PANCIT BIHON (Rice Noodles)

Pancit Bihon Guisado (Sauteed Rice Noodles) is a favorite and popular dish here in the Philippines. You can either add chicken or pork into it, or do a combination of both if you want. I like to cook the vegetables separately to avoid it from being overcooked, its nice when the vegetables are still crunchy. I don't soak the bihon noodles in water as it tends to be soggy and wet when cooked. I just add a little bit more of cooking liquid into it.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps. Cooking Oil
1 head Garlic, chopped finely
3 medium size Onion, sliced
½ cup Soy Sauce
¼ tsp Black Pepper
1/4 kilo Pork Liempo, cut up into small cubes
¼ cup water
¼ kilo Pork Liver, cut into small cubes
2 pcs. Langgonisang Macao (Chinese Sausage), cut diagonally
3-4 cups water or broth
½ kilo Cabbage, cut julienne
3 pcs. Medium size Carrots. julienne
1/2 c. Kinstay, chopped coarsely
¼ kilo Squid Balls, cut into half, slightly fried
1 pack Bihon noodles (400 gms.)
Salt and Pepper
Few pieces of calamansi

Procedure:
In a big pan or wok , sauté half of the garlic in 1 tbsp. oil, when slightly brown, put onion, continue sautéing, then put the carrots, let it cook for a few minutes then add the kinstay, then the cabbage. Set aside, in a separate container.

In the same pan, put the pork with about ¼ cup water,cook in medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let it cook until the water is dry and fat starts to come out from the pork, let it cook for another 3-5 minutes, then take out the pork from the pan, then put 1 tbsp cooking oil and start sautéing the garlic till a bit brown, then the onion, stir well, then put back the pork and continue stirring for about 2 minutes, then put ½ c soy sauce, then the pepper. Let it sauté in the soysauce, then put about 4 cups water, let it boil in medium heat for another 10 minutes. When it starts to boil add the bihon noodles, continue cooking, stirring often, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Test a noodle by pressing it between your fingers. If there is still a lot of resistance, add some more broth and seasoning, and continue cooking until dry. When the noodles are done, add the sauteed vegetables and squid balls to the pan and toss until everything is evenly heated. Serve with kalamansi halves on the side.

SOPAS (Filipino Chicken Noodle Soup ) Video Version

SOPAS (FILIPINO CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP)

Sopas is considered a comfort food for Filipinos, we grew up eating this almost every two weeks.  It can be served as a snack but it can also be a complete meal by itself.  We can always enjoy a warm bowl of milky Sopas on a rainy day or any day of the week.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as we do in the family.

Ingredients:

2 tbsps. Vegetable cooking oil

6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 pcs. Med onion, chopped or sliced

1 whole chicken breast, boiled and shredded

3-5 tbsps patis

1-2 cups hotdog, sliced (or sausage)

1 ½ cups carrots, sliced

2 cups petchay baguio, sliced

2 cups, pasta noodles (elbow macaroni  or any pasta you prefer)

4-6 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp seasoning granules or broth cube (optional)

1-2 cups evaporated milk

Salt & pepper – as needed

Cooking Procedure :

1.     In a large cooking pot, saute garlic  until slightly browned, then add the onion, sauté it for a while until translucent, then put the shredded chicken, stir well, then add the fish sauce,  cover the pot  and simmer for a few minutes.   Then add the hotdog, let it cook for a while. 

2.     Then add the chicken broth, bring to a boil then put  the carrots, petchay baguio and pasta, stir gently and cover the pot.   Simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, then add the milk and seasoning granules (if needed).  Cook it for another 3minutes, add salt and pepper to taste.   Serve into individual bowls.  Enjoy!

DRY GARLIC-LEMONGRASS PORK BITES

I found this Vietnamese Recipe in YouTube.  Tried it  and it came out very delicious!  Hubby and daughter loved it!  Even my 6 and 2 ½ year-old nephews loved them too.  Very kid friendly dish, pwede siyang pambaon sa school, instead of Nuggets or Hotdogs, this is healthier.   Aside from pork, you can use boneless chicken breast or any other parts you would want.  I made some changes in the recipe to further enhance its flavor.  Quick, easy and economical recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:  (my version of  the recipe)

1 kg. Lean Pork or Kasim (cut into bite-size)

3  tbsp Garlic Salt (I don’t have garlic salt,  so instead I used  1 1/2  tbsp garlic powder & 1 1/2 tbsp iodized salt)

4 tbsp white sugar

1  tsp Pepper (could use more pepper)

5 tbsps Minced Lemongrass 

2 egg (or 3 eggs for more coating)

6-7   tbsps All Purpose Flour (if you added 1 more egg, add a bit more of this)

2/3 cups Japanese Bread Crumbs (add more if needed)

6 cloves Minced Garlic

1 to 1 ½  cups  cooking oil

Ingredients:  (this is the original recipe)

1 lb. Lean Pork or Kasim (cut into bite-size)

1 tbsp Garlic Salt

1 ½ tbsp white sugar

½ tsp Pepper

2 tbsps Minced Lemongrass

1 egg

3 tbss All Purpose Flour

1/3 cups Japanese Bread Crumbs

3 cloves Minced Garlic

1 to 1 ½  cups  cooking oil

Procedure:

Combine sugar, garlic salt & ground pepper. Mix well. Pour over the pork the salt mixture. And mix to coat the meat evenly.  Add in half of the minced  lemongrass, mixwell again…   then beat the egg very well, then add it to the pork.    Then add the flour, and mix well, making sure the pork is evenly coated with flour.  Then add the Japanese bread crumbs and mix well.

Meanwhile,  put about 1 cup cooking in a deep pan, turn heat to medium-high heat, and have redy a plate with paper towels.  When the oil is ready, place pork in the pan, separate bites if they stick together.  Move the pork about in the oil to ensure even frying.  Don’t overload the pan.  Doing this inbatches give you more control to fry  them evenly.   An aluminum strainer is excellent for removing the cooked bites once they turngolden brown.  Set aside fried pork bites.

In a separate pan, put some vegetable oil, turn heat to medium-low and   sauté remaining minced lemongrass, stir well to brown lemongrass.  Add the garlic and continue until browned, then put into a small bowl and set aside.

Put the fried pork bites in a plate, and top it with  fried garlic-lemongrass.  Enjoy!

Quick tip for mincing the lemongrass:

Crushing the lemongrass speeds up the mincing process.  Notice how the splintered stalks fall apart as they are being chopped.

Note :  You may watch the Video below to see the actually process of cooking this dish.

CHICKEN ADOBO WITH POTATOES

Ingredients:

1 kilo Whole Chicken, cut into desired serving sizes (you can also use choiced cuts)

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

3 tbsps Chopped Garlic

4-5 pcs  Bay Leaves

½ cup  Soy Sauce

¼ cup White Vinegar

4-5 pcs Potatoes,  cut to chunks

¼ tsp  Peppercorns

Salt and Sugar to taste

Procedure:

Saute garlic until light brown, then put the cleaned and drained chicken pieces into the pan, stirring occasionally till the chicken meat turns a bit brownish, add the potatoes, stir well, then add soy sauce, peppercorn, bayleaves, stir well, then the vinegar.  Let it cook for awhile,  stirring every now and then, until meat and potatoes are fork-tender.  If it becomes too dry, you can add a small amount of water to prevent it from drying out, season to taste and don't forget to add a bit of sugar.  When done, serve hot.  Enjoy!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES

These oatmeal choco-chip cookies are so delicious, they’re soft and chewy too, you might want to double the recipe. This is a keeper!

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups  Quick Cooking Oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon  baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

2 to 2 ½  cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or you can use chopped-up chocolate)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (take it out of the fridge a few hours before you start making the cookies)

2 large eggs

1 tsp  vanilla extract

Baking Procedure:

• Put  flour, baking power, baking soda and salt in a bowl, mix well.  Set aside.
• Put the softened butter in another mixing bowl then cream it using an electric mixer or a wire-whisk. 
• Slowly add the brown sugar and white sugar beating continuously until the texture becomes a bit fluffy, then add the vanilla extract..
• Mix in the eggs and beat continuously for about a minute.  Then add the oatmeal gradually, then put the mixture of  dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) and mix well.
• Add the chocolate chip and incorporate well with the other ingredients.
• Prepare cookie sheets lined with non-stick baking paper, scoop some of the mixture and make sure to allow about 2-inch spaces, and flatten the cookie mixture to a thickness of about ½ inch.
• Bake  in pre-heated oven 350 deg.C for 10-12 minutes.  (Please use timer for every batch to avoid overbaking the cookies).  Allow to cool in cooling racks before putting them in your cookie jar or any sealed container.   They’re chewy and delicious!  Great with coffee or tea.  Enjoy!

Note: 

Cooling the cookies on a cooling rack or tray allows them to set up before serving them.

Make sure to lessen the  sugar in the recipe should you decide to use more chocolate chips.

You can also put chopped nuts or raisins into the mixture for added flavor.

We doubled  the recipe and we have around 42 to 45  pcs of big-chunky gigantic-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

TINOLANG MANOK (or Chicken Tinola)

AUTHENTIC WAY TO COOK TINOLANG MANOK

Considered one of the comfort foods of our family.  We can have this dish anytime, aside from being easy to prepare, the soup just warms you up and brings back childhood memories. 

Ingredients:

½ kilo Chicken. Cut into serving pieces

2 tbsp. Cooking Oil

1 tbsp. Crushed Garlic

2 Medium onions, diced

Few Slices of Ginger

3 tbsp. Fish Sauce

2-3 cups Hugas Bigas  (2^nd washing of rice or  water obtained from washing rice grains and used as broth base for sinigang or tinola)

2 pcs. Finger Chili (siling haba)

2 cups , Sayote, cut into smaller wedges

1 Bunch of Chili leaves, pick the leaves only

Salt and pepper

Procedure:

Heat cooking oil in a pan, sauté garlic, then onion, when transparent, add the ginger, then the chicken, when the chicken starts to brown around the edges, add the patis, mix well and cover the pan and let it simmer on low fire for 10-15 minutes (if it seems too dry, add about 2 tbsp of water), then add the hugas bigas, let it simmer for 10 minutes, then add the sayote wedges. Simmer gently, covered, until fork tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and add the chili leaves, cover the pan again and leave for 5 to 10 minutes till the leaves are wilted. Serve with hot rice and have a great meal!

Note :  You can substitute the Chicken with any Pork parts you prefer, like spareribs or liempo. 

             Instead of using  Chili leaves, you can use malunggay leaves.

             Use green papaya instead of the sayote

Update :  Considered  as one of the 10 Healthy-Yummy Pinoy Dishes -  read article here ---  10 healthy yet yummy Pinoy dishes

CREAM DORY FISH PATTIES with GARLIC-MAYO DIP

Ingredients:
300 gms Cream Dory fillet
Few small slices of ginger
2 medium Onions, chopped
1 large pc Carrot, chopped
Small bunch of Spring Onions, chopped
½ cup All Purpose Flour
¼ cup Cornstarch
1-2 pcs Eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Garlic-Mayo Dip:
¾ cup Lite-Mayonnaise (or use regular mayo)
2 tbsps Evaporated Milk
¼ tsp Garlic, finely chopped
Salt, pepper and Sugar to taste
Mix everything up in a small bowl and season to taste and refrigerate till ready to serve.

This is how the patty mixture will look like when its ready to be fried.

Procedure:
Boil the cream dory fillet in ½ cup to 1 cup water - with a bit of salt, pepper and ginger, for about 10 minutes. When cooked, mash it coarsely with a fork, and put it in a mixing bowl, add in the chopped onions, carrots and spring onions. Then put the egg/s, salt, pepper, mix very well, adding the flour and cornstarch a little bit at a time, till the mixture becomes thick enough to form into patties. You can fry a few pieces of the patties so you will know if it needs more salt & pepper. When ready with the mixture, fry the patties over medium fire to make sure the inner part is well cooked. This recipe makes around 12 to 15 patties. Enjoy!

Note : These patties will also be great as a sandwich filling – instead of pork or beef burgers, garnish the sandwich with tomato and lettuce, and use the garlic-mayo spread.

You can also serve this with sweet and sour sauce, the recipe here, the one that I used in the Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce.

Instead of forming them into patties, you may choose to form them into balls as well.

CHICKEN & MUSHROOM PASTA

This is my take on Jollibee’s new Pasta dish – Chicken & Mushroom Pasta.  My daughter loved it so much that I decided to make one at home, actually this is a healthier version.  Delish and so easy to prepare.  Make this dish tonight!

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM PASTA

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive oil or Vegetable oil

500 grams  Boneless Chicken Breast, cut into ½  x 1 inchstrips

1 tbsp Chopped Garlic

1 pc Chopped Onion

1 can Diced Tomatoes

½ cup Tomato Sauce

1 cup Sliced mushrooms

¼ cup All Purpose Cream

Few pcs of Fresh Basil Leaves (or you can use ½ tsp Dried Basil leaves)

Sugar, salt and pepper to taste

300 grams  Cooked pasta (spaghetti, fettucine or penne)

Cooking Instructions:

·        In a cooking pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-heat.  Add the garlic, then the onion, when the onion turns translucent, add the chicken and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until its just beginning to brown. 

·        Then add the mushroom, the tomato chunks and tomato sauce, cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.  Put ¼ cup water, season with salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid, lower the heat a bit more and cook for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

·        Then add  the chopped fresh basil (or dried basil leaves) and the cream, adjust seasoning, if you find the tomato taste too strong, ad about 1/4 tsp of sugar.  Serve over cooked pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese.  Enjoy!