Tortang Malunggay

July is a nutrition month in the Philippines and I want to contribute a healthy and affordable recipe to all the parents who keep on soliciting ideas for nutritious dish that they can prepare for their kids, since horse radish (malunggay) is always available or common in our own backyards, I came up with this idea, I hope that you will try this recipe and let me know.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
3 large eggs (lightly beaten)
1 small onion (sliced thinly)
1/2 cup horse radish (malunggay)
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients until fully combined.

2. Heat an oil then pour the egg mixture and cook until done.
3. Serve with a smile :-) .

Health Benefits of Onion

Onions are very common kitchen staples. But there’s a lot more than meets the eye. Like their pungent taste and smell, onions have extraordinarily powerful health benefits. Here are some of the many:

1. They have phytochemicals that enhance the effectiveness of Vitamin C in the body. That means better body resistance to sickness.

2. They have chromium that helps blood sugar regulation.

3.  Like garlic, onions have antimicrobial element called allicin. They can be used as first aid remedies for cuts or wounds. Crush a half of onion (you can add raw honey for better results) and apply on the wound. Leave on for 20 minutes and wash off.

4. Did you know that onions stimulate the production of good cholesterol (HDL)? It keeps your heart fit and well.

5. Got stung by a defensive honeybee? Apply onion juice on the inflicted area to feel relieved from pain and burning sensation.

6. See those bright green tops sprouting from onion bulbs? They are rich in vitamin A! Use them often in your cooking.

7. Flavonoid quercetin, an antioxidant found in onions, helps to get rid of free radicals. It also protects and aids our body to regenerate vitamin E.

I know you got teary-eyed with these heart-touching health benefits. Wipe your tears and start chopping onions now. Surely you will never look at them in the same way again. :)


WARNING!
Onions are toxic to your dog!

Thanks to the best gardener, Mr. Arcon Agbuya for contributing this wonderful article.

How To make a Perfect Suman

Suman is a  delicious Filipino Dainty that is very popular in the Philippines, there are different types of suman and the ingredients varies from each type. When I met Ate Pabling and tasted her "Suman" I said "wow this is so yummy" that's why I let her teach me how to cook a perfet suman because I want to share it to everybody and here is her secret and the suman she made.

Ingredients:
4 cups glutinous rice
4 cups coconut milk
1/4 kilo white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
thumb size ginger ( grated) optional
wilted banana leaves
water ( enough to cook the suman)

Procedure:
1. Soak the glutinous rice in a water for at least 20 minutes or until bloated then drained.
2. In a pot put the coconut milk, sugar, ginger and salt then bring to a boil, when boiling,  add the soaked glutinous rice, give a good stir, cover and cook it like a normal rice (sinaing) but do not cook thoroughly, when it is almost done (medyo bigas pa pero malapit ng maluto) turn off the heat.
3. Get the wilted banana leaves, spoon a portion of the rice then wrap in the banana leaves, do this until all the rice will be wrapped.
4. Put in the pot, add the water and boil the suman until fully cooked. ( around 45 minutes or more).

Buttered shrimps

Easy to cook shrimp dish that will make the eaters/ loved ones, love you more. Give it a try.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo shrimps
2 tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Heat the butter then saute the garlic, tomato and onion until soften then add the shrimps.
2. Give a good stir and increase the heat, add salt and pepper to taste then stir until done.
3. Serve it hot.

Pork Inihaw ( Carenderia Style)

Pork inihaw (Grilled pork) is one of the best sellers in my sisters eatery, but to make it affordable the technique is to put a lot of cucumber and additional soy sauce and slices of calamansi are added when serve. For those who wants to start a carenderia ( eatery) I hope this post will give you an idea.


Ingredients:
1 kilo pork belly ( marinated with calamansi, soy sauce, black pepper and salt)
1 kilo cucumber ( sliced)
Vinegar according to your taste
1 onion ( sliced thinly)
ground pepper according to your taste


Procedure:
1. Grilled the pork and slice into bite size, combine with the cucumber, vinegar, onion and ground pepper, mix well.
2. Then serve with extra condiments and chili to enjoy.

Binakol

Another Ilonggo's pride is this delicious chicken dish that's rich in taste, cooked in coconut water. If you know how to cook chicken tinola, this is very similar to it, the only difference is this is cooked with coconut water. You can add tinola vegetables for this recipe, mine I only want it this way.

Ingredients:
1 whole native chicken ( chopped to your desired size)
3 young coconut (buko)  coconut and water seperated
2 cloves garlic
1 onion (minced)
2 stalks spring onion
1 stalk lemon grass (tanglad)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic, ginger and onion then add the chicken and braise for few minutes.
2. Add the coconut water and bring to a boil, when boiling add the lemon grass then simmer until the meat is tender, add the coconut meat, salt and pepper to taste then simmer for 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
3. Put the spring onion and serve it hot.

You can add coconut water if needed.

Binalot na Dilis Paksiw

I love cooking anchovies paksiw this way to avoid it from breaking up. I learned this style from my parents.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo anchovies ( dilis)
thumb size ginger
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (crushed)
salt
banana leaves for wrapping



Procedure:
1.  Combine the anchovies, ginger, black pepper, salt, garlic and 1/4 cup vinegar and mix well.

2. Spoon a portion then place it on the banana leaves and wrap well.

3. When wrapping is done, put the rest of the vinegar, cover and cook over low heat. Serve when done.

How To Cook Spam

 Here is my simple way of preparing a spam.

1.Slice the spam into your desired thickness.

2. Dip each slice in a beaten egg until well coated.

3. Fried until cooked. Rest in a paper towel to remove excess oil before serving.

Sinigang na Bangus

I'm craving for  a milkfish belly with soup and this is the perfect dish for it, the creamy milkfish belly in a hot sour soup oh so yummy.

Ingredients:
1 big milkfish (bangus)
1 bunch kangkong (swamp cabbage)
1 onion
3 cups water ( add if needed)
2 tablespoons patis
chili finger ( siling haba)
1/4 kilo tamarind  (wash well boiled and drained) or  sinigang mix according to your taste
salt to taste

milkfish

Procedure:
1. In a pot put the onion,  fish sauce, chili finger, salt and fish then cook over medium heat, allow the natural juice of the fish to come out and simmer for 3 minutes then add the water and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer until the fish is cooked then add the swamp cabbage and simmer until cooked then add the tamarind extract or sinigang mix then simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
3. Serve it hot.

Simple Tapioca Macaroni Salad

Simple and easy to prepare salad yet so delicious. I prepared this when I arrived at a friend's house who wants to taste one of my tapioca salads :-). She recommend this recipe for everybody because she really loved it after she tasted.

Ingredients for 20 servings:
1/2 kilo Tapioca pearls or Sago( cooked and drained)
1/2 kilo macaroni ( cooked according to its packaging procedure)
1 can Fruit cocktail (380 grams)
500 ml Nestle All purpose cream (2 tetra packs)
1 can condensed milk (390 grams)
1 can evaporated milk (370 ml)
2 cups  any color nata de coco

Procedure:
1. Combine all the ingredients then refrigerate for few hours.
2. Serve with a smile :-).

Rellenong Bangus

Stuffed milkfish ( rellenong bangus) a little laborious to make but it's worth it, very yummy and perfect to prepare for the whole family specially during special gatherings.

Ingredients for 3 regular size Milkfish:
3 pieces milkfish  (properly cleaned)
1 onion( diced)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 carrot (minced)
1 cup green peas
1 bell pepper (minced)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup corn starch for dusting
salt and pepper to taste
cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1.Pound the fish gently to loosen meat from the skin, then remove all the meat and bones from inside the fish by scraping it with a spoon or handle of a ladle. Remove the central bone by breaking it in the tail and near the head.

2. Over low heat cook the fish meat, then let it cool and remove all the bones, set aside.

3. Saute the garlic and onion then add the de-boned and flaked fish, stir then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until done. Stuff the skin of the fish with the filling.

4. After stuffing the fish, dust it with corn starch to avoid oil from splatting when you fry it. Heat the oil and deep fry the fish until golden brown.

5. After frying, set aside to cool before slicing ( slicing it while hot is easy to break) Serve it with rice and enjoy.

Note: You can marinate the skin with soy sauce and calamansi juice if you want.

Clam soup ( Sinabawan nga tuway)

This variety of sea shell is one of the bests for soups, in Mindanao region this is called Tuway. The meat is succulent and the soup is irresistible. "Higop na!" .

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo clams
1 cup horse radish (malunggay)
1 onion
1 tomato
1 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. In a pot put the water, onion and tomato then bring to a boil, when boiling add the clams and boil for 2 minutes or until the shells opened.
2. Add the horse radish, salt and pepper to taste then simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
3. Serve it hot and enjoy.

Halabos na Alimango

Halabos is a cooking method in the Philippines wherein you cook the base ingredients with its own juice. This cooking procedure mostly applies to shrimps and crabs because these seafoods do not require a lot of time and soup in cooking.

Ingredients:
1 kilo crab ( washed well)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic

Crab

Procedure:
1. Put the crabs in a pan together with the salt and garlic.
2. Cook over medium heat until the natural juice comes out, stirring occasionally until done.
3. Serve hot .

Adobong Bangus

Tired of the usual milkfish paksiw? Try this milkfish adobo recipe and enjoy a delicious meal.


Ingredients:
1 big milkfish ( cleaned and sliced)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 basil leaves/laurel
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon ginger strips
1 small onion


Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic, ginger and onion then add the fish and all the ingredients then bring to a boil, once boiling, let simmer over low heat until the fish is fully cooked.

2. Serve it hot.

Ginisang Fresh Alamang

This is not my favorite viand to eat, but this one, I was not able to resist. The natural flavor of a very fresh alamang captured my taste buds. I want to have it again. :-).


Ingredients:
1/4 kilo fresh alamang
1 big tomato (diced)
1 onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic
1 small bell pepper (diced)
2 stalks spring onion
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic, onion and tomato then add the fresh uyap and continue to sauté until half cooked.

2. Add the bell pepper, salt and pepper then stir until done.
3. Sprinkle with spring onion then serve it hot.

Mely's Kitchen Pancit Canton

My favorite noodles recipe of all time.  I garnish it with hard boiled egg, stir fried shrimps and serve it to a VIP :-). She said it's so delicious.

Ingredients for 6 servings:
1/2 kilo Pancit Canton
1 carrot ( strips)
1/2 kilo cabbage
1/4 kilo squid balls ( sliced)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups water
1/4 kilo pork
2 cloves garlic
1 small  onion
salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:
1. Saute the garlic and onion then add the pork and saute until brownish, add the squid balls and stir until it is also brownish.
2. Add the soy sauce and water then bring to a boil, simmer for  a minute then add the carrots and cabbage, simmer for a minute.
3. Add the pancit canton, stir well to mix evenly, add with salt and pepper to taste, stir until the pancit canton is cooked and turn off the heat.
4. Serve it hot with a smile :-).

Minatamis na Langka

Do you have some ripe jackfruit and you can not eat it all? This aromatic and sweet candied jackfruit is perfect to be cooked for the whole family specially this weekend. Have fun cooking.

Ingredients:
1 kilo jackfruit meat ( seeds removed)
1 cup brown sugar (add if needed)
1 cup water

Ripe Jackfruit

Procedure:
1. In a medium heat melt the sugar then add the water and jackfruit , mix well to distribute the sugar evenly, cover and simmer while stirring occasionally until you reached the consistency of a good candied jackfruit.

3. When it is done allow to cool and serve it as a dessert or a sandwich spread. Yummy!

2.

Shrimp and Tuna Omelette

Simple and easy to make yet so yummy, I cooked this with my nephews and nieces and we all loved it.

Ingredients for 10 servings:
8 beaten eggs
1/4 kilo shrimps ( de-shelled and cleaned)
1 can tuna flakes ( drained)
1 small onion (minced)
1 tomato ( diced)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Saute the onion and tomato then add the shrimps and continue to saute for a minute, add the tuna flakes, salt and pepper then simmer until cooked. Set aside.
2. Heat the pan with oil, pour in the beaten eggs then add the sauteed mixture and continue cooking until the omelette is done.
3. Serve it hot and do not forget to smile big :-).

Mely's Kitchen Bangus Paksiw

Paksiw is a cooking process in the Philippines using vinegar. Milk fish paksiw is my favorite specially the belly part, oh so yummy! I added a little soy sauce for a darker color of the fish.

Ingredients:
1 medium size bangus ( sliced and cleaned)
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper ( crushed)
some chili finger (siling haba)
thumb size ginger
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Procedure:
1. In a pot put all the ingredients except the water then allow to boil, when boiling reduce the heat and simmer  until the fish is half cooked.
2. Add the water and continue to boil until the fish is fully cooked.
3. Serve it hot with extra rice.