Potato and Carrot Soup

A simple and easy to prepare soup but tastes good. Try it!

Ingredients:
2 potatoes (diced)
1 carrot (diced)
1/2 cup chopped celery (optional)
4 cups water
2 tablespoon tomato sauce
a pinch of cayenne powder or chilli powder
1 onion (diced)
1 big tomato (diced)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1.   In a pot put the water, tomato sauce, onion, and tomato then let it boil.
2. Once boiling add the  potatoes, carrot, chilli powder, then salt and pepper to taste, then simmer until tender.
3. Add the celery and simmer until done.
3. Serve it hot and do not forget to smile :-).

Binatog na may Mani

Binatog is made from matured corn that is patiently cooked to make it tender. A popular snack in the Philippines, the original recipe does not used coconut milk ( click here for the original version of this dish) this one I cooked it with a twist. It is yummy and and the aroma of the peanut is perfect for this. Try it.


Ingredients for 4 servings
1 cup white dry corn
3 cups water ( add if necessary)
3 cups coconut milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup crushed toasted peanuts

Procedure:
1. Put the corn and water in a pot then boil until tender ( it will take more than an hour to cook the corn)
2. When the corn is tender and water is almost dry, put the coconut milk sugar and peanut then mix well, allow to simmer for 20 minutes over low heat without covering the pot.
3. Finalize the taste then turn off the heat and serve.

Chicken Tinola (My style)

Chicken tinola is an original Filipino chicken dish with  horse radish (malunggay) and green papaya, but here in my place there is no malunggay and green papaya is very difficult to find in the market so I just replaced these 2 with cilantro leaves and chayote (sayote). Here is my style of chicken tinola.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo chicken
3 tablespoons ginger strips
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 cup slice cilantro or coriander
1 chayote
spring onion
6 cups rice washing or plain water
salt and pepper to taste

chayote

Procedure:

1. Saute the garlic, ginger and onion, add the chicken and braise for few minutes.
2. Put salt and pepper then simmer for few minutes
3. Add the rice washing and bring to a boil until the chicken meat is cook.
4. Add the chayote then simmer until tender.
5. Add the cilantro leaves then turn off the heat.
6. Serve it hot.

Banana Cue with Sesame Seeds

Banana cue  is a popular snack/street food in the Philippines, made from a banana that is called Saba.The common snack of Filipinos at 3:00 P.M or during afternoon break at works. Usually without sesame seeds, but since I loved the smell of sesame seeds I put some for this recipe.

Ingredients:

5 pieces Banana (Saba)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups oil ( because we need to deep fry the banana)
some toasted sesame seeds

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan then put the banana .
2. When the banana is starting to be a little brownish put the sugar and mix constantly until the sugar is melted continue stirring until done removed from the oil then sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds.
3. Serve it on a bamboo skewer or just with a fork.

Sauted Corn with Shrimps

I made this recipe because I love corn so much and I let my friend taste it , and they said it is yummy! Try it.

Ingredients:
2 corns
10  shrimps (can be replaced with any meat that you want to use)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup water
some spring onion for garnishing
salt and pepper to taste

corns

Procedure:
1.Slice the corn thinly and set aside.

2. Saute the garlic and onion, then add the shrimps and simmer for 1 minute.
3. Add the corn and simmer for 2 minutes then add 1/2 cup water, salt and pepper to taste, simmer until done.

4. Serve it with spiced spring onion. :-)

Chinese Cabbage Appetizer

A simple and easy to prepare appetizer using Chinese cabbage, this is really a good tasting item that you can serve during special occasions.

Ingredients:
Chinese cabbage leaves
carrots ( sliced thinly, you can formed it into flowers )
cashew nuts ( crushed)
strawberries ( optional)
oyster sauce
soy sauce
lemon juice

Chinese Cabbage

Procedure:
1. Wash the Chinese cabbage leaves properly and set aside to allow the water to dry.
2.Arrange the leaves in a serving tray then put put the crushed cashew nuts, carrots and strawberries according to your desired arrangement.

3. Then mix the lemon juice, soy sauce and oyster sauce for the sauce of this appetizer.
4. Sprinkle the sauce on top before serving it.

Paksiw na Galunggong ( Round Scad Stewed in Vinegar)

Paksiw is a cooking process in the Philippines that uses vinegar in stewing the base ingredients, the most common one is fish paksiw. I love this simple fish dish because it is easy to cook and delicious.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo round scad or galunggong
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup crushed ginger
1 small bitter melon (ampalaya)
1 small red bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Clean the fish properly then put in a cooking pot together with all the ingredients.
2.  Simmer until done.
3. Serve it with a smile :-).

Macaroons with Stawberry Jam

Just a testing of what will it taste to put a strawberry jam on top of  macaroons. The result is extra yummy according to my friends who ate it :D. Thanks  Vince for this idea.

Ingredients:

 100 grams dessicated coconut
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 cup condensed milk
some strawberry jam

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.
2. Prepare the baking paper cups, and put the mixture into it around 3/4 full.
3.  Preheat the oven at 170 degrees celcius and bake it for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Top it with strawberry jam then serve it :-)

Spinach and Shrimps with Coconut Milk

A delicious vegetable dish that you will surely love.

Ingredients:
4 cups spinach can be replaced with alugbati
100 grams shrimps
1 cup pure coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
thumb size ginger ( crushed)
1/2 piece onion
salt to taste

Spinach

Procedure:
1. In a pot, put water,  shrimps, salt, ginger and onion then let it boil.
2. When it is boiling put the spinach and simmer until done over high heat then pour in the coconut milk and simmer for a minute and turn off the heat.
3. Serve it hot.

Sushi with Crab Sticks

This is my first time to make sushi with crab sticks, I wish I could do it perfectly next time. :D The taste is perfect but some stuffs were not centered that is why I am not considering this as perfect, but as a first timer I am happy with the result. Try it.

Ingredients:
2 cups sushi rice
3 sheets nori seaweeds
6 crab stick
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon sushi vinegar
2 cups water

ingredients are ready

Procedure:
1. First we need to cook the rice, wash the rice then put the water, vinegar and sugar let it boil and cook like the normal rice that we eat during our meals.
2. When the rice is cook let it cool, then prepare other sushi ingredients.
3. Slice the cucumber into julienne or like in the picture below, do not use the middle part because it is very watery. Do the same slice with the carrot.

4. Place the seaweed over the sushi mat.

nori seaweed

sushi mat

5.  Put the rice and flatten evenly, then put the crab sticks, carrot and cucumber.

6. Then roll it.

7. Slice and serve with a smile:-)