SARABASAB (Vegetable Salad with Grilled Pork Belly)

Insarabasab or Sarabasab is an authentic Filipino pork recipe that originated from the Province of Ilocos.  Insarabasab is an Ilocano term which  means  - meat roasted directly in an open fire.  The dish is a mixture of grilled pork sliced thinly, onion, tomato, vinegar, chillies and some spices. 

This is my  take on  Sarabasab, made some adjustments to it to suit our taste and made it healthier by adding more veggies and turned it into a side salad.  ‘Hope you enjoy my version J.   It  can be served  to pair with grilled bangus, tilapia or fried galunggong or hasa-hasa.

Ingredients:

½ kilo Pork Belly or Liempo, grilled & sliced into thin strips

4 pcs. Medium Tomatoes

1 whole Onion, thinly sliced

2 pcs Cucumber, peeled and sliced

Dressing:

¼ cup white vinegar or any kind of vinegar you prefer

2 tbsps water

2-4 tbsps white sugar (more or less)

Slices of Red Chillies (Optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

Procedure :

In a big bowl put the sliced grilled pork,  cucumber, onion and tomato, then set it aside.  And in a separate smaller bowl mix the dressing ingredients, season to taste.  (Note :  I prefer the dressing on the sweeter side), once the dressing is ready pour  it into the mixture of pork and veggies.  Let it stand for a few minutes so that the veggies will absorb the dressing.  Serve and Enjoy!

SARABASAB

Insarabasab or Sarabasab is an authentic Filipino pork recipe that originated from the Province of Ilocos.  Insarabasab is an Ilocano term which  means  - meat roasted directly in an open fire.  The dish is a mixture of grilled pork sliced thinly, onion, tomato, vinegar, chillies and some spices. 

This is my  take on  Sarabasab, made some adjustments to it to suit our taste and made it healthier by adding more veggies and turned it into a side salad.  ‘Hope you enjoy my version J.   It  can be served  to pair with grilled bangus, tilapia or fried galunggong or hasa-hasa.

Ingredients:

½ kilo Pork Belly or Liempo, grilled & sliced into thin strips

4 pcs. Medium Tomatoes

1 whole Onion, thinly sliced

2 pcs Cucumber, peeled and sliced

Dressing:

¼ cup white vinegar or any kind of vinegar you prefer

2 tbsps water

2-4 tbsps white sugar (more or less)

Slices of Red Chillies (Optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

Procedure :

In a big bowl put the sliced grilled pork,  cucumber, onion and tomato, then set it aside.  And in a separate smaller bowl mix the dressing ingredients, season to taste.  (Note :  I prefer the dressing on the sweeter side), once the dressing is ready pour  it into the mixture of pork and veggies.  Let it stand for a few minutes so that the veggies will absorb the dressing.  Serve and Enjoy!

DELICIOUS CUCUMBER SALAD

A refreshing,  light and easy to prepare vegetable salad, that goes well with Mechado, Adobo or any meat dish with sauce.   Cucumber is often regarded as a healthy food because it is low in calories and fat.

Ingredients:

2 pcs medium size Cucumber, peeled, cut diagonally (bite size pieces)

3-4 pcs  Tomatoes, seeded, sliced into bite size

1 pc medium White Onion, peeled, slices into strips

2-3 tbsps Mayonnaise (or Light Mayo)

1 tbsp Sweet Pickle Relish

Salt, pepper & sugar

Procedure :

Put all the three vegetables in a bowl, and in a separate smaller bowl mix the mayonnaise, pickles, salt,  pepper& a bit of sugar, season to taste and refrigerate them both, just before serving you can add the salad dressing into the cucumber mixture. 

Note :  Dressing is added just before serving the salad so that the cucumber will retain its crispiness.  

Health benefits of Cucumber (from Nutrition and You website)

This wonderful, low calorie vegetable indeed has more nutrients to offer than just water and electrolytes.

• It is one of the very low calories vegetable; provides just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation, and offers some protection against colon cancers by eliminating toxic compounds from the gut.
• It is a very good source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte; helps reduce blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.
• It contains unique anti-oxidants in good ratios such as ß-caroteneand α-carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A,zea-xanthinand lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
• Cucumbers have mild diuretic property probably due to their high water and potassium content, which helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure.
• They are surprisingly have high amount of vitamin K, provides about 17 µg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-K has been found to have potential role in bone strength by promoting osteotrophic (bone mass building) activity. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain

“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.

RUSSIAN POTATO SALAD

This salad goes very well with any kind of fried chicken, barbeque or ham. One of the family’s favorites since I was a kid. Not your ordinary salad because of the sugar beets which gives it a very pretty pink color (The second picture is the sugar beets, boiled and peeled, I forgot to take the picture when its in its raw form). If you’re not familiar with sugar beets and haven’t tried it yet, give it a try and I’m sure you’ll like it too.

Ingredients:
½ kilo Potatoes, boiled, skinned and cubed
½ kilo Carrots, boiled, skinned and cubed
2-3 pcs. Sugar Beets, medium size, boiled, skinned and cubed
¾ cup Mayonnaise
3 tbsps. Pickle Relished (chopped)
2 Stalks Celery, chopped
1 pc. Chicken Breast, boiled and flaked (optional)
Salt, Pepper & Sugar to taste

Procedure:
Get a big bowl, then put all the cubed vegetables, pickles (including the juice), celery, flaked chicken, salt & pepper. Mix everything well, careful not to mashed them, stir from the bottom, more like tossing it. Then add the mayonnaise, mix well, until well blended into the salad, then season to taste, if you think the sourness of the pickles is too much, add about ¼ tsp sugar and mix well again. Chill before serving.

Note: This salad keeps well in the fridge for a week or so, just make sure you always use dry spoons, bowls, containers and your hands are dry too when handling this salad (actually any kind of salad, will last longer if you practice this rule).