Sauted Choy Sum

When my friends and I went to the Japanese shops the other day, we found this green leafy vegetable called Choy Sum, this vegetable is popular in Chinese cuisine that is why I am very eager to try it. I like the taste and I will cook it again soon, it is very good for digestive system aside from it is easy to cook.

Ingredients:

1 bale Choy sum
1 onion
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoons toasted garlic

Choy Sum

Procedure:
1.Wash well the choy sum then cut into an inch long.
2. Saute the onion then add the choy sum, simmer for few minutes
3. Add the oyster sauce and simmer until the vegetable is cook.
4. Serve it hot and sprinkle the toasted garlic.

Simple Biko

Biko is an all time favorite rice dish of my family it is made from sticky or glutinous rice with coconut milk and sugar, I just  add some  garnishing to my biko because my Portuguese friends are not familiar with it, so I made it look attractive for them  by sprinkling it with sesame seeds and putting it with cashew nuts :-).

Ingredients:
4 cups glutinous rice
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
5 cups coconut milk

Procedure:
1. Cooked the sticky rice then set aside.
2. Then in a pot combine the coconut milk and sugar over medium heat stirring constantly until it boils.
3. Continue stirring until the coconut milk and sugar mixture thickens (latik), almost caramelize.
4. Add in the sticky rice and mix evenly, continue cooking until you reach the desired texture for your biko.
5. Serve it plain or with garnish like what I did. :-)

Brown sugar is not available when I cooked this, that is why I used white sugar.

Beetroot and Apple Juice

Treat your self with this juice that's full of phytonutrients from apple and beetroot and it will surely keep your doctor away :-).

Ingredients:
1 beetroot
2 apples

beetroot

apple

Procedure:
1. Peel the apple and beetroot then slice to fit the juicer's rim.
2. Extract the juice then serve.

Spaghetti ala Carbonara ( Filipino Style)

Carbonara is a popular pasta dish in Italy but Italians do not put cream in it, instead they used a mixture of egg, butter and cheese to make the sauce for it by just pouring it into hot pasta. But Filipinos has their own version of this dish and it is a white creamy one, delicious!

Ingredients:
1/2 (500g) kilo Spaghetti Pasta
2 tetra packs(400g) all purpose cream/Nestle cream
2 cans tuna flakes in oil
4 cloves garlic
1 small size onion
3/4 cup sliced button mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1.  Cook the spaghetti according to its packaging procedure, drain and set aside.

2. Saute the garlic and onion, then add the tuna and mushrooms, cover and simmer for few minutes
3. Add the all purpose cream then mix it well then simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste then serve it by mixing the pasta and the sauce or just top the sauce on the pasta.

Kilawin na Tainga ng baboy Kapampangan Style

Hot and Spicy pork's ear dish which is very popular in some regions of the Philippines. Preparing this varies from place to place, I had posted the Dabawenyo version of this dish but some few months ago I talked to my friend from Pampanga and he shared to me how they prepared this dish and I became interested in trying it and here is how to do it the Kapampangan way.

Ingredients:
2 pork ears (cooked)
1 onion
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons lime or calamansi juice
spring onion
some chili

cooked pork's ears

Procedure:
1. Grill the cooked pork's ears then slice it into dice.

2.Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3.Serve with a smile :-).

Steamed Tilapia

An easy way of cooking tilapia. Simple yet yummy.

Ingredients:
1 big tilapia ( cleaned)
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Put enough water in the steamer and bring to a boil, once boiling, sprinkle the tilapia with salt and pepper then steam it until fully cooked.
2. While steaming the tilapia heat the olive oil and toast the garlic until golden brown, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then set aside.
3.When the tilapia is already cooked,  spread evenly the toasted garlic then serve.

Radish Flower ( Food Decoration)

Do you want to learn this simple food decoration? It is made from thinly sliced radish.
Here is how to do it.
1. We need 1 piece regular size radish, then thinly slice it.

2. Make a slit in each slice so that we can bend it easily.

3. Then get a toothpick and put each bended sliced radish like the picture below.

4. Put it alternately until you formed a lovely flower.

Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro is a  popular sweet treat in Brazil. According to my Brazilian friends birthday parties are not complete without serving this delicious chocolate treat. It is like yema of Philippines but chocolate and butter were added.

Ingredients:
1 can condensed milk
3 tablespoons chocolate powder ( any chocolate drink powder can be used)
1 tablespoon butter
chocolate sprinkles

Procedure:
1. In a pan mix the milk, chocolate powder and butter, then cook in a medium heat.
 Keep stirring until the mixture thickens.
2. Refrigerate for an hour before forming it into balls, (this method will make the rolling easier). After chilling form it into balls.

ready to form into balls

3. After forming it into balls, roll it over the chocolate sprinkles. Do not forget to put butter or oil in your hands so that it will not stick.

4. Put in a small cupcake cups then serve.

Simple Grilled Pork

Grilled Pork is always present every time we have a special celebration in our house. My brothers and sisters share different ideas on how to make it delicious, but I like to just cook it simple and make the dipping sauce ( sawsawan) really delicious.

Ingredients:
pork
lime or calamansi juice
soy  sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients and marinate it for  an hour before grilling. Grill until done.

2. When it is cooked, chop it and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

 

Nilagang Okra ( Steamed Gumbo)

Okra or gumbo is very low in calories and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; but is a rich source of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins; recommended in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs. Most of my foreign friends do not eat okra because of its slimey texture, to avoid too much of this texture just half cook the okra. For me this is delicious and Filipinos cooked it simply with water and we call it 'nilagang okra" or steamed okra. it is also used in different vegetable dishes and sinigang.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo okra
6 cups water
2 tablespoon fish paste (bagoong)
1 tablespoon lime or calamansi juice
chili

Okra

Procedure:
1. Wash the okra properly then set aside
2. Put the water in a pot and let it boil, make sure that it is already boiling when you put the okra to avoid discoloration. Boil it for  3 minutes over high heat.

3. After 3 minutes drain it and prepare the dipping sauce by mixing the fish paste with chili and lime juice.
4. Serve it with rice :-)