha Misua- Happy Occasion Noodles

 We usually celebrate birthdays in the family not with cake or ice cream but with this traditional Chinese "happy dish"- Cha Misua. It is believed that eating Cha Misua on a happy occasion like engagement, wedding or birthdays brings luck and happy life to everyone.

 My misua recipe holds a particular fondness in my heart- it was my late grandma Teresa's recipe.  Nobody does it like her. I made a few changes in the ingredients, but the basic techniques are the way my grandma taught it to be. I got requests from friends to teach cha misua, but it was not meant to be. 

How can I give something that is not mine to give in the first place?


It was Brian's birthday on May 14 and , as usual, he requested for his share of cha misua. I made two boxes of misua and we ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I roast my own peanuts just because they turn out more crisp than store bought ones.
                                      
Cha misua are cooked stir fried in hot oil and broth and must be al dente, just like Italian pasta.  Anything soft and soggy are not meant for the table.  And because I can be a tad picky, I cook mine in no less than olive oil. :)
 

ICA batch '87 Cooking Class-day 4

Cooking to me has been a habit that is hard to break.  I would rather spend my weekend cooped up in the kitchen rather than go out malling.  Hitting the market is even more enjoyable than strolling in a commercial mall. 

So when I was tasked to teach 14 kids to cook 3 dishes as a fund raising event for our alma mater,  happy would be an understatement to me.  I've been ecstatic and  exhilarated.  I'd love to share this passion of mine to young mind and hope that someday they would feel the same way about cooking as (*maybe their Justin Bieber collection??) I do.

Here are the pictures I took of the event, when I did remember my camera. 

 After I explained that they have to be doing the recipes from start to finish,  Nina,one of  my enthusiastic student exclaimed " Wow! Just like Junior Master Chef !"  And proceeded to chop mushrooms for her assigned recipe- Fillet of Sole De Berci.

One of the students- Valerie found the salad spinner a "cool contraption"  and carried on spinning the machine without the lettuce. 

The 3 recipes we learned are Satsuma-age, Ceasar Salad and Fillet of Sole De Berci.

 They were taught how to plate their dishes.

Thank you parents for supporting our ICA batch '87 cooking class and hope you had fun!

Free Comic Book Day Tomorrow- May 7, 2011

Free Comic Book Day Tomorrow- May 7,2011. 

You just have to be early and queue up in Comic Odyssey located inside Robinsons Galleria Store to get free comics!  Avatar, Spiderman, Geronimo Stilton and   Archie  are some of the comics you get to choose from this year.  See the complete list here:  http://www.freecomicbookday.com/comics.asp 

Last year each individual gets to choose one comic of his/her choice.  Its an added summer read for my kids.  :)

Subway 6" Sub promo

I am an avid fan of Subway sandwiches.  Their sub does to my kids what I couldn't do-  let them eat vegetables and enjoy it.

I would order their ham sub and pile on the veggies ( including jalapeno), soften the bread with their caramelized onion dressing and toast it a little.  Yum

From April 16 to May 15, 2011 they have a promotion on their spicy italian 6" sub.  The usual 125 peso sub will be sold for 69 pesos only.  What a discount!

The Great Market- Rijeka, Croatia.

 The last stop in our Croatia tour is this local market near the coast .  It is just a few blocks away from the Bonavia Hotel- where we stayed.  Similar to Salcedo Market in Makati, you can find produce and products from small farms around the region. 

The daily market opens at 7 in the morning and closes at 2 in the afternoon.  The temperature outside is 20 degrees C, a sunny day to stroll around the market.

The area outside is for selling vegetable,flowers, herbs, and fresh fruits.

Inside the market buildings are shops selling an astounding assortment of olive oil, vinegar, honey, jams, pate, bottled and canned  products.
                                                 
You can also see these beautiful Pancetta ( pronounced pan-chetta) on metal hooks sold by the kilogram.

Pancetta are Italian cured meat similar to bacon.  Spiced and dried in the Dalmatian wind, it is a essential ingredient of  Italian dishes.

Wish I can bring some home, but I can't.  :(
                                      
But my heart is set on buying a bottle of Truffle.  Truffles are rare wild mushrooms considered as one of the most expensive delicacies in the world.  They have a strong earthy, pungent flavor. 

Truffle dishes in Manila costs a fortune and are predominantly flavored with truffle oil,  because truffle paste are too expensive. 

This 80 gram bottle of truffle with champignon ( mushroom) sold in the market is priced at 44.90 Kuna or roughly 360 pesos.  I didn't even try to ask for fresh truffle, I'm sure they will be far more expensive.

Truffle paste  in this picture are bottled with either with olives or mushrooms as additives.

 This market display with its colorful assortment of pate, shows me how much Croatian people love their breads.  What's a pate without bread?

 They line up for them early in the morning .

 Their breads are mostly crusty and crispy exteriors with dry soft interiors,  perfect for spreading jams, mediterranean honey and pate.

 Dried fruits  and nuts are also sold by the kilogram.

 This vendor is selling almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, figs, cranberries, prunes, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds.

 Dried nuts and fruits are often added on local dishes, ice cream, breads, or used as garnish and antipasti

Some of the dried fruits are very tough, reminds me of our local dried mango.

The smelliest part of the market would have to be the fish market. I was surprised at how much fishes there are in this market near the port. Not much variety.  It seems they do not like fish so much. 

They love mackerel (galunggong) though.

  Mackerels are roasted in open flames and flavored with olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. 

Markets show us the culture of food in a particular country. 

Croatia's market tells me their love for insalata (mostly flavored with vinagrette), cured meat and breads.