Pinakbet

· 1/4 kilo pork with fat, cut into small pieces
· 2 cups Amapalya (bitter gourd or bitter melons) sliced to bite size pieces
· 2 cups eggplants, sliced to bite size pieces
· 3 cups pumpkins, sliced to bite size pieces
· 5 pieces of okra, cut in two-three
· 10 pieces of long beans, cut in 3 inches length
· 5 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 onions, diced
· 1 tbs shrimp paste (bagoong isda or bagoong alamang)
· 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
· 2 cup water
· 2 tbs fish sauce
· Salt and pepper to taste

In a wok, heat oil and fry the pork until brown, remove the pork from the pan and set aside. On the same pan, saute garlic and onion. Add water, pumpkins, fish sauce and shrimp paste. Cook for 5 minutes. Add long beans and lady fingers. Cook for 3 minutes. Add pork, eggplant and bitter bitter gourd. Cook for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and cook until the vegetables are done, careful not to overcook.

Serve hot with rice.

Chilli Crab

· 4pcs Fresh crabs, removed yellow gills or spongy parts
· Cooking oil
· 1 onion, chopped
· 5cloves garlic, chopped
· 1/8 cup ginger, finely grated
· ¼ cup tomato sauce
· 1 cups water
· 2 egg, beaten
· 1tsp Soy sauce
· 1 bottle sweet chilli sauce (375g)
· Soft brown sugar
· 2 tsp oyster sauce
· 2 tsp Corn Starch

Steam crab in casserole. After steaming, cut the crabs in 2 pieces.

Heat wok in low heat and sauté garlic until light brown then add onion and ginger. Add tomato sauce, water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili sauce, and sugar. Boil for 10 minutes. Add corn starch and stir well. Add the crab and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice.

Tahong Suop(Mussels Soup)

· 1kg mussels
· 2 onions, chopped
· 5 cloves garlic, chopped
· 2 tomatoes, chopped
· ¼ cup ginger, julienne sliced
· 1 pack baby kai-lan leaves (Chinese broccoli)
· 1 cup of malungay(horse radish)
· 2 tsp patis (fish sauce)
· cooking oil
· 1 litre water
· Salt and pepper to taste

In a casserole, sauté garlic until light brown then add onion and ginger. Add water and lower the heat. Let it boil for 15mins. Add mussels and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes. Add kai-lan, malungay, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Pinyahang Manok(Pineapple Chicken)

· 1/2 chicken, cut into serving pieces
· 2 onions, chopped
· 5 cloves garlic, chopped
· 3 cups of Pineapple chunks (del monte)
· 1 cup pineapple juice(from Del monte pineapple chunks)
· 1 green bellpepper, sliced
· 2 tsp patis (fish sauce)
· 1 cup of evaporated milk
· cooking oil
· Half litre water
· Salt and pepper to taste

In a casserole, sauté garlic until light brown then add onion. Add chicken and stir for 5-10 minutes. Add water, pineapple juice and lower the heat. Let it boil for 15mins. Add evaporated milk and bell peppers and stir occasionally. Add pineapple chucks, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Grilled Chicken Terriyaki

· 3 tbsp oyster sauce
· 1/2 cup Kikkoman Terriyaki marinade
· Salt & Pepper Pepper to taste
· 2 chicken breast

Mix well all the ingredients. Marinate chicken for atleast 4hrs or overnight with the sauce.

Heat grilling pan. Grill each side for 10mins.

Chicken Sopas

During my early childhood, Chicken Sopas was one of our favorite breakfasts or meriendas. Here in Singapore our family eats Sopas for dinner.

· Chicken breast, cut in thin & small pieces
· 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
· 1 onion, chopped
· 1 cup carrot, cut in julienne
· 1 cup of cabbage, cut in julienne
· ¼ cup of green bell pepper, cut in julienne
· 2 cups of evaporated milk
· 300g macaroni noodles
· 6 cups of water
· 1 chicken broth cube
· salt, pepper
Heat casserole put some cooking oil and sauté the garlic and onion. Add your chicken and continue mixing. Pour your water with the chicken broth cube dissolved in it. Cover and let it boil. Boil for 10mins. Adds your macaroni noodles and continue cooking for another ten minutes. Add the carrots and boil for 3mins. Then add up the cabbage, milk, salt and pepper. Turn off the fire, the warm liquid will continue cooking the rest of the ingredients.
Serve while hot.

Beef Caldereta

This is a beef dish from the Philippines inspired by the Spanish Caldereta. It is a tomato-based sauce with a little touch bit spicy.

· ½ kilo beef top round, cut into serving pcs.
· 4 tbsp. Olive oil
· 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
· 1 onion, chopped
· 2 potato, cut into serving pcs.
· 1 carrots, cut into serving pcs.
· 2 red peppers, cut
· ½ greenbell peppers, cut
· 1 cup tomato sauce
· ¼ cup sweet thai sauce
· 1 cup canned pineapple chunks
· 1 pc.bayleaf
· 1 tbsp. white wine
· ½ cup breadcrumbs
· salt & pepper

Cook beef with salt, bay leaf, pepper and soy sauce. Use pressure cooker if necessary. Set aside. Fry potatoes. Set aside.

In the same pan, sauté garlic until light brown then adds onion. Sauté for a few minutes. Add carrots, tomato sauce, boiled beef and broth. Boil for 5mins. Add bread crumps, wine (optional), potatoes, red chilli, green bell pepper and simmer for 5mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chopsuey

Chopsuey, a favorite vegetable dish of Filipinos.

· ¼ kilo shrimps, shelled, deveined and halved
· ¼ kilo chicken breast, cut bite size
· ¼ kilo cauliflower, broken to bite size
· ¼ kilo brocolli, broken to bite size
· ¼ kilo snow peas
· ¼ kilo cabbage, cut into squares
· 5 pcs baby corn, sliced
· 5 cloves garlic, diced
· 2 onions, diced
· 1 carrot, sliced thinly
· 1 piece green bell pepper. cut in strips
· 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water
· 1 cups chicken stock (broth)
· 3 tablespoons of black soy sauce
· 4 tablespoons of oil(canola/olive oil)
· Salt to taste

In a big pan or wok, sauté garlic, onions. Add 1 cup of stock, carrots, shrimp, chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix in all the vegetables except cabbage and sweet peas, simmer for 5mins Add the cabbage and sweet peas, soy sauce and the dissolved cornstarch. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are done. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot with rice and fish steak.

Fish Steak

· 2 tbsp oyster sauce
· 2 tbsp black soy sauce
· 1 calamansi
· ¼ cup water
· 1 tsp salt
· Pepper
· 3 slices of Batang fish (Spanish Mackerel)

Mix well all the ingredients. Marinate fish for 2-3hrs with the sauce.

Heat grilling pan. Grill each side for 5-10mins.

Serve with rice and chopsuey.

Corn Muffin

· 1 cup whole kernel corn
· 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/3 cup white sugar
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 egg, beaten
· 1/4 cup butter, melted
· 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, butter and milk; stir gently to combine. Add corn and mix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Chicken Curry(Filipino Style)

My husband was born in Leyte and many of his favourite dishes are mostly with coconut milk. (This is probably because there are lots of coconuts in their place.) Chicken curry (Filipino style) is one of them.

· 3 tbsp. oil
· 2 potatoes, peeled, quartered and fried
· 1 carrots , peeled and cut
· ½ kg. chicken, cut into serving pieces
· 5 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 large onion, minced
· ½ cup ginger, peeled, julienne
· 1 tbsp. patis (fish sauce)
· 2 tbsp. curry powder
· 2 cup water
· 1 green bell pepper, cut into big squares
· 1 cup coconut milk
· salt and pepper to taste

Pan fry potatoes. Set aside. Boil chicken in a pot add salt, pepper and ginger for 10mins. Set aside

In the same pan, sauté garlic until light brown then add onion .Sauté for a few minutes. Add chicken and stir for few minutes. Put the broth, curry powder and carrots. Lower the heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk, bell peppers and fried potatoes and stir occasionally. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Mechado

I invited a friend to join me today to learn basic food cooking. We cooked mechado for our 1st class. Mechado is a Spanish dish. I used pork and chicken instead of beef.

· 3 tbsp olive oil
· 4 cloves of garlic, crushed & chopped
· 3 tbsp black soy sauce
· 2 laurel leaves
· 1 onion, chopped
· 1 ½ cup tomato sauce
· 2 potatoes, sliced
· 1 carrots, sliced
· ½ cup green peas bean
· 1 cup garbanzo
· 1 green bell peppers, sliced
· 3 cup of water
· ½ kg pork
· ½ kg chicken


Boil pork for 15mins with salt, pepper, laurel leaves and black sauce.

Heat the non-sticky pan in medium setting. When the pan has already been heated, put the olive oil and wait another couple of minutes. Fry the potatoes until golden brown.

After you have done that, add in the crushed garlic. Sauté the garlic and you will know it is finished when it turns a light golden brown color. Add in the sliced onions and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add chicken. Mix and cook for 5mins. Add the boiled pork and broth. Mix, add the tomato sauce and carrots and boil for 15mins.

When the pork has been sautéed, put sliced potatoes. Now let everything simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add green bell peppers , garbanzos and green peas then mix. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Leave it until all the ingredients have fully cooked.

Taco salad on Roti Prata

• 250g ground beef
• 2tsp burrito powder (Oldelpaso)
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 medium head lettuce, shredded, about 4 cups
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 Jalapeno peppers; chopped
• 9 plain roti prata(tacos/chips)
• salsa sauce

Brown beef in a non-sticky pan; drain off excess fat. Sprinkle burrito powder and stir in water. Simmer, uncovered, until liquid cooks away, about 8 to 12 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, tomato, avocado and jalapeno; toss. Spread salsa sauce on roti prata and put the taco salad then roll.

Ready to eat.

Sinigang

Sinigang is a Filipinos favorite soup. It is similar to Vietnamese canh chua, Indonesian sayur asam, and Thailand's tom yam, its characteristic flavor comes from tamarind which gives it a sour taste and overwhelms the taste of its meat.

· 2 onion, sliced
· 3 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into 6
· ½ kg pork ribs, cut in serving pieces
· 1 bunch kang kong leaves
· 6 lady finger, sliced into 3
· 10 long beans, cut in 3inches length
· 4 yam or gabi, peeled and cut in serving pieces
· 2 pieces long green sili or chilli
· 2 tamarind broth cube
· 6 cups water
· Salt and pepper to taste
The pork ingredient can be replace: fish (bangus), shrimp, or beef.

Boil pork ribs in water & salt. Add half of the onions and tamarind broth cube. Boil for 10-15mins. Add yam. After 5mins, add long beans, sili and lady finger. Toss in the tomatoes and half of the onions. Simmer until the meat is tender then season with salt and pepper. Put in the kang kong.
Serve with rice.

French Toast

our Saturday morning breakfast...
A fast and easy preparation



· 8 slices of bread
· 2 eggs
· 1 cup milk
· 3 tablespoon condense milk
· Pinch of salt
· butter


Beat the eggs lightly with a fork. Stir in sugar, salt, and milk. Dip slices of bread into the mixture and fry in butter, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides.

You can serve with crispy bacon and hot chocolate or coffee.

Seafood Pasta

250g pasta
1/8cup butter
3spoon olive oil
200g shrimp, peeled and deveined
500g mussels, removed from shells
5 mushrooms, sliced
5 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, minced
2 spoon all-purpose flour
2 cups evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup dried chilli

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 4 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Melt butter in a non-sticky pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Saute shrimp for 1 minute on each side. Stir in garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add mushrooms and gradually whisk in milk, then cook until thickened. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper. Return shrimp to sauce, and spoon over cooked pasta.

Mongo Guisado (Stewed Mung Beans)

Mongo Guisado


All time favourite Filipino. This dish is given a make-over with a lot of nutritious spinach or malungay leaves. It’s very simple to prepare. A plus point for me, that my son loves it.

· 4 cups of water
· 1 ¼ cups green mongo (mung) beans
· 2 tbsp canola oil
· 1/2 onion, chopped
· 4 cloves garlic, chopped
· ½ cup diced pork
· 1 cup small prawns - peeled, heads discarded
· 20 stalks of spinach
· 2 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
· Salt and pepper to taste

Soak the (mongo/green) mung beans in about 2 cups water for 4 hours. Bring the same water to the boil and simmer beans until tender and most of the water has been absorbed, about 20 to 30 mins. Set aside. Heat casserole in medium heat then add oil. Sauté onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add diced pork and sauté until brown and crispy. Stir in mung beans and 2 cups fresh water. Bring to boil and simmer over medium heat until pork is fully cooked (add more water if necessary). Add the spinach leaves or malungay and prawns. Cook until the prawns turn orange in color, about 1 to 2 mins. Seasons with salt and pepper. Best to serve with fried fish and Calamansi with fish sauce or toyo.

Nutella

Nutella is Alvin and Albert's favorite spread now! Albert loves it for his afternoon snacks and Alvin for dessert(spread or fruit dip) after dinner.

Info:
Nutella is the third most popular Facebook page on the planet. It's the brand name of a hazelnut-based sweet spread registered by the Italian company Ferrero at the end of 1963. The recipe was developed from an earlier Ferrero's spread released in 1949. And now marketed in across the globe.

Nutrition Facts:
Nutella is a delicious hazelnut spread that contains quality ingredients such as skim milk and a hint of cocoa. Nutella® spread on whole wheat bread, or any multigrain product, with orange juice or skim milk is a good combination for a balanced breakfast that the entire family will enjoy. Nutella contains no artificial colors or preservatives.

Allergy Fact:
Nutella is generally not recommended for people with an allergy to nuts.
Nutella is also not recommended for people with milk allergy or lactose intolerance because of its skimmed milk and whey content.

Paella

Paella is synonymous with Spanish cuisine. It is an internationally known Spanish rice dish. We Filipinos have created many version paella. Here's my own version of PAELLA.

· ½ pint of olive oil
· 2 cups of rice & 1 cup glutinous - cooked w/ lemon grass
· ½ kg of shrimps - peeled and preserved the tails
· 1 crab – sliced into 4
· 1kg of mussels or clams
· ¼ kg chicken
· ¼ kg pork belly
· 1 green pepper –cut to ribbons
· 1 red pepper –cut to ribbons
· 2 cup tomato sauce
· 10 string beans
· 10 snow peas
· 1 small onion
· 2 tomatoes – diced, removed seeds and peeled
· 1 clove of garlic
· 1 hard boil egg – sliced for decoration
· Salt & pepper to taste

Begin to cook in water & pitch of salt the crab & mussels or clams (make sure you clean the mussel with water and salt). Start to heat non-sticky pan and put oil then toss the garlic until light brown then add the onion. After a minute, add diced tomatoes. Add the pork belly and chicken. Stir for 5minutes and add the tomato sauce. Let it braise about 10-15 minutes more.. Add the shrimps and rice and stir well. Make sure you removed the lemon grass. Simmer for 10mins in very low heat. Add and mix well the mussels, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, sweet peas, and string beans. Cover the pan for 5-10 minutes until slightly dry.

Transfer in a large porcelain pan and bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes.
Decorate with hard-boiled eggs, red and bell pepper peas just before serving (after baking it)

Chicken Arroz Caldo

Arroz is rice; caldo means hot. Despite its Spanish name, this dish is the Filipino version of the Chinese porridge.

· 1/2kg Chicken, cut into serving
· 2 Tb canola oil
· 6 garlic cloves -- minced
· 1 whole onion -- finely sliced
· 1/4 cup ginnger -- finely sliced
· 1c Rice grains
· 1c glutenous rice - soaked overnight
· 7 cups water
· 2 Tb fish sauce (patis)
· 1 chicken stock cube
· 2 stalks lemon grass - pound
· 5 Stalks green onion -- finely sliced for garnish
· 1 Calamansi - sliced into two
· Salt and pepper to taste

In a large non-stick soup pot over medium heat, saute
garlic, ginger and onion in oil. Add lemon grass, chicken pieces and fish
saue and cook for another 3 minutes. Add rice, water
and a little salt and pepper. Cover and simmer in
medium low heat for about 30-40 minutes or until the
consistency of a light ceamed soup has been reached.
Stir occasionally while cooking. Correct seasonings
to taste. If rice soup becomes too thick, add a little
water to thin it a bit. Garnish individual bowl
servings with sliced green onions & a slice of calamansi just before
servings.