SINIGANG NA BABOY (Pork in Tamarind Soup)

This is my husband’s ultimate favorite, he can have this almost every week. Whenever I prepare this for him, he’s in heaven. Through the years I’ve perfected my own version of this delicious, comfort food. And according to hubby again, no matter where he goes or where he eats this dish, there’s no place like eating it at home – prepared by his Techie wife. A delicious sinigang dish starts with choosing the freshest pork ribs or any part of pork you wish to use, that you can find. I prefer to buy from Monterey, it’s a bit pricey but I know that Monterey products are always fresh.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Pork Spareribs (cut into serving pieces)
½ kilo Pork Belly (cut the same size as the spareribs)
4-5 cups rice washing water (or hugas bigas as we call it in Tagalog)
5-6 pcs Ripe Tomato (big ones), sliced
2 pcs. Medium size Onion, sliced
1 big Pack Know Sinigang Mix (Tamarind Soup Mix)
6 pcs. Okra, cut into halves
1 bunch of Kangkong leaves (Water Spinach)
1 small Radish, cut diagonally (optional)
2-3 pcs. Green chili pepper
2 pcs. medium size gabi (taro rootcrop)
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Get a big casserole or pot and put pork together with rice washing water, boil to a medium heat without cover or lid, and scoop out the scum when it floats, then add the sliced taro. Cover the pot and let it simmer in low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, when the pork is a bit tender, add the onion, tomatoes and radish, let it simmer in low heat for another 10-15 minutes. Then add the Knorr Tamarind Soup Mix (don’t put the whole pack yet, gradually adjust the taste according to your sourness preference), let it boil and then add the okra, green chili and water spinach. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt if needed. Serve steaming hot. Enjoy!

MEE NOODLE BAR & RESTAURANT

I can’t remember the last time we’ve been to Shangri-la Mall, we didn’t notice that there’s a cute little resto MEE NOODLE BAR & RESTAURANT that has been there since December 2008.

What caught our attention is the ambiance of the place, seem relaxing, quiet, nice interiors, and very condusive to small talks. It’s located at Level 1, Shangri-la Plaza Mall (at the back of National Bookstore, or fronting Mercury Drugstore.

They have an on-going promo, FREE pot of brewed coffee or green tea everytime you order a minimum of 3 light snack dishes from their light-snack menu. It is available from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. everyday, for dine-in only.

We ordered the light snacks and avail of a hot pot of brewed coffee (Folger’s Brand according to the waiter). By the way, these snacks are kid friendly, my daughter also loved them. Here’s what we ordered, 4 pcs. Roasted Pork Barbeque Roll with Sesame seeds and 2 pcs. Mantau bread, costs P80.00; 4 pcs. Beef Curry Puff Empanada, very yummy (hubby’s instant favorite), P85.00; 4 pcs. Shrimp and Pork (w/ mushroom) Dumplings (also good), costs P80.00.

There are other dishes in the Menu like Palabok, Lomi, platter of assorted fresh fruits, etc. They also have “Create your own Mongolian BBQ Bowl”, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – available lunch and dinner.

CHICKEN ARROZCALDO (Congee) & TOKWA’T BABOY (Fried Beancurd & Pork Belly)

We had this “Old Time Favorite” a few weeks ago, we had to stay indoors because of so much rain, we wanted to just stay home, watch tv, read some books, and me blogging, what else can you think of when it’s raining, but eat something hot, and delicious, so I decided to prepare my favorite Lugao (or Congee), it’s like comfort food to me. This is another family favorite as well.

Ingredients for Arrozcaldo:
½ kilo Chicken Breast (boiled and shredded)
2 tbsp Vegetable Cooking Oil
2 tbsps. Garlic, chopped
2-3 pcs. Medium sized Onion, sliced thinly
¼ cup Ginger, sliced thinly
½ cup Fish Sauce (Patis)
1 cup Malagkit Rice, (glutinous rice)
1 - 1 1/2 cups Regular Rice
Broth from the boiled chicken breast

Garnishings for Arrozcaldo:
½ cup Spring Onion (chopped finely)
½ cup Garlic, chopped finely, fried till light brown (2 heads of garlic)
Calamansi (cut into halves)
Ground Black Pepper (optional)

Procedure for the Arrozcaldo:
Combine Malagkit and regular rice, wash, drain, and let it soak for awhile (this will help in the cooking process of the rice, and gives it a nice and fluffy texture).

Meanwhile, cook the chicken breasts in about 3-4 cups water, add some salt and pepper, boil till fork tender. Take out the chicken breast when tender, let it cool for awhile, then shred it, and set aside. Keep the chicken broth, we’ll use it later.

In a big pot or casserole, saute Garlic ( 2 tbsp and the ½ cup combined, to save time in sauteing), add more cooking oil if needed, till light brown, then take out about ½ cup (set aside for garnishing), and continue sautéing the garlic left on the pan and put the onion sauté until transparent, then put the ginger, stir well, add the shredded chicken, stir for awhile, then put the Fish sauce and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, drain the rice, and mix it to the cooking chicken, if it tends to stick to the pan, put about ½ cup of water and continue to mix well for another 5 minutes. Then put the chicken broth into the cooking rice. Mix well, cover and let it simmer, then lower the fire. Stirring occasionally. Keep a close watch, you need to stir this once in awhile to avoid burning. Cook for another 15-20 minutes more, or until the rice are all cooked and soft and starts to crumble. If you think its too thick, add more water, according to the thickness you want. Serve hot on individual serving bowls (as shown in the photo) with the garnishings on the side.

TOKWA’T BABOY
For those who doesn’t know what Tokwa’t Baboy is, this side dish goes very well with Congee, it’s boiled pork belly (or any part of pork you want) sliced thinly. Tokwa is beancurd, fried till crispy, then sliced thinly and it’s mixed with the boiled pork and has a sauce, please see below for the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Pork Belly, boiled and sliced
Salt and pepper corns
1 pc. Beancurd, sliced
1 cup cooking oil for frying

Sauce:
1 cup White Vinegar
2-3 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Garlic, chopped finely
½ tsp Sugar (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure for Tokwa’t Baboy:
Boil pork belly in water with salt and pepper corns. Cook till tender. Take it out of the pan and let cool for awhile before slicing it into strips (as shown in the picture).

Meanwhile, fry the sliced beancurd till a bit cripy. Put in paper towels or thick tissue to drain excess oil. When cool, cut into strips, same size as the pork and mix the sliced pork and bean curd in a bowl. Serve with the sauce on the side. Enjoy!

VEGETARIAN CHICHARON (Cracklings)

Whenever we’ll have a craving for Chicharon (a dish made of fried pork rinds), we’re worried of the cholesterol, and sometimes 2 or 3 small pieces will suffice, and make sure we have vinegar with lots of garlic in it to use as "sawsawan" (dipping sauce).

Just recently, we discovered Marty’s Cracklin’ Vegetarian Chicharon, Old fashioned Style, Guilt Free, has 0g transfat, and it comes in two flavors, Plain Salted and the other is Salt & Vinegar flavor. According to the label at the back one of the ingredients is dehydrated green peas, it is manufactured by Oishi. My favorite, and also my daughter’s is the Plain Salted, it’s not really that salty, and hubby prefers the Salt & Vinegar flavor. Thanks OISHI for this Vegetarian Chicharon, now we have an alternative to the Cholesterol laden Native Chicharon.

KAPE, GULAMAN AT SAGO SA GATA

Add a twist to your regular cup of coffee with this cool coconut concoction. With a bit of gata and pandan mixed with sago gulaman, this cold coffee drink transforms into a perfect summer treat.

Ingredients:
4 pieces Pandan leaves
1 liter water
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp Nescafe Classic Coffee
½ cup gata
1 cup chopped gulaman
½ cup sago

Procedure:
1. Boil pandan in water. Add sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool or refrigerate to chill.
2. In a pitcher, pour 2 cups of the pandan sugar syrup. Add Nescafe coffee, gata, gulaman and sago. Stir to mix well.
3. Chill in the refrigerator before serving or serve with ice. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 221
CHO(g) : 54
PRO (g) : 1
Fats (g) : 0

Good to Remember :
Coffee is a natural source of antioxidants, which help prevent early signs of aging.

Good to Know:
To fully enjoy the delightful aroma of coffee, put the instant coffee in a cup first before pouring hot water.

3rd Recipe : LUMPIANG KAMOTENG KAHOY (Cassava Springroll)

Another Pinoy favorite gets an update with this simple recipe. Cassava or kamoteng kahoy makes for a healthy snack that provides just the right kind of sweetness minus the extra guilt.

Ingredients:
1 kg Kamoteng kahoy, peeled, boiled and mashed
½ cup butter
½ cup Nestle All Purpose Cream
½ cup Sugar
15 pcs. Lumpia wrapper, cut into 2 half moons
1 cup Cooking oil for frying
White Sugar for dusting

Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine mashed kamoteng kahoy with butter, Nestle All Purpose Cream and sugar until fully incorporated. Set aside.
2. Scoop around 2 tbsp of the prepared kamoteng kahoy mixture into a lumpia wrapper.
3. Roll into logs similar to a lumpiang shanghai. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Transfer on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
4. Sprinkle with sugar before serving. Makes 18-20 pieces.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 161.9
CHO(g) : 18.2
PRO (g) : 0.4
Fats (g) : 9.7

Good to Remember :
Kamoteng kahoy is an example of a complex carbohydrate food that provides long lasting energy.

Good to Know:
One small piece of cassava is equivalent to almost one cup of rice.

2nd Recipe : SPINACH STIR-FRY

A popular side dish, this ginisang kalabasa becomes more nutritious with the help of spinach. Spinach is an excellend source of iron and calcium, that can help make your bones grow stronger.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp cooking oil
¼ cup chopped garlic
1 medium onion, sliced
100g ground lean pork
2 cups julienne squash
1-8g Maggi Magic Sarap
1 tbsp patis
3 cups fresh spinach (pick the leaves and discard the stalks)
Procedure:
1. Heat cooking oil, sauté garlic until slightly brown. Set aside ½ of the garlic for topping.
2. In the remaining garlic, add onion and ground pork. Cook until pork turns white in color.
3. Stir in squash and cook for 30 seconds. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap and patis to taste.
4. Toss in spinach and cook uncovered for 30 seconds. Serve with fried garlic on top. Makes 4-6 servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 88
CHO(g) : 8
PRO (g) : 2
Fats (g) : 5

Good to Remember :
Do not overcook your vegetables. Spinach has a large nutritional value, specially when fresh, steamed or quickly boiled. It is a rich source of Vitamin A (and lutein), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and magnesium, among others. But when it is cooked, the value is decreased by 75%.

Good to Know:
There are two types of Spinach in the local market. The Chinese variety has tough stems and has leaves at both ends of the stalk while the native spinach has thinner and tender stalks with finer leaves.

“GULAY (vegetable) AND OTHER WET MARKET FINDS”

During one of our trips to the mall, NESTLE Philippines was giving out some booklets entitled “Gulay (vegetable) and other Wet Market Finds”, a 26-page recipe booklet of veggy recipes, from salad, soup, snacks, desserts and cool drinks.

All of the recipes featured in the book are simple, inexpensive and very nutritious. We do not have to sacrifice the quality of our meals during these tough times. Our family’s health and wellness should still remain as our top priority.

Here I will share and feature 4 of the recipes I found in the book, they seem so easy to prepare and very nutritious.

1st Recipe : PAPAYA, CARROTS AND FRIED FISH SALAD

Different flavors and aroma come together in this Asian-inspired salad. Everyone will surely get their appetites going with just a bite of the green papaya mixed with the salad’s sweet-tangy vinegar sauce and crunchy fried fish.

Ingredients:
3 cups grated unripe papaya
1 ½ cups grated carrots
¼ cup chopped wansuy
¼ cup hibe (dried shrimp), soaked in water for 10 minutes then drained
3 pieces siling labuyo
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup calamansi juice
¼ cup vinegar
1- 8gm Maggi Magic Sarap Seasoning
2 tbsp patis (fish sauce) or to taste
Shredded left-over fried fish
Crispy fried tofu or fried wonton wrappers, crushed (optional)

Procedure:
1. Toss papaya, carrots and wansuy in a bowl. Set aside in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely crush the hibe and the siling labuyo together. Transfer in a bowl. Add sugar and mix very well.
3. Whisk in oil, calamansi juice and vinegar into the mixture until fully incorporated.
4. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap and patis to taste.
5. To assemble salad, toss the prepared vegetables in the prepared dressing. Transfer on a plate and top with fried left-over fish, fried tofu or crispy wanton wrappers if desired. Makes 8-10 servings.

Nutrition Facts per Serving:
Calories : 214
CHO(g) : 36
PRO (g) : 6
Fats (g) : 2

Good to Remember :
Papaya is a natural source of Vitamin A, which helps promote healthy eyesight.

Good to Know:
Refreshing salads provide an enjoyable way of getting a dose of much needed vegetables.

Salamat President Cory, paalam po ...

Remembering Cory…

Thank you, Tita Cory ...

A political novice, Corazon Aquino was thrust to the forefront of opposition to President Ferdinand Marcos following the murder of her husband…

The charismatic widow of assassinated opposition leader drove dictator from office, but the head of the 'people power' movement left a mixed legacy of political and ...

María Corazón "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino was a former President of the Philippines and a world-renowned advocate of democracy, peace, women's empowerment, and religious piety. She served as the 11th president of the Philippines...

The political widow and former housewife led a revolution that restored power to the people in the Philippines and inspired millions across Asia…

Maria Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino (January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a President of the Philippines and a world-renowned advocate of democracy, peace, women's empowerment, and religious piety. She served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female president of the Philippines and was Asia's first female president…

Cory was named by TIME MAGAZINE as the 1986 Woman of the Year, that features and profiles a man, woman, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."[

People power Icon …

… these are just some of the titles you would get when you search for Corazon Aquino in the web… but to us Filipinos who are not politically inclined, those who just observe in the sideline, she’s Tita Cory to us, so simple, composed and collected, a prayerful person, a source of pride and inspiration, and a lot more… the person who brought us Filipinos to unite beyond what we can dream or hoped for… it is my prayer that the spirit of unity that she gave to us in Edsa Revolution (the bloodless revolution) in 1986 would forever live and be alive in the hearts of the Filipinos. Thank You Tita Cory …

Photo source: GMANews.tv