Recipe 101: Fried Sesame Fish

It has always been the same when I try to fry fish, either use the flour-egg-breadcrumbs mix or season it with just salt and pepper. This was inspired by a DelMonte Kitchenomics recipe except that I didn't add the pineapples as sauce as we don't prefer sweet dishes.  

Here's the procedure:

Marinate fish (I used cream dory here) in 1tbsp calamansi juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine 1/2c all purpose flour, 4cloves minced garlic and 2tbsp sesame seeds. Set aside.

Beat 1pc egg and mix fish with it.

Coat each piece of fish in flour-garlic-sesame seeds mixture and fry in sesame oil until golden brown.

Serve. Pair with either a soup or roasted veggies.

How do you make your fried fish interesting? Share your recipe. Thanks.

food blog: Pizza Warehouse

I love pizza. I mean who doesn't. Even if it's store-bought or homemade, something about it equates happiness. Pizza warehouse is new on the block and we thought to give it a try. We ordered a slice each and hubby considered adding churros too but when he saw how big one slice of pizza was he decided to add churros for later instead. True enough a slice was all we needed, nothing more. It isn’t as expensive though that you can't think of adding in calzone or roast chicken to your order but it is filling that I’d suggest you finish off the slice of pizza first before making your way to the counter for round 2. Drinks are reasonably priced too, for a 16oz of soda or iced tea is P37 and P47 for 22oz. The menu isn’t overwhelming too, which is what I like. Aside from pizza, they have roast chicken with rice (P119), calzone and baked roll (P139 each) and beef hotdog (P99). Their cheese pizza is P99 per slice while the rest of the pizza (they call it specialty pizza) is priced at P109 per slice. Another pizza bliss.

all meat pizza (P109/slice; P649/box)

shrimp and garlic pizza

a slice each is enough

cheese pizza

pepperoni calzone

churros

Pizza Warehouse is located at 2F Glorietta 3

how to make Real Spaghetti Carbonara

I can't believe I've never tried doing Carbonara. If I ever did I knew it was by using a mix by McCormick (where you add milk and cream to powdered mix, heat it up and pour to pasta) which I think doesn't count. How can someone say no to instant chows when you've got less and less time on your plate, so to speak. But you see when I've got time to surf I always look forward to recipes on FoodTube. I chanced upon this title called Real Spaghetti Carbonara by Mr. Carluccio, of course it kinda sound interesting with the word "real" in it, so I watched it. His recipe is really simple yet authentic. By just watching you'll know his is the real deal. I loved it the first time I tried doing it and the fact that I didn't have to add all purpose cream to it made it less sinful but still delectable.

Spaghetti Carbonara (for 2 people)

Ingredients:

 
Spaghetti (250g)
Bacon (cut up to pieces, fry)
2 whole eggs
1 eggyolk
Parmesan cheese
Pepper

Procedure:

 
Cook pasta according to package direction.

Fry bacon bits.

For sauce: beat 2 eggs and 1 eggyolk, add parmesan cheese and pepper.

Once bacon is fried, turn off the heat and pour cooked pasta. Mix.

Pour sauce and mix.

Serve right away but first add parmesan cheese on top and pepper to taste.

P.S. Hope you'll like this recipe as much as I do. Please share if there are other versions of carbonara you know too. Bon appetito!

Padre Pio chapel and Custaroons

Finally we were able to get to Padre Pio chapel in Eastwood. I like how intimate the chapel is.. It's super serene inside, someone even carries a placard reminding everyone to stay silent. It's that peace that's inviting that engages you to a long and meaningful conversation with God. The stories shared written on the walls are inspiring that it makes you believe miracles can happen everyday and to everyone for as long as faith rules in your heart and soul. I remember my tears silently fell when I touched the  image of Padre Pio and hubby took my hand while we prayed. It is so unbelievable how a prayer unarms you and lets you be you. 

For Holy week, the Stations of the Cross outside are perfect for reflecting. You can send your prayers above by lighting a candle as you head out. You can find Padre Pio’s image outside surrounded with hundreds of rosaries as they symbolize every prayers that were granted. 

We ended the day by bringing home custaroons with us. Custard plus macaroons, that sounded so sweet and so we didn’t pass up the chance to sample it.

 

Bite-size box of 15, P210.00

Baon Ideas: Black Bean Chicken

I was looking for a simple sauce for my chicken when I came across recipes from Lee Kum Kee. I love Cantonese dishes and this is a simple recipe so it’s another baon idea in my list.

Ingredients:
2-3tbsps oil
1/2 klo chicken breast
1 medium onion
spring onions
ginger
1pack lee kum kee sauce

Procedure:
 
saute chicken in oil until cooked. set aside.

saute onions, ginger and lee kum kee sauce in oil.

add chicken and stir-fry.

stir in spring onions and serve.

how to make Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

2-3tsbp oil
5cloves garlic
1/2klo sirloin (pre-boiled, reserve stock)
1can mushroom
1sachet beef and herb gravy (dissolve in 1cup water)
1cup beef stock
1/2cup all purpose cream
1/8cup red wine
salt, pepper to taste

Procedure:

heat oil. saute garlic.

add beef sirloin and mushroom.

pour in gravy dissolved in water.

add beef stock, cream and red wine. let simmer.

season with salt and pepper.

bon appetit!

note: adjust this dish to your liking like lessen the cream or gravy if you're conscious of the food you eat, you can omit beef stock if you want it thick, you can also omit red wine if you have none. just try to taste it with every addition of ingredient so adjustment can easily be made. this is recommended as it's easy and very tasty. enjoy.

P.S. any suggestions to this dish?

how to make Chicken Stew

For the past few weeks I haven't been cooking dishes that are tomato based. I never knew I'd miss chicken afritada, beef caldereta and pork menudo up until now. So I picked one among many clipped recipes in my arsenal. I realized adding red wine in tomato based dishes makes a whole lot of difference. This Christmas I'm very sure a lot will be gifted with red wine so there'd be no excuse not to try it in a dish like this. Just give it a try, you might like it like I did. 

Ingredients:

1pc onion, minced
5pcs garlic, minced
2medium carrots, cubed
1can mushroom
1/2kg chicken
1/4cup red wine
peppercorns
1pouch tomato sauce
1cup water
1medium bell peppers
1-2pcs laurel leaves

Procedure:

fry chicken pieces but not all the way through

saute onions, garlic, carrots, mushroom and pre-cooked chicken

add red wine, peppercorns and tomato sauce. simmer uncovered for 5 minutes

add water and bell peppers. cover and simmer for 5 minutes

Bon appetit!

how to make Buffalo Chicken Wings with Ranch Dressing

I saw this recipe free in You Tube done by Sharon Cuneta. It's an easy breezy dish and it only requires less ingredients which makes it foolproof if we want fast food. I used to buy packets of seasonings for this recipe and I didn't know it would just need me few items to pull off, I can even skip the ranch dressing and still enjoy as much. Hope you'll enjoy too...


Ingredients:

3kg chicken wings
1pack of 50g maggi magic sarap
3-4cups all purpose flour

coat chicken with flour-maggi mixture and set aside for 10-15 minutes then fry for about 7-8minutes.

for ranch dressing:

1 1/2cups mayo
1 1/2cups sour cream
1tbsp garlic powder
1tbsp dried oregano
1tbsp minced parsley
1/4cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp hot sauce
1/4cup worcestershire sauce

just mix everything together.

for coating:

6tbsp hot sauce
6tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

add 6tbsp tomato or banana catsup if will serve to kids otherwise just use hot sauce and butter to coat. dump newly fried wings right into the sauce to coat then serve.

any suggestions for this dish?

how to make Miswa Sardines

Ingredients:

Miswa (soaked in warm water)
2 cans Spanish sardines
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
spring onions
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup warm water
1 pc knorr cube (I used sinabawang gulay)

Procedure:

Saute onions and garlic.

Add sardines (sauce not included)

Add spring onions. Season with salt, pepper, oyster sauce and soy sauce.

Add water and let boil.

Pour in miswa and let simmer. Add knorr cubes. Let boil.

Turn off heat and pour in sesame oil.

 

This is perfect for this kind of rainy weather. Bon appetit!



 

Recipe 101: Veggie Rice Bowl with Chicken and Mushroom

A simple but a healthy and filling dish. You may substitute these veggies with the ones you prefer, no hard and fast rules here. The aim though is to make your dish as colorful as possible because as what I heard from Jamie Oliver, the colorful your dish the more likely it's balanced with nutrients. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

1tbsp butter
1pc onion, chopped
1cup mushroom
2stalks celery, chopped
1/2cup green peas
1pc red bell pepper, chopped
1pc carrot, chopped
salt, pepper
1/4cup cheese, cubed
3pcs chicken breast fillet, shredded or chopped

Procedure:

Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Fry. Chop or cubed the chicken meat then set aside.

Saute onions and celery in butter.

Add mushroom, carrots, green peas and bell pepper.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add cheese.

Serve on top of steaming rice with chicken breast.

how to make Fried Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

There’s no fried chicken (at least to me) that’s epic fail. The simplest way to cook it is just by seasoning it with salt and pepper then deep fry it. There are so many ways to have and enjoy it. Others use flour, egg and breadcrumbs to coat the chicken and yield a crunchier version. I once saw a ready-mix for buffalo wings and that we also liked. Korean version that’s sweet is also irresistible. Chef Boy has this version where he steams the chicken first and then proceeds with deep frying. And that’s what I replicated.

 Fried Chicken by Chef Boy

Procedure:

Rub chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add spring onion stalks, 2pcs bay leaves and 1-2 tbsp fish sauce (patis) to water in steamer.

Steam chicken for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken to cool down and rub a little more patis all over it.

Deep fry for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

P.S. When the chicken cooled down and I had to rub patis all over again (before deep frying it), it scared me that it might end up a very salty fried chicken so I went low with fish sauce. It actually ended up kinda bland so I guess rubbing it all over the chicken won’t make it salty much (don’t go all out though), besides if Chef Boy said rub more patis all over it, go rub it all the way :)

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I’m into soups these days, not the canned or pouched version (where you’ll only add boiling water) but the kind where you’ll painstakingly do it from scratch. I once saw on TV how pumpkin soup was made, of course its squash to us so I tried the show’s version since it only needed a few ingredients. This is good for babies too.

 Squash Soup

Procedure:

Boil squash in a pot full of water with salt, pepper and garlic until soft. Let cool.

Blend the boiled squash with onions and chicken broth (diluted with water) in blender until smooth.

In a pot, add the squash puree, boil.

Once boiled, add salt and all purpose cream. Cook for 15 minutes.

Garnish with parsley.

P.S. I tried doing it again and made a few edits because I didn’t like it the first time. For one, I didn’t like the onions there so I omitted it the second time. You might try doing it as is if you like onions. Or maybe had I used white onions I would have liked it more. I thought of using red onions initially because I never liked the sweeter white ones, so that would be your call. Use the water where you boiled the squash, to dilute the chicken broth because all the nutrients of the vegetable were left in there. It would defeat the purpose of having a healthy soup if we just throw it away, so if you want to adjust the thickness of the soup have it on hand. And since all purpose cream is yummy but not really healthy I tried pouring in milk as a substitute. There was no evaporated milk available (again) so I tried using powdered milk (which I have in my pantry) diluted in hot water instead. Surprisingly, I liked it all the better.

any suggestions for these dishes?

how to make Hamburger Patty

I got this recipe from K, the Kris Aquino magazine: the special recipe issue, where she shared heart-warming dishes to try. The page actually said Meatballs by Kris and Mom Cory but instead I made hamburger patties out of it. So whether you want to make meatballs spaghetti or any dish that calls for meatballs or just burger patties like I did, here’s the perfect recipe to try out.

Ingredients:

2/3 klo ground round

1/3 klo ground pork

1 small packet, seasoning granules

Pepper

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Kikkoman sauce

1 egg

4 slices white bread,  shredded to small pieces

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients together

Form into balls and then deep fry until golden brown

Serve

Note: The right mixture is to have both ground round and ground pork so that the meatballs will form better and have more flavor.

how to make Asian Style Spicy Chicken

I am about to make chicken barbeque so off I head to Savemore. I get chicken, tomato ketchup and a bottle of 7up. Anyways I already have soy sauce, sugar and pepper at home so it’s just a few buys. But when I saw in the ketchup isle that UFC has this Cook n’ Dip catsup blend recipes, I decided to try it instead. I tried ASIAN STYLE SPICY CHICKEN WINGS but apart from buying chicken wings I also added thigh parts.

Here’s the procedure and a few tweaks I made…


Procedure:

Season chicken wings with salt and pepper.

Coat evenly with flour and fry in oil until cooked. (I coated chicken with a mix of flour and water instead)

Heat oil, cook ginger (2tbsp, minced) and garlic (2tbsp, minced) until golden brown.

Add soy sauce (2tbsp), UFC cook n’ dip spicy chili catsup (5tbsp), oyster sauce (1tbsp), calamansi juice (1tbsp) and sugar (1tbsp) (if you don’t like it sweet you can omit sugar.)

Add fried chicken and coat with sauce. Serve hot. (After frying, I put it in oven toaster for 4-7 more minutes since I didn’t deep fry it and I was gunning for a crunchier one. It’s good actually.)

how to make Mackerel Sinigang

I’ve known this dish for about 3 or 4 years ago. Our department supervisor once cooked this for us when we went to his home and said that this was a favorite dish of our co-worker (who is now my husband). I liked it but I never got to try doing this at home. It was lunch before the New Year when my mom-in-law cooked this for us and again reminded me that I should try copying this recipe at home for hubby. This is just a simple dish. And if you love SINIGANG in any way and form, I guess you will also find this interesting. The easiest sinigang ever. :)

Mackerel Sinigang

Ingredients:

Onion - 1pc, sliced

Tomatoes – 2pcs, quartered

Water – 1 cup

Mackerel – 1 small can, I used SABA brand (note: small can has only 2pcs of mackerel)

Sinigang mix – 24g sachet for a small can of mackerel

Malunggay leaves

Procedure:

Saute onion and tomatoes.

Add can of mackerel. Simmer.

Add water and let boil.

Add sinigang mix.

Once cooked, turn off heat and add in either kangkong leaves or pechay or malunggay.
Serve with rice.

any suggestions on improving this dish? thanks.