Native desserts: Kakanin

Ingredients:

- 2 cups powdered glutinous rice

- water

- brown sugar

- 3 cups shredded coconut 

- sesame seeds (optional)

Procedure:

1. In a large bowl, pour in glutinous rice. 

2. Pour water little at a time. The dough to be formed should be soft and smooth, not hard and not runny.

3. Form the dough into small balls around 17 pieces. 

4. In a large pot, boil enough water.

5. Flatten the small balls and dunk one at a time into boiling water. Do not crowd the pan. Pick up the flattened dough when it floats.

6. Dip into sugar with coconut and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.

Makes 17 pieces

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Palitaw is one of the easiest native delicacies you can prepare at home and less tedious compared to other delicacies. Recipes made from glutinous rice is a staple in most Southeast Asian countries even in the grand palace of the King of Siam most of the desserts prepared are made from glutinous rice.

Here in the Philippines, every region has its own recipes made from glutinous rice which I will share on my upcoming blogs. 

I made palitaw because  I saw Lyra, a youtuber which I follow made one so I craved for it. Instead of buying, I made my own like she did. It was so good and I shared some to my in-laws. 👍

What native delicacies you want to eat and share? Enjoy cooking everyone! ❤😋

Kanin Serye: Fried Rice with Chorizo

Ingredients: 

- 2 cups leftover rice (preferably stored in the fridge)

- 2 pieces chorizo de bilbao, chopped
- 1 leeks, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp. Oyster sauce
- 1 egg, beaten

- Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic and onion until onion is translucent (use oil from the chorizo)

2. Add in chorizo, leeks, and leftover rice.

3. Season with oyster sauce, salt and pepper.

4. Add egg and saute for 3-5 minutes and transfer to a serving dish.

Makes 1-2 servings.

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Chorizo De Bilbao which is very popular here in the Philippines was named after the City of Bilbao, the Basque region of Spain. But did you know that Chorizo de Bilbao did not really originate from Spain nor was produced any in Spain? 😕 A Filipino businessman, Vicente Genato, coined it from Genato family from Bilbao, Spain, his family's home town. 

This semi-cured sausage pork was so popular in the Philippines and can be recognized mostly from all Spanish dishes.  Chorizo De Bilbao is different from the Chinese sausage Lap Cheong or Chorizo Macao don't get confused. 

Chorizo De Bilbao is peppery because of paprika and pepper, very meaty and has that intense red color. Lap Cheong is a bit pale red, very oily and gelatinous in texture and a bit sweeter in taste.

For some fried rice recipe that includes cured sausage, you can add veggies as well like carrots, peas, and carrots.

How about you, how do you want your fried rice? Enjoy cooking everyone!❤😋

Fiesta: Chicken Lumpia

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup ground chicken 

- 1 small carrot, finely shredded

- 1 small onion, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 3 tbsp. green beans, chopped

- 1  tbsp. leeks, chopped

- Salt and pepper to taste

- 1 egg, beaten

- lumpia wrappers

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients except the lumpia wrapper.

2. Season with salt and pepper depending on your taste.

3. Scoop 1 teaspoon of the mixture in a lumpia wrapper and wrap it tightly. Secure the ends with water and press gently to seal.

4. Repeat step until all chicken shanghai mixture is done.

5. In a deep pan with hot oil, deep fry all chicken shanghai until golden brown.

6. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a serving dish and serve it with your favorite dipping sauce.

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Lumpia, as we call it here in the Philippines, was influenced by the Chinese which they called egg rolls/ spring rolls can be found every part of the country and in every festivities, lunch, snacks, breakfast, and dinner. There are different kinds of mixtures stuffed in it.

 The most common ones are minced pork lumpia, fresh lumpia (fresh rice wrapper with veggies drizzled with peanut sauce), and lumpiang togue (deep-fried lumpia with mung bean sprout and other veggies dipped in vinegar). Lumpia can either be deep-fried or can be fresh depending on the stuffing or mixture you put in. The dipping sauce can be different as well depending on your stuffing like if deep-fried lumpia with meat stuffing, you can use ketchup, mayo with ketchup or garlic mayo. But if you use vegetable stuffing you might want to use vinegar which is the most common dipping sauce but if you use fresh veggies and fresh wrapper peanut sauce is the best partner.

During birthdays or any events, lumpia is always a part of the food choices because it's really good and we Filipinos love eating it. 😊

How about you, how do you want your lumpia? Enjoy cooking everyone!

Kanin Serye: Tuna Fried Rice

Ingredients:

- 2 cups leftover rice (preferably stored in the fridge before using) 

- 1 can tuna (adobo flavor)

- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- 1 small onion, chopped

- green onion for garnishing

- Pepper for seasoning

Procedure:

1. Saute the garlic until slightly brown.

2. Add onions and saute until translucent.

3. Add tuna in adobo sauce and saute until slightly dry.

4. Add in leftover rice cook for 3-5 minutes.

5. Season with pepper and transfer to a serving dish and garnish with spring onion.

Makes 1-2 servings.

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This recipe is one of the most budget-friendly, fast and easy to prepare food.  This is one of the simplest recipes which you can say, "Kanin pa lang, ulam na." 😂 because everything is in it, you have the rice and the ulam in one dish. You can top it sometimes with a fried egg.

If you're a student this recipe should be on your list like if you don't have anyone to cook for you especially if you're renting an apartment, dormitory or condo. I came to learn this recipe from a friend of mine while I was staying with her in a boarding house in Makati. We're both lazy to go out and don't want to go out so she decided to make fried rice. I was surprised she used canned tuna in adobo sauce which I'm not familiar at that time and it was possible to combine the two.😂😂 I was surprised because it really tasted good. 

In this recipe, I used 555 Tuna Adobo but you can use other brands, plain tuna, or the simply favored canned tuna from the gold seas brand. I like the rice here if it has that crispy bottom because it adds texture to the dish. You might want to use leftover rice straight from the fridge rather than freshly cooked because it's much easier to separate and will be thoroughly coated by the sauce during cooking. If the rice is not placed on the fridge or you used freshly cooked rice, it will be too sticky and it would be difficult to saute with the other ingredients and sauce will not coat the rice properly. I also love eating this with a fried egg with a runny yolk. It's so yummy..👌😋

How about you how do you like your fried rice? Enjoy cooking everyone!

Vegetarian: Pumpkin and Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

- Half of a small pumpkin, chopped

- 1 medium-sized carrot, chopped

- 6 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1 medium-sized onion, chopped

- 1 cup coconut cream

- 2 cups of water

- pinch of Italian seasoning (optional)

- Half of chicken broth cubes

- 1 tsp. of paprika

- Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic, onion, pumpkin, and carrot.

2. Add Italian seasoning and paprika. Sweat the herb before adding the water and chicken broth cubes.

3. Boil until pumpkin and carrot are soft.  

4. Transfer into a blender and puree. There should be no lumps.

5. Return to the pot and simmer over low heat and add coconut cream. Season with salt and pepper. 

6. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy while it's hot.

Makes 3-4 servings.

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I already prepared some recipes using pumpkin and this recipe is one of my first.😉 I can it's not that bad since my daughter loved it so much and ate 2 bowls of it. I usually feed her soup in this manner if I think she wasn't able to eat enough vegetable which is required for her diet. Don't go loco with the Italian seasoning because it might overpower the taste of the pumpkin and carrots. 

This recipe guys, is another vegetarian recipe because there is no meat and mostly plant-based. Have your kids eat plenty of veggies because it helps in their growth and mental development. If you can't feed them the usual way of cooking, try making this soup not only pumpkin but other veggies as well. 

Instead of using dairy milk for this recipe, again I used coconut cream because it's a healthier option plus the texture is more different and the taste is different as well. If you use dairy milk, it's lighter and silkier in texture but since there are other dairy products, it will result in different outcomes as well but if you use coconut milk it's denser and creamier. 

I enjoy my pumpkin soup with garlic bread. I make my own garlic bread with pandesal, not the typical baguette or loaf bread. 

How do you enjoy your soup? Have a recipe to share? 😊 Enjoy cooking everyone! ❤😘

FIESTA: Beef Stew

Ingredients:

-Half kilo of beef brisket cut into cubes

-1 large red onion, sliced

-2 cups napa cabbage, cut into quarters

-2 potatoes, cut into quarters

-1 cup green beans cut into half, diagonally

-1 large corn, cut into portions

-Thumb-sized ginger sliced thinly

-Whole peppercorns

-2 tbsp. fish sauce

-1 beef broth cube

Procedure:

1. Parboil the briskets with salt and peppercorns to remove gunk. Rinse after.

2. In a large pot, saute ginger and parboiled beef brisket. 

3. When brisket turns brown, add in the peppercorns and onion and saute for 1 minute. Season with fish sauce.

3. Add in water (enough to cover the whole pot) and add the corn and beef broth cubes and simmer over low fire until brisket is tender. Cover the pot properly. Add water if necessary.

4. Add-in potatoes and cook until potatoes are soft but not crumbly or mushy. 

5. Add the rest of the vegetables and simmer for 3 minutes and do not cover.

6. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy while it's hot.

 Makes 5-6 servings.

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Beef stew or nilagang baka is a very popular dish in the Philippines. We usually eat it with a dipping sauce of patis with calamansi and red chili and eat it with a cup of steaming rice. It's a very comforting food during the rainy season. It's a must to prepare this dish for guests let's say a bit practical because it has everything, soup, meat, and lots of veggies.  😊👍 It will be best if you have firewood to cook this because it tastes best when cooked on firewood and you can save up your gasul.

Way back home, my parents prepare this dish over the weekends. We use the rib part and cooked over firewood and simmered for hours and we usually put taro or saging na saba which adds more flavor and taste so fantastic and lots of veggies can be added on it. Every time we eat this with the family over the weekends, it feels like fiesta and the dining table looks so festive because we sometimes accompany this dish with grilled fish, boiled camote tops with tomatoes, chopped onions and bagoong isda, chargrilled okra and sometimes my dad will prepare fish kilawin (tanigue in calamansi and onion) or fresh oysters.😋 I think I was in grade 6 or highschool when I first tasted beef nilaga because beef is very pricey guys. 

For this recipe, I parboiled the beef brisket to remove gunk which I mentioned in one of my blogs before because it's very important in making a clear broth. You don't want those brown foam floating into your food not realizing that those are dirt and whatever you think you don't want to eat right? 😂😂

It's a must to put onion leeks in it to give that depth of flavor ( iba lasa pag meron leeks mas masarap) but I need to work on what's on my kitchen. 😉

How about you guys? what's your beef stew recipe? Enjoy cooking everyone! ❤😘

Vegetarian: Pumpkin and Winged Beans on coconut cream

Ingredients:

- Half of a small pumpkin, cubed

- 1 cup winged beans, cut diagonally

- 1 medium-sized onion, sliced

- 5 garlic cloves, chopped

- Half slab of dried labahita fish, soaked in water and shredded (optional: white bisugo)

- 1 cup coconut cream

- 1 cup water

- 1 tbsp. fish sauce

- Thumb-sized ginger, sliced thinly

- White pepper to taste

- pinch of sugar

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic, ginger and onion.

2. Add in shredded labahita. Once onion turns translucent.

3. Add in the pumpkin and fish sauce. Saute for 1 minute

4. Add in the coconut cream and water and bring to a boil. 

5. Once it boils, add in the winged beans, sugar, and season with pepper and boil for 1-2 minutes or until winged beans are tender but not overcooked.

6. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.

Makes 2-3 servings.

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This dish is one of my husband's favorite because it's a dish made of coconut cream or gata since he is a Bicolano and very easy on the wallet because the ingredients are so cheap.👍👌 It's a healthy dish because basically, it's plant-based and NO MEAT. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A and relatively low in calorie and the winged bean is rich in folate, low in calories as well, contains protein and healthy fat. 

NEVER peel the pumpkin because the skin has lots of vitamins as well and fiber too. For the winged beans, remove the tips and a strand on its side will come off with it. That part is tough so it's best to remove as well. When using dried fish, better soaked it in water to remove excess salt. You might ask, why would I soak it and then add fish sauce after? Because it's better to be safe, if the dried fish is too salty it can ruin the dish boiling it for a long time renders those salt. So if the dish is not that salty after using soaked dried fish, you can add salt or fish sauce.

Pumpkin or squash? What to use for cooking? Are you confused? Well basically, pumpkin is one type of squash. Pumpkin is a fruit and squash has so many varieties but both came from the same family of genus cucurbita. Squash has many varieties depending on the climate and to which part of the world it grows you have butternut squash, kabocha(japan), honey bear squash, yellow summer squash and so many more.

Enjoy cooking everyone! ❤😘

COMFORT FOODS: Twice Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

- 1 kilo chicken legs
- brine solution
- breading mix

Brine Solution Ingredients:
- 1 liter of water
- 1 cup or more salt
- 1 tbsp. peppercorns
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 whole garlic crushed
- 3 laurel leaves
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)

Breading Mix Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 cups cornstarch
- 2 tbsp. white pepper
- 2 tbsp. paprika
- 2 tbsp. onion powder
- 2 tbsp. garlic powder

Procedure:

1. Prepare the Brine Solution first. If brine solution boils and the sugar and salt are completely dissolved, set aside to cool.
2. Prick the chicken legs and marinate in the brine solution for 6 hours or overnight.
3. Remove the chicken legs from the brine solution and rinse. Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
4. Prepare the breading mix by combining all ingredients.
5. Roll each chicken legs in the breading mix and shake off excess.
6. In a deep pan or casserole, heat enough oil and make sure that the oil is really hot.
7. Deep fry chicken on medium to high heat by batches. Around 25 minutes to cook.
8. Once all chicken legs are cooked, deep fry again over high heat to achieve crispy fried chicken. 
9. Place on a serving dish and enjoy with gravy or any dipping sauce you like.
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This fried chicken recipe is superb, and your family will definitely love it. It's no ordinary chicken because I used cornstarch as a breading instead of flour because it makes the chicken skin crispy plus it was fried twice to make it really crispy. You can also use potato starch for that crispy Korean-style chicken but since potato starch is a bit expensive, I opt to use cornstarch instead.

The brine solution makes the chicken extra special because it makes the chicken very aromatic and flavorful. It tastes like the best-fried chicken ever. 😂👍 Every time you use brine solutions always wash the meat before frying to remove excess salt. 

When deep-frying, always make sure that the oil is really hot. You will know if it's really hot when you put sliced garlic and the oil starts to bubble up and that the garlic floats to the top immediately. 

How about you, how do you cook your fried chicken? Share your recipe with me and let's all enjoy cooking.

FISHY TREATS: Milkfish nuggets

Ingredients:

- 1 whole deboned milkfish, boiled and shredded

- 1 large red onion, finely chopped,

- 1 whole garlic, minced

- 1 large carrot, finely chopped

- 3 whole eggs, beaten

- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

- half cup breadcrumbs

- 4 tbsp. flour

- 2 tbsp. paprika (optional)

- salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Mix well all ingredients in a bowl and form into a nugget shape. 

2. Dust each nugget with flour to avoid sticking from the pan and to lessen oil splash.

3 In a frying pan, heat enough oil and fry nuggets until golden brown. Do not crowd the pan so that each nugget will be cooked properly. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

4. Place on a serving dish and enjoy it with your favorite dipping sauce.

Makes 25 medium-sized nuggets.

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You can recreate this dish with other fish like tuna, blue mackerel scad, tilapia or dory, and others. This is one of the dishes you will prepare if you're tired of the usual sinigang na bangus, paksiw na bangus, fried bangus, sarciado or bangus in tausi.

I put a lot of veggies on this dish because I want it to be healthier since the process of cooking is deep frying. You can have your kids eat veggies with this dish without them noticing it. and maybe they might think it's chicken nuggets like my daughter. 😂😂

This dish is a bit tedious because of the chopping and shredding which consumes most of your time doing but it's all worth it once you have that bite. I enjoyed my fish nuggets with banana ketchup with mayonnaise or sweet chili sauce.

Your family will definitely love this.  Share your recipes with me and let's all enjoy cooking. 😋😋😘

CHEAP EATS: Odong

Ingredients:

- 1 can sardines in tomato sauce (fishbones removed)

- 1 onion chopped

- 4 large garlic cloves, minced

- 1 tomato, sliced

- 2 packs odong noodles

- 2 tbsp. fish sauce

- 3 cups of water

- Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic, onion, and tomato, on medium heat.

2. When the tomato slices are already soft or mushy, add fish sauce and add sardines.

2. Pour water then bring to a boil.

3. Boil it for 5 minutes and add the odong noodles. (Add water if not enough)

4. Once odong noodles are soft,  season with salt and pepper.

5. Crack one egg, cover, and turn off the heat after 1 minute. (optional)

6. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy while it's hot.

Makes 1-2 servings.

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Filipinos are no stranger to sardines. It's a staple on every Filipino household to have canned/bottled sardines on their pantry. Canned sardines may be a lifesaver because it is affordable and very accessible especially for the masses. Major groceries and sari-sari store sells sardines in a can or bottle. 

Small but the mighty sardines can be cooked hundred-ways from simple saute to a gourmet dish like pasta con sardinas or sardinas croquetas. Canned sardines can be unhealthy because of the high salt concentration used during the preservation process but you can add veggies to it to absorb or lessen the saltiness of the dish. You can add malunggay leaves, chayote tops, pumpkin leave tops or any leafy vegetables or you can add papaya or chayote to it.   

For this dish, instead of the usual misua noodles, I used odong noodles because it's a bit bigger and chewy in texture like typical noodles. Udong noodles can be bought at any local market and costs around Php10.00 only, very cheap right? 😊 I had my officemate buy me since it's available on their market. 😂😂😂 Thanks to Ren. 😘

How do you enjoy your sardines? Do you have any recipes to share? Enjoy cooking everyone!

Merienda Serye: Ladyfinger Cream Floats

Ingredients:

- 125ml all-purpose cream (chilled to achieve thick consistency)
- 200ml condensed milk
- 250ml soy milk
- 1 tub ladyfingers 
- lemon zest, grated
- few drops of vanilla essence 

Procedure:

1. Whisk together all-purpose cream and condensed milk until thick.
2. Add in lemon zest and vanilla essence and fold gently.
3. Assemble the cream float on a 4x4 container with the following steps accordingly:
       -Pour enough cream to cover the bottom. Next,
       -Dip the ladyfingers in soymilk, make sure it will not get soggy. Dip about 3 seconds then layer soaked ladyfingers on the cream. Pour another layer of cream and repeat. The top layer should be cream. 

4. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more. Serve chilled. You can top it with nuts or add your favorite fruits like mango, cherry, peach et cetera Makes 3-4 servings.

This recipe can create 2 layers only. If you want to make a bigger batch adjust the measurements of milk components into two.

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We are very familiar with Mango float or so-called "Graham cake" but aren't you tired eating the same thing all the time for dessert or snack? 😒

In this recipe, I tried another variation using ladyfingers, Savoiardi in Italy or locally known here in the Philippines as Broas, a spongy, airy, eggy crispy biscuit dusted with icing sugar and baked to perfection. Ladyfingers for some countries are used to make desserts like tiramisu, trifles, and charlottes.  You can add fruits of your choice or nuts like peanut, almond, pecan or walnut for extra flavor or texture but for this recipe, I made it simple yet tasty because a bit of lemon zest and vanilla essence can make it already extraordinarily tasty.😋

Broas is a bit more expensive compared to the graham for this dessert cake but it's worth it because of the texture it gives in every bite.  This dessert/snack I made is heavenly because of its taste and texture. Zesty in taste because of the lemon zest but creamy at the same time. The broas is very soft like a pillow and slightly sweet because of the soy milk and very spongy.

By the way, when using zests of lemon or any citrus fruit, make sure to wash it with lukewarm water or soak them in lukewarm water with salt for 2-5 minutes to remove that thin layer of wax covering the fruit.😮 Yes guys, there is a thin film of wax used on oranges, lemons, limes, and even apples to protect them during the long days of shipping and transportation and to maintain the freshness of the fruit as well.

You want to share your dessert or snack recipe? You can post it below and I'll give it a try as well. Enjoy cooking everyone!❤😘

COMFORT FOODS: Paksiw na Bangus

Ingredients:

- 1 whole milkfish cut into 6 pcs. diagonally
- 4 siling haba
- 1 white onion, sliced 
- 7 cloves of garlic, chopped
- thumb size ginger, sliced
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 2 bay leaf (crunch it a bit to release more of the aroma)
- half a cup of vinegar
- water
- 1 tbsp. of cooking oil
-Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. In a medium pot, combine all ingredients except cooking oil. 
2. Bring to a boil about 3 minutes then add water and cooking oil. At this point, you can adjust as well the vinegar if you wanted it more.
3. Bring to a boil again and cook for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt.
4. Transfer into a serving dish and enjoy.
Makes 3 servings.
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This dish is very close to my heart because way back when I was a child, we can't afford to cook lavish food because I wasn't born with a silver spoon. I don't say that I don't like my childhood, I loved it so much because not every kid can experience total freedom. 😂😂 my parents are very supportive, sila ang magulang na masasabi ko na hahayaan kang maging bata but of course, there are times that they are strict. hehehe

When I was a kid, I used to watch my mom cook this all the time for lunch or dinner. Like almost everyday, my mom prepares this for lunch because it's easy to cook. I remember when me and my siblings come home from school during lunchtime, we usually eat paksiw na bangus or tilapia. I was a picky eater back then but I cannot complain since we are taught to eat what's on the table. I became used to the taste and eventually came to love it especially when there's a left-over and my mom would fry it, it still tasted good especially with fried rice. 

Paksiw na isda is very easy to make if done the Ilocano way of making stew because it doesn't involve a lot of steps and also the ingredients are very cheap and already available in your pantry. How about you, how do you make your paksiw? Any good memories with it? you can share it with me. 

Mom I dedicate this dish for you. ❤ I love you with all my heart we don't often say it to you but me and my siblings loved you and care about you! 😘 By the way, my husband loved this dish so much he's always waiting for the "tiyan ng bangus" hahaha

Merienda serye: Nachos with Taco Dip

Ingredients:

- 1 cup ground chicken breast
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small carrots, chopped
- 2 siling haba, chooped
- 3 tbsp. taco seasoning
- 1 tsp. Spanish paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- half a cup of water

Cheese Sauce: (optional)

- grated cheddar and/or mozzarella cheese (amount depends on how cheesy you wanted)
- half a cup of soy milk or fresh milk (I used soy milk for the extra sweet taste)
- 1 tbsp. of flour
- 2 tbsp. of butter
- salt and white pepper to taste

Taco Dip Procedure:

1. In a saucepan, saute the garlic and onion.
2. When the onion turns translucent, add the rest of the vegetables and saute for a minute.
3. Add the chicken in and saute until the chicken turns brown.
4. Season with Spanish paprika, salt and pepper, and the taco seasoning and continue to saute.
5. Add water and simmer until all the consistency is dry or if you want a little sauce, add more water and stir in a slurry for a thick consistency.

How to make a slurry: 1 tbsp. of cornstarch dissolved in 1 part water.

6. Pour into a serving dish and enjoy it with nacho/tortilla/ taco. 
   Top it with the cheese sauce and grated cheese. partner it as well with salsa  dip.

Cheese Sauce Procedure:

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter (not brown just melted)
2. Add in grated cheese and flour. Stir continuously until the cheese has melted.
3. Add in the soy milk while continuously stirring. Add more water if consistency is too thick. Turn off the heat if already reached the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

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Why order nachos in a restaurant if you can make them at home? This is my own nacho recipe the easy way using McCormick Taco Seasoning. You can actually use it as is without adding other veggies but I wanted to create that extra layer of texture and flavor. Instead of the traditional beef, I used chicken which is a little cheaper and a lot healthier option. 

Taco sauce or dip is best enjoyed on a basket of nacho chips, tacos, and/or fries and can be loaded with chili sauce, cheese sauce or guacamole and with fresh tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cabbage or lettuce. Instead of jalapeno which is expensive to buy here in the Philippines, I used siling haba which gave that same heat except of course the flavor is different.

. Well, it depends on how you want it. I like mine on a bed of nachos with cheese sauce and grated cheddar cheese. What about you, how do you enjoy your taco dip?
😊👍

COMFORT FOOD: Cream Spicy Chiken Adobo

Ingredients:

-Half a kilo of chicken thigh fillet

-42 ml Chinese soy sauce

-42 ml vinegar

-1 tbsp. oyster sauce
-1 tbsp. sugar

-6 cloves garlic, minced

-3 pcs. siling haba chopped

-6 pcs. whole peppercorns

-2 bay leaf

-1 star anise

-1 to 2 cups water (depends on the consistency you want)

-1 tbsp. coconut powder

-Thumb size ginger sliced thinly

Procedure:

1. Parboil the chicken to remove scum and rinse.

2. In a pan, saute the chicken with all the ingredients except all liquids, chili, and coconut powder.

3. Once you already smell the aroma of the spices, add the vinegar and simmer for 1 minute.

4. Add in the rest of the liquid ingredients. Simmer over low heat until liquid is reduced. more or less around 15 minutes.

5. Once reduced, add in the coconut powder and siling haba and simmer for another 5 minutes if consistency is too thick add water. 

6. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with garlic fried rice or steamed rice.

    Makes 3-4 servings.

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Filipino food is the next big thing. We can find Filipinos in any part of the world 😄 that is why Filipino dishes are slowly being introduced to the global market. One of these dishes Filipinos are well known aside from Jollibee is Adobo, derived from the Spanish word "ADOBAR" meaning to marinate.

Adobo is a very versatile dish because in every region or family they have their own recipe of adobo or same recipe but different methods of cooking. You can use pork, chicken or beef to make adobo. I put an extra ingredient which is coconut powder to create that extra smooth and creamy texture of the dish. I liked my adobo extra spicy so chili is a must for this dish.

For my recipe, I used chicken thigh because... well I love dark meat and thigh is my favorite part 😋. The most common cooking techniques I know about cooking adobo is boiling or simmering all ingredients together over low heat, some would fry the meat first before incorporating other ingredients. But for my recipe, I parboiled the meat because even if you washed the meat prior to cooking, there is still dirt left behind. You will see foams are floating when you boil the meat and those are actually dirt.

 And after reading tons of books about cooking and watching youtube videos hahaha, one of the most used Chinese techniques I know in cooking meat is parboiling which is an effective way to clean the meat and I assure you, any rancid smell will be removed and dirt will be removed as well. I used this technique every time I cook meat that requires boiling for a long time. The dish tasted much better and tasted clean as well. Trust me on this one. My mom used to teach me how to cook and I always watch here cooking but when she tasted my chicken arroz caldo, she said it was delicious so she asked me how did I cook it. I told her I parboiled the meat then I fry it. Parboiling is very important in cooking meat. 

You may know other techniques in cooking dishes, you may share it with me and let's all enjoy cooking. 😘👍

FIESTA IN A HURRY: Seafood Kare-kare

Ingredients:

-1/2 kilo deveined  shrimp
-1 slab of cream dory cut into 1 inch
-2 pieces medium to large size squid cut in half-
  inch thick

-1/2 cup of string beans cut into 3 inches 

-4 pieces eggplant cut in quarter

-6 cloves garlic, minced
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 1/2 Tbps. of peanut butter
-Kare-kare mix dissolved in 1 glass of water
-1 teaspoon of fish sauce
-2 glasses of water
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Half a cube of chicken bouillon cube (optional)
-Bagoong alamang (optional)

Procedure:

1. Fry the seafood in the same pan one at a time. Shrimp first, cream dory next and lastly squid then set aside.
2. On the same pan, sautee garlic and onion.
3. When onion turns translucent, you may add the dissolved kare-kare mix, water,
    peanut butter, and fish sauce. Bring to a gentle boil. For an added flavor, you may add half a cube of chicken bouillon but this is optional. but for this recipe, I added chicken bouillon.
4. Add the eggplant, bring to a simmer until eggplant is soft.
5. Add the seafood and string beans and boil for 2 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper. I added a pinch of salt since for this recipe I'm not using the traditional bagoong alamang to partner with it.
7. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy. 😋
    Makes 4-5 servings.
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This is my take on the traditional kare-kare, an easy recipe that doesn't include mussels, crabs and dark meat fish like tuna. This is a simple and easy to make especially for those moms out there who are always in a hurry to cook and serve dinner or lunch and on a tight budget.  This recipe cost Php401.50 around Php80.30 per head for 5 people not bad.

Yes mga mommies!! you can make seafood kare-kare with 2-3 main ingredients lang without sacrificing the taste since may shrimp naman na kasama at mabilisan. Other kinds of seafood are so expensive like crabs, tuna, and of course shrimp so always opt for cheap alternatives if you're on a tight budget like dory, tilapia you can even use canned squid but make sure to rinse the squid properly or else it will taste differently. I still added shrimp of course because it is pack of flavor and besides you can always bargain with ateng tindera for the price. 😂

Being a busy mom, I always make sure to find easy ways to do things at home so instead of grinding rice and peanut and anato seed which can take some time to do it and must be done using mortar and pestle because the taste is much better than using electric grinder, I bought Mama Sita's Kare-Kare Mix and  Lady's Choice Peanut butter (again this is not sponsored po). These 2 ingredients when combined makes the best tasting kare-kare sauce which is smooth, rich and thick.

My dad used to cook beef kare-kare and he always used these 2 ingredients for his sauce and it was so delicious. I tried making his recipe for my college friends and they liked it so much. Now that I have my own family, my husband usually asked me to cook kare-kare for special occasions or if he wants to eat some.

How about you? Do you have a story behind your recipe? Come share with me. 😄 Enjoy cooking everyone!💖