Manila Bibimbap Recipe

 Lately there seems to be a Korean fad in the restaurants all around the Metro.  I like Korean foods. I like that  the cuisine centers more on vegetables.

This Sunday, I had too much time on my hands.  So I made Bibimbap.  I called this recipe Manila Bibimbap because the- piece de resistance- in this dish would be my favorite COSMOS ASADO.

No, I didn't cook the  asado.  I just bought it in Soler Street, Manila.  From Cosmos Panciteria.

The sauce that would tie this dish into one would be Macjang Sauce:

 The recipe for Macjang Sauce is as follows:
Mix together the following ingredients to taste ( no more cooking) -

1.  Djenjang paste (Korean brown tub of fermented soya bean paste or miso)
2.  Samjang paste (Korean green tub of fermented soya bean paste with chili paste)
3.  Karo syrup or Korean bottle of sugar syrup
4.  Rice vinegar (just a tweak)
5.  minced fresh garlic
6.  Sesame oil

All Korean ingredients can be found in Wang Mart .  They import Korean products that can be found in those leading supermarkets.


The different vegetables that can be added to a Bibimbap would be:

1.  Bean sprouts- sauté in sesame oil and garlic in high heat (to take out the moisture)

 2.  Dried shitake mushroom revived in water and sliced into strips- also sauté in sesame oil, water and garlic

 3.  Straw mushrooms in can, sliced and saute in sesame oil , water and garlic

 4.  Fried beancurd- slice into strip

 5.  Cucumber- sliced thinly

 6.  Julienned carrots- blanched in water

7.  Taiwan petchay- saute in sesame oil and garlic

8. You will need an egg - cooked sunny side up with yolk still runny...

and

9.  Asado- leave as such, no prep needed.  no picture too :(

Everything goes in a bowl and mix with how much ever Macjang Sauce you prefer and dig in!
Yummy!

Adobong Boneless Bangus Belly

 I used to buy bangus (milkfish) from the wet market.    I would choose the fattest bangus, have them take out the scales and the fish bones, and have them cut "daing- style" (butterfly cut).

My favorite part would be the belly with its fatty center. Often, not all the fish bones are perfectly taken out.  And the bangus comes home soft and wilted.

That was before we discovered  Sarangani Bay Prime boneless bangus belly.

Now, we head off to the freezer section of the supermarket and stock up on these favorites.

It takes around 20 minutes to defrost these beauties and another 20 minutes to cook them.

 Easy fast food.

 It comes unsalted, so it is like a blank canvas for me to play with.

I tried them Boiled, Steamed, Broiled,  Fried, and Baked.  I love that they have really fatty belly. Yum.

Here's one of my favorite recipe:

Adobong Boneless Bangus Belly

Ingredients:

1 pack 400 gram Bangus Belly- unseasoned
1/2 cup Knorr Seasoning
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly and fried in oil
3 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
pinch of salt and pepper
1 pc finger chili ( optional)

Procedure:
1.  Season bangus with salt and pepper, coat with flour and fry.
2.  In a saucepan, mix together seasoning, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and fried garlic.  cook in low heat.
3.  Dip fried bangus in warm sauce.
4.  Enjoy!  Easy Peasy! :)

Sunday Lunch- Broccoli with Truffle Cream Pasta

 Another lazy Sunday at home.   It is the Sunday before exam week, so today is Review Sunday.

We have decided to have pasta for lunch.  So I whip up this quick Creamy Spaghetti with Truffles.
 I remembered the truffle paste I bought from Rijeka, Croatia.

Truffle goes exceptionally well with cream sauce, the pungent mushroom-my flavor gives a kick to the quiet cream.  To give this recipe a variation, I added Broccoli.

And since it's LAZY Sunday, I don't like to be bothered with making Bechamel ( flour, butter and milk sauce) and substitute it with Campbell Cream of mushroom soup instead.

Broccoli with Truffle Cream Pasta

Ingredients:
1 T oil  (right now I'm using rice bran oil)
1 pinch of butter
1 Cup Lean Bacon
1 Can Campbell Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 Can of Evaporated Milk
2 Tbsp Minced Onion
2 Tbsp Minced Red Pepper
1 Tbsp Truffle Paste
250 grams Broccoli flowers, blanched and shocked in cold water
1/2 Can Button Mushrooms, sliced
450 grams cooked Spaghetti, al dente
pinch of salt, pepper and paprika

Procedure:
1.  Heat in low flame oil and butter.
2.  Saute mushroom in high heat ( this brings out the flavor of mushroom).
3.  Add onion, red pepper and bacon.
4.  Dump the Cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk. ( You can add chicken stock to liquefy the dish).
5.  Add truffle paste and blanched broccoli.  Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
6.  Add cooked spaghetti and close the fire before you mix.  ( To prevent the spaghetti over cooking)
7.  Enjoy!

Kawan Puff Pastry Block in Manila!

Puff pastry is defined by wikipedia as " a light flaky leavened pastry containing several layers of fat which is in its solid state at 20 degrees.  In raw form, puff pastry is a dough layered with solid fat and repeated folded and rolled out. "  

The cooked product produces a pastry that is  light, flaky and crispy.  Some of the world's best loved bread are made of puff pastry,   Studel, Croissant, Turnovers, Vol au Vent, Sausage rolls, Danish Pastries, and  Beef Wellington are some of its example.

It will be time consuming and difficult to make puff pastry at home, since the fat should be rolled with the flour COLD, and with our summer, that will be virtually impossible. 

Santis Delicatessen has a brand of puff pastry named "Pampas" which costs around 900 plus pesos and packaged at one kilogram.  

Too expensive for me. 

 So imagine my excitement when I saw this Kawan Puff Pastry of Malaysia in Puregold Supermarket.  It costs 180 pesos for a 400 gram pack in the freezer section.  I took it home and tried it out.

I cut it into squares and rolled it with a hotdog for "pig in a blanket" .  Brushed it all around with an egg and milk wash to give it a little color.  Pop it in the oven on 240 degrees 

and....

wa- laah!  I love it! You can never go wrong with it! Fantastic!

I also took some slices of chicken sausage and cheese on a square pastry,

sealed it with egg wash and the tines of a fork.

Pop the whole thing in the oven and ...

Wa- laah! again...I think I am in love with Kawan.  :)

The pastry is light and flaky, buttery and tasty.  PERFECT!  

My kids love it and I love that it is so easy to make at home.  As far as I'm concerned, my sons can have puff pastry everyday for snack. 

 You can put any filling inside.  Peanut butter and jelly, Chicken salad, adobo, corned beef, cheese , fruits, chocolate, even smores ( marshmallow and chocolate).  The possibilities are endless.

love. love.....

http://www.kawanfood.com/kawan/puff.html

http://www.facebook.com/kawanfood

Pancakes in a rush ( Its not a mix!)

Pancakes with kids are just the best!  I get a kiss when I prepare them for breakfast.

Although commercially prepared pancake mix are easy to prepare, they are too sweet for my taste. And  I always have this dilemma wherein one box isn't enough, while two boxes are too much.  

It would be easier If I can make pancakes in a rush but in just the amount I need.   

Why not  prepare your own pancake mix and have them in the pantry always.  We need 5 simple ingredients and  no refrigeration is needed.  Just remember to write down the expiration date of your major ingredient- flour.

Pancakes in a rush

Ingredients:

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tablespoons sugar ( you can use less if you prefer)

3/4 teaspoon salt

thats it!

Procedure:

Sift everything into a dry airtight container.

You can double or triple the ingredients and have it all in a large air tight container.  

I always put a sign in my container that says:  

For every 1 1/2 Cup add:

1 egg

1Cup milk

1/8 Cup melted butter

Mix them all together and rest the batter for 10 minutes before cooking ( sometimes I skip the resting).  

Be ready for that kiss!

Chinese Style Adobo Chicken

I have always been a fan of "Adobo". No matter what form it is, adobo shrimp, adobo pork, adobo rice, adobo beef or adobo sitaw.

 It seems to me  that anything or everything can be adobo-ed.  Be it vegetable, seafood or meats.

 So with my Chinese taste for anything Filipino, it is but natural to make this oh so Filipino dish a little bit Chinese.

No, it doesn't have any vinegar, peppercorns and laurel leaves.   It is  a simple dish only requiring four ingredients:  Soysauce, garlic, brown sugar and oil.

Ingredients for Chinese-style Adobo Chicken
1 Kg Chicken leg (quarter cut)
1/2 C soysauce
1 T garlic paste ( garlic mixed with salt and sugar and ground into a paste)
1 T brown sugar
1/2 T olive oil
 Thats it!

Procedure:
Saute brown sugar and oil, add garlic paste and chicken quarters ( skin side down).  Move chicken around to absorb all those flavor.  Add soysauce and 1 Cup water .  Boil for awhile until chicken are cook and sauce is reduced.  Season with salt and pepper.  

This is a very versatile recipe, you can try it with pork legs and it will work! You can add some spices like laurel leaves and star anise with the soysauce and it will be just fine too.

Mommy-fy-d Muffins

Today's after school snack. Its a simplified recipe of store bought Pancake Batter, chocolate bar and whatever fruit I have in my kitchen ( which happens to be bananas).

Ingredients:
200 grams Pancake Batter Mix
1/2 Cup water
1 whole egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 bar of chocolate (mine is Toblerone),chopped to resemble chips
1 fruit at hand ( bananas today) sliced thinly

Procedure:
1. Mix together Pancake Batter Mix, water, egg and melted butter, DO NOT OVER MIX. You will have a lumpy batter.
2. add chocolate bar-chips
3. put in muffin pan lined with muffin paper.
4. add sliced bananas on top
5. Turbo Broiler in 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
6. Leave it inside the Turbo Broiler for a while to firm up muffins.
Enjoy!